Having cruised the exact same ship just a couple years ago, I observed a significant "slip" in Silversea's quality and service; but it wasn't just me who noticed. It was a frequent topic among fellow passengers. One couple complained about their room temperature being too hot and their refrigerator not working. They were asked to give the crew time to sort it out and in the mean time given another room - filled with boxes. They eventually were moved on day 3 but to a room someone else had left because of noise from a nearby slamming crew door. My room only had minor problems like the shower leaking out to the floor; that was finally repaired the last day of the cruise. There was also hair in some of the drawers and I kid you not, a bottle of vagisil left under the bed. Housekeeping was strangely absent yet we always returned to a cleaned room. The butler did introduce himself but that was the last time we saw him. At the bar, one friendly waitress kept getting our names mixed up and in the dining room a certain waiter could be smelled approaching before seen. It was one of those cruises where it was advisable to pick out the best and tip them early so they would stay with you. All the help had turned over from our last cruise and it seemed to be a training day everyday. The head chef and another "nameless" director seemed a bit cavalier (loose) as if they were accountable to noone. The food suffered more than once; dried out sea bass, overcooked lobster, and really nothing that wowed us, until the last night, that is. It seems they wanted to leave us with a good impression and everything was spot on for 3 whole hours.

A predictable poolside buffet went well for us because we had Paul looking out for our table of six but we heard lots of gripes from others who were not so lucky. The after dinner party music sounded unfortunately like a wedding reception play list: "YMCA", "Macarena", etc.. They seemed open to our suggestions after most of the crowd left.

he port stops though were fairly well arranged. The one exception was Antigua after St Barts and before St Martin. I would have preferred if they had just stayed anchored off St Barts for two days and skipped Antigua. Read more