Last year we took our first cruise on Silversea to Alaska. Since our experience last year was so enjoyable, we booked a Mediterranean cruise for this year. We weren't disappointed. The food, dining room service, cabin service, bartenders were great. We only went to the main dining room and La Terrazza. The previous cruise we tried the outside hot rock experience...which is when the passenger cooks their own steak or seafood. It looked like fun, but we prefer the chefs to cook for us! Most of the wines were good. Ports of call were beautiful. Massages were unbelievable, and I'm picky. Embarkation was flawless. Debarkation was even better...they are very organized with the luggage. We enjoy the smaller ships...no crowds anywhere! Gratuities were inclusive of our fare, which is nice. Alcohol is also included. Room service was excellent, always on time...I enjoyed Eggs Benedict almost every morning. All in all, it was a great time! Read Less

Before going on this cruise, I read several negative reviews that made me quite nervous. We had originally chosen silversea due to reviews of excellent service and dining. Then we read the reviews criticizing just those aspects. Well, it turned out our original hope was fully realized. The service was excellent and the food was outstanding. We enjoy leisurely dining which is the style most available in the evenings when the buffet disappears; some may have felt it was too slow. However, after seeing how hard people tried to please us, I think if we had asked to have courses brought more quickly, they would have done so. The menu was varied each evening, and the ship has an "all day dining" menu that can be ordered in any restaurant venue if the daily choices don't appeal. This is also the way to get meals when restaurants are closed; the order will be served in your room or in any public venue (like the pool, panorama lounge, etc.) This allows a lot of flexibility although in a way different from many cruises that have buffets open more throughout the day. We found all the dining venues to be good, but particularly enjoyed lunch at LaTerrassa and the Main Dining Room in the evenings. Finally, we thought the Voices of Silversea, who provided several shows, were the most talented group we have seen on any cruise. The productions may not be as "big" as some larger ships, but the quality was higher. Read Less

My wife and I like small ships rather than the large cruise ships because they are more intimate and feature the ports of call as the selling point versus the large floating hotel concept. We also focus on which ports the cruise will call on rather than the time of year or size of boat. This cruise was the second time on Silver Whisper, a Baltic Sea cruise being the first time. On this cruise we liked its origination port of Monte Carlo and conclusion in Lisbon. Portugal is a very interesting country to visit and we will go back. We also thought most of the ports would be very interesting, or provide access to exceptional Spanish cities. As we found out, Malaga and Cadiz allowed us to visit Granada and Seville, both the gems of Andalusia. Most of the tours were very good although on whole we thought Seabourn's tours are better. One tour to Granada was wait listed so we opted to use our travel agent to set up a private tour. Otherwise the ship's tours of Seville and Barcelona were excellent! Once you come back for a second cruise you become a member in their Venetian Society, and they hosted a remarkable excursion one evening in Barcelona that was very good! We normally try to book the larger Silver Suites which are similar in configuration to the Seabourn suites. Our suite, however, was better than the Seabourn suites by being wider and more spacious. We especially like their hot rock feature on the Pool deck, which we enjoy immensely! The October time frame was nice from a temperature perspective, but the captain skipped two ports due to high winds/seas so there is a trade off for booking at end of the season. Crew was very nice and the butler element is a nice touch not present on Seabourn. On previous trip in Baltic Sea we hit all of the restaurants, but this time, due to the presence of a wine tour group, most of the evenings were already booked. As such we were unable to compare with previous dining experience. We generally do not go to the Restaurant on deck 4. All in all a cruise that was very memorable! Read Less

We wanted a luxury experience that was all inclusive. That's exactly what we got. Our experience started with a very smooth and quick registration process. We were shown to an incredible suite that we couldn't imagaine was ours. The butler service was terrific especially the 4:00 PM canape service. What a treat to have such efficient laundry service! Dining was pleasurable with a wide selection to choose from, Imagine someone at poolside going around and cleaning glasses and sunglasses! Shore excursion we took was well organized and interesting. Last port was underwhelming (Sete) but all others perfect. The entertainment was good on 3 nights but a bit slow on the others. I'd like to see a bit more of a selection when it comes to wine with dinner. Disembarkation was incredibly organized and we were on our way to the airport within 25 minutes. Overall a fantastic experience which we would do again as soon as we can. I would highly reccomend Silversea for anyone considering a cruise. Read Less

To visit castl Gandolfo and Carcassonne and to experience Muse. Restaurants. I always thought I would prefer separate individual restaurants as you have on Muse. But, now that I experienced that I was totally wrong. The restaurants were great. The food was wonderful. But, we never got to know anyone. It was like dining in a restaurant onshore. The main reception bar area was huge. We always went to the bar on our other cruises (2 world SS cruises, plus others). On Muse we never went once. Too impersonal. The arts restaurant is a great idea. We went there a few times. We prefer dining in our suite on longer cruises. After one exhausting excursion we decided to have dinner in our suite. But, you can only have the 24 hr menu in the suite. I was shocked. We had an owners cabin aboard Oceania once and the butler brought us food from all the restaurants. I could have Italian and my husband oriental. If they can do it, SS can do it. Read Less

I choose my cruise for the service and itinerary. We sailed from Monte Carlo, stopping at Livorno, Sorrento, Taormina, Malta, Croatia and ended in Venice. Embarking was very quick and flawless. Cabin was as expected..... clean, spacious, with the most comfortable bed and soft bed linens. I was on Deck 5, which made getting to anywhere on the ship easy. My butler was sweet (Demba) and efficient and kind. I never waited more than 5 mins for a response. He and the room attendant (Jennifer) made me feel well cared for the entire trip. My cruise was all inclusive, and the food was beyond delicious. Varied menus was great. Desserts were below the standard in my opinion. They should have sourced locally from all the ports we were stopping into to offer more authentic local delicacies. Clean and tidy is what I saw everywhere on this ship. With that said, it was an older ship, so the wear and tear and dated aspect was present. Pool towels were very poor and beat-up looking. Pool lounges were very, very comfortable. Spa was a crashing disappointment. Steam room was cracking and old. Massage therapist I had was more interested in talking about her self and avoided one of the two areas I had expressed I wanted her to work on during my 50 min session. I don't believe she had much experience in the massage arena. Pedicure was fine, but very over priced for what I received. Blow-out was typical, but the hard sell was annoying on adding all sorts of extra treatments I did not want. I had to keep repeating that I just wanted a basic blow-out. Gym was horrible and small. Under whelmed with the spa. Entertainment was " one note". They pandered to folks over 65. Not much variety. The boutique was also "one note". Very, very expensive, mostly jewelry with diamonds, and stones. Clothes were high-end clothes we could buy at home in USA at anySaks, Niemen Marcus or Nordstroms. Boring..... No variety. No local, unique productsor clothing with a variety of prices!!!! No sundries to choose from either. None. The few tours I did go on were great. Local tour operators were excellent, buses wereclean, air conditioned and in good shape. Silversea canceled two of my tours ( due to lack of interest) night before and did not extend any other offers to join other tours. Now, my biggest piss-off, was the stop in MALTA. My tour was cancelled to the gardens, so I read up on the internet on how to get there on my own, and also plotted out shops I wanted to stop into to see the local speciality, which was gold filigree and lace making, and found a museum I wanted to go to. With that said, I set off the ship onto MALTA to enjoy my day. After walking around for three hours, and asking many locals that mostdid not speak english, I discover ALL OF MALTA CLOSES DOWN ON SUNDAY due tothe fact they are mostly Catholic. So it was a complete waste of time. I was so disappointed, Silversea did not say one thing to anyone and did not make a big announcement that most, if not all businesses, were closed on sunday. WHY ARE YOU STOPPING AT A PORT ON SUNDAY IF MOST THINGS ARE CLOSED. Jipped on that stop.:( On a high note, getting on and off the ship was sooooooo easy and pleasant. So quick,10 minutes or less. I think they are very organized in that area and there were only300 people on the ship made the process efficient. All in all, great service, food, liquor choice. I would do another one in a heartbeat. But you have to "save - up", it's not cheap and check stops for religious closures. Thanks Silversea Read Less

This was out third trip with Silver Sea and the best so far. In all candor, our experience last year was not what we had hoped for but when we shared our concerns with Silversea, they handled it like a luxury brand should and that is what enticed us to come back again. Wow, are we glad we did! This was our first time on the Muse and it lived up to our expectations. It has a very modern, clean, and bright feel which were all very appealing. We had a room on the 5th floor which was perfect. Our butler, Edmondo, accommodated our every need and Mark at the 5th floor bar took great care of us. The food on the boat was excellent, with a significant number of options. We loved eating outside at La Terrazzo and Matel, Milo, and Antonio all made sure each dining experience there was top notch. We also enjoyed our meals in Silver Note, Atlantide (Emman was the perfect waiter for us!), and La Dame. The pizza on the deck was also really good! Our group is not one that spent much time with the onboard entertainment but we spent a lot of time in the casino where the entire staff was really good. There always seemed to be a fun group of people around the blackjack table and we built a nice camaraderie. Delia and Emiliano were a lot of fun there. Most of our evening were spent on the Panorama long on the 9th floor. Talk about incredible service! We never had to wait for drinks. Alex and Dinesh poured them while Jorge, Inna and Luis brought them to us time and again as did the rest of the staff there. We met up with a lot of fun people and while we were mostly outside, there were plenty of people dancing inside as well. As far as the ports we visited went, we really liked all of them. We were fortunate to be in Croatia for the World Cup Final which was a once in a lifetime experience. It would have been a bit more ideal had we arrived in Venice a few hours earlier than we did, but we were there 2 years ago so it was fine for us. We didn't really do many of the excursions from the boat (we made our own separate plans which works out great if you know where to go) but did hear some mixed reactions. My guess that is always the case with these kinds of trips. Overall, the highlight of the trip was the incredible level of service provided by the staff. We were made to feel like VIPs wherever we went. We are an easy and fun group and you can see that the staff really enjoyed interacting with us. There is no doubt at some point we will be back! Read Less

The embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly. I had a few hours to explore the departure city which was very good. The cabin was very clean. Dining experience was excellent in Atlantide, la dame and la terraza. Head sommelier is knowledgeable. All other restaurants were good. Indochine still had a lot of room to improve. Entertainment and activities were ok. services were excellent from butler to restaurants . Every one were very polite and helpful. Spa is below my expectation. They had a whole page of questions for me to fill in before the massage. Very professional health questions. But not the case while during the massage. For the excursions team, I did not feel that I was in a luxury cruise while talking with them. The attitude they talked with me and handled my problem made me feel uncomfortable and mad. That had ruined my days at the cruise. I came to relax, but not to have the excursion staffs to give me stress. No more detail that I wanted to mention about them. All other staffs were excellent. The ship is beautiful. Read Less

My wife and I along with another couple just completed our 3rd Silversea cruise on the Muse and we all think it was the best so far! Our previous cruises have been on the Spirit which was a beautiful ship as well but the Muse was definitely a step up. What made our voyage on the Muse so special was the service the crew provided. The crew acted like they were proud of the product and happy to be on the best boat in the med. From the top down the crew made the trip. For example: We showed up at La Terrazza after the mid cruise menu change and noticed one of the dishes with a delicious sauce was gone. Antonio Mendez, the restaurant manager, explained that the prep for the sauce would take some time and to let him know when we would return to La Terrazza. A few nights later when we returned Antonio had the sauce made and served the dish as an added course to our party of 6. Nice touch! The maître d's at La Terrazza, Milo and Mattel knew that we only wanted to sit outside and every night they had a table waiting for us with a breeze and a view. When we wanted to add 2 to our party of 4 outside my wife called La Terrazza and got "no problem you know we will always accommodate you". They looked after us like we were regulars at a neighborhood bistro. There were so many great people on the crew it's hard to mention them all but I have to mention the ones that made our voyage a solid 10. Mark and the staff at the bar on 5 provided great service. Mark would always walk our drinks to dinner for us. Jorge, Alex, and Inna were the servers on 9 and took care of us every night. Emiliano, Delia, and Marilyn in the casino kept us entertained and quenched. We even ran into Emiliano on land in Sicily where he greeted us with a big hello and offered some tips about his native land. Emmon at Atlantide was such a fantastic waiter we ate there a second night and requested him as a server. Yoanne at La Dame made sure we had a perfect experience. Bruno and the guys on the pool deck kept the beverages and food flowing. Daniel in the boutique was very helpful and had a perfect demeanor for the position. As you can see we formed personal relationships with this easy going and helpful crew. They knew why they were there and were happy to serve and even happier to see us enjoying ourselves. Every request we made was met with YES and that's what you want out of a luxury product! The muse is modern, spacious, and offers so many comfortable places to hang out morning, noon, and night. Some of the spots we liked were the arts café on deck 8 that has a barista making great coffee one cup at a time. During the days at sea we opted for the sunbeds on 11. The ship is so spacious there were beds and chairs available all day. At night the place to be was the panorama lounge on 9, until you are ready for the casino of course. The venue is an indoor outdoor club with a DJ inside and plenty of lounge like seating outside for conversation and fresh air. The back deck on 10 with double cabana loungers and a hot tub was the perfect place for an afternoon nap and a sail away. Our cabin, which was the same set up as the Spirit, was huge and had everything we needed including Rommel the best butler at sea. He was always there for us like a personal assistant. He would make or cancel reservations, clean your sunglasses if you left them out, or our favorite perk, bring your breakfast at a precise time and set it up on your balcony. What a wake up call! When we did our after cruise land portion we missed Rommel and our 365 square feet of living space. Most hotel rooms in Europe are considerably smaller at about 250 square feet. Dinning this year on the Muse was outrageous. The service as explained already carried right through every dinning experience. The new venues that have replaced the large open seating restaurant that is on the Spirit is a nice change. The new spaces are modern with sleek bars and not unlike what you would find in any cosmopolitan setting. There was more caviar and lobster (both Maine and Caribbean), on this ship than the previous 2 cruises we have taken. If you were torn between the lobster and the lamb no problem the servers can bring you a custom made surf and turf. If you liked a salad you had at one of the other restaurants, no problem they would have it made for you. The service at dinner was so good we almost couldn't believe it was happening. We felt like the 4 of us had a $750 dinner every night and that's how you want to feel on a luxury cruise at this price point. The ports that are visited by Silversea are unusual and mostly only accessible on a ship this size. In fact most of the ports we visited we were the only ship in port that day. The ports we visited were not over run with tourists. In fact our stop in Santa Maria De Lucca ( the heel of the boot) was the first time a cruise ship had ever stopped there. The mayor even came out for a special ceremony. Unfortunately we missed the ceremony because we took a 15 minute cab ride out to one of the most beautiful beaches we had ever seen. Powdery sand, crystal clear water, local 5 star lunch, and we were literally the only Americans there. We all felt lucky to have been there! Only Silversea can transport you to such amazing places while providing luxury service. Overall we loved our cruise and can't wait to join Silverseas again! Read Less

We had a great experience on this ship last year and were very excited to be back but unfortunately something has changed. The ship is as beautiful as ever and very comfortable but the level of service was not as good and the food was generally quite poor. We loved Atlantide and because the others were not very good tended to eat there all the time which became quite boring. Indochine and terrazzo were the worst. Breakfast on the deck was chaos with up to 20 minute waits for coffee. There seemed to be far less staff and so expect waits for drinks especially at panarama. There were a lot of young children who were allowed to do whatever at the pool including using the jacuzzi which the rules said was not allowed. We didn’t enjoy the entertainment but this was not a problem for us. Likewise we didn’t do any excursions as we were happy to do our own thing and they are ridiculously expensive. Our butler however was very good. This year they gave us free internet, ours worked but most people complained about it. Read Less

This was our first cruise ever and we wanted to go “first cabin” all the way. We had a superior room on the 9th floor next to the Grand suite (so the front of the ship, up high- Very nice!) I was advised by my AMEX Platunum Travel expert that Silversea cruises were among the best. I chose a Silversea Cruise as the Muse ship was only a year old and advertised as an “Ultra” Luxury Cruise.” The cruise ship was gorgeous but the food was AWEFUL and the other guests we spoke to thought the same. The first night we ate at the grill and were served prawns that were freezer burnt. It was bad! They brought out an exchange but they were the same. Smushy and disgusting! The cruise check in went smoothly and receptionist, Maria, was outstanding as was our Butler, Catalino. We felt SPOILED! Honestly, the big issue is the preparation of the food and a lack of QUALIFIED CHEFS/COOKS are evident. At Kaiseki (this is tepanyaki style) they half cooked and pre-cooked the Lobster and fish and then over cooked it upon serving it. The WORST FOOD EVER (probably have to overcook in order to kill the bacteria that it accumulated sitting around.) Fortunately, we managed not to starve, being ultra selective of what we chose to eat. The swimming pool was too small and was SO salty and I felt disgusted because so many children swam in the pool and it seemed as though they used the pool as a toilet. You have to rinse off right in plain sight in front of everyone (clear glass shower right next to the pool.) So if you’re a little body conscious you’ll never use it. I only used the pool once and that was a disappointment! I honestly think that luxury cruises should only be for adults. Overall, the cruise experience was good as I had an amazing travel partner and we enjoye the ship and excursions immensely. Read Less

We joined a golfing group of 8 people for this cruise. The embarkation process was quite smooth but as soon as we boarded it was evident that this ship is very tired and badly in need of refurbishment. We had a Silver Suite so that our accommodation was quite spacious. The butler and room attendant were both excellent, but that is where excellence stopped. The restaurant is staffed mostly by Filipinos who are very obliging but who have been saddled with the idiotic requirement to record on their tablet each passenger's room number as well as the order for the meal. If there is a slight variation, the waiter has to input this information. In the case of our table of 10, it took one hour from the time we sat down until we received our first dish. I went to complain to the maitre d', and found him sitting at a corner table with other crew members enjoying dinner rather than supervising his waiters and other staff. Service improved somewhat after discussion with the maitre d'. The quality and variety of food left much to be desired. Put simply, the food was ordinary. The Terazza self service restaurant did not have a particularly wide selection of foods and the food stations are confined to a very small area. This is clearly a design issue. Entertainment was generally poor, although the cruise director was a very lively lady who was also quite funny, performing her own show. The lectures were quite poor. The ports were all fine and the shuttle buses provided were all OK. Read Less

WE choose this cruise because of the itinerary, and because we were traveling with a group of friends from "La Chaine des Rotisseure," which was a great experience on previous cruises. I wish we would stay in some places over night, considering how close the ports were from each other. Food was not so great comparing with previous cruises, except for the Grill. I think, there were not many activities on the ship, partitionary due to busy schedule I assume, but any way.. Performers were the worst, except for the piano player Alexandra, the most intelligent person from the whole crew. "The Voices" sound so harsh that it hearts the ears. Guests performers were fine though. The bartender in the Grappa bar was rude and behaved too familiarly with the guests and rude to the crew members, acting superior. She never smiled. Our cabin and cabin service was very good. Read Less

I was told that Silversea was highly rated and somewhat luxurious. We picked this cruise because the itinerary sounded interesting. Embarkation and disembarkation went very smoothly-and quickly. We had paid for an escort and van to take us to the airport to return to the US and that was extremely helpful. The average age on this particular cruise was about 75 and there were no children. There is no central elaborate receiving area, public rooms are just average , excursions are poorly managed and entertainment is almost non existent. . However, after paying such a high price for this cruise, they offered an exercise class and wanted to charge an additional fee- are you kidding?. The food was above average and I would say the Le Dam restaurant is worth the extra surcharge. Although it is all inclusive, not many wines were included in the fare and although it says gratuities are included, you still feel inclined to tip almost everyone who serves you. We were disappointed with some of our shore excursions. The private cars and drivers are a great way to go but they are very expensive and I would speak to the guide before the tour begins telling him what you prefer- especially if you are not in the mood for hearing every detail of every piece of art in a museum- it could be tedious. Be careful what you sign up for as far as the excursions- some are not as described and activity levels are not represented clearly and not appropriate for some age groups. We have travelled many other lines, and I would check out other cruise ships before I commit to Silversea. Read Less

We were treated like royalty on Silver Wind! Loved the graceful art-deco décor. Our terraced cabin was luxurious and included ample, intelligent storage space. Four dining rooms, plus round-the-clock-room service and several bars and lounges, meant that we had incredible food and drink choices, particularly for a small ship. The dining and wines far exceeded our expectations. Incredible seafood and fresh fruits and vegetables. There was plenty to do on board. We took advantage of the pool, hot tubs, and library. I indulged in a facial, and Rick tried out ping-pong and a putting contest. We enjoyed the nightly entertainment in the Parisian Lounge a couple of times. Well done! I can't say enough about the personal service of our butler, suite staff, and wait service. Snacks and our favorite wines seemed to magically appear in our cabin, and the dining room wait staff quickly learned our names and our preferences. I wasn't certain that I'd be comfortable with such attention, but the friendly staff was never intrusive. Although we often struck out on our own for shore exploration, we enjoyed four arranged excursions in Mediterranean ports. Having a local shore concierge on board every morning meant that we had good maps on hand and smart suggestions for things to see and places to eat. This is definitely a grown-up cruise, and we would do it again. Read Less

I was told how Silversea was outstanding in all areas. I was disappointed with the room service, excursions and food. The excursions were deplorable yet costly. After 3 excursions, I cancelled all remaining excursion preferring instead to go solo. It was evident that Silversea did not preview these excursions and chose instead to market to its customers a bait of a great experience when in fact the oppose was true. They should have provided customers with pictures and preferably a video of what was to be expected. Had they done I know I would not have chosen to go. The itinerary was not well thought out. Too many ports with little time to appreciate the area. Some ports like Brindisi were silly to be at. Out of seven restaurant venue only two were average: the Atlantide & Indochine. There was no attempt to diversify the menu nor, importantly to have local fresh food. The butler service was unresponsive and certainly no on par with what Silversea touts. Last, but not least, the entertainment was a disaster with the same people acting and/or singing differently every night. It would not have been bad had they been good but some of them didn't really have a voice. Read Less

The Pros: Beautiful new ship. Common areas of the ship were very spacious. Service from the crew was excellent. For those who enjoy wines and alcoholic drinks the selection of top self brands is very good at no charge. The Cons: The Premium Restaurants were not worth the $60 per person price. La Dame was in my opinion awful. When you go and pay a surcharge to eat in a ship's premium restaurant who expect the best premium selection of beef and seafood. We ordered beef fillets and also some lobster tails for surf and turf. The filets we ordered were not prime beef fillets. We asked the server if the selection was prime beef fillet mignons? We were told that it was not. The beef was not prime beef filet mignon! Also the tails were extremely under sized. I can get more value at eating at Capital Grille at $60 per person than what I ate at La Dame. Kaiseki was another waste of time. The restaurant is extremely small with one Japanese Hibachi grill that seats about 10 or so people. The room has maybe10 tables that are not around the grill. When you make a reservation 90 days out at this premium priced $60 per person ship restaurant I felt that our 9pm reservation would enable us to watch the cook prepare our meals sitting around the grill. That was not the case. Our server told us that because of earlier patrons that came to the restaurant at 7pm and were still around the grill even though their meal was complete, that the staff could not ask them to leave as they continued ordering drinks and chatting around the grill! We asked what was the purpose of making reservations if we could not get our request to sit around the grill? Answer: A shrug go the shoulders.. We decided to go to the Atlantide restaurant that was no charge and seating was available. Saved $120 for 4 people. Atlantide (seafood) was very good as well as the excellent pizza you can eat at the Spaccanapoli on the upper deck over looking the pool. The Silver Note was good nothing special for small portions that were created as you listened to an evening singer with a pianist accompanying her. They both were very nice to listen. La Terraza (Italian) was very good. The Indochine (Asian) for us was too spicy but other patrons enjoyed the selections. We found that the best dinner we had was The Grill. This was a cook your own food on a very hot slate plate. You could view the prime steaks that you wanted to grill as well was the prawns, salmon, lobster tails... Etc. This is a casual dining restaurant that the tables are around the pool are. Very nice! This was by far the best filet mignons on the ship!! Also we asked if we could order lobster tails that were not on the menu. Our server said that if we give the restaurant 2 days notice they would get them for us. We made another reservation for this restaurant right there and requested lobster tails. When we arrived for our second meal 2 days later our lobster tails were ready for us. The tails were much larger that La Dame and the steaks were excellent! This is a no extra charge ship restaurant. We also grilled prawns and salmon which were also excellent. We also were told that the ship restaurants will be changing how they are aligned. There is no main dining restaurant on the ship. If you have read other reviews you can see how much the cruisers are not happy about not having a main dining room. When the ship is dry-docked after this year for maintenance, that there will be a main restaurant created combining Atlantide and Indochine. Shore excursions were mediocre at best. Only one excursion gave us ear phones and a device to hear our guide. The cost of the excursions averaged $99 per person. Some were even much higher. You would expect that you would be able to hear what you are looking at and where you are without straining to hear from the guide yelling over city noises. We found the Hop On Hop Off busses around the cities we visited were much better than what the ship excursions could show us at a much cheaper price. When we complained about the excursions we were told nothing could be done.. next time read the fine print on excursions book. We probably will not look to Silverseas on our next cruise to Australia and New Zealand. We have heard from friends that Viking Ocean Cruses as well as Regency and also Celebrity Cruise lines are excellent for sailing around the Australian Continent. One other thing... Wifi is only free for one hour a day... This is a premiere cruise line that you should not have to pay $300 for unlimited wifi for one device. I hope this was helpful. We did have a good time on the cruise but it could have been a lot better. Read Less

1-Time of year 2-Ports of call 3-wanted to experience the new ship 4-The crew is exceptional. They are the best. It is like coming home to old friends. 5-All inclusive fare is very comfortable. I do not mind paying for excursions. 6-After a while these ports began to look the same. That is not your fault. I was sorry that there were no sea days to relax in between all the walking tours. The reservation system was a disaster. It prevented us from socializing with new friends. This has been one of our greatest pleasures as we have travelled with Silverseas since 1995. The same menu for 22 days is terrible. It is boring! Same menu in each restaurant. One evening (don't remember which restaurant) there was no salad on the menu. I asked if we could have a small salad. They said sure but it would take 45 minutes because it had to come from a different restaurant. I strongly object to a pay for restaurant. To have some special wines and exclusive menu for a few is unacceptable. You general wine selections more than adequate. It is very good. I understand the need for reservations on the upper deck (hot rocks) because of limited seating. You have to open up Atlantide and others for open seating. We could not hear any of the announcement by the Captain or the tour director in our cabin. Your communication system is lousy! We only hear in our cabins if there is a call to go to your muster station. There were no port lectures or enrichment activities or lectures. Had one bad tour experience where the guide spoke poor English and had little knowledge to answer our questions. Breakfast in our room was on time. Food does not come hot. Room service was fine. Butler was efficient and could not do enough for us. Getting on and off the ship is very easy and orderly. Lots of help getting on and off the tenders. If there is not more flexibility in dining by February 2018 (my next booking) I will cancel my reservations. Read Less

We have sailed with Silversea since 2001, only on SHADOW and WHISPER. Wanted to sail on the new MUSE, with just the best of all itineraries. We sailed on the ship from Aug 20-Sep 28 (3 segments). Silversea is changing their dining situation. This ship comes with 6 different dining options, of which on our segments one had to make a reservation for each night before you boarded the ship. Once on board it became a real problem to secure a reservation in the restaurants unless you had a great Butler who assisted. We've learned two of the restaurants will soon be turned into open seating restaurants; go to dinner when you wish and meet new friends there for dinner. With the situation when we sailed, you had to have a set time for each restaurant and could not invite friends one might have met over cocktails. The menus did not change in any of the restaurants for the 38 days we were on board! Unheard of on any other luxury cruise ship on which we have sailed. The new ship has a "toned down" color scheme--drab in my estimation; definitely not in anyway a glitzy ship decor--it could use some. And not a comfortable chair or sofa to settle into on the entire ship. Nor is there a cozy place to enjoy cocktails with friends. For those of you who love the Silversea Silver Suites, PLEASE be advised of the changes to this suite on the MUSE. Staff is as wonderful as always. And the shore excursion options great, along with the staff. There were fabulous destination lecturers on the crossing from Europe to Cananda--this made our cruise worthwhile at the end. Nary a lecturer on the earlier days. A most disappointing 38 days for us. Appears the company is changing the WHISPER and SHADOW to this same dining situation. We probably will not return to Silversea. Read Less

We have just returned from our cruise from Monte Carlo to Southampton - our 5th Silversea cruise and 2nd on Wind. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience although not everything was perfect. Once again, the main plus point was the staff on board - they were all excellent and are a credit to Silversea. The ship is now more than 20 years old but has been well cared for and we were very comfortable in our Veranda cabin. Both embarkation and disembarkation were very good - no queues - we simply walked on and off. We dined in all the restaurants and did not have any particular favourite. We believe that the quality of the food has gone down a bit - about 8/10 - but still OK. One of the highlights of the cruise for us was the splendid musical group who entertained almost every evening. Probably the best singers we have heard on over 20 cruises! We only took one SS shore excursion - a river trip on the Tagus while we were in Lisbon - preferring to use HoHo buses in the larger ports and Shanks' pony in the smaller ones. All in all, a very enjoyable holiday and we look forward to our next cruise - although we will probably opt for one with more sea days. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I had been on this particular ship the year before. I like its size (less than 300 guests). And because the crew was so fantastic - and they still are. I was delighted that several of the crew remembered my name - and what I like to drink! - from the year before! Being picked up at the airport, and being dropped off again at the end of the cruise was smooth, easy, and pleasant. The cities we visited were great; however, highlights of the cruise for me were moments on the bow, as the ship pulled into or out of a port, or lounging in a big chair on the stern, in the sun, with my feet on the railing. I like that there are formal nights, when all the men in the bar and restaurant are in tuxedoes. My cabin was the basic (no veranda): very pleasant and always well cleaned and serviced. Excursions were interesting (I went into a few of the cities with guides) and I liked that if I chose to go on my own (without a guide), the ship provided convenient shuttles. In the future I will ensure that my cabin is not among the 4 that are forward-most on the ship; this is where the custodial gear is staged and entering or exiting my cabin was a disappointing contrast to the elegant of the rest of the shipboard experience; there were often buckets, laundry bins, and vacuums staged outside of my cabin (411). Read Less

So we chose SilverSea after hearing from a colleague about the level of service and the overall quality of his cruise. After doing some more research, we decided to forgo having a large wedding reception in order to spend the $18,000 + to sail with SilverSea. I am going to write this according to the guide on this site. Then at the end I will add several other experiences we had during our cruise. We chose the Silver Wind and the 14 day Mediterranean cruise from Monaco to South Hampton, England. We went back and forth between this and the Silver Muse (their newest ship) due to the locations and it being a longer trip, also flight was included in the price. The flight out (which we upgraded to first class) was very well done and the travel to the ship was well done. The embarkation process was well managed and we made it to our cabin just fine. Shortly after that we had the mandatory muster and safety briefing. That's where the missteps began. The drill was a joke. We were told that in an emergency they wanted us to muster in a small room so we will be comfortable and still be able to experience luxury. Not what I want in an emergency, I want to be safe. There was a drill several days later where the captain accidentally left the ships mic on and was heard saying, "This is not good, or what's supposed to be happening." as well as, "What's going on?". Not what you want to hear from the captain of the ship. As a former Marine who has served on ships I told my wife that we would be better off doing our own thing than following their instructions. The overall feel of the ship is that it's very tired. The decor is outdated, the rooms have at best 3 star hotel (the $50 a night ones) amenities. The linens were warn and overused. There was wallpaper pealing and you could hear some bolts (or some metal) rattling in the walls. The food, which is one of the highlights SilverSea boasts was very okay. The menu doesn't change nearly the whole trip, which on a 14 day cruise and only 4 options gets old very fast. The changes they do make were so minor they were unnoticeable. We were told several times that they were unwilling to bring us food to certain areas of the ship (even though they will tell you prior that you can order food to you on call). There were no meals we had that had any "WOW" factor at all. I will say that the alcohol flowed, there were no issues there. The entertainment and activities were, again, very okay. Not at all the caliber we would expect from a cruise-line like SilverSea claims to be. We got to meet several of the actors (most were nice, one was very cold and wouldn't even acknowledge that my wife said hello). The bartenders were un-attentive on the pool lounge (which was never busy). Being a small ship there weren't many on ship activities. We mostly hung out in our room if we weren't off shore as there wasn't much to do. The shows started late and were short. The "disco" which we asked for, lasted all of 20 min and played Barry Manilow, not exactly dance music. The service was split. Our butler did everything he could to make us happy, as well as the one bartender we found that knew his job well. Outside of that most of the crew was pleasant, but it felt forced. There were exceptions, some of the crew that came on the (very overpriced) excursions with us and got to know us were kind. But the host/hotel staff was 1 star at best. We had several issues (room flooded, downgraded room, equipment not working in the room, etc.) and never have I ever been treated so poorly by management. More on this in a moment. The ports were all nice, but not well planned or executed. The excursions as mentioned above were way overpriced (we booked several of the same, if not better for much cheaper), and not what were advertised. We did kayaking in Spain and were never told what to bring. The company that ran the excursion did fine, but were shocked when no one brought an SD card for the pictures they took of us with their Go-Pro. We gave them our email with the promise that they would send them to us and have still not gotten them. I paid to go to the Andalusian horse tour with the understanding that we would get a tour., and show. While we did get a show we were not able to take pictures of it, and there was NO tour whatsoever. Overall: We were told, "No we won't do that for you" way more than any other all inclusive I have done. The ports aren't well set up unless you spend half of your day going to the lectures. You would think there would be well researched ideas in their paper they give you the day prior so you can plan. General feel that SilverSea already had our money and was suffering us during their voyage. The most glaring issue was when our room flooded. I don't know if there was a lack of maintenance, or if this was from a fluke accident. Our room as well as our neighbors room flooded. The way that management handled this was similar to how a poorly ran restaurant would handle the situation. We had no notice when we got back to our room that there had been a flood, we just walked in to a wet floor. We summoned our butler who assured us that not only the issue but that we would be taken care of. This is where the glaring lack of care from upper management became painfully apparent. We were told the issue would be resolved quickly so we went up to the pool area and waited with some of the friends we had made on-board. Two junior officers came and told me that they were working on the issue. I told them that with the smell (it was apparently a sewer line that had spilled in the room) that we would like to be moved to a different room. He was very hesitant and said he would have to check on what they could do. He then sent our butler up to us and told us that they had a downgraded room for us to stay in. We were told to grab what we needed and to move our stuff for the next day into this other room. The room was one of the front two rooms on our same deck. The reason we booked the middle of the ship was (at our booking agents recommendation) because the front was a much harsher ride. He was absolutely correct in this explanation as I only was able to get 2 hours of sleep, and my wife who had an ear infection became sick. The only interaction we have yet had from the upper management has been a free evening to La' Champagne, and a letter saying, "Congratulations on the honeymoon, sorry for the inconvenience.", we were also given a bottle of champagne; which being as rocky of a ride the front of the ship was and the fact that my wife was ill, the last thing we wanted to do was drink. We also had champagne everywhere we went, so getting a free bottle of what we already had for free was a hollow gesture. Since I couldn't sleep I decided to go and check our room then I went down to the library and read. Our original room had a very musty smell in it. After telling this to our butler who happened to come by the library he said that we should bring our concerns to upper management and see what they can do. I then told reception (who barely took a note) and expressed my interest in speaking with someone higher up than I had about the issue. The SAME junior officer came down and told me that they were working on it. Not an encouraging experience. The solution they had was to spray a heavy deodorizer on the carpet. It was so strong that we had to leave the room and our balcony door open for the rest of the day and stay in the downgraded room. So we spent nearly 2 full days in a downgraded room. Not the type of treatment I would expect from a cruise line that boasts attention to guests needs and second to none service. We were simply told that whenever we wanted to we could move back into our room. No one told us that it was prepped and ready and that the smell was gone. After I sent an email from the ship to their corporate office we were offered to upgrade to a very front of the ship Royal suite. Ignoring that this was at the front of the ship, it just showed us that they had the room free from the start of this issue and chose to downgrade us anyhow. There were many other missteps that happened. Since we got back I have emailed with both our booking agent as well as their customer service with no response that anything would be done about our experience. At this point I have no faith in this cruise-line and would encourage you to look at anything else. We would not go again. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to be thorough Read Less

Read Less

The Maiden Voyage of the Silver Muse was a major disappointment. She was touted as "Simply Divine" but she was "Simply Folly". You would have expected Silversea to bring their most experienced staff to work this ship. Alas, that was not the case. The service was substandard and there was "attitude" among some of the staff. There were times when we were offered wine and never received it; ice tea was not refilled. Food was ordered but not delivered to the table. We were controlled by the ship. Silversea was so proud of their new "most comprehensive dining experience at sea...Our main dining room is always open seating so you can arrive at your leisure." (from Silversea Silver Muse Travel Journal) We never found this "dining room" after 13 days on the ship as it did not exist. This is the first ship we have been on where dining is a challenge and we have been on over 15 cruises. I called it the diet cruise. No reservation, no eating until after 9 p.m. in most cases. That is too late for us to eat with early activities the next day. We do not want to plan our meals ahead of time especially after a long day in port. The only place we could get into with regularity was Spaccanapoli but how much pizza and calzone can one eat. At least the food at this pizzeria was good and the service excellent. All the menus remain the same with no local offerings. How tiring is that?! Thank goodness the ports offered great restaurants where we met a lot of fellow cruisers who were also unhappy with the dining situation. Many passengers used "In Suite" dining so they could eat but we did not want to do this. The fun part of cruising is meeting fellow passengers and not being cooped up in your suite. The ports and shore excursions were the only things that made this cruise worthwhile. Embarkation and disembarkation went well. The cabins were comfortable and relaxing. Stay clear of this ship until they get their act together, if they do. Silversea certainly had the opportunity to turn things around during this cruise as there were many complaints but all remained the same. Poor service, average food and the worst dining concept on a luxury ship. Read Less

Having travelled with Silversea on numerous occasions we had high expectations from this Brand New 6 Star Luxury Cruise Liner. But the reality was Guests were used as 'Guinea Pigs' and treated with disrespect. We were never made aware that the policy in relation to Dinner Reservations was different to other Silversea Ships, all restaurants had to be booked well in advance or reservations recommended. The Dress Attire was dictated by the restaurant, truly a bizarre set up! This policy contradicted the information outlined within 'Travel Journal' which stated that the Main Restraurant is always open seating' We were placed on a 'Wait List' (5 / 8 Nights) awaiting a call from the 'Restaurant Manager' to confirm if or when you could eat, totally outrageous! . Several times we had to have our main evening meal in our room. Sometimes you got a telephone call just 20 mins before a slot in any restaurant was allocated, so it was very hard to plan/adhere to the require dress code. (Totally flawed system). The quality of the food was below average, even in the 'La Dame'. Meat tough, and courses on the menu were not offered or delivered. On numerous occasions food was served incorrectly, cold, undercooked or overcooked! The waiting staff in general went beyond the call of duty, this cannot be said of the Maitre D's or Management who seem to hid away from their guests and the mayhem which was going on. In fact overall you were made feel that it was a privilege to pay to be on this ship. In actual fact when we complained to the 'Maitre D's in 'La Terrazza' and 'Atlantide' they were not in the least bit 'solution minded' but took exception to the fact that we had actually complained to point out that the quality etc was not of the proper standard. Unfortunately we were blacklisted by these Maitre D's when tried to get a future booking of any kind, this was very childish to say the least. Internet access was Deplorable! Silversea the Muse (6) Star, we feel that the rating for this ship would be (3) Star, which would be a much more appropriate rating. We are 'Venetian Society Members' and it made no difference, we were treated so badly and we felt very undervalued as returning clients, we were totally gutted! We would not have been totally surprised to see 'Barbra Windsor' or 'Sidney James' on board as the main cast for 'Carry On Cruising' !!!!!! We are very sorry to say that this brand new 'SilverMuse' Ship is Soulless, how very, very disappointing!! :0( :0( :0( Read Less