Silver Shadow: the worst cruise food we have ever had

We recently completed a 14-day cruise on the Shadow from Auckland to Sydney. This is probably my 25th cruise over many years, starting with Holland America and Sitmar, and including Silversea, Seabourn, Regent, Oceania, Windstar, Princess and Celebrity. Never before have we been so disappointed with the food as we were on this ship. Perhaps two dinners were decent, but most were torture and even after we spoke to the Food and Beverage manager, we found little improvement. Many of the Americans onboard shared our opinion, including many who had taken multiple Silversea cruises. (A number of the European passengers did not object to the food, so perhaps it is a matter of taste.) We also felt that much of the dining room staff were very sweet but not at all polished as we expect from a luxury line. They could rarely answer questions we had about the menu.

A special problem was getting fresh strawberries which we had to beg for and which were sparingly brought to us. When we left Melbourne there were no more berries onboard, despite the fact that the berries in Melbourne at the markets and in the David Jones Foodhall were absolutely fabulous. There is no reason that Silversea could not have picked up fresh provisions while we were in that port for two days.

We will contact Silversea to register our complaints about the food but doubt that anything will be done. It is highly unlikely that we will ever sail with them again unless they can give us a good indication that the food we encountered was a isolated problem.

That's a shame to hear Dmgmd50. I know from your previous postings that food quality, available options, and service were very important to you. I can only imagine the frustration you experienced in light of the per diem rates of your particular voyage, while not receiving a satisfactory resolution to your complaints onboard.

Sorry to hear this, and yes, in regards to fresh produce, there is really no excuse as there was clearly availability to reprovision while in port. They probably have a contract with a provisioning company which does not serve Melbourne. But really for the amount one pays for this cruise, someone on the crew should be empowered to go out to the market and purchase things that are running short.

Sorry to hear that the food was substandard and fresh berries were not readily available. We board the Shadow in six week in Singapore. Hopefully SS will get the message and make improvements by then. I'll be sure to post when we return. Hope you didn't let the food issues spoil your holiday too much.

strawberries were missing on this ship too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHhkZ6GpVlQ

Did you drink orange juice? Eat shrimp? Care to comment on either?

On Shadow several years ago. We had a great on board lunch in NYC on the way to Montreal. Big, ripe, red tomatoes. They were the last red tomatoes we saw on the ship. We're 100 yards away from a farmers market in a Canadian port and I am about to buy some nice tomatoes.

But no, I'm sure the ship will have picked up some. Wrong. It took three years of witnessing this crap before deciding to get off the bus.

We had a similar experience on the Shadow in April 2012. Singapore to Hong Kong. Yes, we had sailed on all the high end ships also. We did break down and book a cruise on the Whisper this fall, and hopefully it will be nice. Giving Silversea one more chance.

Besides the food not being up to your expectations, did u enjoy the cruise Dmgmd50?

Did you drink orange juice? Eat shrimp? Care to comment on either?

 

On Shadow several years ago. We had a great on board lunch in NYC on the way to Montreal. Big, ripe, red tomatoes. They were the last red tomatoes we saw on the ship. We're 100 yards away from a farmers market in a Canadian port and I am about to buy some nice tomatoes.

But no, I'm sure the ship will have picked up some. Wrong. It took three years of witnessing this crap before deciding to get off the bus.

Here's the problem.you just can't go off the ship and buy anything that's local anymore. The liability is enormous !...you could poison the whole ship.by the way Oregon 50, you have been caterwauling about Silversea for years.What are you sailing on now ?

Here's the problem.you just can't go off the ship and buy anything that's local anymore. The liability is enormous !...you could poison the whole ship.by the way Oregon 50, you have been caterwauling about Silversea for years.What are you sailing on now ?

Interesting, because they do it on regent all the time. We have had local lobster and mussels bought that day from a fisherman in Maine as recently as October this past year.

Had fresh raspberries and mushrooms from the market in Helsinki in July. I saw the chef buying them.

I've been sitting here waiting to read your comment to my post. We would have fun sitting in a bar aboard a ship one night. Of course, I say this after consuming a bottle of wine during lunch while floating in the South Pacific.

Have been shopping with the chefs enough times to know that they do buy whatever they care to locally. I believe SS corporate to have a stranglehold on what their on board management can do for food. SB appears to have a much different approach. ALL my bitches about SS are aimed at corporate and not the on board personnel.

And I did notice your recent post questioning the wisdom of carrying on with this company.

We have zero days booked with SS for 2013 and fourteen for 2014.....at no charge. 280 days booked on competing lines for 2013.

Besides the food not being up to your expectations, did u enjoy the cruise Dmgmd50?

The itinerary was wonderful. The Artists of Silverseas were very talented and their "production shows" were very good. We loved our suite and butler; on the other hand, we thought the public rooms looked very "tired" and could use a major update. (The Silversea air routings were also very poor: for example we flew from FLL to Dallas, to Brisbane, to Auckland which probably added five hours to an already long journey.)

We also had a group of 90 Colorado residents who travelled with a politcally conservative radio host. It was hard for many of us to really talk to them because their politcal views were so opposed to ours. They were strong advocates for no gun control, etc. However, it may have been better than having a large group of used-car salesmen.

We really wish we had chosen a cruise with a similar itinerary on Crystal or Seabourn in retrospect. The food could only have been better as I doubt it could have been worse. Considering that the trip cost us $$$$ (with the business class air), it was a major disappointment.

We also had a group of 90 Colorado residents who travelled with a politcally conservative radio host. They were strong advocates for no gun control, etc.

Yes indeed Dmgmd50, us crazy Coloradans are a sight to behold, that's for sure.

Clearly, the group you encountered wasn't from Boulder. Based on your post, I imagine you would have liked the folks from up there. So, while the rest of us are probably certified crazy and packing heat, give us another chance. :D

We're pretty even handed folks. Heck, we even legalized marijuana in the last election! The congressman who represents Boulder and the town I live in (Rep. Jared Polis) is preparing to introduce legislation to effectively end the Federal government's pot prohibition and to transfer oversight of marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. So, as you can see, we're a pretty open-minded populous that considers multiple viewpoints, not just those from the liberal left or conservative right. And, while I don't own a gun (or a real gun anyway), as you've witnessed, we take our independent spirit pretty seriously and don't like government meddling in our business, including firearms.

There is an element of the wild west spirit that continues to live on out here to this day, and it's just one of the many reasons we love living here.

Now, you surely didn't think you could make a comment like that and I'd sit idly by did you? Haha! I say the following all in good fun with tongue squarely in cheek....

 

Yes indeed Dmgmd50, us crazy Coloradans are a sight to behold, that's for sure.

 

Clearly, the group you encountered wasn't from Boulder. Based on your post, I imagine you would have liked the folks from up there. So, while the rest of us are probably certified crazy and packing heat, give us another chance. :D

 

We're pretty even handed folks. Heck, we even legalized marijuana in the last election! The congressman who represents Boulder and the town I live in (Rep. Jared Polis) is preparing to introduce legislation to effectively end the Federal government's pot prohibition and to transfer oversight of marijuana from the Drug Enforcement Administration and given to the newly renamed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana and Firearms. So, as you can see, we're a pretty open-minded populous that considers multiple viewpoints, not just those from the liberal left or conservative right. And, while I don't own a gun (or a real gun anyway), as you've witnessed, we take our independent spirit pretty seriously and don't like government meddling in our business, including firearms.

 

There is an element of the wild west spirit that continues to live on out here to this day, and it's just one of the many reasons we love living here.

There in fact was doctor from Boulder with the group, but he actually thought many of the other group members were too radical. The radio host is Mike Rosen. And by the way, many of my best friends are conservative, though most of them at least believe that Obama was born in Hawaii!

Here's the problem.you just can't go off the ship and buy anything that's local anymore. The liability is enormous !...you could poison the whole ship.by the way Oregon 50, you have been caterwauling about Silversea for years.What are you sailing on now ?

Well they better get a purveyor in Melbourne because next year SS has cruises which embark there.

Interesting, because they do it on regent all the time. We have had local lobster and mussels bought that day from a fisherman in Maine as recently as October this past year.

Had fresh raspberries and mushrooms from the market in Helsinki in July. I saw the chef buying them.

They also do it on Seabourn. I've been with the chef and suggested a vegetable in a Sicilian market looked great. He bought 30 kilos along with all sorts of other delights! He even had 3 or 4 helpers with trolleys to return it to the ship.

As cruise food is important to me I am starting to be apprehensive about our upcoming two Silversea cruises.

Australian grown fresh produce is a "liability" now?! It looks and tastes a darn sight better than the irradiated stuff available elsewhere.

It is highly unlikely that we will ever sail with them again unless they can give us a good indication that the food we encountered was a isolated problem.

which cruise line are you likely to spend your money with now?

Good morning Dmgmd50,

We are booked on the Shadow in September and we're curious who the Executive Chef was on your voyage. Our last cruise was on the Cloud and the food was fantastic. Our Executive Chef was Ramon De Bernard.

Hope the food improves before we board.

Regards,

ScottToronto

which cruise line are you likely to spend your money with now?

I am taking my family of ten on another Celebrity cruise this March. (Last year's Celebrity family cruise food was actually better than this SS sailing.) As for cruises just with my wife, I will consider trying Crystal or returning to Regent and Oceania. Interestingly, one of the Brits on this recent SS cruise did not mind the food and he did not like Crystal because it was too large. BTW, the Crystal cruise I had initially considered was quite a bit less expensive than this SS sailing for the same number of days and a similar itinerary, though the cabin would have been smaller.

Good morning Dmgmd50,

 

We are booked on the Shadow in September and we're curious who the Executive Chef was on your voyage. Our last cruise was on the Cloud and the food was fantastic. Our Executive Chef was Ramon De Bernard.

 

Hope the food improves before we board.

 

Regards,

 

ScottToronto

Don't know the chef's name. However I don't blame him for not having the proper provisions onboard. We cooked our own veal chops and steaks at Hot Rocks Grill and the meat was tough! And he was not responsible for the lack of fresh berries or other good fresh produce.

Don't know the chef's name. However I don't blame him for not having the proper provisions onboard. We cooked our own veal chops and steaks at Hot Rocks Grill and the meat was tough! And he was not responsible for the lack of fresh berries or other good fresh produce.

Followed your experiences ... you're description is compelling because your posts sound so well balanced and will sadden many. Very sad that SS no longer seem to allow Chefs local sourcing authority and budget as and when they dock ..... which seems to be the key to your food issues. Unless the allow Chefs to go out and buy as they go in addition to the centrally sourced and delivered staples - then they basically have formulaic MacDonalds chefs where everything is done to rote.

When you mention Hot Rocks - do you mean the place at Passenger Terminal at Sydney - or do you mean on SS? If Sydney ..... then you really do have my sympathy ....... not a good end to some poor on-ship food .....

When you mention Hot Rocks - do you mean the place at Passenger Terminal at Sydney - or do you mean on SS?

I wonder if somehow this is a problem unique to the Shadow. I still remember a cruise on the Shadow in 2006 from Hong Kong to Tokyo where we experienced the worst food and restaurant service I've ever had on SS. Subsequent SS cruises on other ships were far better.

Since he's been talking about food on the Shadow, surely he's referring to SS and Black Rock Grill.

He disembarked in Sydney ... hence my question.