We just returned from a ten day trip on the Silver Spirit, Montreal to New York City. Out of 25+ cruises this was hands down the worst because of the weather. It was 29 degrees F in Montreal, we got stuck in Quebec City because of a blizzard, Saguenay port was closed because of the weather, Baie-Comeau was closed because the dock was wrecked by the storm and it was rain, snow, sleet and fog in all but Newport RI. So I must give this trip two marks, overall trip a 2 while just the Silver Spirit a 8. I blame the weather 50%, myself 25% for booking a trip to Canada this late in the season and Silver Sea 25% for selling a trip this late. The attitude aboard the ship from Captain on down was it was too late in the season. The Ship: The Spirit looks like a new ship and just like the Muse in many places. She was very clean and organized with no problems that I encounter. The crew was great, service top notch. The unlimited internet and the interactive TV worked great. We were in cabin 1117, a new Silver Suite added when she was stretched. Great cabin in a great location. Very quite and right by the elevator and midships enough motion wasn’t a issue. Food: The Spirit now has the same restaurant arraignment as the Muse and the same room service. I really do not like the fact that the menus do not change at all in the evening in any restaurant, it gets very boring. Some will say they do change however after 23 days on both ships I have never seen a change, I also find the room service menu boring, almost like a Diner. I tried to get a lobster dinner, which is a special order, and just got the run around. I am really not impressed by the food. I never got a bad meal however there is no wow factor in any of it. I can not recommend SS to a foodie. Accitivies: For a ship with a very small stage their group did a great job. There were six singers who put on various shows, all very good. There was a three piece band which was OK along with a male and female singer who worked the lounge, also OK. I was surprised they didn’t bring in any guest acts. There was a lecturer onboard also. Overall I like SS but after trying them twice I just can’t get excited about their restaurant concept. I would sail them again however at their price point there are better options I believe. Read Less

Awesome service, accommodations and great culinary options! My husband and I boarded this cruise too celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary and had a wonderful experience. Despite the bad weather, and missed ports, we enjoyed all the ports we did get to visit! The staff on board accommodated our every whim and the dinning options were fabulous. The rooms are very spacious and serviced twice a day which was very nice. We loved all the common areas and the numerous activities that were offered. We especially enjoyed trivia play each day at 4:45pm. Who doesn't like drinks, friends, and some trivia! We made some wonderful friends on board as well! The ports were beautiful and full of fun and exciting excursions suiting every level of activity. Because of our ship's size we could get into most ports without having to tender to shore. I would definitely recommend this cruise and especially Silversea cruise line. We can't wait to book our next cruise. Read Less

We thought the ports seemed interesting however we were not able to go to 3 of them. The daily activities were lame. Since we had to spend so much time on the boat we were often bored. The food was about a B-,most of the time. Most of the crew was helpful. Overall, the cruise was disappointing. Because the weather was so bad, we feel this trip should not have been scheduled so late in the season. On a positive note, our butler was very helpful and attentive as were waiters in the dining room. The dinner in the gourmet dining room was not worth the $60 a piece price . Also, the food in the Italian dining room was not the quality we expected, so we ate there only once. The breakfast buffet was enjoyable as the selections were vast and well prepared. We will have to give great thought to returning to Silver Seas. Read Less

Booked cruise to Galapagos, always on my bucket list, expecting in depth exploration of the islands. I did not investigate land geography, volcanic islands with little or no vegetation and very limited animal life. Hikes on the islands was treacherous at the best of times especially in our age bracket, over 70. Nowhere in cruise literature did I find that the tours are at least 50% water sports, snorkeling and kaiaking. Naturalists on board, some very good others overage. Boarding and getting off zodiacs was well planned with lots of safety measures. Transportation to and from airports was very good, well planned. The buffet breakfast, worst on any cruise ship, dinners, although tasty, at times, offered portions inadequate for adults, perhaps too small even for children. Wines included in the menu were mostly Chilean and Argentinian, lowest quality money can buy. Specialty wine list had prices above what is expected on a cruise ship. Life on board was practically non existent, the bar had a limited supply of beverages. Silver Sea must have a program where profits are maximized at the expense of customers while paying in excess of $1,400/day. My wife and I may never take another Silver Sea cruise. Read Less

As a semi-surprise birthday trip my husband 'planned' this trip to the Galapagos Islands since it was a dream trip of mine for many decades. We had cruised with Silversea before so we knew traveling with them would be an added bonus! The other guests were delightful and since the ship has only 100 passengers, we got to know most of them! The crew was friendly, knowledgeable and fun, too! The guides are from the Galapagos Islands National Park Guide Service and they rotate around the cruise ships - I don't know how we got all the best guides but we did! :) Knowledgeable and fun. The day trips were always informative and interesting. The animals steal the show and rightfully so! We could go on and on about the sea lions and the boobie birds, other birds, iguanas, other flora and fauna - which vary from island to island. So much to take in! Wonderful trip!!!!! This cruise had no formal nights - which was nice since we had a lot of other items to pack for the expedition cruise. Bonus: We loved having wet suits and snorkeling gear provided for us -- no need to pack that!! (We swam with sea lions and sharks! And saw amazing schools of fish, starfish, rays, etc!!!!!) It is a busy day each day as they try to make the most of your trip and everything is so top notch. We did sit out one activity on one day as there was just too much going on and we needed a bit of a break. With that said - some of the island hikes were way to slow paced. You DO always need to be mindful of your footing - it's just the roughness of the islands - rocks and boulders and such. You need the proper shoes for you own best outcome! (They also provided walking sticks for those who needed them!) But we are used to hiking and moving about more. We DID appreciate they took into account everyone's abilities and I do think that might have been part of the issue. We did enjoy many times, the ability to just stand and enjoy the animals and scenery--that's why we came! The tortoises were show stoppers!!!! Loved seeing them in their natural habitat and at the preserve! The food was great! We loved the local food sourcing!!! The chef made sure there was different offerings and all were tasty! The piano man - Alfred- was fun. The butlers marvelous....great folks all around! Pre-cruise and post-cruise hotels they booked were EXCELLENT!!!!!!!! This was an added bonus - so many times the pre and post cruise parts are nice but these were EXCELLENT, especially our hotel in Guayaquil. We appreciated the half-day room. The amenities were really over the top! If you are wondering if you should go the answer is easy; it's: YES!!! Read Less

Celebrating a birthday and an anniversary. We knew that Silversea would enable a trouble free voyage. Our Butler and Maid decorated our suite for the birthday/anniversary celbration with clever towel art and balloons. Our fridge was constantly restocked with our favorite beverages. Our every need was cared for (including some seasickness tablets on the occasion that they were needed. The food was simply amazing with the specialty restaurant La Dame serving on eof the best meals we have ever enjoyed. While we did not take part in the entertainment at night (being early to bed folks) we did enjoy the lectures. And the Bingo. And the Trivia contests. The dining options enabled us to enjoy what we wanted when we wanted it. And when the (free) WiFi went out on deck 4 and 5 we were presented with a $300 credit. A really fine gesture for a porblem that was not foreseeable. What can I say? It is Silversea.. Read Less

We prefer to cruise back from Europe rather than flying. We have been on Silversea for only four years, but it is our "go-to" cruise line. This trip fit in with our earlier plans: started with a week in Madrid in a rented apartment; then fly to Porto for an Ama Waterways cruise up and down the Douro River; then the high-speed train to Lisbon for a few days waiting to board the Whisper fro the crossing. As usual, the ship met or exceeded our expectations. The staff is wonderful and as repeat cruisers, we re-acquainted ourselves with many of them. It is such fun to walk into a bar on board and not have to order a drink. It just appears before you! The crew and the wait staff were also a welcoming sight. We have recommended Silversea to many of our friends and the feedback we get is always positive. Read Less

We took advantage of an opportunity to board a Silversea cruise in our hometown of Portland, Maine. This was an eight day cruise to Montréal that actually started in New York. Overall, we give this cruise five stars out of five! When we cruise, food and service are very important to us, and both were excellent on the Spirit. Less important for us are entertainment and excursions, especially in North America. On this cruise, the entertainment was the weak link. We’d give it three stars out of five. We could have used help with our luggage at embarkation in Portland. I realize this was something of an experiment for Silversea but we all (about 30 of us getting on in Portland) had to bring our own bags on board. Debarkation was easy with two restaurants plus room service available that morning. We had a deluxe veranda suite and it was very spacious although the balcony was something of a waste on this cold-weather cruise. We did not dine in Hot Rocks or Seishin, but all the others were very good to excellent. We found the food and service to be equally good, and the included wines were up to the task. Our butler, Neil, was certainly very attentive and there were several crew who remembered us from a previous cruise on the Muse in April. That made us feel at home. The DJ in Panorama was good, and we really enjoyed the Art Cafe and The Bar in Dolce Vita (hello, Albert!) There was an unusual vibration, one night in particular, that was annoying. We heard several other passengers comment on it as well. I hope it goes fixed before a long trans-Atlantic voyage. The weather was cold but we really didn’t take this cruise for the ports. That said, we really enjoyed the trip up the Saguenay. The scenery was beautiful! All in all, we had an excellent cruise in Silversea! Read Less

We chose Silversea's Montreal to New York based on the itinerary and reputation of the cruise line. The Silver Spirit is definetly upscale with design and excellant, friendly service throughout the ship. The dining options were plentiful and good , not great , which was a bit disappointing . For a 10 day cruise , even though the dining options were varied, the menus stayed the same . It would have been nice to have a more varied menu. The one thing that was nice was the availability of the all around menu at every venue , which did give some additional variety. The Silversea Cafe on deck 8 was a daily staple , with snacks and lattes from 6:30am ... The itinerary lived up to the expectations, excursions we're well planned , and for the most part small. One negative would be the alloted time in some of the ports. The excursions were that good ,but we felt rushed because of time contraints on getting back to the ship. The tour guides were very good other than one on food tour Quebec City , disorganized and tour not as advertised. The major disappointment for those who like to workout was the small exercise area with limited machines and very small area for classes. This could certainly be an enhancement for SilverSea to consider. One suprise was the quality of the entertainment . A very talented troupe of singers and dances (Voices of Silverseas) were absolutely entertainng with the variety of song and dance that we didn't miss a show . Read Less

We chose this cruise because we love the service on Silversea and wanted a small ship experience in cruising the St. Lawrence Seaway to experience fall colors. The timing was perfect as we were able to see the fall colors throughout New England and Canada over the 10 day cruise. The excursions allowed options that customized our experience and we chose a variety including, but not limited to, a seaplane flight in Saguenay, bike ride in Quebec, and a mansion tour and walk along the cliffs in Newport, Rhode Island. There were many opportunities to enjoy local food through tour options. We loved the Lobster Lunch in Halifax and the Sugar Shack in Trois Rivieres! In Bar Harbor, we rented electric bikes on our own at the Pedego Store located right at the dock where we tendered and enjoyed our own ride through the Acadia National Park and town. The remodel of the ship has increased options for dining, however the cold weather limited the options as the Pizza Restaurant and the Grill are outside. That said, they do have outside heaters and blankets so we did choose our favorite dining place, The Grill, a couple of times. The Atlantide, Indochine and La Terrazza allowed a variety of types of culinary experiences. If you book on Silversea, be sure to make restaurant reservations online ahead of the cruise. Some restaurants do not need reservations, but specialty venues do and they fill up. There is always seating in Atlantide and Indochine. The Arts Cafe is fun any time of day, but limited seating with the cold weather. When it is warm outside, there is extended seating on the deck off the back of the ship, however, they did allow us to sit next door in the Silver Note during the day when the Silver note was not serving dinner. We also dined in our suite the first night and our butler delivered, wine, appetizers and main courses all elegantly served in our suite. As for entertainment, the shows were always fun, however we tend to choose only a few that spotlight our taste in music and songs. We loved listening to the piano and guitar music in Doce Vita Lounge on most nights either after the show, or instead of the show. The Silver Note includes a Jazz singer and pianist during dinner, but you can also go in for drinks after the last seating. The layout of the Silver Note in the Spirit is not as nice as the Muse however as the bar is not actually in the restaurant which we really liked in the Muse, so we could actually sit at the bar any time of the evening. We did not care for the destination lecturer on this trip, however he was knowledgeable, but we thought he was a bit boring. On other trips we have enjoyed the lectures, it just depends on personal preference. The lectures can be attended or watched on the TV in your suite later. The cruise director, Jimmy, was outstanding. He happened to be on our last cruise and we were glad to see he was again our director as he is outstanding. All service from the time you step on the ship, till the time you depart, is personal and excellent. We are repeat customers of Silversea due to their service and overall experience. Our next cruise with Silversea will be an expedition to the Galapagos and then bak on the Muse for 14 days in Australia and New Zealand. Read Less