Silver Wind update

It's been awhile since I've commented on Silversea, but I'm forced to comment on the condition of the Wind. We just completed the Norway two week swing, and because of good weather and the superlative service and food we have come to expect, the trip was a success. The ship however is a wreck.

When we boarded in London, a sickly smell of sewage permeated the ship, and was made worse when we had to stay overnight on the Thames because of another unrelated malfunction.

The smell dissipated once we set sail but once at port ( i.e. stopped) it returned. It was only then that the crew figured out that we were one big malfunctioning porta-potty which needed to be flushed out and quickly. Sure enough, the ship was serviced three times (!) by fleets of environmental tanker trucks in Tromso, Bodo and Bergen. In Tromso, two divers ( i.e. frogmen!) began to inspect the ship. I have no idea why, but it did not inspire confidence.

In short ,no amount of white paint can disguise the age and deterioration of the ship. This conclusion was reinforced when I learned ( from members of the show cast) that two itineraries earlier, the entire air conditioning and heating system broke down for five days. The net result: passengers watched the shows in blankets!

One final observation. Silversea needs to have smaller ships if they are to offer itineraries where the behemoth ships can't venture ( inland passages in Norway) but to suggest that the Wind justifies Silversea pricing is absurd. Premium pricing demands premium ships.

While I do not question the OP's posting my experience with this Board is that everything is relative. Scheduled to sail on the Wind in a year's time should I be worried? Anyone else with recent experiences?

While I do not question the OP's posting my experience with this Board is that everything is relative. Scheduled to sail on the Wind in a year's time should I be worried? Anyone else with recent experiences?

There are two very detailed Wind reports, one for the same voyage and one for the previous Tower Bridge round trip. Have a read and see if you still have questions.

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Sailed on the Wind 2015, 2016 and will be doing so again in November. Please take a look at recent posts by others on that same Norway cruise.

I was on the Wind in 2016 in November for the TA. I didn't experience what the OP did. The ship had just been redone and was very spiffy. Sure she's old and is a bit cranky at times, but she has character and grace.

I admit to having an issue with my personal choice of suites, which I have posted about on another thread, but that had nothing to do with the day to day functioning of the vessel.

I thought Daniel Illias was attentive and personable. The crew were outstanding. The food was consistently good.

I was on that same TA and I enjoyed it immensely. I had been on the same TA in 2015 and thought that the refurbishment prior to the 2016 crossing really perked the ship up. There is no doubt, she is an older vessel but to my way of thinking, a wonderful old girl! Looking forward to being onboard again.....

There are two very detailed Wind reports, one for the same voyage and one for the previous Tower Bridge round trip. Have a read and see if you still have questions.

 

 

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I assume you are referring to WesW exhaustive travelogue. Frankly I don't understand why anyone would want to spend their time covering such minutiae, but one thing is clear, he sees no wrong in anything SS offers. As I mentioned earlier we remain convinced that SS still offers the best service and food, and we have voted with our "feet" with over 160 days on SS. My central point is that the Wind is a sad, tired and dilapidated ship, something that WesW either can't see or does not wish to report. In my comments I stuck to the odor and failing sanitation system, because that crossed the line of acceptability, but there were other examples. 1) Our bathroom floor flooded because the caulking between the tub and the wall had cracked which allowed the shower water to seep through 2) the toilet failed twice 3) a panorama window in the restaurant began to leak in a rainstorm 4) several chairs collapsed in the panorama lounge, and finally, try looking out the big windows in the bar...they are so weather beaten ( cloudy) it is pathetic. The things that needed repair were quickly handled and were no big deal, but they do point to the fragility of the ship.

I realize that these posts reflect many opinions but I would hope that we could read more constructive criticism and less cheerleading. Without this balance, SS like any business, will postpone investment because every thing is just fine, when in fact, they are not.

I assume you are referring to WesW exhaustive travelogue. Frankly I don't understand why anyone would want to spend their time covering such minutiae, but one thing is clear, he sees no wrong in anything SS offers.

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Would be interested in hearing others opinions of recent experiences on the Wind. I am concerned not just about this review, but the other recent reviews have been rather lackluster . It seems those loyal to Silverseas tend not to focus on any negatives, but if they exist it would be good to share. I guess this refurbishment was more a freshen up than an extensive overhaul, which is what I was afraid of. Especially since we are scheduled to travel next year and if the recent"refurb" did not address the mechanics, what should we expect next year.

Mayriver, was this odour smelt ship wide or just a certain area?

Just wondering why no one else has mentioned it and if it was localised.

When I first starting reading... I did think you were suggesting the Thames smelt of sewage! I could comment on that, but not the Wind. - which my app tells me just arrived in Holyhead! The Wind didn't have these problems when I sailed on her at the end of March and had a great time. I am a bit of a cheerleader for the Wind though so probably am a little biased.

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I am sorry you had such a bad impression of The Wind Mayriver - my wife & I did the Norwegian Cruise prior to yours and seemed to have a much better experience in spite of less favourable weather. The Ship is of course some 20 Years old and the Heating/Aircon system has been an issue for very many years, albeit that work has been done in an attempt to rectify the large temperature differences between various parts of the ship.

The smell that you have identified has also been recorded a number of times, mainly on Deck 4 and clearly it has not been permanently cured.

I too have much enjoyed the positive nature of the Reports by Wes and clearly he has concentrated on the wonderful Service afforded by the Crew, together with high standards of Food & Wine, all of which we too experienced. There were issues with the Heating but they were resolved in a couple of days.

I personally would have no hesitation in returning to The Wind, and indeed intend to do so. However one cannot expect the Glitz that the new Ships offer and this must be taken into account when Booking. The Wind is comfortable albeit a little frayed around the edges - but the Staff are superb from Top to bottom.

I am sorry you had such a bad impression of The Wind Mayriver - my wife & I did the Norwegian Cruise prior to yours and seemed to have a much better experience in spite of less favourable weather. The Ship is of course some 20 Years old and the Heating/Aircon system has been an issue for very many years, albeit that work has been done in an attempt to rectify the large temperature differences between various parts of the ship.

The smell that you have identified has also been recorded a number of times, mainly on Deck 4 and clearly it has not been permanently cured.

I too have much enjoyed the positive nature of the Reports by Wes and clearly he has concentrated on the wonderful Service afforded by the Crew, together with high standards of Food & Wine, all of which we too experienced. There were issues with the Heating but they were resolved in a couple of days.

 

I personally would have no hesitation in returning to The Wind, and indeed intend to do so. However one cannot expect the Glitz that the new Ships offer and this must be taken into account when Booking. The Wind is comfortable albeit a little frayed around the edges - but the Staff are superb from Top to bottom.

Well said, agree totally and we are returning next year.

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I assume you are referring to WesW exhaustive travelogue. Frankly I don't understand why anyone would want to spend their time covering such minutiae, but one thing is clear, he sees no wrong in anything SS offers. As I mentioned earlier we remain convinced that SS still offers the best service and food, and we have voted with our "feet" with over 160 days on SS. My central point is that the Wind is a sad, tired and dilapidated ship, something that WesW either can't see or does not wish to report. In my comments I stuck to the odor and failing sanitation system, because that crossed the line of acceptability, but there were other examples. 1) Our bathroom floor flooded because the caulking between the tub and the wall had cracked which allowed the shower water to seep through 2) the toilet failed twice 3) a panorama window in the restaurant began to leak in a rainstorm 4) several chairs collapsed in the panorama lounge, and finally, try looking out the big windows in the bar...they are so weather beaten ( cloudy) it is pathetic. The things that needed repair were quickly handled and were no big deal, but they do point to the fragility of the ship.

 

I realize that these posts reflect many opinions but I would hope that we could read more constructive criticism and less cheerleading. Without this balance, SS like any business, will postpone investment because every thing is just fine, when in fact, they are not.

We have been on twice since the last dry dock in Oct last year and yes it's a 20 year old ship that does have some problems from time to time. Our toilet failed 4 times on the Norwegian voyage and I watched an engineer end up changing the entire unit eventually. It still failed for a fourth time because of an issue that affected the whole of one side of deck 4. Luckily we did not have the smell issue.

The suite next door had a problem with water coming under the bath into the bathroom ( a couple of days before the end of the voyage) unfortunately when they got back to the suite in the evening, and it took a bit of time to fix. They were a bit miffed to be up late but still enjoyed the voyage.

There was a problem with the ship being very cold for a couple of days, but we had spent a day in extremely cold water at the North Cape and it really did take a long time for the inside to warm up again.

However we had a great time, as you have said food and staff were excellent. We would rather be on an ageing small ship with superb crew than on an anonymous modern mega ship.

I agree that more could be done to mitigate against some of the problems we have had, but we still like the smaller ship and will put up with its idiosyncrasies for the time being.

I cannot see SS building a replacement at this size and we are not fans of the expedition ships.

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Would be interested in hearing others opinions of recent experiences on the Wind. I am concerned not just about this review, but the other recent reviews have been rather lackluster . It seems those loyal to Silverseas tend not to focus on any negatives, but if they exist it would be good to share. I guess this refurbishment was more a freshen up than an extensive overhaul, which is what I was afraid of. Especially since we are scheduled to travel next year and if the recent"refurb" did not address the mechanics, what should we expect next year.

Hi, We were on the second Norway trip, arriving back last Monday. Silversea first-timers and not loyal to any line in particular!

Chosen for timing and itinerary (have been to Norway a number of times at this time of year) and also because the Wind is a small ship with a high staff/passenger ratio and carries few, if any, children.

Did it deliver? Yes. It's an older ship with very traditional decor but I think much of the furnishing and carpeting was probably changed or cleaned during the refurb as it was clean and generally in good repair for a ship of its age. Our room (mid-ship Veranda on deck 5) was a nice size and everything worked. The bathroom is small and has shower over bath - that was my one compromise as I much prefer a walk-in shower but not available at that level. We did not detect any sewage smells in our room or have any toilet problems.

What struck us was that the Wind is well run, morale seems high and the staff work in a very cooperative way, supporting each other and are unfailingly polite. We tried all the dining rooms and enjoyed the variety of food and wine. We met some very nice like-minded people and enjoyed the choice of joining a large table or dining on our own when we felt like it.

We would definitely consider the Wind again for a future cruise.

Sailed on the Wind in April from Monaco to Rome through the French and Italian islands. We sailed on the Whisper last year. The Wind met all our needs, small ship, exceptional service, excellent food and drink. I would sail on the Wind again without hesitation. And no I'm not a cheerleader, rather a very satisfied SS customer.

Thanks for the positive comments on Wind. I just booked and had been concerned when I read a number of negative reviews. Sorting through the comments, I think it will be a good fit. Did the Baltic on Whisper and loved it. Recently sailed on Spirit and had mixed feelings.