Buyer Beware

I took my first and last Silversea cruise to Antarctica on the Explorer last December, and I warn any potential customer that Silversea management will lie both via their personal representative assigned you that will tell you anything and everything to get you to sail with them and their brochure which is marked with errors as to destinations and other promises. Their brochure map has a itinerary that is no where near where the ship actually sailed as it was a much shorter route than promised. They promised an Antarctic Circle crossing but the ship was more than 350 nautical miles away and restricted itself to the very northern tip of the Antarctica Peninsula. Silversea stated it was up to the captain to go where he wants as to weather and high sea restrictions, but the brochure listed nine landing or exploration sites that with the help of Google Earth showed that all were within the actual ship route, and not the one promised in its brochure provided to clientele before the ship sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina. A Big Lie in the map's authenticity and Silversea lying about the ship going where the captain wants as it was already established pre trip; hence, Silversea misleads its customers as to a long journey. It also cancelled three landing due to ice on shore, but one of my videos show little, if any, ice. Silversea was just trying to save sailing time.

Once they get your money, they tell you to get lost and refuse to negotiate as this American found out Silversea, despite having an office in Ft Lauderdale, FL, is actually a foreign flag and based out of Monaco. They hide behind that enclave's laws. Fellow Philadelphian, Grace Kelly, would be appalled with Silversea's behavior. Stay away from this company.

I am sorry you were disappointed with your cruise. Having sailed many times on Explorer, you have to understand that it is not a traditional cruise ship. It is an expedition ship, and when sailing in the arctic or Antarctica, there is no set itinerary. Where you land is definitely subject to change, and any published itinerary is a sample of what might be seen. I have never been on a cruise on this ship where there was not major deviation from the published schedule.

A lot of the difference depends on weather and ice conditions. Since you generally are going ashore by zodiac, they have to be able to safely get people on and off these. It may look perfectly fine on shore, but if they cannot load the zodiacs safely or be assured of getting people back to the ship a few hours later, you will not be disembarking.

I understand your frustration as it is a very expensive journey, but that is the nature of expedition cruising. A good travel agent would have made sure you understood this in advance.

I don't have a lot of sympathy for the OP. Sailing on expedition ships is often unpredictable and nowhere is more unpredictable than the Polar regions. I know of people who sailed on the Orion to the Ross Sea and never made a single landing. So a change in the itinerary is to be expected and actually part of the excitement.

If you go on a basic cruise ship calling at safe ports like Caribbean islands then you may well have a genuine grievance if some or all are cancelled for no obvious reason.

Silversea, despite having an office in Ft Lauderdale, FL, is actually a foreign flag and based out of Monaco.

Surely this is no secret? Even the most cursory enquiry about this company would have told the OP that it is not a US company - perhaps a wider exposure to other cruise lines and other modes of international travel will help the OP have more realistic expectations in the future.

PS I just noticed it's another first post/complaining post/never sail with this line again post. Yawn ...

I fear that James and any form of cruising are not for each other.

It's a pity that the most inhospitably treacherous of the 7 continents isn't more aware of the sensibilities of first world urbanites.

My husband and I were talking about this last night.

Our travel budget is about to be slashed to 1/2 or 1/3 of what it has been. When we were talking about places to go, he was surprised I didn't want to go to Antarctica (its the last continent for us to visit.) There are still far too many places I do want to go to, that I stand a good chance of actually getting to, and which cost significantly less than either pole, so I'm pretty sure we'll never get there.

As well, I can't get in/out of Zodiacs at the moment, so really, this isn't for me.

Thankfully, internet forums are an excellent place to get an understanding of what sort of travel different destinations offer. I know my own tastes well enough that I can make good decisions on how to spend my now limited travel dollars. I'm sorry for the OP that they didn't have a chance to learn all about the trip (pluses and minuses) before heading off. Some people like surprises, but there are others who can't just roll with the punches. I'm one of those people.

Silversea expeditions are not perfect.. but they do try very hard to deliver a true expedition experience,

It is perhaps not well known that the ship does have limited latitude in most of the Antarctic (and Arctic) hot spots.

All ships working the area have predetermined "slots" (like the airlines do into busy ports).

If a slot is missed for any reason there may be limited opportunity to do other stuff of comparable interest.

It simply isn't possible to hang around for a couple of hours to see if the weather clears .. there are three more ships hiding around the corner trying to preserve the "we are the only ones here" charade… :-)

I don't have a lot of sympathy for the OP.

After the Philadelphia remark, sympathy went to zero. I know James, or at least his neighbors.

It's a pity that the most inhospitably treacherous of the 7 continents isn't more aware of the sensibilities of first world urbanites.

A definite need for a like button.

My husband and I did the Antarctica cruise on the Explorer, January 2014. Our trip was longer than the December trip James B H because we went further south to South Georgia then up to the northern tip of Antarctic peninsula. Fabulous trip. The captain made changes to stops on several occasions due to shore ice, incoming weather, etc. It was still a wonderful trip and our experience was far superior to friends who cruised on other cruise lines down there. I hope James ( and others) enjoyed the incredible things he / they saw while on land. We will do the trip again, take the one that goes to South Georgia and love every minute of it! The captain was fabulous and I felt very safe in the rough waters.....which were not listed in the brochure[emoji6] After 200 days cruising with Silversea Ships I can't speak highly enough of them.

The Captain is charged with keeping YOU safe...and yet , you complain.

My husband and I love expedition cruising, and we like the Silver Explorer, and have been on 6 cruises on the Explorer. Occasionally we think we could try another line and get their brochures, but we think their boats are too big. Today we are in Helsinki and lo and behold their are two " expedition " ships in port. Ponants "Le Borreal" and Seaborn Quest. We have never seen these boats in real life. Both boat are huge and now they can call them an "expedition" boat amazes me. I think the Quest must be about the size of the Silver Spirit and I think that James B H naysaying the Explorer would have preferred this. :D

Looks like the OP came along to have a moan and a whinge and has disappeared.

The good news is we won't be seeing them on SS.

Yep, a one post whiner.

Yep, a one post whiner.

For some reason, the SS board does seem to attract them. :confused:

James didn't write his first post particularly well but he was upset and seeking a bit of sympathy and seemed less well informed about the vagaries of expedtion life than many seasoned experts here. Some greeted him with understanding and provided information. Others indulged themselves in a bit of recreational nastiness. They wouldn't talk to a friend in that way, so why welcome a stranger in that way?

The reason why James might be a one-poster is possibly because of the way he was greeted and treated.

Jeff

Maybe. Or maybe just a whinger. Seems like we'll never know. Or care.

James didn't write his first post particularly well but he was upset and seeking a bit of sympathy and seemed less well informed about the vagaries of expedtion life than many seasoned experts here. Some greeted him with understanding and provided information. Others indulged themselves in a bit of recreational nastiness. They wouldn't talk to a friend in that way, so why welcome a stranger in that way?

 

The reason why James might be a one-poster is possibly because of the way he was greeted and treated.

 

Jeff

Possibly. It is unfortunate that he didn't find this site sooner. Had he done his due diligence, and thus been an aware buyer, he would have gleaned much useful information from here and perhaps would have had different expectations or even have booked a different cruise.

It's very odd that people don't find this website until after they've had a bad experience and are looking to rant. Unfortunately there isn't usually a lot of sympathy from people who are here looking for answers and doing their own due diligence ahead of time.

I'm sure he was disappointed though. I would have been as well.

Possibly. It is unfortunate that he didn't find this site sooner. Had he done his due diligence, and thus been an aware buyer, he would have gleaned much useful information from here and perhaps would have had different expectations or even have booked a different cruise.

 

It's very odd that people don't find this website until after they've had a bad experience and are looking to rant. Unfortunately there isn't usually a lot of sympathy from people who are here looking for answers and doing their own due diligence ahead of time.

 

I'm sure he was disappointed though. I would have been as well.

It is indeed unfortunate.

I'm quite certain I wouldn't have thought the expedition thing through fully and apart from perhaps seeking out reputational stuff about a line, I wouldn't have known you might not see anything you'd planned.

Would I be annoyed and angry? Yes, probably. Is it about due diligence? Possibly. No one knows what they don't but should know do they? Would others say it was my own fault? Evidently - yes.

But in the end we all make mistakes - but it's the way we talk to each other that is the issue whether they came to whinge or complain or misunderstood or were at fault or whatever.

Anyway many people seem to get some joy out of being inhospitable so I guess it is a debate I am bound to lose.

Jeff

:)

True, we don't know what we don't know.

We are going to Galapagos next year and have booked a cruise to Antarctica for 2017. I hadn't thought of the things the OP experienced. I will now do further research because it sounds like things don't always go as planned on some of these kinds of trips. So the OP has given me things to think about and look into.

True, we don't know what we don't know.

 

We are going to Galapagos next year and have booked a cruise to Antarctica for 2017. I hadn't thought of the things the OP experienced. I will now do further research because it sounds like things don't always go as planned on some of these kinds of trips. So the OP has given me things to think about and look into.

I also hadn't realised.

Just as I hadn't realised from another thread that free excusrions means you cannot now get off the ship as soon as you want. You have to wait for the excursions to leave first. As it happens my wife and I were generally on the first staff tender in the morning when they set off to set up camp on the dock. We often use to have completed our first walk of the day just as most others are getting up and having their breakfasts. I'd say that this is probably one of our most important "things" for us about daily ship life as it mean we had the walk when it was quiet and returned when everyone else was getting off and so the ship was quieter.

So now, it is not only a product that charges for excusursions I wouldn't want but have to pay for - but also as an extra reward for not taking them they won't let me off the ship early. That's nice. I didn't know I didn't know that.:rolleyes:

I think the OP has a right to feel miffed and I think he also wanted to warn others. They warned you and I so that it a result nd I guess both of us should thank James.

He'll receive a welcome over at the cooler if he does return and want a whinge there.:)

Jeff

I would love to see the link to the brochure that promised crossing the Antarctic Circle. These waters are some of the most unsettled and dangerous ... we got very close but the Captain decided it was too foggy to continue. Disappointing? Yes. But safety first!

That said, we sailed with Hurtigruten on the MS. Nordnege (sp??). I believe the MS Fram is stilling sailing Antarctica during the northern winter. This cruise was chosen because of the price AND the fact that it does not use Zodiacs. They use a small boat called a Polarcirkel and it is hard bottomed, with a couple of steps down and a railing to hold onto.

At the landing, crew is available to help pax off and then back on. If you have to step into the water, they use a small stool with two steps. Many seniors on the ship and lots of help getting to shore.

Trip was great when we finally got on board ... that was after being bumped to the next cruise :mad:

Anyway, details with photos in my travel blog

I would love to see the link to the brochure that promised crossing the Antarctic Circle.

Google is your friend ......:)

http://www.silversea.com/destinations/antarctica-cruise/

Antarctica

Set foot on the last continent, a place all but untouched by humanity – you can enjoy what is probably the southernmost afternoon tea in the world.

Awaken your soul to the wonder of Antarctica. Revel in the beauty and overwhelming power of nature. Admire the staggering abundance of wildlife. Meet the personal challenge of reaching the earth’s last great wilderness frontier. You’ll cruise across seas of glass, passing giant prisms of ice riding an ink-blue sea. And you’ll share the landscape with bellowing elephant seals and raucous rookeries of penguins, unafraid and unperturbed by your presence. All while enjoying the highest standards of comfort, safety and style aboard Silver Explorer.

I wasn't being snarky in my post. I was just saying that lots of people seem to find this website after they've had a bad experience and want to vent about it, and it's too bad that they don't find it beforehand when a little research would go a long way towards making it a better experience or at least managing one's expectations (e.g. you don't step off the ship at Civitavecchia and there's Rome at your feet).