My husband and I have just returned from our March 7 - 15th Galapagos Islands Cruise and we cannot wipe the smile off our faces. Our hundreds of photos are a beautiful reminder of what we experienced and learned. Silver Seas has mastered the Art of cruising, in making their guests feel like no one is more important than them. The staff is not only helpful but always pleasant and most resourceful! The naturalists are phenomenal...always taking good care in all circumstances..including getting on and off and "up and Down" the Zodiacs..:) and providing the best information to us. Our cabin person Leo could not have been more available to our needs and the dining room staff...headed by Christian, made every meal a dining experience.....under the most creative Chef...and pardon me...but I am lost to come up with her name.....but she was exemplary in her food prep, creativity, presentation and offerings of local foods..including a very fine fish selection. Tom and I met people from all over the world amongst the 90 guests and hopefully we will connect with them down the road. One observation, I would make is to not take along or purchase the Keen open water sandles, as they do allow sand and stones to get in upon a wet landing. The ship sells excellent closed nylon/rubber water shoes and while pricey, you are able to use any Cruise Credit to purchase them along with the excellent toggled hats to protect from the sun. I would redo this trip in a heartbeat..but taking in the western islands this time. Thanks to the Silver Seas staff and organization for an unforgettable week with you. Wendy Hickey & Tom Gallagher Read Less

I have been on this ship before and enjoyed it. The cabins spacious, the food excellent, entertainment not the best, but OK and the staff so courteous and helpful. On the 2nd port this time we were put into lockdown in our cabins while a patient results were awaited and unfortunately he was positive for Covid-19 15 March 2020 End of cruise holiday. Food is excellent apart from the fact that it is hard to get enough vegetables and it often turns up cold. Two gentleman hosts take dancing lessons and arrange for singles to sit together if they desire . This is much appreciated. This cruise has Bridge lessons with an excellent instructor. The cabin 426 is spacious with a walk in robe and big two bowl sink, shower and large bath, all scrupulously clean. The crew appear mainly Filipino and have a high standard of English. Unfortunately some of the land tour s , although expensive, were quite disappointing. Our 4 hour tour took in two churches, a few market stalls and a historic prison which was converted to market stalls in the cells. The wares were quite high quality, particularly the table cloths and ladies' clothing. Not much to see over 4 hours. The route was interesting. Now we have to see what will happen with our own quarantine/ incarceration . Read Less

During a recent cruise on the Silver explorer of the Chilean fjords, a fellow guest was transferred to the local medical centre in the beautiful village of Tortel. As the local authorities were concerned that the guest was possibly infected with COVID19, all guests who were ashore were directed to return to the ship immediately. The ship was shortly thereafter granted permission to continue the cruise, with a restriction of no landings until COVID19 test results were known. Two days later just prior to a scheduled shore excursion, the Captain advised that the result had come back positive for COVID19, and all guests were directed to return to their cabins. For the following 4 days information in respect to our situation was scant, but we were to realise later the need for discrete communications. Following the confinement to cabins, the chef together with his staff swung into action, and maintained the exceptional service for which Silversea is known. Prior to each meal we received a menu slipped under our door, which was astonishing. A full cooked breakfast was available with most of the accompaniments. Lunch was a three course meal with a two choices for each course. And dinner comprised four courses, with 3 choices for the main course. The quality and presentation of the meals which were delivered to our door was way beyond expectations. Furthermore, if you required any additional items for the complimentary mini bar, they were immediately attended to! On the morning of day four, the Captain advised that Silversea in conjunction with local authorities had developed a plan to repatriate all guests who were fit to travel. However due to sensitive local issues, we were requested not to communicate any information in respect to the operation. Later that evening guests were transferred by zodiacs to buses on a vehicular ferry that had rendezvoused at sea with the Silver Explorer. Once all passengers had been safely transferred to the ferry it set sail for Puerto Montt. On arriving at Puerto Montt the scale of operation became apparent. After the buses were placed in formation, the convey proceeded under very heavy police escort and back roads, to the local airport. Upon arriving at the airport the buses proceeded onto the airport tarmac, where one Boeing 787 Dreamliner was waiting to convey 45 American guests to Miami. Those guests immediately boarded their aircraft and were on their way home. The two aircraft for the remaining guests arrived two hours later. One Airbus A320 Neo to convey 40 English, and Europeans to London. And our dedicated aircraft, another B787 Dreamliner, exclusively for 16 Australians direct to Sydney. Like many Australians who have been overseas during the COVID19 crisis, we expected that we would be stranded and not be able to return home for a long time. The steps taken by Silversea to repatriate their guests were extraordinary, and I believe I can say on behalf of all the guests, we will be forever grateful for the repatriation operation undertaken by Silversea. The cost of the operation to Silversea would easily have exceeded $1,000,000. There was never any mention of guests contributing to the repatriation costs. Since returning home we have been contacted twice by Silversea following up on our welfare. In the first instance it was personally by the Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand. Silversea clearly demonstrated their priority for the welfare of their guests, ahead of commercial considerations. Read Less

Over a year and half in planning with another couple, we booked the Australian Wilds & Beyond (OCY200303-17), going from Sydney to Singapore on Crystal Serenity through our travel agent. We opted to book our own airfare to Sydney and home from Singapore using frequent flyer miles. And since we were going all this way, we decided to go to Sydney 5 days early to explore a city we had always wanted to visit. We also planned our return trip home out of the ending point Singapore, but 3 days after disembarkation. Trip began Feb 25, 2020 and was to end on March 23. On Tuesday, Feb 25th, we boarded our flight to Sydney and arrived there on Thursday, Feb 27th (Feb 26th in the US). Once we cleared customs and obtained our luggage, we received a phone call from our travel agent advising us that he had just gotten word that Crystal had cancelled the cruise completely. We were all tired and had prepaid transportation and hotel accommodations in Sydney, so we gathered our things and proceeded to our hotel. After relaxing for a bit, we regrouped and worked with our travel agent to rebook us on another cruise that was available leaving Sydney. We found several to choose from but fortunately we settled on the Silversea Muse going to New Zealand. Due to the current situation in the world, they had several cancellations and had some space available. Since the window was so short, there was no time to provide us paperwork for luggage and checkin. Our hotel however was a starting point for many of their booked passengers, and they had several representatives there to assist. The ladies were able to provide us the information we needed for the ship, and also some shopping advice for the few days we had left in Sydney. We also found out when the first bus was leaving on embarkation day so we scheduled a car to pick us up and deliver us to the terminal before they arrived. We were greeted warmly by the staff at the terminal and they were so helpful with our luggage even though we had no tags. We filled out the required health paperwork, had our temperatures taken and checked in within minutes. Before we knew it they were welcoming us onboard and we found that our suite was already ready and available and our butler, Rodney, was there to greet us. The suite was beautiful and the service impeccable. We really loved the daily laundry and dry cleaning same day service, out by 9am and returned by 5pm that same day, and hung in the closet. Rodney also took our shoes and polished them and returned same day. We had special requests for canapés and he handled that too along with stocking our favorite bottle of wine. We like coffee in bed every morning before we start getting ready, and it was delivered like clockwork every morning before we arose. After getting ready and going to breakfast, our room was cleaned and ready when we returned. We were always greeted by name, I think they get our pictures and study them so they can address us, first class service. We were truly impressed when on the first day we went to the excursion seminar and was greeted by the excursion desk manager by name as we approached the venue, having never seen her before, and she continued to delight us through the cruise, accommodating all of our needs, especially since we were so last minute with our booking and many of the excursions were full. The same is true for the restaurants as many were already booked fully but the manager gave up his table to accommodate us on formal night. The cruise director, Nolan, was amazing, keeping everyone entertained in daily trivia, doing standup in the theatre and singing, very talented and his team of performers were very talented as well. Our bartender, Oliver, in the La Dolce Vita lounge was a gem, having our drinks prepared the moment he saw us arrive so we didn’t even have to order from a waiter. I have to say that the service provided on the Muse was the best I have ever had on a cruise ship, and not just these people, but the whole crew. The wait staff, the maid service, the butler, the restaurant managers, the sommeliers, the performers, the spa professionals, reception desk, the excursion desk, all of them were so caring and wanted to make our experience the best, and they managed to do that and then some. We will definitely cruise with SilverSea again, hopefully sooner than later. Thank you. Read Less

This was the link cruise between Imagine Cruising’s Wonders of the World tour which should have included China and India - full review of that on Tripadviser. Joined the ship at Singapore and set sail for a 14 day journey to Mumbai via Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Cochin. From the first moment the ship and its staff exceeded expectations - a smaller ship at 604 passengers than many cruise ships but with 8 restaurants and bars and nearly every suite with a balcony following its recent refurbishment this is a floating palace. Entertainment was available throughout he day to suit all preferences with games, trivia quiz’s, cooking and drinks demos as well as first class shows in the evening nd of course a casino to get the adrenaline going!! Our suite on the 8th level was spacious and very functional inc shower and separate bath - the bed was very comfortable and the lounge area and TV very good with the balcony providing some spectacular views in port and sailing between islands. The butler service is very effective without being intrusive and unpacking our cases and stacking it all was a pure joy. The cruise sadly got caught up in the in the CV19 issues and after a couple of days the original route was changed dramatically with Myanmar and Sri Lanka closing its ports -9 the response from Silversea was exceptional with a partial cash refund and future credit offered within 24 hours!!! In the event the 14 days became 20 and instead of India we ended in Darwin Australia having been refused entry by 7 countries despite there being no cases or even symptoms on board and daily temp checks to prove it. Throughout this odyssey the crew worked tirelessly and standards never dropped to ensure that everyone had the best time possible in the circumstances. The Captain was frequently updating passengers and was readily available to chat to passengers on the ship - overall a first class example of turning a potential disaster into a celebration of customer care. Read Less

We chose this cruise — 14 days Singapore to Mumbai — because we were offered a once-in-a-lifetime deal. Sadly, CV-19 caught up with us and seven of our ports refused us entry. Nevertheless, after 18 days, we made it to Darwin, in Australia. How can I begin to explain how marvellous the crew were! The ship was kept absolutely spotless! And I mean that. Every day, every surface was sanitised — twice. You could NOT enter a dining room without sanitising. You could NOT serve your own food in the buffet. It was marvellous. And despite all that, the crew were happy, pleased to help us with anything at all. Their talent show was superb and demonstrated their unbreakable will and optimism. We had no virus on board — at all. And we WERE tested — 10 times by my count. I've never a cruise with so many healthy people on board! The ship is a happy ship — and that is due undoubtedly to the captain. What a hell of a situation he faced, and sometimes, just occasionally, you could hear the frustration in his voice. But he was forever honest, forthright and upright with the passengers and crew (they told us). Full kudos to him!! We have a FCC with them, and as soon as we can, we'll be back!! Read Less

We were looking forward to the places we had not been to and on entering the ship and cabin, our YouTube expectations were met by the fixtures and fittings we found. On sailing North from Singapore to Thailand all was well, but after the first port of Phuket the cruise went pear shape. Myanmar and then Sri Lanka closed its borders. So back to Malaysia and after landing in Penang, and the port for K.L., plus Malacca with no problems we headed to Langkawi and Malaysia then closed its borders down. Back to Singapore and what was going to be a recurring problem, one day out Singapore closed down, then Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines. Four things that saved us were the fact that the Captain had not jumped overboard like one other shipping cruise line captain we know about, no cases of Covid 19 had been detected on board with the crew or passengers and we were tested every two days, plus 10 days of not landing at any country and a third of the passengers were Australians, we headed to Darwin, Australia and home for us in Perth, Western Australia. During all this Cooks tour our Captain was praised by the passengers for keeping us up to date with the daily port closures, plus walking through the ship and entertained us with his funny version of English (I cannot speak his language of Italian). The crew and choice of food were magnificent with staff always happy and helpful and if you want to be on a ship in these bad times then this was the one. So we had a good clean happy ship that although maybe did not take us to our stated ports, but it brought us home safe and well and happy, what more can you ask for. Read Less

We have been regular Silversea travellers including twice on the Silver Spirit before it was lengthened. The lengthening seems to have produced a jerky motion at low speeds. The cruise from Singapore to Mumbai only got as far as the first port: Phuket. With all the scheduled ports closed we then meandered around the South China Sea for 10 days hoping someone would let us in. Eventually, we disembarked at Darwin, a port it would have been sensible to dock at 10 days earlier! Without exception, the staff and crew were first rate. Their tasks were complicated by the nature of the cruise and many faced unemployment after the cruise. The butler service is now working much better with the experience gained over time. The quality of food is first class, albeit some lines ran out after 10 days, Cabins are clean and well designed. To have avoided the dreaded Coronavirus is testament to the cleaning and other measures taken. Activities were well run. With the takeover by Royal Caribbean there has been some penny pinching: no afternoon teas, no binoculars in cabin, no petits fours at dinner, no money changing facilities, nowhere to buy small items for personal use etc Read Less

We wanted to try Silver Seas as a comparison to other lines weve used like Regent, and were very pleasantly surprised. This cruise was not destination driven for us as weve been to these ports several times over the years, so the fact that itinerary was changed due to the virus issue didnt fase us. It was always about the ship board experience for us, and we both feel it was the best ship experience of all our cruises in the 30 years we have been cruising.The food was of a consistently high standard, but the stand out experience for us was La Dame and Indochine, the food and presentation had a finesse not seen in many land based venues these days. The service was amazing everywhere, and the whole crew were polite but friendly.Our butler and his 2IC WERE FABULOUS, and thank you both for our special surprise, what a great team.Again thanks heaps Akash and Amool. Namaste,Cheryll and Peter. Read Less

Leisurely, up market, only 250 passengers. The crew were faultless, nothing was too much trouble. The food was terrific and unlike some cruise meals the portions were a modest size. Good choice of wines and spirits. It seemed you could have anything you wanted to drink if you did not fancy the wines presented at the dining table. Embarkation and disembarkation were queue-free and smooth. The ship was spotlessly clean. There were two good libraries. Meal times were free seating and any time you liked within opening hours. Breakfast fruit and pancakes were lovely. The pool was small but clean and fresh. There was ample storage in the cabin which is unusual, even a walk in closet. Lovely Bulgari toiletries. Comfortable beds, chocs handed out at night. The Terrazza restaurant (free option) served good Italian food, the Grill likewise good steaks. We did not try the Dame restaurant at $67 a head, menu too fancy and expensive. Read Less

We just returned from the magnificent cruise around the western islands of the Galapagos with Silverseas. The voyage is as amazing and wonderful as most reviews have said here. Actually, we both read a great many of the reviews on this website and we were well prepared for the cruise (and yes, we saw in advance the BBC documentary Islands that Changed the World). Even so, our expectations for the Silver Galapagos were significantly exceeded and we cannot recommend this cruise highly enough. Apart from the islands themselves, a great strength of this cruise is the staff of the Silver Galapagos. All are from Ecuador and many are from the Galapagos themselves (especially the guides). There is an esprit de corps among the staff that is like family, along with a great pride in the islands. It is a real joy to spend time with them for the week. An additional strength, as several review here have said, is the seamless integration for logistics (much of that provided on land by Abercrombie and Kent). From plane to hotel to airline to boat and back, everything works like clockwork. If you have been on many cruises, you know this outcome is an exception, not the rule. The outings are well designed and even better executed. We were never disappointed. Take everything they offer is our advice. We are in our mid-sixties and found everything feasible. When Silverseas says “challenging”, they mean that most of the participants will do well and a handful will lag behind. Yes, it is hot sometimes, especially without cloud cover. And yes, there are currents and waves in the open ocean for kayaking and snorkeling. Take the advice of the staff seriously, but based on that advice go for it. And yes, do bring the clothing suggested by Silverseas for the week. As many have said here, a major weakness onboard is the food. We reject the frequent argument in these reviews that hiring restrictions (only Ecuadorians) accounts for this problem. We ate at the amazing restaurant Zazu in Quito and were blown away by the excellent food there. OK, perhaps the head chef at Zazu is Peruvian, but everyone else there seems Ecuadorian. Also, we acknowledge the problem of provisioning – we started at San Cristobal and it was days before we came close to another port that would allow onboarding fresh food. The first day at lunch, we had grilled octopus that was the best we had ever eaten anywhere in the world. Three days later, the same dish at the Grill was tough and barely edible. The real issue seems to be the chefs and the management at Silverseas that tolerates and enables them. There are two problems. First, the chefs are not worldly or sophisticated. The phrase “Galapagos effect” in economics and business strategy refers to very sheltered agents that are not subject to selection effects outside their narrow home environment. Some of the dishes the head chef makes are amazing (like every one of his ceviches) and some are truly awful (like the salad of tomato, crabmeat, and blue cheese dressing we were served one evening). In any sophisticated environment, the latter dish would be promptly pulled. Silverseas apparently provides minimal feedback and direction for the very promising head chef, and he suffers as a consequence. Second, the chef is way too pleased with traditional Ecuadorian peasant food. May I be clear that the problem is traditional food, not any origin in Ecuador. I am from the Old South in the USA, where vegetables were cooked beyond any nutritional value, where items were fried to a crisp or smothered in gravies, where no spices were ever used, all modernized with the occasional molded Jell-O salad. Ugh. The traditional cazuela we were served onboard the Silver Galapagos was mostly tasteless and uninteresting. In contrast, the modern fish cazuela we had for lunch at Zazu in Quito was wonderful and impressive. As several have said here, Silverseas plays the “expedition card” way too frequently to justify its weak management and execution for food services. The one significant complaint I have for this cruise is apparently a rare problem: the snorkeling masks offered by Silverseas are not that well maintained. The first mask I was given leaked at the sides, though the problem was small enough that I completed the outing with only irritated eyes as an issue. The replacement mask I was given flooded at the mouthpiece and was completely unusable. I found three other guests who suffered the first problem (out of the 24 to 30 guests on three snorkeling outings for me), and only one other guest who suffered the second problem. Fortunately for her, her mouthpiece flooded at the initial outing at a beach; she swam onshore and an English-speaking guide pulled a pebble out of the mouthpiece for her. My mouthpiece flooded in the open ocean, and the driver on the Zodiac spoke not a word of English and had no idea what to do in my case. I later found out that most but not all Zodiacs have replacement masks onboard, so Silverseas expects these problems. However, Silverseas does not inform guests of the replacements and (at least in one case) does not train drivers for replacement. If you do the math, you can see these problems are not frequent. Nonetheless, I would strongly encourage you to bring your own mask – though Silverseas can be a bit prissy over use of your own mask; one guest brought a bright yellow snorkeling mask and was prohibited from using it. Overall this is an impressive and wonderful cruise. A little preparation in advance on your part will add to this awesome experience. Read Less

I love this ship. The extension and redesign made it a different ship. This turned into a cruise to nowhere because several ports denied entry to us because of the Coronavirus scare. SilverSea handled it beautifully, keeping everyone informed and at the first sign of trouble offering 100% refunds plus free return flights home and a 25% reduction for a future cruise. When we finally were permitted to dock at Laem Chabang, Thailand (Bangkok), we had spent 10 days in service and culinary bliss, all courtesy of SilverSea. Some people don’t handle uncertainty well, so there was consternation for some passengers, but the overwhelming majority of passengers behaved well under the circumstances. That is a tribute to how well this was handled by SilverSea and the ship’s staff. I have nothing but admiration for all of them. Aside from the unique situation of this cruise, this is my third time on this ship, twice since the remodel/extension, and it is one of my favorite ships. The staff is exceptional. Read Less

Great itinerary. I think you can see the changes now that Royal Caribbean is the new owner.The food was fair at best. For a cruise of this length there was not enough change. Menu seemed to change only after 7 days. Many sauces slopped on all entries. Breakfast and lunch were fair at best. Many lunch items were inedible. I think they were not buying quality meats. Salads were non existent. There were few if any vegetables. There was not much as an alternative to eating in the dining rooms. We cancelled our reservations at the specialty restaurants ($ 60 per person) after many people told us it was poor and a waste of money. If you did not go on an excursion there was not much to do on the ship. Sea days (and we had a few) were very boring. Disembarkation and travel to the airport was like a cattle car. There were many unhappy passengers This was not our first Silversea, but it will probably be our last. How Sad! Read Less

Just returned from our cruise, in cabin 247. We’re experienced cruisers and active vacationers. It was a delightful treat to explore the islands and experience luxury accommodations and service. The ship was in excellent condition despite its upcoming retirement. To those who complained of rust and “tired”. I respectfully disagree. Some complained that the wine selection is Ecuadorian only : We were offered a broad selection of Spanish and South American wines, most of which were interesting and good. By the way there is a bottle of sparkling wine tucked away near the juice bar at breakfast- wow am I sorry I missed that until the last day! If you are a sparkling wine drinker, take a sparkling wine bottle stopper with you to make the most of the always replenished bottle in your room. Leonardo our butler took lots of initiative, such as when I left a partially finished small bowl of nuts and raisins from breakfast in the room - he made sure I had an overflowing bowl in the room for the rest of the week. The cabin was very spacious, with a walk in closet, sitting area, and bedroom. The presentation of the hot rock grilling experience at the grill is quite simple, the rock is very small and the food cooks very quickly. The challenge up there is the wind. We booked our own air travel and coordinated with Silversea for all transfers and hotels. I’d recommend booking your own air- Silversea booked some fellow passengers to Los Angeles via New York. We also got a better rate on American Airlines than Silversea offered. I’m in agreement with the prior review and discussion about snorkeling. The naturalists were terrific, answered any and all questions patiently, and were very safety conscious. Read Less

Prime reason for picking this cruise Falkland Islands on my bucket list. Ship has a wow factor with the addition of Arts Cafe and new style reception and boutiques. Restaurant and La Terrazza comfortable dinning venues. La Dame seating layout not to our taste, Grill uncomfortable now cushions are not available for the chairs. Food spoiled on many occasions by being cold mainly in the restaurant. Filet mignon and Grilled fish always best options. Soups always good and hot. Breakfast in the restaurant excellent, perfectly cooked omelettes and eggs. Liver in La T always excellent. Best deserts the hot desert in LaT at lunch. A suitable wine to our taste was always available. Service excellent if you get the right restaurant and bar waiters otherwise mediocre. Waiter guidance key to enjoying good food. Pool area, lacks shade leading to occasional lounger confrontations.Teak Deck oozed bitumen. Grill served good fish tacos and crab cakes at lunch. Steaks at dinner, tiger shrimps getting smaller and the apple pies a disappointment. Entertainment not a Silversea strength the same shows year after year. Although performers add to the social life. Lack of enrichment lecturer. Read Less

We chose a small luxury vessel because we had sailed before. First time to celebrate our mother’s 80th birthday . That time was luxury and service at its maximum expression. A few years latter we chose to spend a new years with Silverseas, the we went to Alaska. Than this one. The ports were terrible, Guatemala and Belize are poor destinations with poor attractions, but we thought they weren’t as bad as the reviews we saw. Key West and Cozumel are good ports. I don’t know what Silverseas are doing in those two countries, especially Guatemala, with all the insecurity, armed police and just the general feeling that you don’t feel safe. Belize, well there is nothing there if you have limited mobility or if you are over 70. But the worst part was the service, most waiters don’t understand well English, so you ask for something and they bring you something else. Some are are bad mood and even “talk back” or roll eyes when you ask for something. After you eat, either at the dining room or at the Grill, they take more than 20 minutes to clear the table. Most time you have to ask to clear the table. This used to be a luxury cruise, well its quality is going downhill. The entertainment is great. Great pianist, musicians, singers. The food could be better. Not gourmet style like before, The ship is way too old, but clean, everything is in the galley and just the logistics are complicated, that is I think that has the waiters in a bad mood. The bartenders at the downstairs bar are amazing, the ones in the top bar are always mad. And in a bad mood. Maybe because we were 10. Not what I expected. I have salied Regent, Crystal,Seabourne, oceania, Celebrity, even Royal Caribbean And MSC. Read Less

I have been on over 80 cruises.None of them on a luxury line. This was special for my 60th birthday.Also being single, had to find one that did not break the bank.I didnt want to regret never doing a high end cruise.So booked this one.Big mistake.Definitely would have enjoyed 3 regular cruises so much more. It was a very small ship. There was so much rocking and swaying. I spent 1 day completely in bed. This was a first for me.There was mostly nothing to do all day. I was on a trivia team and met some nice people.I really have no need to be pampered or have things done for me. Most of the crowd was used to that. You could tell they were high brow and demanding. My butler was very good. He was also helpful.The ship is very outdated. I had a meal comped at La Dame. Glad didnt pay the extra 60.00. I am not a big drinker, so the ship made money off of me. Most of the others liked their liquor.The food was good, but nothing memorable. Read Less

First time I took this ship was last year and was so impressed with the service decided to book again! Called in to my contact at Silver Seas Ray Sobel and he helped me find this. Raise and he is outstanding and provides excellent service a big plus for me wanting to ask about ships etc! First they have two ambassadors /translators who take photos and greet people always there to assist..if lucky you will have Sophia on your cruise..you walk on and if like me you go to lunch if you don’t like their lunches then you don’t like good food..the staff knows you day two! La Dame..don’t know of a place as good..has the caviar they place on top of the lobster medallion salad..then had for the main course chilean sea bass with more caviar on top! The lobster bisque people had to cut the lobster! Service was incredible and the food matched it. Each room comes with a butler in mine was outstanding. He came in as I was hanging up my clothes noticed one of my jackets had wrinkles took it and asked me if I would like to wear it for dinner three hours later. I said yes and within an hour it was back in my room.he truly wanted the experience to be outstanding and Jerry delivered. The cruise Director was Colin and he was just excellent..large groups came to play trivia and he stayed to interact with us..and he too is an excellent classical pianist. The entertainment On hr ship was fun. As a low carb eater only the Italian dining venue at night I stayed away from as the others were just right up my alley..loved cooking a steak under the stars on the pool deck on hot lava stones drinking some fine wine! One I was with geared up with me as we went into the last night as we said goodby to the crew even the Boutique people were special. Felt sad that I would not see them again so in the process to soon take another to be with them..that’s how good they were and it starts with the Captain..he was visible and friendly. Read Less

Embarked in Barbados after a 3-day visit to that pleasant but (to me) mildly dull island. Embarkation was so easy we weren't sure if we were done (!) and cabin was available immediately. Our butler Daniel has helped me understand the point of a butler on a cruise ship (on prior ships we never saw them, didn't see the point) - eg. he polished my husband's shoes without us asking and found him a tie when we realized it was the one thing he failed to pack. yay Daniel. Embarkation in Fort Lauderdale was more formal (by colour group) but also went very smoothly. Itinerary from Barbados to Fort Lauderdale was good, pretty islands and no big deal when we hit rough weather and went to St. Thomas rather than San Juan (captain made the right/safe decision). We did 3 shore excursions through the ship and all were good - no big bus tours, well-organized and fun. Our 4th planned excursion was cancelled though - apparently no one wanted to watch dolphins in Key West (?!!). I thought perhaps that with this small ship (388 passengers) we might have ports where we were the only ship, but NO. Caribbean is swamped with ships now and even small islands like Bequia had multiple in harbour (though our counterpart there was the lovely Sea Cloud). Despite the small size, this is a miniature "full-size" cruise ship: it has a full show lounge (with great sightlines), a lounge with a decent dance floor, an all-day espresso cafe, etc. It has been recently refurbished and the decor is modern and attractive (except the main Restaurant which looks 1980's). I liked that there are (sort of) 5 dining venues, though we didn't really have any meals in the Arts Cafe (only very light food there). The Terrazzo restaurant is really special at night, actually much more attractive than the Restaurant and sitting outside there is magical. Pool grill is what you expect and the menu is very limited; Evening poolside menu is even more limited, so fun to try once but then we were kinda done with it. in the evening it becomes "Hot Rocks", a concept I do not embrace (they will cook your food and plate it on request, but somewhat reluctantly). We decided not to pay the big surcharge for La Dame as we found the cruise expensive to begin with, and the room is very blah (others on the ship enjoyed it, though). I strongly recommend they improve 2 issues (which hold for pretty much ALL luxury cruise lines and maybe all cruise lines, so this is not ship/line specific: 1) green practices - please eliminate single use plastics, especially drinking straws. There is no need for plastic water bottles when people go ashore - provide a re-usable carafe per cabin that can be sterilized between guests; toiletries should be provided in refillable bottles not millions of tiny plastic ones. 2) smoking - it is no longer OK to permit smoking in enclosed or semi-enclosed restaurant, this is not allowed in North America or in most of Europe so I am sure smoking passengers would understand!!! One entire side of the semi-enclosed pool area was for smokers and in the evening when it was "Hot Rocks" it was a smoking section. Day and night the pool area would fill up with smoke even though there were only about 20 smokers on our sailing. They have an indoor Connoiseur Club and an outdoor open deck area - that should be sufficient. (as for cigars, personally I think they should be banned anywhere but the CC - the stench really is intrusive, and more than once I saw people vacate the pool area when someone lit up a cigar). This is a health issue for the cruiseline employees, not only the guests. In terms of "room to improve" specifically for Silversea and Silver Shadow, the main issue is food and beverage service. The food is tasty and there is good variety. The bar service was fine. The complimentary wine selection is impressive BUT what they have on board is top secret, and it was an endless struggle to know what wine was available. There is no list, they won't provide a list, and even meeting with the sommelier did not result in any list (unlike Silver Discoverer, which provided a verbal list...). The solution was to say "no thank you, could we speak to the sommelier please?" every time a waiter approached us with a wine bottle, but that was really a headache and not always taken with good grace by the waitstaff. This approach really is not in keeping with the sophisticated guest that Silverseas suggests they are hoping to attract. Also, there were a LOT of minor food service errors, which added up to an overall "average" impression. One easy fix would be to use different glasses for sparkling vs flat water!! (I was constantly getting flat water poured into my sparkling and most did NOT remove the glass when it was pointed out).None of this was terrible, but at the price we expected better. Finally, every cruiser wants a different experience and sometimes, a ship may be delightful but not an ideal fit for you. For the interest of others considering this ship, I will give my impressions of the passengers on board; this is only my impression, and of course, other sailings and other itineraries may attract a different group. Relative to our experiences on Crystal and Regent, we found that this passenger group were less interactive; it was not a very diverse group (mostly white, married couples from the US and UK, aged 60-80), and although people were pleasant enough when we started conversations, with a few exceptions most seemed to prefer the exclusive company of their spouses. There were more people in the bars before vs after dinner; the shows were poorly attended (though pretty good); it was not so much an atmosphere geared to "making new friends". There were few organized activities, even on the sea days (exception: ping pong tournament, which was the friendliest event on the ship). If you are an older married couple who just want some "don't bug us" quality time together, this may suit you perfectly. We missed the more frequent chatting, dining and dancing with other couples that we had enjoyed on other ships.I think this would be a rather tough trip for a single passenger traveling alone, unless that person was really keen on alone time. Overall, I enjoyed the cruise and the ship, but I do think that for the high prices, the food and beverage service should be improved. I would go on Silversea again if the price or itinerary was right, but it won't be my first-choice luxury cruise line (based on this experience). Read Less

Overrated., oversold..dated ship.. staff unprofessional... unorganized.. not a luxury ship at all. From the moment we boarded the ship( had to carry our carryon ourselves) we sensed something was not right. Although the weather stopped us from going to most of our ports, the crew certainly did not make up for what was lost. Finally got us to Dominican Republic( not planned) and they planned excursion only for 40 people ( ship held (295). So many of us wanted to finally get off the ship as we could not because if the weather. We asked the director to help us find another excursion and they simply would not help us. We had to find our own and transportation too Excuse was they could not get connect with any hotels or taxi service. In a manner of minutes we set everything up! It was bizarre. They just did not care. It just lacked in luxury as was advertised and sold. Compared to other ship lines we have been on Silverseas is really not top notch at all. The food was average. Service in the restaurants was very poor and communication with the staff was difficult. We had one server out of all, Jerry who was a professional and we tried to find him throughout the ship when we dined.. A wine tasting was planned one day at 11:15am? Why? Makes no sense. We even paid extra for La Dame restaurant which is highly overrated. No future trips will be planned with Silverseas. Read Less

We had previously sailed on the sister ship Silver Whisper during a world cruise in 2017. Perhaps we were spoilt for the 15 days we were on that trip but by comparison the service levels, courtesy, warmth and welcome from the Silver Shadow team come a poor third. For two days the pool was an ugly yellow green, possibly algy which of course can happen, but the indifference of the staff who just laugh it off without explaining when it would be dealt with seemed curious. Meanwhile both restaurants at breakfast suffer from what seems to be a lack of attention to detail or even enthusiasm to accommodate simple requests be it for the food or the choice of seating. Try ordering simple smoked salmon and eggs ...any variation to the set menu seemed impossible to deliver. The restaurant on deck 7 for breakfast can’t cope when it’s busy - simple as that. The promise of luxury service and luxury facilities is not met. It’s interesting that this was a Caribbean cruise and we expected it to be more of a party ship which it was, and lots of sun worshippers understandably, but as ever Silverseas do not enforce the “no reservation” of sun chairs so unless you get up early being around the pool is not a choice. I expect this on cheaper cruise lines not Silverseas. Strikingly a large number of young adults on the trip which is not characteristic of the usual passenger profile on Silverseas but that’s no bad thing!. In contrast to our previous excellent cruise with Silverseas I noticed that the Cruise Director on this trip was far less visible. I lost count of the time’s the cruise director on Silver Whisper stopped to talk To passengers and gain first hand feedback. He was ever present in a non intrusive fashion. That was not the case on this trip. Trips were included in our price this time but of those that we did they were fine but not outstandingly memorable, more on that in this review later. The show Dancers and entertainers are again fine. To give context, if you have not tried Silverseas you will almost certainly find it a cut above other mainstream cruise lines, but I think we will give Seaborne a go next time and see if they deliver on the promise of 6 star which, on this cruise, Silverseas are falling very short on. Read Less

After cruising extensively on Oceania I thought I would try Silversea. Oceania discourages children so it came as a shock to discover there were nearly 60 children on the Silversea cruise (10% of the passengers). Instead of being a sophisticated adult experience, the cruise was more like a school outing. Kids running around everywhere and a cacophony of high pitch screaming from the forest of high chairs in the dining room. That was a pity because other aspects of the cruise were very good. The ship and cabin were tastefully decorated, although sound proofing between cabins could have been better. Staff were wonderful and very willing to accommodate special requests. Food was good even thouhg the dessert menu was the same every night. Shore excursions were well organized and reasonably priced. One negative, the ship had the worst WiFi I have ever experienced on a a cruise ship. Silversea needs to decide if it wants to be a family cruise line or an adult cruise line. If they decide on the latter, I would cruise with them again. Read Less

We have some 130 days cruising with Silversea. This is the first time we have taken a cruise for the sake of taking a cruise, that being spending Christmas and New Year on the ship and not because we wanted to see specific destinations. Everything about the cruise was perfect, it greatly exceeded our expectations. There was a fantastic mix of passengers, surprisingly there were a number of European families travelling together, it seemed a wonderful way to relax over Christmas. The only negative was that we were unable to visit Milford and Doubtful Sounds in New Zealand, however, this decision was totally out of the hands of Silversea as the local pilots would not allow the ship to enter the Sounds as it was too dangerous! The service was outstanding as was the food. The choice of restaurants on the Muse is fantastic and caters for many different tastes. We enjoyed the cruise so much we have booked a Christmas cruise for 2020. Read Less

Suite chosen as it was to go South and enjoy a gracious Christmas at sea. Unfortunately there was no priest or minister aboard unlike other cruise lines during such holidays. Cabins/suites are now very handsome and luxurious. Unfortunately the size of the ship does not handle rough seas well. Cuisine was fine, but not outstanding and meals especially soups were tepid versus hot; likewise a steak came out of the kitchen cool...this is unacceptable for this price point. Room service was exceptional unfortunately restaurant service is terribly slow and meals were delivered often to the wrong person at the table. Bar service poolside is exceptional unfortunately the lobby bar attendant was often surly bordering on argumentative, I do not pay to have a person with a chip on his shoulder wait on me. This individual ought not to be waiting on passengers, I often felt demeaned by his attitude. Entertainment was low key but quite good unfortunately the sets needs to be upgraded to elegant versus looking like a bad high school bit of long forgotten scenery. Having said all this it is the ship’s clientele that makes one feel a sense of belonging. Fellow passengers are gracious, highly intelligent and well travelled without having any airs and graces. All in all I shall give Silversea another try but on their larger Silver Moon. Read Less

We booked this cruise through travel consultant in Sydney office as we are based in Thailand and it has been one of the worse traveling experience we ever had and the friend who has joined us on that cruise has blamed me nonstop for being on an "elderly floating home". This is just so wrong especially after spending so much money. Do not get me wrong, we have nothing against old people, but being in our early 50"s, this is not the holidays we were looking forward to. The average age on that ship was 80 years old and it was the same during all excursions we have done. The agent should have mentioned the crowd was rather old prior to take our booking and we would have decided to join this cruise or not with all information in hands. I do realize it's not necessarily easy to know who will be on board, but Silversea should know more or less what age group is most likely traveling in order to be fair to new potential customers. I can't stop thinking, we have been somehow misguided, and someone has to take the blame. Such a shame and above all such a waste of money for us. We could have been reliable clients in the future, but this is just so wrong. We have nothing wring with older people and we will get also get older one day but this was not our crowd at all. I do hope Silversea will communicate better from now on to make sure other people our age don’t get so disappointed and depressed. Apart from that everything else was fine, the ship is very nice and the services and staff on board excellent. Though a few staff had some attitude. But we can’t wait to be back home and away from this environment which was not at all what we were expecting and what we paid for. Read Less