Silver Galapagos review

Thank you so much for your review- very helpful in anticiipating what to expect. Curious as to what deck you were on although with 31 of you I would guess you covered most of them.

 

Everyone talks about how intensive the schedule is- could you give me some idea of how many hours a day we should expect to be off the ship, and how much time is devoted to lectures, etc? We were in AFrica earlier this year and there were days when we took off from camp at 8am and didn't return til very late in the afternoon- it was wonderful but all rather exhausting. Should we prepare ourselves for this degree of activity?

It is more fast paced than Africa (I've been twice), particularly with the changing of gear for the activities, and usually you'll require to shower (or rinse) at least twice a day. Every day you have at least one land tour (lasting about 1 to 2 hours) and a snorkeling trip (lasting about one hour), to which you need to add the zodiac transportation to and fro the sites (average 10 minutes each way). The day usually starts around 7:30 or 8 and you return to ship for lunch and dinner. They also have a nightly briefing at 7:00 PM which includes next day's activities, details, and a 20 minute or so lecture about different aspects of the Galapagos.

Most cabins in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th decks are basically the same, with the main difference being having a balcony or just fixed large windows. Those in the 3rd deck with windows, do face an external corridor, so privacy may be an issue at times and not recommended for those with motion sickness where sitting outside is needed. The 4 suites are a little larger and all have a balcony.

The ship provides good quality Binoculars, which are a must, so no need to bring your own. They also provide a backpack and metal water bottle, so not to take plastic and contaminate the environment.

Some in our group brought their own wetsuits, which turned out to be a good idea as finding enough in your particular size may be an issue. The water is rather cold and lava rocks very sharp, so wetsuits are also a must.

Also a must are good hiking shoes and a pair of water socks for wet landings. It didn't rain during our cruise but it does so during some months so a windbreaker or light raincoat will be helpful.

It is good to hear that Silvrersea is updating the ship and the issues the early cruisers had are being addressed. If we all go in with the knowledge that this is an expedition ship, we shouldn't have many surprises. Having cruised in Antarctica on the Explorer has helped me understand the difference in luxury cruising and luxury expedition.

It would be greatly appreciated if someone on the board who is going soon will come home with menus and wine and drink lists to scan and share with us here.

We travelled in December. To say the experience was third rate was to pay it a compliment. Silversea is frankly dishonest in claiming to sell and charge for a 6* experiences when they know full well it is nothing like. It is time they acknowledged that and stopped their misleading marketing, changed their descriptions and charged accordingly. They should also properly compensate the people who bought and paid for the dream they were sold but never received. So many people have complained but still they like to pretend they are in some way better than other ships.

It is important not to confuse the experience of the Galapagos Islands with the experience of Silversea. You could have the same Galapagos Islands experience on any ship whatever you pay; so as long as you have a clean room with a comfortable bed and ensuite you will be much happier for substantially less cost.

As someone else has aid it is a management issue. They are completely failing to provide adequate training. Ecuadorian people are just as capable and ready to provide but they need proper management support and quality training. It is very insulting to blame the Ecuadorian people. Those I have met in hotels seem perfectly fine.

Our only experience on Silversea was in the Galapagos so we had nothing to compare it to. We traveled in Febuary so apparently things had improved. Will be interesting to compare it with the Discoverer in October- not sure what to expect but it is certainly not getting the dismal reviews that the Galapagos did early on.

Our only experience on Silversea was in the Galapagos so we had nothing to compare it to. We traveled in Febuary so apparently things had improved. Will be interesting to compare it with the Discoverer in October- not sure what to expect but it is certainly not getting the dismal reviews that the Galapagos did early on.

We traveled in June and there were still some issues. I posted a review after we returned. I would tie most of them to language and lack of training, partially because of on-going turnover. They do not stay in their jobs for long periods of time like normal cruise contracts. Even if those items were corrected it is not a 6* ship.

All that being said, the Galapagos experience was 6*, as was the Exploration team itself and the naturalists. And, that was the experience we were looking for and are very happy we went.!