It should be the first cruise and should be a great experience. On closer inspection, the ship was outmoded, worn and not up to date. Data transfer to iphone or laptop a sheer catastrophe. The bed width (we had twinbeds) only 80 cm - with a little swell you threatened to fall out. There should be a butler individually available to each cruise guest (which was mathematically completely impossible) - but that per Butler 15 guests were to look after, shows how rarely one had "his" butler actually available. The entertainment events were rather of moderate quality. Good were the mostly Filipino staff in the cabin cleaning and in the service of the three restaurants. In this overall form you can not advise a trip on the SilverShadow.A clear difference was also noticeable when offered dinner in the inclusive restaurant "the restaurant". We ate there twice and in both cases the food was extremely salted and we let things go back. Good were only the food in the two restaurants, where the drinks were charged separately. Read Less

This was our first Silversea cruise. We chose this cruise because of their unique destinations and excursions. Being a smaller ship was a plus too. First... the food was incredible; well seasoned, flavorful and well presented. So many choices and so many dining options that you never have to repeat yourself. Our butler was always on top of things and went the extra mile for us in locating non-alcoholic beverages for our suite or anything else we would enjoy. Our cabin was spacious, bright and airy. We never felt like we were on top of each other. The closet space was refreshingly large with ample hangars and drawers. The lectures were very interesting and there was something for everybody. Nice mix. We did not partake of many of the offered activities this time and the late night entertainment was too late night for us. We did attend the 6:15 opera and would like to see more entertainment during the matinee timeframe. Ports were fascinating and our tour guides were very knowledgeable and engaging. This was a very relaxing cruise for us where we could come away refreshed. I thoroughly appreciated the library on the 11th deck. My secret place. Professional staff from the cruise director to the room attendant. 6 stars. Read Less

Dining service has slipped, evening entertainment in lounge is not very entertaining for a late night crowd. Butler service, Rommel and his assistant Vipen, were exceptional. No binoculars in room and no lectures on board ship prior to ports. Also not much communication regarding visa help for next cruise to Oman. I personally asked the chief accountant to keep me updated with what became a difficult process. He NEVER communicated until the visa was completed. The ship IT guy tried to help me switch the online application but he could not figure out how to shrink my passport photo tonfit the application. They got it done but it was very stressful and it took four working days after they told me it was usually done in one to three. Would not have been an issue if the. Communication would have been there. Great restaurants to select from and food was very good. Read Less

We were interested in visiting the ancient ruins in Athens, Petra, and Luxor. The Silversea pre and post cruise Hotels were were excellent. We enjoyed the Muse. There were things we really liked and a couple of things that need attention.We liked the room design. We did not like the black oily soot that came out of the smokestacks and covered the deck and furniture on the back outdoor seating. Soiled lots of cloths before we discovered it. I thought it strange that when my wife and I arrived to eat at the Indochine restaurant I was asked to go get a jacket before I could enter, I went back to room and returned to enter when I noticed eight men in the restaurant who hung their jackets on the chair and were wearing bluejeans and sneakers. Jason told me I only need the jacket to enter but then I could remove it. Quite a poor policy and not consistently applied. Read Less

This was our fifth Silversea cruise, our second on the Muse but our first repositioning voyage. As always, we flew to our embarkation city the day beforehand and had a fun 24 hours in Athens. We didn’t feel it necessary to book our accommodation through Silversea as it’s a major European city with good transport links. When you just need a relatively central location, a comfortable bed and a good shower, why pay over the odds? Silversea waived the “deviation fee” on this occasion so we booked a simple hotel 10 minutes on the metro from the Acropolis. We enjoyed exploring the city on the Sunday and spent Monday morning in the magnificent Acropolis Museum before taking an inexpensive taxi to Piraeus and boarding the ship with minimum fuss. We were sat outside La Terrazza having lunch within 15 minutes. We previously sailed on the Muse on her inaugural voyage in April 2017 and had a great time, despite the dining chaos complained of by some. It definitely felt like a home-coming, with some familiar faces amongst the crew and we easily slipped into the warm embrace of luxury provided onboard. The ship looked good and well-kept. For us, the public spaces achieve the balance between muted luxury and comfort - we are not interested in being surrounded by “bling”. Our suite, although on a lower deck than we have previously sailed on, was in all other respects exactly the same and very convenient for the “big beige lounge” (the Dolce Vita) and Team Trivia every afternoon. Over the course of the cruise, we ate in all the restaurants with the exception of La Dame. This was a conscious choice on our part as on our previous voyage we didn’t feel La Dame merited the extra charge when the food in Atlantide is particularly good. We dined in Kaiseki to celebrate a birthday and the chefs and staff gave us a memorable evening. We also enjoyed the sushi and sashimi for lunch at Kaiseki, which sometimes provided a quieter alternative to the buffet or the pool deck. The food at all restaurants ranged from very good to excellent. It was pleasing to see that the menu at Silver Note (previously our lest favourite option) had improved. The flavours at Indochine were spot-on and the bar there was one of the nicest on the ship. Not all guests appreciate Asian fusion, but it was heartening to see the Indochine dining room busier than previously. Where we had previously sailed on port-intensive itineraries with relatively few sea days, we had to make an adjustment on this cruise where it was roughly half port and half sea days. This was made easier with plenty to keep us busy. There were three guest lecturers on board, two of whom - Mark Elowitz and Tom Jones - were particularly popular. Team Trivia became increasingly popular as the cruise progressed. Cruise Director Vikki conducted matters with elan and confidence. We used the gym regularly and my husband attended a number of classes with the fitness instructor, who he rated highly. The jogging track was busy with walkers and runners first thing in the morning. We had a bridge tour, various cooking demonstrations in different parts of the snip, a galley tour and many other diversions. The Voices of Silversea did a really good job on this voyage and all the various musicians worked hard to support each other and devise new combinations of musical entertainment to offer guests. Charlie the guitarist was a particular star. In addition, there were two other artists brought in for different parts of the cruise - a singer/pianist and a flamenco guitarist. Both were very skilled. We took a number of excursions in the ports we visited. The desert jeep safari in Sharm El Sheikh was more fun and interesting than we had originally expected. The landscapes through which we drove were remarkable and the visit to the Bedouin camp was enlivened by both a whirling dervish and a belly dancer. The full day excursion to Petra was tiring but very well worth it. Again, the desert landscape we passed through to get there was quite spectacular. Everybody will say that there isn’t enough time to do more than skim the surface in Petra and I think that is true. Once we had passed through the Siq, we left the tour group behind and wandered on our own. There was enough flexibility in the lunch arrangements for us to maximise the time in the old city and just grab something quick back at the Movenpick Hotel. After all, there didn’t see a lot of point in going all that way to spend half of it sitting in the dining room of a hotel, however nice. In Safaga, we took the overnight excursion to Luxor. This gave us the best chance to see as much as we could in the time available. For us, the Valley of the Kings was the highlight and more time there rather than at a couple of the photo stops on the way back to Luxor would have been welcome. The evening buffet dinner at the Sonesta Hotel on the banks of the Nile was very relaxed and enjoyable. Having sailed through Pirate Alley and reached Salalah, we cancelled the excursion we had booked and took a taxi with another couple. This gave us the chance to see what the city had to offer at our own pace. It’s not a big place but there are still points of interest - the vegetable and fish markets were amazing. It always surprises us when we hear and read complaints of poor service on Silversea. We have never experienced anything less than exemplary service and this cruise was no different. Our butler and room attendant were efficient and friendly and did a beautiful job of decorating the suite for my husband’s birthday. The staff definitely deserved the applause at the crew parade on our penultimate evening on board. Disembarkation at Muscat was a little slower than on previous occasions, but that was more to do with the local immigration officials than with Silversea staff. All the arrangements for our transfers within Muscat went smoothly. We are looking forward to our next Silversea cruise - we have an open booking and are still pondering which itinerary to try next. Based on our previous experience, we are confident that Silversea will deliver the cruise we want. Read Less

My husband loves Hawaii, however the hotel where we always stay was being renovated in 2018 so i took the opportunity to find a suitable cruise - the requirements were : warm weather, ocean (naturally - no river cruise), interesting area(s) and a "nice" ship (with a king-size bed - very important). We have done a few cruises and so far liked the QM2-Grill best (we enjoy ballroom dancing). This was a long introduction ... The SilverSea / SIlver Muse had a very good itinerary - from Athens through the Suez Canal to Oman, via stops in Cyprus and multiple stops in Egypt, particularly Luxor. This schedule was well suited for finishing our trip - on our own - in Dubai. As soon as SilverSea / SIlver Muse (or similar, i.e Spirit) has an itinerary we like we'll book again. We loved the experience. The ship is just lovely - the perfect size in our opinion - big enough to have nice facilities yet small enough to provide an intimate and cozy feeling. No photographer to bug you all the time. We did have a "suite" which was very comfortable (and had the required king-size bed). It also had a Bose sound system but the guest(s) have to provide the music which we could not since we don't have "smart phones" (this was really a shame because we are used to excellent sound; there was music available via the TV but very poor sound quality even though they did have some classical music. On that subject - sound quality - the theatre has a terrbile sound system, we were not the only ones complaining. Also - why does everything have to be so loud ?!? It's ok to amplify a Trio or individual Guitar player on the deck around the pool but in a small and cozy room this simply becomes deafening noise !! The food was excellent and the service superb - there are basically 2 dining venues, the relatively formal Atlantide and the more relaxed Italian La Terrazza - there are several more smaller places (Chinese, Japanese and totally informal pool-side restaurants as well as one super-fancy venue where you have to pay a cover charge - we tried it but were not impressed). One real complaint is that the last breakfast seating is at 9:30 and closes at 10 ! We are on holiday - vacation ! So we had breakfast in our room and our butler tried to bring it as late as possible, typically 9:50 and then 10 min later the eggs and bacon so they don't get cold while we have fruit/juice/cereal - this was acceptable since we could sit in our house coats. (We prefer to have a very late breakfast, typically 11:30 and no lunch - don't know why this seems to be such a problem except on the QM2). Regardless of dress codes, most people were very well dressed - a pleasant surprise, we like it. I can't say much about excursions since we made mostly our own arrangements but one "Beach break" which we had booked was cancelled, not enough interest, but then the office agreed to organize it privately for us and this worked out well. All in all a most wonderful experience - we are looking forward to cruise with SilverSea again. Read Less

We selected this cruise because we wanted a 7-day cruise, roundtrip from Athens. SilverSea Silver Whisper was selected because of its size and amenities. We were able to explore Athens prior to boarding the ship. The embarkation process was excellent. It was much more organized than other cruises we have experienced. We found our cabin to be exactly as we expected. The bathroom was particularly nice and much larger than expected. Our Butler and housekeeper were delightful and professional. We were able to experienced all of the dining options on the ship. The French restaurant was particularly good. However, we found the quality of the food and the service to be excellent throughout the ship. All of the excursions were well organized. We thought that Santorini was way too crowded, particularly in the afternoon as we attempted to leave. All of the other ports and excursions were much more enjoyable. We highly recommend this cruise and look forward to sailing with SilverSeas again! Read Less

Last September, my husband and I sailed for the first time on the Silversea Whisper. In the past we had sailed with other companies and we decided to try this one due to the good opinions that had come to us by different ways. Unfortunately we have to say that the "exceptional experience" Silversea longs to offer is not what we had. When you travel on a luxury cruise you expect “luxury” and of course you pay for that. Anyway, let´s start with the positives. Embarkation and disembarkation were great. The stateroom was spacious and well designed with a walk in storage closet. The beds were comfortable. Butler service was ok although we could not find the utility of that service. There were several Spanish speaking in the crew very pleased to always help us. But that’s it. The food was very ordinary, not what you expect for a six star, expensive cruise. The buffet lunch was disappointing. Nothing tasted of anything. Nightly dinner meals were boring and simple. Service was friendly but very slow. The house wines were cheap and nasty. The entertainment was dreadful. It consisted of the same people singing “Voices of Silversea” It became very boring very quickly. We did not know that luxury was at odds with fun. Dress code outdated. Wake up, this is 2018 not “Gone with the wind” times. For two nights when the sea was a little choppy there was loud noises throughout the night which sounded like machinery moving so we could not get some sleep. But the worst was yet to come and that happened two nights before the end of the cruise. We had a reservation for dinner at the Grill and it was a windy night so plastic curtains were semi-open o completely closed. While we waited to be attended which took a long time, a passenger next to us wanted to close all of them. We did not agree because was to hot due to the ceiling heaters. At that point the mention passenger got up and started to close the ones near us. Faced with our protest the Maître was unable to solve the problem allowing the aforementioned passenger to impose his criteria without taking into account our own and this motivated our immediate departure from the place. We complained at the reception desk and went to the main dining room where the Maitre apologized for the incident. But up to day no one on behalf of Silversea has addressed us in a formal way to present their apologies. We missed the so called “impeccable hospitality” of the Silversea. Consequently we are very disappointed and Silversea will not be our next option. Read Less

We chose this cruise because the ship was small, only 380 passengers and we wanted to cruise the Greek Islands which limited our choice of ships. Embarkation and disembarkation were the fastest I have ever experienced on a ship, no waiting in line. The food, service, entertainment were great. I am not a buffet person and loved that I had options of a la carte or buffet for breakfast and lunch. Our cabin was the largest cabin I have experienced on a ship. The service was over the top. Great crew. Very roomy and big bathroom. It was a Verandah suite which was the least expensive suite with a balcony you could purchase. My only complaint is the ship is old and dated looking. There are no electrical outlets by the nightstands, you have to plug your phone or I-pad in across the room which is not fun at 6 a.m. when the alarm goes off and you have to run across the run to shut it off. Our shore excursions were nice. Some of them a little longer than they needed to be. I felt the tour guide was taking longer than they needed because the tour was 4 hours and they felt they had to give us 4 hours of talking. The private tour guide through the ship was very expensive. We were able to find a private tour guide in Santorini for 75% cheaper than what the ship wanted to charge. Overall, we loved it and would travel on Silversea again but will look for a ship that is newer. Read Less

Because it was going to the Greek Islands we wanted to visit. Service onboard the ship was great. Our butler was most helpful. Wait staff in restaurant was wonderful! Food was very good. Two friends were I traveled with were vegetarian and there was a good selection on menu for them. Ship was very nice. There were a two young children on this cruise. I would not recommend this cruise for children, it is definitely an adult cruise! The parents did not look like they were having any fun trying to entertain 2 young children. Take a child centered cruise instead ...not this one! We did not partake of the evening entertainment except for the last night. We were pretty exhausted from the excursions every day and went to bed early. The only thing was the excursions were expensive. But I did not want to miss Santorini, Myconos, Delos, Kos, etc. that's what we were cruising to these islands to see. Overall, I highly recommend this cruise for adults, not children! Read Less

Save your money & do not book a Silversea Whisper cruise! My family and I just disembarked from a 9 day Greek Islands cruise (Athens to Venice) and it had to be the worst luxury cruise we have ever taken (previously on Crystal & Oceania). To summarize: 1. Food - Not at luxury quality not service. Silverseas must be saving it’s $$$ portion sizes were tiny and we were often hungry after a meal. Service slow (lunch on pool deck often 1-1 1/2 hours). 2. Ship - ship is 17 years old and needs to be scrapped. Paint chipped, old carpets, etc. Felt like I was on a cruise in the last century. Silversea should be ashamed for charging what they charged us and put us on a ship like this. 3. Excursions- the cruise business of continuing to rip off its passengers continues. We were charged $180 to sit on a bus for 40 minutes then dumped on a remote beach for 2 hours. One highlight was the Sea Safari on. RIB boat in Split, Croatia but even then on a 6 hour trip we were only provided a “snack” of tuna fish salad and anchovies. 4. Staff - Our Butler was always in a rush and nervous. Compared to our Oberoi-trained butler on Oceania Rivierawas a stark contrast. Reception staff inexperienced often could not answer questions. Wait staff slow and forgetful. Maitre d in one restaurant yelled at a staff member and a passenger. 5. Entertainment - awful. 6. Fitness Center - Pilates classes were NOT Pilates (I know I’m an instructor). Save your money, do your research and don’t book on Silversea. Read Less

I've done silver seas cruise before and had a really good experience. The ports of calls are spectacular. We had to divert from Santorini which was the most anticipated port for us. This was a bummer but the captain decided to re-route to a different port and substitute rather than spend another day at sea. We ended up going to Corfu which was such a great experience and so beautiful. This was really nice. So everything worked out well and we still saw a lovely place. The staff were all so friendly and helpful with such amazing attitudes. They made it a point to remember us by name and great us like they knew us already--impressive. The cruise director was great. We loved the idea of being in a different port every day. Cruising over night and arriving the next morning. The schedule was great. I only have one query as I booked a private gondola ride in Venice. I got a call from the activities director I guess early that day saying that they had booked us on a shared ride 4 guests. He proceeded to tell me that it's the same as a private ride and really no big difference blah blah. So I went with it. At the activity we were with another 8 individuals. we ended up two boats of four and one couple had a private gondola ride with music serenade. We were sitting with the other couple staring at them the whole time and really being forced to have conversation...... This couple was also dealt the same hand and were not too happy about sharing a gondola. If I booked a private tour obviously I wanted this experience to be very special with just my wife on her first trip to Venice. That took away from that. We still enjoyed it but the intimacy was taken away from us. Read Less

We have been on more than 15 cruises and fur this one we chose Silversea as we heard how nice it was and wanted a smaller ship. From start to finish including embarkation and disembatcation were flawless. The cabins were luxurious and the butler service was outstanding. All excursions met or exceeded expectations and the food and open dining experience was nice. You do have to make reservations for restaurants early as the do fill up but no matter where you ate the gods was great and service was above and beyond. Everyone had a smile and would customize as necessary. Took 6 Adults and they all were in awe of how nice it was. Highly recommend. Entrertainment was very good but don't expect the big production as on large ships. We made aloe of new friends as the small shop experience made it easy to meet people. Will definitely cruise Silversea again. Read Less

I choose this cruise because of the itinerary. Friends also wanted to go and had used Silversea before. The service and food were outstanding. Our cabin was roomy and the closet was huge! Quite a nice surprise. I felt the rom and ship could have been more updated. The ship did not pop with color. Very muted in beige and rusts. Just my opinion. The only negatives: the tours start very early. Again, my choice to go on them and due to a different port each day, we wanted to go on them. We were so happy to have one start at 9 am instead of 8 am. The music/dance started very late for us(11pm). We were happy to attend a 10pm Kereokee night. The greatest negative was the WiFi rarely worked. It was horrible. Very intermittent and not reliable. Since that was my means of communication with husband and family, I found this to be very aggravating. It bought the review of this cruise line down a big notch. Read Less

I chose this cruise based on itinerary, I had not sailed on Silversea before. I liked the Silver Whisper a lot. The staff was (mostly) fantastic, the ship was comfortable, and the food was excellent. Silversea really handles the detail work of embarkation and disembarkation well. The ship was full but never felt crowded, which surprised me. It was great to not have lines or waiting at meals or disembarking. I understand the ship is due for an overhaul in December, and I'm sure they will take care of some of the worn out areas I noticed (bathroom caulk, etc.) We ate dinners one time each at La Terrazza and The Grill. Eating outside was a very nice change from the Restaurant. Definitely reserve ahead via MySilversea! I only ate lunch once at the Grill, but it was very good and wished I had discovered the menu sooner. The vegetarian offerings were terrific. I always had several choices of entrees and starters. The cruise was very busy with a port each day, so I didn't spend much time hanging out around the ship or trying anything like the spa or workout facility. We stopped at Santorini, Marmaris (Turkey), Symi, Rhodes, Patmos, and Paros. Santorini was a zoo, even though we were there on a light day. I would not go back. The scenery was just as beautiful at our other stops. Many of these were new ports for the staff, and that was the one weak point of the cruise. The shore desk staff just didn't know much about each place or the excursions! I had done a lot of research before leaving and had some ideas of what I wanted to see, but it would have been helpful to have more information available on board. They did have reps from the local tourism office board the ship as soon as possible each morning, which was enormously helpful. They had maps and information about taxis, etc. They should also keep a copy of a Fodors or other travel guide for passengers to peruse. In Athens, we booked our own hotel (the Athens Was-excellent boutique hotel near the Acropolis) and they arranged our taxi to the port. Very easy, so no need for Silversea's arrangements. Read Less

Had a great time on prior Silver Muse of Eastern Mediterranean, Rome to Venice and wanted to experience the Western portion, Athens to Barcelona. The excursions were well thought out, had excellent guides and were well rated as to difficulty. All needs were supplied by and excellent staff. Traveling as a couple, we met many others who became friends. Entertainment was varied and professional. Food was outstanding. The small numbers contribute to a more personal experience. Definitely more focused on mature adults, although the children that we saw and interacted with appeared to have a good time.The scope of their trips can appeal to all interests. We are looking forward to our next cruise, to the Antarctica and also have scheduled other future trips with Silver Sea. Will hopefully see no negative impact with their association with the Royal Caribbean Line. This is our favorite cruise line and we will continue to travel with them in the future. Read Less

Liked the itinerary and found the ports in Greece to be very disappointing. restaurants on board the ship disappointing overall food very disappointing cold food and poor options. Our Butler service was poor. Virtually no entertainment on board. The Ports in Greece were very disappointing to us. Disembarkation was the worst I have ever experienced. 2+ hours to disembark a ship of this size. For the cost of this sailing we could have helicoptered between our favorite golf courses in Ireland/Scotland. Rented a luxury home in Napa Valley for a month. Will not ever rely on Silversea quality again. We could not have been more disappointed overall. The quality of beverages we could order was crazy poor. The Pizza restaurant could not make a crispy pizza no matter how many times I sent one back. I asked for Don Juan Tequila they could not get any?? I feel like the breakfast buffet was the worst of all. Read Less

The ship is new and is beautiful! But we have been on many other ocean and river cruises and, aside from the ship, the price point is not justified. We did not see our butler until we called him to the room and hardly saw him after that. While some meals were outstanding, in general the cuisine was not any better than what we have experienced on Uniworld and Tauck river cruises at far lower price points. We found the experience at The Grill restaurant to be underwhelming. The cuisine and service in the main restaurant was at times great and at other times poor. The best experiences were at the breakfast and lunch buffets. The onboard experience was also a bit lacking. There was only one show nighty, usually at 10 PM, which is a bit late when the morning tours start at 8 AM. The performances were less than impressive. We all took tours at each of the stops and found that more than half of them were not that good; especially for the price points charged for each of them. Read Less

We liked the itinerary. We liked that the ship was new.The breakfasts were good but with no "assigned" waiters it was chaotic on sea days. Lunches--were excellent. Dinners were "OK". We ate dinner at 2 restaurants that didn't require reservations but like La Terrazza (Italian) best although pitifully refrigerated. The decor as just "OK"--you can't please everyone's personal taste. We used your hand sanitizers each time--but sadly my husband caught a cold anyway from someone--and I caught it from him..a few days after disembarking.Ultimately it had bad consequences for our return trip which was delayed 10 hours--then an 11 hr fight etc..(Sadly I ended up in the ER upon returning--and had to cancel many plans)."Bad luck". Anita was very helpful with disembarking...because there are ridiculously limited with cabs. Our favorite guide was in Rhodes-- excellent--but we were caught in a bad downpour (the guide said rain was forcasted)! We were given clear rain ponchos--but umbrellas would've been better.We bought one eventually. My favorite day was in Capri but way too short as we discovered the last boats leaving were already booked! The room was well thought out and felt actually "roomy". Our butler was very nice and attentive. But again your air-conditioning was a problem in the room (didn't go above a certain temp to warm it) and especially after escaping from the chilly hallways . Read Less

We chose Silversea because we wanted to enjoy a luxury cruise and visit beautiful ports in Greece and Italy. We have traveled Silversea in the past and have been very pleased by the experience. However, this experience did not meet expectations. The Ship was old and was in need of refurbishment. She is still a beauty but needs some work to make her look more fresh and inviiting. Our cabin was as expected in terms of the space and layout of the room. However, the plumbing was an issue. We experienced toilets not flushing and an overflow of water on the floor. This was a common occurrence on our floor and in all the cabins. Our room had a nasty smell that made sitting on the balcony almost impossible. Who would want to smell raw sewage on a luxury cruise!! We were told that chemicals would be used to take care of the odor but apparently the chemicals did not work. The food was above average to exceptional. However, the buffet dishes were not hot and were greasy and dirty no matter how many dishes we put to the side. We sat on the outside veranda and the place mats were never changed or cleaned between sittings. There were always crumbs from everyone else's meal on the table stuck in the place mats. The ice cream scoop utensil was dipped in a tin of water to rinse off and the water was not running. This is unsanitary and disgusting. The TV entertainment was below standard. Carnival Cruise Lines has a greater variety. The Entertainers/Shows were very good but there needs to be more variety. The Ports and Shore Excursions were very good. However 48 hours in one port was not well thought out by the cruise director. The fact that we were in Greece and Sicily made this an event to remember. However, the level of cleanliness needs to be addressed and for this reason alone, we would probably not recommend Silversea or travel this cruise line again. This was not a luxury cruise on the Silversea we remembered. Read Less

We selected Silversea Silver Wind because of it's size - not overwhelmingly large for us. This was our first Silversea cruise but it certainly won't be our last. The size of the ship is very manageable and the variety of restaurants was great for the two of us. This was our first time on the Mediterranean as well. We had a very spacious suite/cabin - the walk in closet and extra powder room - were great to have. Every person we were in contact with on the crew was exceptional - friendly, personable, and willing to help - from the Captain, the Cruise Director, the Hotel Manager, Guest Relations, to every person we were in contact with in the restaurants. We enjoyed the variety of ports and participated in some wonderful excursions combined with some private driver w/guide options in select places. Hats off to the chef!! The food at each of the restaurants was excellent for breakfast, lunch and dinner......great options. It was a wonderful cruise for us and we would definitely do it again. Read Less

The itinerary was very interesting, including Delos, Corinth Canal, Delphi, Olympia, rather unique opportunities. The food and service were always excellent. Our luggage did not make it to the ship with us, and arrived 4 days later. But the Reception desk personnel (Ramona and staff) kept after it until it was found and transported. We had laundry done for us for the few clothes we had, and our butler obtained for me a coat and tie for a formal night. A bad situation was made into a pleasant experience. The entertainment was the best we have experienced on any cruise, including other luxury lines. We met many very interesting and congenial fellow travelers. The crew was very eager to make us feel welcome, and it was interesting to hear many of their personal stories about the life of a crew member at sea. We look forward to future cruises on SilverSea. Read Less

We went on a 7 day trip from Athens to Venice. This was a great itinerary with many wonderful stops. It was the main reason we selected this cruise. We thought the excursions were very good. We only booked the half day or shorter ones but we did do one everyday . We booked our own in Venice because Silversea wait listed us on the one we wanted. We thought that was unusual since we booked very soon after they became available. They told us it was available once we boarded but we already had paid for a different one online. The food was not amazing but fine.. We did not eat at any of the restaurants which required an extra fee. There is only one restaurant that does not require reservations out of all the dining options. The service was sporadic . At times it would be very good and at other times it seemed you were ignored. The entertainers gave it their all and we appreciated that. We had no problems with embarkation or debarkation. The biggest deal breaker for us was the cabin . The ship is said to be non-smoking . The hallway outside our cabin smelled of cigarette smoke the first day. By the third to fourth day , inside our cabin smelled like smoke, especially in the evening and through the night. We made several attempts to alert the staff. They sent personnel but they did nothing to change the situation. We found it unacceptable, especially being medical professionals ourselves, for a luxury cruise line to have cigarette smoke venting into a cabin and take no measures to rectify the problem. Overall,we will not choose Silversea again. Read Less

Silversea Cruise Critique: Athens to Venice September 21 to September 28, 2027 The Silversea doesn't compare in its service, in the quality of its staff nor in its overall attitude to the Seabourn. Here are a few examples: Food: The cuisine is too nouvelle: ‘too cutesy by half’. The portions are small; odd combinations that don't work together; poorly prepared, and frequently luke-warm. Dinner entrees with incredibly sized entree portions: One night my entree had only 3 scallops and another only 3 raviolis. There is no choice if you want to order wine by the glass. For example, if you want a glass of red wine, you get whatever they are offering that day; otherwise you must buy a bottle. The choice of 2 or 3 room service appetizers were limited and nontraditional. No shrimp cocktail; no antipasti (and this is an Italian ship); no pate or assortment of cheeses or nuts; and no free caviar. Staff: The personnel do not seem to have a service orientation. Most of the staff are genuinely disinterested and appear to be ‘working’ by rote. The maître d ’hotels appear annoyed if you don't like the location of the table they offer you at meals and are disgruntled if you ask them to find a different one. Disagreeable and borderline surly restaurant managers spend more time talking to each other than helping guests. Waiter staffs who only want to do the expedient thing: dish the food at you and move on so they can wrap up their meal service chores. Their touted 'butler' service is over rated. When ours wasn’t busy looking for a tip, he caught a cold which my wife then caught. Shore Excursions: The arrangements of the timing of the ship getting into each port and the shore excursions are poorly planned. Instead of arriving at 8 am and starting a shore excursion at 8:15 am, if the ship were to arrive a little later, and depart a little later, the shore excursion could occur later. This is particularly important for excursions that involve swimming when that activity should occur in a hotter part of the day. Many of the shore excursions/ports of call were not well thought out and in at least one case, passengers complained and a partial refund was obtained from the shore operator. Their brochure offered a transfer excursion in Venice on disembarkation day as part of the transfer to the hotel. The offer was perfectly clear and in plain English. But in a bait and switch move, they reneged on that option. Miscellaneous: Wi-Fi was way over priced and then worked only sporadically and inconsistently. A polite inquiry was summarily dismissed and not treated with any effort to understand or investigate. Generally the atmosphere on this cruise was one of being 'nickeled and dimed': an extra charge for everything. Bottom Line: They are chintzy while trying to appear ritzy. The Silversea cruise line is not worth the price and certainly doesn't compare to the Seabourn. Read Less

We found the restaurants to be pretty good. Not a very good experience at Le Champagne. Several of the dishes had been sitting for awhile with mushroom soup being lumpy. We had to stir the soup to eat it. It should be better. Great wine selection and nice size Foie Gras. We found the Italian restaurant and the main dining room to our liking. We had two reservations in both Le Champagne and the Japanese. Cancelled the second reservation in both. If we had to pick a weak spot for the overall experience, it would be the staff. Slow food service at the pool. Our room was not clean when we checked in. Trash under the bed with dust bunnies, sticky residue on counter top and on our phone. After that was addressed we had no problems, room was kept clean. Our butler was very nice, but it took two days before our bar was stocked. Our travel partners across the hallway got their bar stocked on day one. The reception was unable to answer simple questions regarding disembarkation. We got off the ship in Venice, at a dock far away from the main port terminal. Reception had no idea how to arrange private taxi transfer to our hotel. We had not purchased transfer thru SilverSea what we felt was completely overpriced private boat taxi to our hotel. The fact that the reception did not know the process is unacceptable. It turned out to be very simple. Just pick up your bags and walk 100 yards to the Taxi dispatcher! We had prepaid for the transfer directly with Venicelink and had to wait about 30min for the boat. No big deal. Spa was nice, but again very expensive. Workout facilities, about the size of a tiny hotel room, basic. Found it annoying that all of the pools and every hot tub on the ship where drained and closed the morning before we got off the boat. None of the people we talked to had heard of this being scheduled. Pools and hot tubs are a major part of the facilities on a ship and loosing all of them for 1 of 7 days we felt ripped off. We had very low expectations of the on board entertainment and after attending one event that was confirmed. No big deal. Did not partake in any of the shore excursions as we booked our own for 1/2 the price on-line. Used tenders to reach two of the ports, very well run, never waited at all. Well done! Buffet for both breakfast and lunch where outstanding. Decent wines served everywhere. Security on board and at shore was good. We felt safe and secure. Read Less