Silver Explorer Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We have realized the thrill of visiting Antarctica, our 7th continent, and thanks to the weather, new friends we made on the sailing, the professional crew, and the extraordinary service we received each day, we doubt this cruise will ever be topped.
Silversea required us to purchase their charter air package and although it had a few rough spots (check-in at the Buenos Aires domestic airport and a long wait for baggage once we returned to Buenos Aires) we understand why they did it the way they did and we really can´t complain. We were taken to a ski lodge 25 km from Ushuaia for lunch on the 8th and the lamb BBQ was pretty good. We boarded the vessel around 2pm and our luggage was waiting for us in our suite (all cabin categories are called suites). The welcome we received at the ship really started the cruise on a positive note. The suite was roomy and a bottle of champagne was waiting for us.
The sail away was nice and the trip down the Beagle was uneventful. Apparently it was a bit rough the previous day but the initial stage of the transit of the Drake Passage was pretty smooth. It got a bit bumpy after 11pm and it stayed that way throughout most of the 9th. We made good speed across the Drake on the 10th and actually arrived early enough in the South Shetland Islands to take a bonus excursion at Half Moon Island where we visited a chinstrap penguin colony.
Cabin Review
Explorer Class Oceanview Stateroom
Suite 406 was spacious in comparison to other cabins we have occupied on other cruise lines. The bathroom had a good sized tub and several hand holds to provide stability during showers. The furnishings are nice and include a small glass table, two chairs, a place to write at a desk, sufficient storage in bed tables, under bed drawers, and closets. There was a small refrigerator in the room. The TV had FOX and BBC programming, movies on demand, cruise log, and the always exciting bow bridge camera channel! The suite attendant occasionally made a towel animal for us. On our anniversary he left us with two swans forming a heart illuminated by electric candles, four balloons attached to the ceiling, and a chocolate mousse cake! The window was of good size but it didn´t take long for it to get somewhat obscured by seaspray. We were about 4 suites aft of the bow so we experienced some rock and roll movement in heavier seas. The beds were quite comfy and the linens were top quality.