Silversea Expeditions Silver Wind Cruise Reviews for Fitness to Antarctica

"* Afternoon Tea Time (at La Terrazza) * Operating in an environment like Antarctica is not easy; things change very rapidly and the team onboard really worked very hard to make things go as smoothly (itinerary-wise) as possible What We Liked * Deluxe Verandah Suite - it is not a true suite (just part of the sensationalized jargon Silversea uses), it is comfortable and relatively spacious for a cruise ship stateroom; bathroom seemed a bit small with limited storage * The food was generally very good; there were some really great meals, but there were some real misses - inconsistencies that should not occur at this level of purported luxury * Interestingly, no chicken dishes were ever shown on the menu (but you could order "off menu" if you chose to) * Buffets for breakfast/lunch were good, but not outstanding * The Grill - outside dining (and yes, it is open in cold weather operations) - the food was good, but they need more heat lamps and wind barriers; at dinner the cook your-own- food (on a hot stone) concept is fun, but they served the sides when they deliver your food that you cook, so by the time your food is cooked, the sides are cold; service was too slow * Expedition Team was very good, but there were a few that could not capture an audience's attention (they may be brilliant scientists, but if they cannot present to a general audience, that is a problem).What We Did Not Like * Food portions were small * Could not get a cup of *hot* coffee * La Terrazza (specialty Italian Restaurant) - food/service were mediocre * Ship was too big for Antarctica (we had 209 passengers on our departure) - it was not originally built for the polar regions but was ice-strengthened several years ago; there are now a lot of newer and more sophisticated ships in the polar regions at similar price-points * The "Mud Room" where you put on/take-off your boots and other gear was way too small, so it got very crowded * Chaotic zodiac operations at times - again, due to too many people * There were times where I felt there were too many zodiacs surrounding (too closely it seemed) some of the wildlife * Silversea touts the fact that their crew remembers remember their guests' names; only about five or six of the crew remembered our names * Pre-Trip Documentation (E-documents) - not comprehensive; not updated from previous year; not professional looking Land Arrangements in Santiago - W Hotel * Silversea changed the hotel from the Mandarin Oriental to the W Hotel; not sure the reason, but something tells me it was to save money...."Read More