A friend told us of a "bargain" cruise on the Silver Wind sailing from San Juan. Therefore, we signed up for the cruise. The Silver Wind is an older ship which apparently is due for a makeover in 2020. Also, it is supposed to outfitted to sail to Norway and even the Arctic. In any event, I had read reviews online about how it is an older ship. Indeed it is. There are a number of pluses about the Silver Wind. It is a small ship with not too many decks. Thus, it is easy to get around without thousands of people being on board. The ship still has a nice design, and we were always able to find seating in the theater, unlike some larger ships on which we have traveled. There are basically 3 restaurants: the main restaurant, with open, anytime seating; La Dame, in which it is hard to get a reservation, and The Grill/Hot Rocks on deck 8 by the pool bar. For the most part, the food was good. The dinner at La Dame was excellent, as was the service. Dinner at Hot Rocks was also good; I like to choose the meat and cook it on the hot stone. Of course, others chose to have the chef cook their entrees. Lunch at The Grill, however, was hit or miss. My wife ordered a reuben. Anybody who knows what a real reuben sandwich is would be appalled. The sandwich had a few very thin slices of some processed meat, nothing like what a reuben is supposed to be. Even though my wife complained, the chef either didn't care or couldn't change it since the same lame sandwich was offered the whole cruise. Service in the dining rooms was usually quite good. The sommeliers are excellent, and the ship has a decent wine list, although some of the wines are a little overpriced. The serving staff was quite friendly as well. Generally, the bar drinks were good, though some were a little off. The pool had a number of lounges. Usually some were available, at least in the morning, since the cruise had no sea days. The pool was closed once for "sanitation". It is a small pool not conducive to swimming. The cruise director Colin is engaging and an extremely talented pianist. The singers were quite good; 2 of them had operatic voices. The shows were entertaining. The lecturer was John Pennycate, who gave several interesting historical lectures, although he was not allowed to talk about the controversial subject of the use of nuclear bombs during World War II. Our butler Ranni was hit or miss. For example, once we asked Ranni for a bottle of white wine, 2 diet Cokes and extra glasses. He didn't bring any of them. Other times, he brought ice as needed for me to ice my knee post surgery. Our room steward Karin was good, although she forgot to leave us wash clothes once. The ports of call were often lesser known Caribbean islands. The most well known was St. Barths. The only ship shore excursion we took was to Belle Mont Farms for lunch and an island tour of St. Kitts. The lunch was good with many ingredients grown on the site, and there was more than enough to eat. The tour was all right, but not outstanding. Also, the tour seemed a little pricey for what we got. On Antigua we had booked a tour through Costco which was much cheaper, although the lunch there could not hold a candle to the one on St. Kitts. For the most part the excursions were for snorkeling, sailing, etc. The one to the Baths apparently was somewhat risky since some people slipped going down around or through the rocks. The Silver Wind is not designed for children travelers, but several families brought children. There are not child activities on board. That having been said, this was our last Silversea cruise. The people on our deck were notified that the hot water would be turned off from 2:30 PM to approximately 3:30 PM for maintenance. Nothing else was said, and no warnings were given. When my wife took a shower later that afternoon, she noticed that her white wash cloth turned rust colored. When she dried off, rust-colored spots dotted her bath towel. Obviously, there was a lot of rust in the line, but the ship's personnel did not warn anyone of that possibility. My wife called the butler, who said that he was sorry. Then he ran the cold water. After he left, I turned the temperature to all hot water and let it run a long time. The bathtub floor was filled with dirt, sand, rocks and rust. I went to the reception desk and complained that they could have waited until the ship docked at the end of the cruise to do the work. The receptionist claimed that it was an "emergency". If it was an emergency, the work should have been done immediately, not hours later. I told the receptionist that at least the ship should have warned passengers about the possibility of dirt, rust, etc coming out of the shower and faucet and told them to run the hot water for a long time. The receptionist claimed that rust and dirt had never come out of any faucets or showers before. I told her that was extremely difficult to believe given how old the ship was, the maintenance problems and the likely result. After all, a hot water line broke earlier in the cruise, requiring the ship to move the occupants of two suites to other accommodations. Furthermore, outside of a perfunctory "I'm sorry" initially from the reception, there was never any apology from the hotel manager or anyone from the cruise line. Apparently, they felt that it was not a problem. We have sailed many cruises. While maintenance issues can pop up from time to time, we have never experienced anything close to what occurred on this cruise. The water coming out of the tub faucet at times looked like sewer water, and it left enough residue for us to start our own dirt lot. To cover my wife in rusty, dirty water was truly appalling. Not to apologize formally for such a horrible incident, however, is inexcusable for any cruise line, much less a so-called luxury cruise line. So I hope that Silversea enjoyed our dollars. They won't be getting any more from us ever again. Read Less

The ship is in excellent condition. The cabins are very nice and very clean and the bed was comfortable. The food was excellent and high quality. Filippo Bulgarini the Maître D is very good at insuring everything is perfect. All staff members have a excellent attitude and really care about insuring you have all your needs and wants met. Lots of area's on the ship to relax and enjoy the beautiful views. The on board credit was very easy to use and the store on the ship had a great selection of watches and clothing. We have travelled on many cruises. This was our first cruise with Silversea and we will return very soon because the overall experience was better than advertised. The ports of call were excellent and the extended stay in some of the ports was great because you did not feel rushed. The ship arrived on time to the ports of call everyday. Read Less

Beautiful ship with large cabins and plenty of public spaces to get away. Lots of restaurants, but food choices were somewhat limited. Like most cruises, there were minor issues along the way, but we really enjoyed this cruise. Embarkation seemed a bit disjointed with multiple stops. Staggered times based on suite category meant no big lines and cabins immediately ready. Our boarding opened at 2:00 pm. Don’t get too comfortable unpacking and miss lunch as the hours are limited. Welcome champagne glass and a full bottle waiting for you in the suite. We toured and photographed the ship after lunch. Disembarkation went as scheduled with full room service breakfast available (a rarity on most lines). Out of the cabin by 8:30 am, we waited until 9:15 for our group to be called right on time. Uber for two to FLL was less than $12 + tip. Why would anybody spend more for a bus transfer? Ship. So much room throughout the ship that we often asked ourselves, “Where is everybody?” Like many newer ships, this ship has the plethora of quiet places to “hide out.” Lots of elevators and stairs made it a snap to get around. Service and Amenities. Mostly what I would expect for a luxury cruise line. All-inclusive alcohol and wine flowed freely. Water, iced tea, and juice at the gangway with cold washcloths back on the ship. Friendly staff always greeted guests in passing, but don’t expect them to remember your name like they do on much smaller ships. Bulgari toiletries. All the toys in the cabin except binoculars. (I bring my own anyway.) No fresh flowers or fruit in our cabin. Clientele. Most people we met were very experienced cruisers. Some were avid Silversea clients, but quite a few were on their first Silversea cruise. A fair number of Brits. The clientele age was more varied than we expected. We quickly made friends with a lot of interesting people and enjoyed their company throughout the cruise. This is not a ship for kids, although the one 5-year old girl onboard got a lot of attention. Entertainment. Six singers and dancers did all the shows, including their solo acts. Other musicians also onboard for piano music, etc. Enrichment activities. Ira Feldman was our destination lecturer. He was very informative and approachable. We didn’t spend time doing most of the other cruise trivia, bingo, bridge, etc. We like doing puzzles and this ship could use a better location than the card room for that purpose. Restaurants. Very different arrangement than many other cruise lines and we were quite confused when trying to make pre-cruise online reservations. I’ll try to provide the information I wish I had before boarding. There is a cluster of four restaurants on Deck 4. Atlantide is the closest thing to a main dining room and doesn’t require reservations unless you have special requests. Menu only changed slightly once during the cruise. Indochine is similar with an Asian menu, but we never went there. Seishin (Asian) and LeDame (French) are the small, premium restaurants that are pricey and small. Hot Rocks (aka The Grill) is outside on Deck 9 by the pool. For lunch they serve burgers, but for dinner you cook your own food on a hot stone. Just upstairs overlooking the pool is the pizza restaurant Spaccanapoli. It’s not really a dinner restaurant, per se, but it does have a dinner menu if you want pizza. La Terrazza is the buffet converted to a sit-down Italian restaurant in the evening with both indoor and outdoor seating. Surprisingly, it had some of the best food on the ship, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Finally, Silver Note is a nice restaurant on Deck 8 that transitions into a piano bar with dancing at night. Menus vary by restaurant, not by day, so the idea is to try the different venues if you want variety. Finally, Arts Café is a gem of a place to get snacks next to Silver Note. That is where they serve afternoon tea with scones, cake, sandwiches, etc.. Unfortunately, the amazing cakes are replaced with only chocolate after dinner. It’s a good place to get an after dinner drink. The biggest critique I have is that afternoon post-shore excursion food was limited. Waiting an hour to get a burger from The Grill or room service just doesn’t cut it when you have been walking all morning and you are starving hungry! The simple fix would be to provide more substantial food (e.g. sandwiches, sushi, fruit, cookies, etc.) at the Arts Café during the entire lull period between lunch venues closing and dinner venues opening. Food Quality and Service. We were disappointed in the quality, variety, and availability. Although we had a few excellent meals, most were just average, which was disappointing for a luxury cruise line. Appetizers were typically the best part of the meal. Our lobster tails were overcooked. Steaks were not very tender and often undercooked. Lots of good fish choices, so we ate a lot of fish. Service was too often painfully slow, sometimes taking 2 ½ hours for a three course meal. What is it about some ships and the timing of the coffee? I like to drink my coffee with dessert, but the coffee usually came 15 minutes after dessert was served and long gone. Our last dinner onboard at La Terrazza was the best food and service of the cruise. Dress code. Two formal nights and five other nights requiring jackets for men. I would prefer more nights of “country club casual” or a dress code based on restaurant venue. Wearing formal clothes or even a jacket to an outdoor pizza restaurant didn’t make sense. Internet. Finally! Free, unlimited internet. Still ship-slow and sometimes difficult to get a good connection, but at least you are not being billed for every minute. Upgrades to higher speeds and more devices were available. Self Service Laundry. With machines on every floor, we were actually able to find open machines on a sea day, which made quick work of the laundry we needed washed. Free with a confusing soap dispenser. Machine instructions were practically non-existent and also perplexing. It didn’t help that the machine labels were German and the water temperatures were degrees Celsius. Cruise lines could really help out their guests by providing no-nonsense guides in English with recommendations about which of the 14 cycles (from 20 min to 3 hours) works best for most clothes. Spa & Fitness Center. Lots of treatment rooms. We enjoyed the Thermal Suite, which was an extra package price and limited access. Silversea could take a tip from Oceania and provide free Gatorade. Smoking. This was one of our main reasons for not sailing Silversea earlier. It is now reasonably restricted and the occasional whiffs of smoke from a designated smoking area did not bother us much. Ports. Santiago de Cuba, Grand Cayman, Cienfuegos, Havana, Bimini. Most people were on this cruise to see Cuba. Almost everybody went ashore to get a chance to see it firsthand. We invested heavily in shore excursions primarily because we didn’t know what to expect in terms of access and meeting the U.S. requirements to visit Cuba. All the Cuban tours were operated by Havanatur and transportation was provided on relatively new Chinese buses with toilets (an amenity you will appreciate in Cuba where every bathroom has an attendant with their hand out for a tip). Our shore excursion guides were all high quality. Everything was on time and the three sea days were a welcome respite from touring. An unexpected extension to our time in Havana allowed last-minute shore excursions to the nightclubs and shows. Friends we met through Cruise Critic were able to book their own independent tours, but we did not have the time to do all the advanced research and booking. Tenders. This was the first Silver Spirit itinerary to Cuba so there were many learning opportunities. Particularly problematic was the tendering service. Some of the tender rides were 35-45 minutes, but this was not entirely Silversea’s fault. Even this relatively small ship was not allowed to get close enough in some of the ports to have reasonable tendering times. This caused several of us to miss evening plans in Santiago because we could not get back to the ship in time to go back for the evening shows. Havana was the only port where we used a dock, which was a real luxury after all the tendering. The one big misstep was in Bimini, where bad management of tender rotations caused an hour wait that made several of us miss our afternoon shore excursion. The ship staff accepted full responsibility and refunded our ticket prices, but it was disappointing. In summary. We’ve never taken a perfect cruise, but expectations can be high for luxury cruise lines like Silversea. However, after 18 cruises on a variety of lines, this cruise makes our top 3, with Regent and Azamara. We loved the location and size of our cabin. Now that we understand the system, we will make better dining choices next cruise. Cuba is a must see and we will be back in the future to see the progress. Overall, we really enjoyed this cruise and will be back Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was the only one available for 7 days in a warm climate in February. The agent with Silversea was amazing in assisting us with any of our questions or concerns. The embarkation and disembarkation were flawless. The ship is small which is very nice and the cabins (we had one for our grown son and one for us) were as or larger than we had on Regent and Oceania, all with verandas. The decor may be a bit subtle for my taste. We enjoyed our meals at the Silver Note and at Seishin. We thought the entertainment in the various areas was very nice, although we never went to any "shows" so I'm not sure about that. The service was very good and our butlers were very attentive and did extra things like polishing shoes without being asked. We were very happy with our shore excursions which included a helicopter ride, snorkeling (no fish, but a fun day on the boat), our favorite was The America's Cup trip, my son enjoyed the canyoning with rapelling and diving off of the waterfalls. Roseau - hmmm. Not worth getting off the ship as far as we could tell. The Baths were great fun but plan on getting wet. Overall, the food was not up to par with Regent or Oceania; but, was still very good and I overheard other people raving about it, so that's inconclusive I guess. There were not enough activities onboard. There is a bridge room but nothing organized so it may as well not be there, no mini-golf or mini-tennis which we've enjoyed before. Smaller ship size accounts for this I guess. Trivia was fun. We felt it was a good value. We noticed that the age range was younger than on our other cruises, so a more lively, visible and active group. Our other cruises were 24+ days so I'm guessing it was the quick, easy, 7-day trip to a warm clime would explain that. Read Less

We chose this cruise for several reasons. Rated 6.0 luxury. It was our first cruise so we wanted to keep the days down to a minimum, and this cruise lasted 7 nights. It was refurbished last year so it was practically new with beautiful soft colors and rich woods. I read many reviews and it was touted to have excellent food and service. It did not disappoint. We loved everything about this ship. Everything went smoothly and everything worked perfectly. Our cabin was perfect, enough space for all our things. Everything was put away and there was never any clutter due to lack or storage. Our butler was terrific and very accommodating. We tipped him when we were first introduced, although we knew it was not expected. We just wanted to be sure he was happy with us from the beginning. He was sure to bring us our snacks in our room every day at 4:30 when we got back to the cabin to relax before dinner. All the restaurants were terrific. We were on deck 7 so it was very convenient to go to La Terrazza for breakfast every morning for their buffet. We could sit in or out depending on the weather and the wind level. La Dame was elegant as was Seichin. We loved eating at Atlantide. Very elegant and great service and food. Although there were 555 passengers, we found everywhere we went it was never crowded. We even found lounge seating at the pool area along the side of the ship where we were completely alone just looking our at the Caribbean Sea. It was glorious. We loved the hot rocks dinner at the Grill at the pool in the evening. The massages in the Spa were excellent. The shows were lovely. This was not Broadway, and coming from New York we get Broadway whenever we want it, but it was wonderfully entertaining. If you wanted daily activities they were there for you. We went on shore excursions, and we chose to play Trivia which was headed every day by the cruise director Rico. He did an excellent job throughout the cruise keeping us all happy and laughing. All in all, I'm sad to say our cruise ended. We can't wait to have this experience again. Read Less

We found this trip at a great price on Vacations to go. We chose Silversea Silverwind because it was going to Cuba. We had never even heard of Silversea and were excited to enjoy this trip. We went with a group of 8 friends. We flew to San Juan and were familiar with their port and were curious as to which slip/dock we would be loading on to. We were in walking distance to the pier and grabbed our luggage and found them right away. Here we go. So excited. It was real simple getting on and off. We loved the ship. A little bit dated but I still loved it. Silverwind is the oldest in the fleet. It was easy to get around. With it only having just under 200 passengers it was very intimate. Our cabin was perfect for us. The only struggle I had was plugging in the hair dryer. The clock radio was plugged in to the only socket on the vanity. It was hard to plug in the dryer cause it was too close to the wall with only one way to plug it in I was concerned it wouldn't work. There are 2 other plugs on the desk for charging phones. No plugs hy the beds. There were however European plugs that if we had known would have brought conversions. The bath room has a small tub/shower. The bed was so comfy better than I had ever had on any of my other cruises. Our balcony was great. The price of the cruise included the drink package and our butler would bring any bottle of choice to our room The dining was spectacular. There were 4 restaurants to choose from. The Grill is up on the pool deck, for lunch you could order sandwiches, wraps, or burgers. For dinner you needed to reserve a table and their menu of many wonderful items to choose from. We got to cook our main meal on a hot lava stone right in front of us. The laDame was the French cuisine. This one is an extra fee but well worth it. Make sure you leave 2 to 3 hours for this one. The main dining has all the wonderful foods you could dream of. LaTassra for breakfast and lunch had a buffet. Nicly furnished with a variety of foods. Also need to make reservations for dinner. The main dining was also wonderful. Every evening, each restaurant served the featured red or white wine if you wanted. The activities are minimal. The ones we did participate in were great. Entertainment was spectacular. The Voices of Silverwind were awesome. The on board credit aloud us to do shore excursions and what a treat it was. We did the panorama tours of both Santiago and Havana which were very interesting. There were no children aboard this ship. There would be nothing for them to do accept swim. We had the shipwreck snorkeling in Bimini and were disappointed when it took us 45 minutes to tender in and 1 hour to tender back out. Not enough time to do any looking around really disappointed in that. We had some rough weather a couple of nights and with this ship being small we got tossed around some but I expected that. Read Less

First time in SilverSea very disappointed, definitely not was I expecting, Embarkation in San Juan went smoothly from there all went downhill, we book Cruise true American Express and got $ 1,500 dlls cruise credit on board the first order was to make reservations for dinner to our surprise ALL the Restaurant where book for the week we ended up having dinner at the same restaurant 3 times( The Grill ) and 2 times at la (Terraza), cabin was clean in perfect shape but above us was a restaurant " The Grill " so we had heavy noise until 11pm every night, next day we pick our tours and proceeded to reserve them to our surprise they where all book and all of them on waitlist, only one open up out of the five we selected. The port selection for this Itinerary was very poor except for St Barths & Tortola, I just don't understand how can a cruise line with this level make a stop in an Island like Rosseau, Dominica. Service on the ship was excellent but nobody went out of its way to assist or help beyond giving you the NO or you are on Waitlist.. Try to spend the on board credit on the Spa but with the same results it was book for the week and if an opening was available we will be notify, we where also unsuccessful, In General the ship felt very dull no activities at all, will not travel in SilverSea again. Read Less

Originally chosen because of small size and all inclusive. SHIP - DEFINITELY NOT HANDICAPPED FRIENDLY. In almost all cases use of a rolling staircase of 20+ steps was needed for getting on/off ship. On board only 296 passengers was a definite plus - no lines or waiting. Smaller ship did not appear to handle rough weather as well as its larger brethren. There were 5-6 foot waves rolling end to end in the swimming pool one afternoon.... Casino has 1 Blackjack table. CABIN - Suite - disappointing - small (I do not believe the sq ft figures advertised). We were cramped with 2, would be impossible with 3. Also poor for the mobility challenged as the tub/shower requires getting over a 2 foot step in barrier (tub 2 feet deep). DINING - real mixed bag here ranging from fair at best for dinner in Restaurant (poor selection, very small portions, false advertising - prime rib was at most 1/4 inch thick and weighed about 3 ounces. Saving grace here is to ask for all day dining menu as well and get better choices (steak, fish. even pasta etc.) On the other end of the scale the dinner we had in La Dame ($60 pp extra) was the best meal we have ever had on a cruise! Buffet for lunch was the best alternative with quality and variety. The Grill was good for 1 dinner, Italian dinner got 1 like and 1 didn't like from us. CREW - the friendliest and most accommodating of any cruise line we have been on. SHORE EXCURSIONS - only took 1 (Grand Turk) as most were too long (3-4) hours. It was only fair - uncomfortable "bus" and ran over scheduled time. Majority of excursions were activity/water oriented. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was the only luxury line we hadn't sailed on after many Seabourn cruises, and had read about a major refurbishment. Wrong. The only refurbishment was some common area carpets and flooring. The cabins (veranda suite) are just decrepit...old, dirty carpets and upholstery.. and look like nothing's been done since its launch in 1995. Hallway carpets are stained, dining room is ancient, reception area and common areas are devoid of art and ornamentation. Miniscule gym with Venetian blinds that don't close. Food is barely mediocre... steaks were not chewable, fatty lamb chops, overcooked fish..even bread was awful. And what's an iced cappuccino? At dinner, pool grill provides diners with gimmicky hot lava stone to self-cook steaks or fish, which leaves guests covered with smoke and grease. No entertainment worthy of any note. Silversea should be ashamed of sailing this barge and marketing it as luxury. Ship should be scuttled. Read Less

This was our first cruise and first time on a SilverSeas Cruise Ship. We were pleased with the ship as we weren't interested in crowds, water slides or rock climbing walls. Everything went perfectly with the trip to San Juan and transfer to the ship! We were met with glasses of bubbly and cold clothes to freshen up! We went on to the lunch buffet and before long we were notify that our room was ready. So impressed with the service that SilverSeas staff provided. no matter where you were on the ship. We were in a Suite on deck 5 which was lovely and we spent hours on our veranda, absolutely thrilled. On the second day our neighbors from hell moved in next to us, they evidently had already been moved from somewhere else on the ship. They were loud, obnoxious, and rude whether they were inside their room or on their veranda. You could hear them coming down the hall and every word they yelled at each other no matter what time of the night it as. We eventually spoke to the ship and long story short, they offered us to be moved to the Medallion Suite on deck 7...as lovely as that was we didn't have a veranda, the thing we loved the most. We so appreciate the ship offering that as the situation was very frustrating to have such rude folks next door to us. Really put a damper on this part of our trip. We celebrated an anniversary and our butler helped us celebrate with balloons, roses, scented bath and candles and a wonderful cake. Thank you. Our butler was wonderful and it was arranged that he came with us to deck 7. Food and service was great. La Dame was good but did not warrant the $60 per person cover charge. Excursions were good, we should not have stopped at Tortola as it just was not ready for tourist, so we stayed on the ship. Over all experience was good tho I have nothing to compare it to. Read Less

This Silverseas cruise exceeded our expectations in everyway. The food was excellent, the Island stops were fantastic. The crew members were very, very happy, and friendly. Great Service in every area!!! Dinners were outstanding!!! I wish they had lobster at the Grill, but no big deal! Colin the Ships Cruise Director was excellent & funny!!! The other passengers were all very friendly, and nice. Met some great people on board. Overall, a fantastic cruise, and I would go again in a heat beat. Sopia was excellent. Our butler, Mustofa did every thing perfectly, and he was always there to help us with dinner reservations, formal night, he constantly replaced our wines, and brought us several very nice, wines, and reds to enjoy. He should get a medal! La Terrazza was excellent for dinner, and so was The Restaurant, and The Grill. The pool was never too busy, and we always could get seats for two. The boat never felt crowded, and was very clean, spotless! Read Less

We are retired and have only been on two cruises prior to this. A Norwegian (2 Star) from NYC to Bermuda and an Alaskian UnCruise, on the120 ft Safari Endeavour (10 Star), so we really wanted to experience a 10 star cruise on a larger ship and we certainly found it on the Silver Wind. WoW, I read a lot of reviews on a lot of different ships, before we selected the Silver Wind and after being on the ship, I honestly have to wonder if some of the negative reviews that I had read on this ship were by other cruise companies, (haha, funny but possible) So lets's establish that we are not cruise experts, but we do enjoy a lot of the finers points in life, including lodging, drink, travel, automobiles (I drive a Bentayga), etc. We enjoy life from a tux to a pair of cut offs and the finest white glove dining to a BBQ joint, so while we do not claim to be cruise experts, we have been down a few dirt roads and Inter-state highways. So here is our scoop on the Silver Wind. I get up at 5 AM and saw how the cleaning crew were working each morning and this is the cleanest ship that you will ever be on. While it was built in 1995, You cannot tell that it wasn't a couple of years old, based on it's public areas and rooms. The staff were outstanding, so professional, so helpful and so attentive. The food and drink were excellent and we can say nothing negative except it took a couple of days to get our suite door lock to work every time, but they really tried. I highly recommend the Silver Wind as a Top Of The Line Small Ship Luxury Cruise and when we take another cruise it will be with the Silver Seas Company. Read Less

We chosed this cruise because we got a very good offer from our travel agency in Copenhagen and the timing fitted into our plans. Also, it means that we could get away from the poor and cold weather in Denmark. It was our third cruise with Silversea. We have been on Silver Cloud and Silver Spirit. We liked the idea of getting on a small ship again and were definitely not disappointed with Silver Wind even though it is an order ship. The embarkation went smoothly and it was wonderful to get a table on the outside terrace and have lunch. Then you really get a feeling of relaxation. During the cruise we tried all restaurants and the food was delicious. The mail restaurant was in particular very good both with regard to service and food. La Dame was of course exceptional and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening there. We were on excursions almost every day. They were all very good and well arranged. Bathing and swimming with the stingrays at Grand Turk was a marvellous experience. Also, the entertainment on board exceeded our expectations and we found the young artists very skilled. It added to the succes that in some instances the Cruise Director himself played the piano. In order to summarise how very satisfied we were, we took advantage of the offer on board to book our next cruise in the Caribbean for beginning of 2019. We are already looking forward to it. We were in a Vista Suite which was fine, but we will prefer to have a balcony. Read Less

This cruise line, as well as this ship and itinerary, were recommended by friends. It did not disappoint. The accommodations were excellent. The food was extraordinary and service was outstanding. The wait staff in the restaurants as well as bartenders were impressive in their knowledge of languages as well as their ability to remember not only our names but our favorite things to order. They truly appeared to be having fun while at work. Our favorite part, however, was the excursion options. They were exciting, professionally conducted, and kept us active the entire cruise (think snorkeling with power, driving ATV's along the beach, watching sea creatures from a submarine). However, if one were looking for a more subdued vacation, that was certainly available (lots of folks enjoying the sun and the pool). Overall, it was a great trip for seniors who are looking for small ship attentive service with as much or as little activity as you wish. This was our first cruise with SILVERSEA but it will not be our last. We're already looking into the Silver Galapagos! Read Less

Why? Brand name. Convenient timing. Confidence in performance based on priorSilversea cruise. Itinerary. Travelled at our own expense from FL to San Juan for convenience. Silversea lived up to its reputation. The ship is lovely, comfortable, and well maintained for an older ship. We had a wonderful time. The dining was excellent, providing many delicious options served efficiently and carefully by a very well trained, polite and pleasant staff in The Restaurant and Terrazza. We did feel occasionally rushed at Terrazza lunch when we had to eat close to closing time based on a late land excursion. Our experience at La Dame was disappointing. The service was fine, but our dinners were average. The land excursions were well done and managed. Some more interesting and fun of course. We knew about the hurricane damage, but were saddened to see the actual destruction of homes, buildings and landscape. However,we wanted too see the islands, especially having visited Tortola many times prior. Read Less

I chose the cruise because I wanted to try this cruise line I thought it wasn't a bad price espically since I travel solo my air was $199 I went to places I hadn't been I even booked a cruise for next year before I took this cruise & on the ship I booked the cruise before making my cruise from 7 days to 17 days. a week trip goes to fast the ship is small which I like I cruise a lot & I enjoy the small ship after being on large ships there were nicer customers on this ship crew like any ship most try to please there was some excellent food I chose the buffet for lunch & breakfast because you don't have to wait the waiters love to carry your food to your table dinner was in the main dining room & they had 10 or more entrees they had vegetarian, special hamburgers, fish, salad, pasta. risotto, general entrees 2 soups, 2 salads, 5 appitizers sugar & non sugar desserts, ice cream buffet had sugar free pastry & glutin free dessert all you want alcohol the room was a suite @ 260 ft the tv had news, movies, lectures you could go & get a dvd there was a nice little library and a lounge on top of another floor with more books great room menu for dining in your room large couch walk in closet your butler gives you a choice for soaps, etc they bring you newspaper entertainment was singers, musicians shops designers gym spa Read Less

We enjoyed a wonderful 7 night cruise on board Silver Wind, sailing the eastern part of Caribbean islands. It’s been 2 years since from our last cruise with Silver Wind and we were very excited to sail with her again. We had amazing time throughout the week, enjoying flawless service onboard and nice destinations. The weather could not have been better in March when sailing the Caribbean. What I in particular waited was to see how they have maintained and refurbished some of the areas. I must say that there is something special in Silver Wind. I like yacht-like look and feel throughout the ship. Small, elegant and extremely well maintained. It was nice to see that many of the public areas had received refurbishment since our last cruise two years ago. All areas looked fresh with a bit more lighter color scheme (similar to Silver Muse) which I enjoyed a lot. This was visible especially in throughout the ship in all lobbies, La Terazza, Panorama Lounge, Observation Lounge and around the pool area. Our suite On this cruise we stayed in a Veranda Suite on deck 5. The suite was as expected. Up to Silversea standards and always immaculate. Our butler and maid did a wonderful job in making sure that everything was always there for us – and always a smile on their face. They did arrange a very nice birthday surprise for us as well on one night which is something to remembered as well for long. The veranda is always a delight and we took a full advantage of that one. However, you may still consider to stay in Vista Suite as well especially on Silver Wind as the ship is so small that you will easily just walk to the deck and find your own special place. The suite is a bit smaller than the ones you have on newer ships such as Silver Whisper or Silver Spirit. What I did miss a bit was a separate walk-in shower. Dining We enjoyed breakfast in La Terazza, The Restaurant and in our suite. The best experience was always in the privacy of our own suite. La Terazza breakfast buffet is a good in terms of selection and service easy casual and fast during breakfast. Considering the size of the ship, I feel that La Terazza can be bit busy during 08-09 at breakfast times. Also hard to get a table for four outside as there are only few tables. In the Restaurant it is a la carte breakfast. Very nice atmosphere for breakfast there. For lunch our favorite is the Pool bar. Excellent service throughout the day. Good food and drinks. You can have your burgers, fries and salads by the pool or nearby tables as you please. Always a pleasure. Afternoon tea in La Terazza: one of the highlights! Try to find some time from your schedule and enjoy afternoon tea on the veranda in La Terazza. It is a wonderful experience to enjoy some pastries and sweets with a cup of tea or champagne and talk about the day and admire the view. Very relaxing and chilled atmosphere. Dinner in La Terazza: this is one of my favorite restaurant concepts onboard Silversea fleet. The food was great during our cruise (as always). You can have your 4 course Italian dinner here. We did feel that it was at times a bit chaotic in La Terazza during dinners. It was mainly due the size of the restaurant; it is fairly small and large tables are close to each other. But nevertheless we enjoyed and had a good time. The setting of La Terazza is better on Silver Whisper and Silver Muse. Superb wine service staff. Dinner in The Grill: always fun experience to cook your own food. Nice to sit outside for the dinner. Flawless services. Food is simple grill food but as the ingredients are excellent you don’t actually need much. Have your salad for the started, followed by a nice steak and end with sweet finale with apple pie and ice cream. Who needs more? Dinner in The Restaurant: good food, attentive service. Superb wine service staff. Elegant a la carte restaurant with changing menu during our cruise. We had one of the best meals on our cruise here. I’ve not been a fan of The Restaurant during my past voyages during our previous cruises but now it really took a special place on this voyage. We all liked it a lot. Dinner in La Dame: small and elegant setting. Food was good, but not great this time. It is a nice experience, but I’m again thinking that is it worth of the extra bee (60 USD per person). Service is great, but so it is across the ship. Food here is good but not spectacular. What I do miss here is to really have a wine pairings included to menu. That would lift the experience in my view. Now serving champagne, white, red wine for the set menu is a bit boring in my view. Of course there is the extensive wine list that you can choose from as well, as we then did. IF you dine here, you need to take the soufflé as desert. It is wonderful. Embarkation We had excellent embarkation in San Juan. We were able to access the ship already around 12. Everything ready, everything easy. Leave your luggage, get your suite card, walk in to the ship, no lines no hassle. Have glass of champagne, get your picture taken and you are all set to go. Some for leaving the ship in all ports flawless and when finally disembarkation came all worked as smoothly as you can image. Clientele On this cruise the clientele was international as usual. Mainly couples and some family groups. On this cruise I think that the clientele was a bit younger as well than on the other cruises we have been on. Overall experience To us Silversea provides always excellent experience and good value for money. It is a great product and we recommend it to anyone who has travelled a lot, has international background, appreciates less is more approach and is not looking for neon lights or rock climbing walls. It’s the ship, the service, the food and the destinations that make all the difference. Silver Wind is a lovely small ship with excellent condition. Such a beauty! Read Less

We are cruisersis out job we are retired and love it. Been on many recent cruises the last 2 years Celebrity, Oceania, Regent. Seems as we are getting to love the smaller ships. This one was awesome never a line anywhere elevator, dinner, getting off and on the ship if you don't like lines this is for you. The food was awesome lunch in the buffet best sushi on the seas everyday. The buffet is small buy the quality is excellent. You can order many items from your waiter for breakfast and lunch try the blueberry pancakes made with fresh blueberrys also the eggs benedict excellent. They don't have special entertainment just the small cast but we went to almost every show they were awesome. The main dining and special restaurant were top notch. The only thing I would change is the strict dress code. They should go along with other cruise lines like Regent and Oceania other wise they get 5 stars. Read Less

Prior cruise on the Spirit which my wife and I absolutely loved led us to do this Carribean cruise with our whole family (we have three teenage kids). The Wind is quite old compared to the Spirit, and has less options. We were prepared for the smaller ship but not for the age and lack of amedities. All in all we loved the Spirit but thought the Wind a dissapointment. Additionally, I am VERY dissapointed in the charge related to the week long wifi. First, the Spirit didnt upcharge you for the internet and second, I chose the premium package which was absolutely NO different as compared to the standard internet. I went to your manager for a credit for the upcharge of premium (approx $100) and was NOT happy that they refused me. Finally, we loved the onshore excusrions, but the popular ones such as segways were overbooked. Much to their credit they did open up additional excusrions but still did not meet demand. The service on the ship was impeccable and that was exacltley the same as the Spiriy. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary and ease of getting to San Juan to celebrate a birthday. From the airport transfer arriving and departing, the trip was perfect. I've sailed on Silver Sea many times and have always enjoyed the line. It's been a while since I was on one of there smaller ships. I couldn't have been a better experience. The food was delicious, the service impeccable and the entertainers were better than I've seen in a long while, even on other lines and newer ships. Everyone greeted us with a smile and how can I be of service attitude. Our room was fantastic and the butler was extremely efficient. The staff I hadn't met before on other cruises were quick to learn our names and what we liked. Almost all of the time, our needs were anticipated before asking. Silver Sea makes you feel like you're a part of their family. It's a warm and inviting atmosphere. It is nice to see the officers out and about during the day. They're always willing to stop and talk and answer questions. That makes it very special. We had a Silver Suite and I must say I'm spoiled now. I normally get a Verandah but this time splurged. With two women and a lot of stuff, it was so great to have the extra room. Breakfast our butler prepared a beautiful table for us complete with champagne and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. I didn't want to get off the ship. Read Less

Wanted to try Silversea, per request by travel agent, instead of Regent or Seabourn, which we have sailed on, many times. The trip started off poorly after they had just put in new wi-fi system, which everyone was having a lot of trouble with. Went, at least, 10 to the reception to get it fixed. Food was average, but service was not good. finally complained, so much, that the director of guest relations requested a meeting. We met, and things changed, dramatically. Service became great. The other part of the trip which was not good, and this was not Silversea's fault, but the excursions. The damage from the hurricanes on the island was extensive, and reflected in the stops and the touring. It basically was 3-4 hours of travel on a bus which just went around the islands and showed the damage over and over again. The ports of call, one would not go into and enjoy. Butler service and maid service was outstanding. Read Less

Chose this cruise because of a fair price and were looking for some winter sunshine and the dates fitted our diary. Were disappointed with La Terrazza menu choices, also complained about how cold the room was. We received a letter acknowledging, but on our last night on board, it was not that much warmer. Ladies needed cardigans or wraps to be comfortable. My wife was not the onlt lady to complain. The Grill was excellent as well as the main restaurant. The serving staff were mainly friendly and efficient remembering your name. Disappointed that the majority of gentlemen chose to wear suits on the formal nights The odd person without a tie or jacket. If people wish not to dress, the suite service is available or go to the Pool Grill. A standard should be set for the main restaurant. Disappointed with the Guadeloupe trip " Cousteau Reserve", a 40/45 minute drive on winding and bumpy road for a 20 minute sail and then "dumped' on a very uninviting beach on a busy weekend for over an hour. Not informed in advance that the currency was Euros and they only spoke French. Then 40/45 minutes drive back. A much better explanation of the trip and country is needed. Read Less

Have been cruising with them for nearly 10 years and every cruise experience has been flawless. We did not cruise the departure city before the cruise, but did do it after the cruise on a complimentary tour provided by the Cruise line as our flight departed late in the day. As in all other previous cruises, This Cruise Line does not merely dump you at the Airport when you get off the ship if you have a late in the day flight out, but will arrange for something nice to spend your time till your flight leaves if it departs after 2 pm. The ship has been recently refurbished to a more contemporary decor, but I preferred the old luxury look with stained Oak & Mahogany wood finishes and Burgundy drapes and carpets compared to the present paint, chrome and patterned carpets they have now. The food as always was excellent with many choices that included Chilean Sea Bass, Lobster, Dutch Veal, New Zealand Lamb and Chateaux Briand etc. Free tours at each port, a generous $ 1500 ship Board Credit also was included. Ports of call were great, and service at all levels in the ship and ports was impeccable. We had a minor complaint about the anchor motor noise each morning when we docked, but I cannot blame the cruise line for this, as all ships have to have an anchor and the weight and the motor that goes with it cannot be expected to be silent. Would definitely go again with this Cruise line and highly recommend them without any reservation to any one willing to spend a little more than other cruise lines for the luxury experience - Ganesh Kini Read Less

Normally, I sail with NCL, which I love, but I knew Silversea had a reputation for luxury and personal service that was supposedly unmatched by the bigger cruise lines and jumped at a chance to sail with them at a fantastic fare. I was very disappointed, as were most of my traveling companions. First, the room was lovely and the room staff (butler and stewards et al) were fabulous. No complaints there AT ALL. BUT the restaurants were poorly staffed. Wait staff either didn't knot the menu, didn't speak English well enough to understand orders, and/or didn't know how to place orders properly. And this was true at every single dining venue, large and small. The food itself was uniformly good, but not excellent. Menus at the informal restaurants were limited and boring after a couple of days. We like to dine at the formal dining room frequently for any meal, because the menus change regularly. On the first morning, when we went there, the maitre'd actually tried to wave us off, saying "you can probably get served quicker if you go upstairs to L'Terraza." And that happened every morning we went there for breakfast. We practically had to demand to be seated. Very strange. The tour staff also seemed very informal and uninformed. Some of our party signed up for various tours and had guides from the cruise ship who didn't know what the itinerary was. Two of our party went on a bus tour that ended up including 3 buses. When their bus broke down 5 minutes into the ride, their guide hopped off their bus saying "another bus will be here shortly" and got onto one of the others and left the on the side of the road! Generally, and especially those tasked with leading shore excursions, cruise personnel seemed stretched VERY thin, or were not properly trained, or were just not adequate. There was very little to be offered by way of activities on board. Granted, this was an island hopping cruise and most people left the ship every day. But cruising IS my vacation; if I want to go to Martinique, I'll fly there and stay in a hotel. So I was disappointed that there was virtually nothing offered (for free) to passengers who chose to remain onboard during ports of call. There were two "competitive" activities - trivia and golf putting - held at 5:00 and 5:30, respectively. The trivia game was led by the cruise director who kept telling individual teams what the answer was and, therefore, annoying the other teams. The putting game was help in the hallway in front of a restaurant. And, generally, the cruise staff who led these games seemed amused, and not in a nice way, that anyone would want to bother playing. Beyond that, there was a limited spa/salon offering which supposedly had in-port specials but none were ever advertised. And although there was an offer to "join" the spa, there was nothing to join - no real general spa area. There was a small, but nicely outfitted, workout room. I had a 50 minute massage that was the equivalent of a really nice back rub and my husband got a very nice, but very expensive haircut (which he needed desperately so, okay). The entertainment offerings were adequate but not anything to write home about. There were six singers who danced (notice that I didn't say singer dancers) who gave a couple of evening performances that were bigger than necessary. All were great singers and I would have been way happier to just listen to them, rather than watch them try to perform choreography that was much to large for the tiny stage they were on, and which they were ill-equipped to perform anyway. The cruise director gave a piano recital on the last full day, which was lovely but booked at dinner time, so ... not too many people there. The large social group we were traveling with hired a historian to offer lectures five times on the colonial character of the islands we traveled to and those were almost worth the price of admissions. All in all, this ship and its staff felt tatty and certainly not the upscale, luxurious experience I had expected from a line of this calibre. One last example: in San Juan, every single passenger had to embark and disembark by walking of a rusted, steep, shaky, 24-step stairway that resembled a ladder more than anything. Many passengers were elderly and used walking implements (walkers, canes, etc.) and needed significant assistance just to get on board at the beginning of the tour. Factor in the extra carry bags people normally have at the end of a cruise, and you can imagine how difficult it was getting OFF the ship at the end. Warning, warning, warning: if you are disabled, this is no port/cruise for you!!! Read Less

This is our second cruise with Silver Seas. I wish we would have made time to see some of San Jaun before or after the cruise but we were squeezed for time. My husband, I and my son (14) were greeted in reception with a glass of bubbly and shown to our suite. Unfortunately our bags had not yet arrived. Not to worry we headed to the pool side grill for lunch. Things to remember for next time. Put your swim suit in your carry on bag so you have it with you as well as your sun screen, we could have been swimming. I loved not having to worry about the cost of lunch or drinks, its all included. Our butler was a pleasure. Make sure to let them know what you want your frig stocked with. After the fact I was wishing we would have booked the silver suite with more room. But I booked the Veranda suite to save a few bucks. It was a tight fit with a 6'1" teenager who wants to leave his stuff everywhere. The chairs seemed like over kill and were in our way most of the time. Wifi - what can I say, you are on a boat and its slow and expensive. My husband had to have it to keep up with his sports. I turned my phone off and didn't give work another thought It was a windy trip. I wished I would have checked the weather prior to traveling as I would have made some wardrobe changes and had more hair ties with me and a light jacket. We had some serious winds one of the nights. We happened to be eating at the Grill and have some great shots of the pool water splashing out before they drained it. The wait staff is excellent. They get to know you and by the end of the trip are bringing you your "usual". We probably under utilized our butler, he was kind and started showing up in the afternoons with a snack. This was great for the growing 14 year old who is always hungry. He found that he could order 2 entrees and an all you can eat lunch buffet he was in heaven. Go to the Grill for dinner one night and cook your steak on a hot stone. Our ship had various things you could participate in during the day and evening. We liked the mini golf and didn't miss a day of it. Get involved go play trivia you are gong to meet some super fun people We were named the adventure family by some of the staff. I highly recommend going to Baths while visiting BVI Gorda. The water was an incredible blue, and warm. We had a chance to swim before and after going on a hike through the boulders/caves. Amazing, I will do again some day. Down side was having all the excursions arrive back at the same time and not enough tenders. This also means you miss lunch and have to eat at the pool bar which was overwhelmed by all the people. Poor planning which I'm sure will be addressed by the time you cruise. Philipsburg you have to do the Soualiga Sky Explorer. Imagine a ride up the chair lift to the top of the mountain, getting a 360 degree view of the island. It was so beautiful. For an added thrill pay the extra and take the zip line to the bottom, exhilarating. We even paid a little more to ride the lift part way up and go down the intertubes. Super fun and the bar had great service. St. Kitts I was a little put off by the aggressive shop owners, I felt like I was back in Turkey. In St. Kitts we went with the zip line tour. It seemed like a really slow start but once you were transported to the start of the course things really moved along. We were hit with a torrential down pour so were soaked by the time we were done, but it will be one we will remember long after some of the others. Fort-de-France was incredibly populated. I have removed it from potential places to retire. We took the trip through the rain forest and visited the rum distillery. Wishing I would have booked earlier and gone on the catamaran tour. Lots of driving and for me just not enough doing. St. John's we took the helicopter ride to Montserrat. I've never been in a helicopter and thought it was going to be super scary. It was not. This was amazing. The helicopter held 6 passengers and flys you out to Montserrat to see the volcano and all the damage that's been done. Our pilot was very knowledgeable. It was fascinating. I highly recommend it. Jost Van Dyke we opted for snorkeling. I wish it would have been a little longer. There were three caves to explore. We used the equipment provided not wanting to bring our own. It was all good quality and no trouble getting the masks to seal. I've seen more fish in other places, but the caves is what did it for me. This was one of our longer stops. We came back to the ship for lunch and then grabbed a bottle of wine, glasses, cork screw, pop and water and headed back to the beach to paly in the water, build a sand castle and watch the sun set. Really doesn't get much better than that. We really like the smaller ship. No lines, no waiting and being able to get into ports that the larger boats can't. We love the all-inclusive nature. It helps to relax and know you are not getting nickeled and dimed. Staff takes the time to get to know you. Do go to the shows at night, they are amazing. I actually felt guilty the night that we missed one of them. Our son thanked us serveral times for taking him. He was engaged in the adventure where the other younger travelers were face into phones and tablets. We are looking forward to our next adventure Read Less