Fort Lauderdale return 22.12. Wind or Whisper

We are Seabourn enthusiasts but we know enough about SiverSeas to be pretty sure we will not be disappointed.

We want a Christmas/NYE warm weather cruise and nothing in the SB brochure meets our needs (got the t shirt and all that stuff).

There are two departures from Fort Lauderdale on the 22nd December.

The Wind predominantly island hops. That is what we did with SB so (a) we know it is fun but (b) there will be some slight repetition.

The Whisper does islands but also several stops on mainland South America.

Has anyone around here done both and got a firm view about one being significantly better than the other?

Tony

We are Seabourn enthusiasts but we know enough about SiverSeas to be pretty sure we will not be disappointed. We want a Christmas/NYE warm weather cruise and nothing in the SB brochure meets our needs (got the t shirt and all that stuff). There are two departures from Fort Lauderdale on the 22nd December. The Wind predominantly island hops. That is what we did with SB so (a) we know it is fun but (b) there will be some slight repetition. The Whisper does islands but also several stops on mainland South America. Tony

Good luck with your potential Silversea adventure over the holidays. Having just completed 26 days on the Silver Cloud that included visiting six of these interesting port stops, it boils down your personal needs/desires. The Whisper with two of the Dutch ABC islands, plus sampling along the north part of South America and some Central America stops. OR, some of the "best of the best" on the Wind for certain of the Caribbean island stars??

Dec 22, 2015, Silver Whisper, #4533: Willemstad/Curaçao, Oranjestad/Aruba, Santa Marta, Cartagena, Cristobal, Puerto Limón, George Town/Grand Cayman, Key West/ Florida

Dec 22, 2015, Silver Wind, #2536: San Juan, Gustavia/St Barts, St. John's, Castries, Bequia, Bridgetown, Road Town/Tortola, Samana, Grand Turk

Do you want more of the "new" or what you liked from the past? How much for you is about the ports/stops VERSUS the ship experience? Lots of good/interesting stops and locations. It's hard to view either choice as bad.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo back-to-back sailing over 26 days, here is the link below to that series of posts on my live/blog. Lots of great visuals from the Amazon and these various Caribbean Islands, etc. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 17,954 views for these postings.

Have visited all the ports mentioned with SS and in our opinion the Wind is the quality option.Hope you enjoy whichever you decide upon.

Thanks for those two.

I'll wait for a few more before I comment - but I take what you say about 'new' or 'more of the same'.

Tony

For me, an important consideration would be which ship has most recently been in drydock (and, thus, presumably, in the better shape.). I recall someone having written on a different thread that one of the SS ships will be in drydock this fall.

Been on both ships. Don't want to get into which one is in better shape, but there is a difference. It just boils down size and passenger count. I have been with some that feel more comfortable on one over the other.

Observer and CarefreeCruise,

Interesting posts.

As a Seabourn cruiser I said this was the first time I am posting on the Silversea forum.

Interesting as one person focuses on on the state of the ship and the other one on the size and passenger count. What interests me is where they go. I did think the 'find a ship that has been recently in dry dock' was a bit of a send up. I now wonder...

But to make my post clearer. Which is the more interesting and potentially satisfying itinerary of the two I highlighted? I am prepared to take the risk that the ship is clean and in good shape.

Tony

We vote for the Silver Wind itinerary but either would be great. We happen to love Bequia, so that swings us in that direction.

Have fun whichever you choose.

Thanks.

2:0 in favour of Wind so far.

Tony

To confirm my post related to the quality ports on the Wind itinerary and not the differences between the Wind/Whisper !!

Thanks brimary.

Point understood.

We are wavering towards the Whisper as my wife has been wanting to go to Cartagena for ages. But I understand the difference in the style of the two alternatives.

Tony

If you have already done the island hopping on Seabourn I'd say go for the Whisper. A bit of South America is much more fascinating anyway as a destination. Plus I'd sail the Whisper joust for the much better bathrooms.

For me, an important consideration would be which ship has most recently been in drydock (and, thus, presumably, in the better shape.). I recall someone having written on a different thread that one of the SS ships will be in drydock this fall.

T&C Fulham: Interesting as one person focuses on on the state of the ship and the other one on the size and passenger count. What interests me is where they go. I did think the 'find a ship that has been recently in dry dock' was a bit of a send up. I now wonder... But to make my post clearer. Which is the more interesting and potentially satisfying itinerary of the two I highlighted? I am prepared to take the risk that the ship is clean and in good shape. Tony

Emtbsam: We vote for the Silver Wind itinerary but either would be great. We happen to love Bequia' date=' so that swings us in that direction. Have fun whichever you choose. [/quote']

 

As a follow-up on several comments noted above, the earlier mention on these Silversea CC boards is that the Silver Cloud will have an 18-day dry dock in Italy in late October and early November. Do not know if anything that major is set later this year for either the Wind or Whisper.

 

Tony seems very focused on itinerary. Smart and wise!! Emtbsam mentioned the love for Bequia. Agree very much from our recent visit there that Bequia can be super enjoyable and scenic. It seems that many of the stops for the Wind cruise are designed to avoid some of the "mega ports", such as St. Maarten, that gets over-run with too many ships and 10-20,000 passengers flooding the location on any one day. What's the point of that crowding?

 

To help build some excitement for certain of these stops you are considering, below are a few of my visual highlights that we enjoyed during certain of these recent visits. Many more on the full live/blog. Or, if there are any special interests to see, I can pull them out of my photo file.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 173,920 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

From our excursion in Bequia, St. Vincent & the Grenadines during our late January 2015 visit, we did a sailing “adventure”. We had wonderful options, including seeing more of these islands, doing snorkeling on the reef areas with colorful fish, sailing near massive rock formations, lunch on the beach, etc. First, show approaching Bequia. Second is a small sampling of Princess Margaret Beach. As shown, our visit was very scenic, not crowded, etc. The weather? Perfect!! About 84F with a nice breeze, etc.:

 

 

 

 

 

Before boarding the ship for our cruise, we did a three-hour private tour with a Barbados driver. He took us to the top of the island where the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea met. Is this dramatic? We super loved Barbados on our first visit to the Caribbean and this specific island with so much British heritage/connection.:

 

 

 

From historic San Juan, PR, here is just one view for a portion of the old walls nearby to their charming "Old Town" area. Love it when the history dates back to the 1500's!!:

 

 

 

On St. Barts, here is a quick view of the handy and scenic Shell Beach. Second is a view of their harbor and main town where the cruise ships need to use a tender to come ashore. Loved our evening and then a full day in and around St. Barts. Very classy location!!:

 

 

 

Tony, I would vote for the Whisper because of the South and Central American ports. We had our second visit to Cartagena in January on the Spirit, and it is a city not to be missed. Oh, and the Whisper is our favorite ship.

Thanks for all the input.

We booked on the Whisper today.

Tony

Just back from Hong Kong to Singapore on the silver wind. It really needs refurbishing. Sitting on my veranda looking at a rusty wall was not what I expected on silver seas! The service was excellent