From Silversea to Seabourn

We have had many cruises on Silverseas, but have booked last minute yesterday for Odyssey 5th November. V1 suite or above not sure what to expect. Any advice ?

We have had many cruises on Silverseas, but have booked last minute yesterday for Odyssey 5th November. V1 suite or above not sure what to expect. Any advice ?

No experience of Silversea but expect excellent service, lovely crew, smooth sailings. Good food wherever you chose to dine. Your suite even V1 will be great, nicely full fridge/bar. Veranda a great place for a sundowner. Observation bar / lounge a favourite for me, very civilised. Enjoy. I don't have any but check out the referrals stickie you might qualify for some on board credit.

Last sailed on Silversea in Nov 2015,Seabourn twice this year.Here is my take:

1 The Seabourn ships are in better condition. The Silver Shadow was very tired .

2 The whole Seabourn operation is more customer focused than Silversea.If "things happen at sea" the responses from Seabourn will be more about you than them.

3 The Colonade is far better than the Terrazza.The speciality restaurants on Seabourn do not incur an extra charge.

4The MDR's are pretty similar but Seabourn has more flexibility.

5You will enjoy Seabourn Square a big plus in my view.

6 You might miss your Butler but a good stewardess on Seabourn will cover most aspects.

7 Entertainment,excursions pretty similar.

Enjoy!

We have had many cruises on Silverseas, but have booked last minute yesterday for Odyssey 5th November. V1 suite or above not sure what to expect. Any advice ?

Are you embarking in the middle of a sailing? November 5 is a port day for Odyssey but not an embarkation day?

We have had many cruises on Silverseas, but have booked last minute yesterday for Odyssey 5th November. V1 suite or above not sure what to expect. Any advice ?

Not really advice, perhaps ... but I expect you to be delighted with the experience. Having sailed both SilverSea (twice) and Seabourn (thrice), the Seabourn cruises I always remember vividly and fondly. No negative experience with SilverSea, per se, lovely ships and the like, however I found the service to be - for the most part - aloof and distant. And the quality from the SilverSea kitchen generally unmemorable, although I will say the dining room service was typically more efficient than Seabourn.

Have a wonderful trip, I'm not envious at all!

On Seabourn you can get complimentary caviar at any time and at any place.

The officers are approachable and very friendly on Seabourn and get involved but not so in my experience on Silversea

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Are you embarking in the middle of a sailing? November 5 is a port day for Odyssey but not an embarkation day?

No sorry we have 3 nights in Monte Carlo pre cruise then Odyssey.

Not really advice, perhaps ... but I expect you to be delighted with the experience. Having sailed both SilverSea (twice) and Seabourn (thrice), the Seabourn cruises I always remember vividly and fondly. No negative experience with SilverSea, per se, lovely ships and the like, however I found the service to be - for the most part - aloof and distant. And the quality from the SilverSea kitchen generally unmemorable, although I will say the dining room service was typically more efficient than Seabourn.

 

Have a wonderful trip, I'm not envious at all!

Thank you really looking forward to this trip now, think we got stuck in a rut with silversea, nice to try something new.

Totally concur with the comments so far. Both lines offer more or less the same experience in terms of accommodation, dining, entertainment and excursions, but for us there was a huge difference in the quality of service, the other passengers and as a result the general ambiance which was warm and welcoming on Seabourn and positively frosty on Silversea.

the complimentary wines are better on SB , however the wine list on SS is more friendlier priced

on SS you can ask for more as 2 bottles of spirits in your cabin , but unless you are in a top degree you also must ask for "welcome -real - champagne" in your cabin - on SB there is a bottle of champagne at embarkation .

champagne is very personal : providing SS did receive supply of it , Pommery is of a higher rank as N Feuillatte on SB

the buffets are not well presented on SS - in my opinion

bathroom amenities on SS are Bulgari on SB Molton Brown -

on SS there is a inside bar open during daytime - on SB you can have all speciality coffees and sandwiches and cakes and ice creams

service is more "European " on SB

Having just come off the Quest last Friday, I can echo most of above comments. We have been very loyal Silversea fans, but slowly start to like Seabourn more.

The Quest was clearly in a much better condition than the Whisper (yes, it is a younger ship, but good maintenance - or the lack of it - does make a difference). We love the friendliness of the (Asian) staff on SS (and felt that more remember our names) compared to the more formal, but highly professional (International) service all around on SB. We did not miss the SS Butlers at all, on the contrary...

The Verandah cabins are comparable, however a Penthouse suite is only 1 1/2 times vs Silversuites double the size of a regular suite.

We found the food (a highly personal subject/preference) comparable. If pushed, I think the quality was better on Quest than on Whisper, but the choices were far less (and the dinner menu in the Quest MDR became a bit formulaic - fish, beef, lamb....). Seabourn wins hands down on the complimentary wines (good quality, many recognizable brands) and they don't try to serve you Prosecco instead of Champagne (plus serve you caviar with it if you ask! :)).

We also LOVE the SB Square with its services, snacks and coffee/drinks all in one place! On the other hand, La Terrazza (a restaurant) beats the Colonade (a diner) every time (but this may be also a European vs an American POV...). Personally, we found the Thomas Keller "thing" way overrated, but food is subjective....

Excursions we found more or less the same, ditto the Spa (staffed by the same folks anyway) and the entertainers/musicians.

Among the "small things": SB still provides you with a list of all passengers (you can opt out), and does not try to "sell" you a charity. But we did miss the "free" Laundry on SS and the same day (instead of promised two-days, but in reality 3rd day) laundry-service on SB.

Smoking was (fortunately) not an issue at all, and with SB new policy this previous clear negative (for a non-smoker) should be gone.

SB's Dress code is simpler (one can be formal on formal nights, but otherwise it is one dress code instead of SS's "casual" and "informal").

Last, but not least, we left our last SS cruises increasingly frustrated due the the clearly noticeable cost-cutting all around. We did put down deposits for a future SB cruise before disembarking!

At the end, both lines are comparable, enjoyable and 99.999% of the world's population would not understand the potential "negatives" one may encounter on either one. ENJOY!

Having just come off the Quest last Friday, I can echo most of above comments. We have been very loyal Silversea fans, but slowly start to like Seabourn more.

 

The Quest was clearly in a much better condition than the Whisper (yes, it is a younger ship, but good maintenance - or the lack of it - does make a difference). We love the friendliness of the (Asian) staff on SS (and felt that more remember our names) compared to the more formal, but highly professional (International) service all around on SB. We did not miss the SS Butlers at all, on the contrary...

 

The Verandah cabins are comparable, however a Penthouse suite is only 1 1/2 times vs Silversuites double the size of a regular suite.

 

We found the food (a highly personal subject/preference) comparable. If pushed, I think the quality was better on Quest than on Whisper, but the choices were far less (and the dinner menu in the Quest MDR became a bit formulaic - fish, beef, lamb....). Seabourn wins hands down on the complimentary wines (good quality, many recognizable brands) and they don't try to serve you Prosecco instead of Champagne (plus serve you caviar with it if you ask! :)).

 

We also LOVE the SB Square with its services, snacks and coffee/drinks all in one place! On the other hand, La Terrazza (a restaurant) beats the Colonade (a diner) every time (but this may be also a European vs an American POV...). Personally, we found the Thomas Keller "thing" way overrated, but food is subjective....

 

Excursions we found more or less the same, ditto the Spa (staffed by the same folks anyway) and the entertainers/musicians.

 

Among the "small things": SB still provides you with a list of all passengers (you can opt out), and does not try to "sell" you a charity. But we did miss the "free" Laundry on SS and the same day (instead of promised two-days, but in reality 3rd day) laundry-service on SB.

 

Smoking was (fortunately) not an issue at all, and with SB new policy this previous clear negative (for a non-smoker) should be gone.

 

SB's Dress code is simpler (one can be formal on formal nights, but otherwise it is one dress code instead of SS's "casual" and "informal").

 

Last, but not least, we left our last SS cruises increasingly frustrated due the the clearly noticeable cost-cutting all around. We did put down deposits for a future SB cruise before disembarking!

 

At the end, both lines are comparable, enjoyable and 99.999% of the world's population would not understand the potential "negatives" one may encounter on either one. ENJOY!

Thank you MJN1 as this is a very interesting and helpful comparison. We have looked at Silversea for when Seabourn doesn't work for our time constraints and it seems an alternative based on your comments.

You are correct in that we are very lucky to enjoy this choice and we appreciate this fact.

Julie :)

Yes MJN1, we were supplied with prosecco instead of the champagne we requested, and then lied to when we suggested it wasn't champagne. I didnt like this kind of staff attitude to begin with.

I will add that the officers are extremely unfriendly on SS, as opposed to SB, where they are present and very approachable. SS have also in my experience been extremely keen to overcook every piece of meat and fish.

The officers on SS are not only non friendly they are non visible except when stuffing their faces in the Verandah Grill.

V1 or V6, it's an upgrade from what you have had on SS.

On both lines, days sailed mean a lot. It's possible to feel a bit slighted on your first SB cruise versus many days with SS. In the long run, SB leaves SS in the dust. It also has the best frequent floater program in the industry. With a 20% discount, some premium wines are good deals.

For sure, you will see a huge difference in ship maintenance budget. After a few days, you will be shaking your heads.

Really looking forward to trying Seabourn.

We have been given suite 619 which is wheelchair access.

Is this very different from the normal suites.

The accessible suite 619 has, as a difference a walk in shower and no bath tub and it has no walk-in dressing but a large wardrobe with sliding doors opposite the bed.

We had liked the layout last year when allocated.

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank You.

For me, the biggest difference between the two lines is the contact between passengers. While both lines cater to the same type of cruiser (I'm being very careful here so I don't get responses with the "ilk" word), on Seabourn the cruisers connect more.

Every evening various officers host tables in the MDR which gives passengers the opportunity to get to know each other creating bonds that can last the entire cruise and often times longer.

Unfortunately, the tradition of "the HAMMER" is now retired, but perhaps there are new ones in the making. :)

Never having cruised on Seabourn, what does "the HAMMER" signify?

We have sailed more on Silversea than on Seabourn, but our last 21 day cruise on Seabourn was great. We have tried to compare the two and have come to the conclusion that either one offers a great cruise experience and we now choose based on itinerary and price between the two. WE presently have reservations on both lines n 2017.

Former Captain Eric Anderson was known as the Hammer. He is a terrific guy and dining with him on the little ships was always a treat -- complete with toasts of "potato juice." He is now enjoying his well deserved retirement.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you Chairsin for the explanation.....if "potato juice' is what I think it is,

and it was chilled, then I would have enjoyed meeting Captain Anderson as well.