Silversea Food vs Seabourn Food

[Mr Luxury]

And nor do I.:)

 

The reality from my point of view is that Brits have always been outnumbered on SS cruises by Americans, and so my views of how Americans view SS food is based on quite a few observations and exchanges whilst living with them. It always seemed to me that many Americans complimented the food more on the generousity of portions. - in particular the breakfast buffets than about the actual quality. It often seemed that when Europeans were saying the food was mediochre Americans were saying hhow wonderful it was. I was particularly struck on several occaisions that whereas Europeans seemed more able to discern what was fresh and what was frozen and be less hapy with frozen - this didn't seem to bother the Americans on our tables. Not always .... Just generally.

 

A good observation.I have often thought about the quality versus quantity factor.

[Mr Luxury]

This really is getting pretty snobby -- not nice at all. :(

 

Not really,it's just something that I have observed over the years.

 

I have never asked why people eat the way they do, but perhaps someone can tell us.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Not really,it's just something that I have observed over the years.

 

I have never asked why people eat the way they do, but perhaps someone can tell us.

 

It has been a topic of conversation on every SS cruise I have been on amongst Brits.

 

It seemed to me to have got worst when heavy discounts were particularly good for the US market a few years back when (dare I say) customers upgraded themselves from the cheaper lines and a larger number of people were on the ships who seemed both larger than before and seemed intent on ensuring they secured as much value as possible both food and drink-wise from their fare.

 

We'd see breakfast plates heaving under the wheight of bacon, eggs sausages potato, waffles syrup, fresh fruit etc etc. - all on the same plate. Some people at dinner would insist on ordering two main courses delivered either side by side or one after the other. They seemed not to be in the slightest embarrassed when jaws dropped. We'd also notice more people stay at bars for what seemed most of the day. Each to their own I guess .......

 

I am actually being quite straight about this - the difference in both food and drink quantities consumed by one group seemed to be considerably more than the other. As I said - a generalisation so not true of everyone but the contrast was stark enough to be noticeable and generally worthy of comment.

 

As to food in Britain (as opposed to British food, or at least traditional British food), we find London to be a culinary heaven, albeit an expensive heaven. The restaurants there are a major attraction for us. So despite being Americans maybe we do understand and appreciate top end cuisine, even if we also (sometimes) hold our cutlery like cavemen.

 

It would be awful if a very touchy subject intended to be sensitively approached were taken badly and therefore downgraded. It seems to me that the vast majority of both Brits and Americans are delightful and well mannered. I and we were talking about "the others" and generalisations by their nature exclude people that aren't covered by the generalisation. As a caricature Americans do seem to have traditionally thought of The English as being Well Mannered and Refined so I guess some of the generalisations might have some basis in the American Psyche as well as our own in reverse if you get my drift ie less well mannered and less refined when looking in the opposite direction.

 

I'm pleased you've noticed the quality of food in London. For most of my life London has been a poor place to eat and culinary heaven was places like Paris. The great thing about Europe is it's smallness and this meant that I'd routinely take my wife to Paris for a decent lunch returning the same day or the following one.

 

Some time - I guess around 10 years ago Paris seemed to slide and London seemed to undergo a wonderful transition food wise and now it's my perception that it is one of the finest food capitals of the world.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

I am agreement with a lot of people on this board, as I too was bitterly disappointed in the food quality and amount of frozen fish, fruit etc provided on silver sea.

 

Obviously, everyone has differing tastes, some prefer the simply cooked , fresh and in my opinion more modern approach to cuisine found on seabourn. Whereas some people's palate is more akin to silver sea. My husband and I found a lot of the silver sea fare to be relatively bland and more often than not overcooked to our taste. We are very foodie types and seek out fine dining wherever we are in the world, and the relais and chateau affiliation was what had drawn me to try silver sea, but sadly we were so disappointed we won't be trying again in a hurry.

 

Interestingly, on our cruise silver whisper a lot of Americans were also complaining about how the food quality had gone down massively. My mother tried ss some years ago and loved it, she too was shocked the standards had gone down so much, it is a real shame!!!

[BUgrad]

I am in total agreement with Wripro. Seabourn has consistently better food and service. Our ship, the Whisper was one third empty and that was after a reduction of over three thousand dollars on our fare. I do believe something has to give. In reality though, a good chef can make good food no matter what they are provided with as long as it is fresh. The freshness was not the problem. The problem was the chef. Maybe they should move the chef in Le Champagne to the main diningroom. I know he was only cooking for 16 and cooking in quantities is a different art, but he should be nurtured.

 

Why Silverseas have purchased another ship when attention needs to be paid to their core is indeed questionable, as there were numerous unhappy campers on our ship. The butler is a waste. The first economy I would make would be to ditch the butler.

[tarn2008]

My wife and I are making our first ever SS cruise on the Spirit in November. I must say that after reading this thread and the comments about the food we feel rather disappointed. We were really looking forward to SS and especially the fine wine and dining bit, but now we are wondering is it as bad as lots of people have said. :(:confused:

[Ballyboffin]

My wife and I are making our first ever SS cruise on the Spirit in November. I must say that after reading this thread and the comments about the food we feel rather disappointed. We were really looking forward to SS and especially the fine wine and dining bit, but now we are wondering is it as bad as lots of people have said. :(:confused:

 

We are also having our first SS cruise on the Whisper in November and like yourselves we are worried as well. The comment that the ships are 1/3 empty and some passengers are receiving discounts on their fares doesn't bode well either. I understood that SS never reduced fares in fairness to the other travellers, perhaps it is the recession or that there is a lot of competition from other cruise lines, wouldn't be happy if someone else was having the same cruise having paid a lot less than we did. :mad:

[Tillylovesseabourn]

I really hope for both of you,that they have gotten their act together on the food and champagne situation, as it just wasn't up to the mark for the amount paid in fares last year! Don't get me wrong it was by no means the worst cruise line for food I have experienced, but just not what I was expecting or used to.

[Mr Luxury]

wouldn't be happy if someone else was having the same cruise having paid a lot less than we did. :mad:

 

There will always be someone that has paid less and someone that has paid more for the cruise that you are on.

Never worry about that.

Just be happy with what you have paid,keep and open mind when trying a line for the first time and enjoy it.

[UKCruiseJeff]

For what it's worth .... whether you enjoy SS I think depends as much on your mind-set in approaching it as does the performance of the SS people - and specifically as far as this thread is concerned - the food.

 

If you eat really well when at home and when out eating generally - well those treats will be there when you get back and this is just a week or two away from those treats. If you expect the food the be adequate and it's better then you'll be pleased. The experience for us isn't about the food. If it was we wouldn't go. The cost element of the cruise is minimal so if we don't eat too much or even too well whilst on-board it's no issue.

 

Our starting point with SS was the realisation that we could never afford to buy the boat we aspired to for ourselves so our point of comparison is how much cheaper it is to go SS than it is if we'd bought and maintained our own boat. SS to us is all about Whisper and Cloud and Shado and Whisper. It's about 801 on Shadow and Whisper where you're right away from everyone and you can have food brought to you. But it doesn't have to be a large suite we have equal fun on a verandah.

 

So keeping ourselves to oursleves and using the SS ship as an expensive ferry between experiences where basically you have no responsibility for anything and just ask for what you want fits our bill. Eating well can wait until we're off of the tender or back home. It's just one element that is a part of our compromise. And it is also constantly reminding yourself how lucky you are to be able to do such things and reminding yourselves about the lives of those trying to look after you and give you a good time compared with your own.

 

If you can accept the limitations of the food and lower expectations I think SS still represents a really great and unique experience .......

[Travelcat2]

I agree that one should approach new experiences with an open mind. Being happy Regent customers, it was a challenge not to compare everything on Silversea to Regent on our first Silversea cruise. After the first couple of days we were enjoying Silversea and not thinking about our other experiences. It was truly a great cruise and we were anxious to book another..... and another on Silversea.

 

In terms of food, the postings about great food in London is intresting. While I do not disagree, when we are in London, my DH (born in London) and I can't wait to go to the pubs where we can get the best bangers and mash, meat pies and fish and chips. While this is hardly gourmet food, this is what we are unable to get at home and are happy to have on vacation.

 

We live in an area with a lot of fresh fish (salmon, halibut, crab, etc.) When we are onboard a ship, we do not expect fresh fish unless the itinerary stops at ports where it is available. Chefs on cruise ships simply cannot get fresh produce, herbs or fish all of the time as restaurant chefs on land can do. It is easier for the chef in Le Champagne since he is cooking for a small group. Even then, on some itineraries it would be almost impossible to obtain live lobsters for instance.

 

My personal concern regarding food is La Terrazza. There has been a change in this dining venue since we were on board last and the reviews have been less than stunning.

[wripro]

MrLuxury,

 

Thank you for assuming I used utensils at all. Usually, I save those niceties for formal nights, my hands serving well on casual and informal nights.

[Emperor Norton]

... Chefs on cruise ships simply cannot get fresh produce, herbs or fish all of the time as restaurant chefs on land can do...

 

On sea days that is true. On port days, at least with Seabourn not so much. The chef was off in every port and always brought fresh things back for passenger consumption. Yes, they're limited by what's available in each port, but that's what makes the following menus interesting. I'd dare say that especially with the locally purchased seafood what we had on board was fresher than what a land based restaurant would offer on a Saturday/Sunday/Monday.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

On sea days that is true. On port days, at least with Seabourn not so much. The chef was off in every port and always brought fresh things back for passenger consumption. Yes, they're limited by what's available in each port, but that's what makes the following menus interesting. I'd dare say that especially with the locally purchased seafood what we had on board was fresher than what a land based restaurant would offer on a Saturday/Sunday/Monday.

 

And that is exactly why I love seabourn

[WesW]

btw baychilla, your on board Pride thread (you're doing now) over on the Seabourn Board is very entertaining (words & pix).

[RachelG]

And that is exactly why I love seabourn

 

They do this some on Regent as well. Loved the freshly caught fish on our last trip.

[Emperor Norton]

They do this some on Regent as well. Loved the freshly caught fish on our last trip.

 

Dag did it best. He could get you fresh fish on sea days. Pity for Regent and a boon for Seabourn that he switched companies.

[Merriem]

For what it's worth .... whether you enjoy SS I think depends as much on your mind-set in approaching it as does the performance of the SS people - and specifically as far as this thread is concerned - the food.

 

If you eat really well when at home and when out eating generally - well those treats will be there when you get back and this is just a week or two away from those treats. If you expect the food the be adequate and it's better then you'll be pleased. The experience for us isn't about the food. If it was we wouldn't go. The cost element of the cruise is minimal so if we don't eat too much or even too well whilst on-board it's no issue.

 

Our starting point with SS was the realisation that we could never afford to buy the boat we aspired to for ourselves so our point of comparison is how much cheaper it is to go SS than it is if we'd bought and maintained our own boat. SS to us is all about Whisper and Cloud and Shado and Whisper. It's about 801 on Shadow and Whisper where you're right away from everyone and you can have food brought to you. But it doesn't have to be a large suite we have equal fun on a verandah.

 

So keeping ourselves to oursleves and using the SS ship as an expensive ferry between experiences where basically you have no responsibility for anything and just ask for what you want fits our bill. Eating well can wait until we're off of the tender or back home. It's just one element that is a part of our compromise. And it is also constantly reminding yourself how lucky you are to be able to do such things and reminding yourselves about the lives of those trying to look after you and give you a good time compared with your own.

 

If you can accept the limitations of the food and lower expectations I think SS still represents a really great and unique experience .......

 

I am sorry, but I totally disagree. My husband and are excellent cooks, however when I am on a vacation , being served outstanding food is part of the whole package. I expect for $20,000 to be VERY well fed. I just got two more brochures from silversea today, and when I looked at the pictures of the food (before I tossed them in the garbage) I never saw anything that looked like the brochures even at one meal. Why should you lower your food expectations anymore than you should expect the sheets on the bed to be changed more than twice in 9 days. Frankly comparing this to our experiences on Crystal, Regent, and Seaborn, Silversea should be ashamed of themselves. We had much better food on Celebrity in June...no I don't care for big ships and tons of people but that cruise was to see just how we compared the food. Well, Silversea lost big time.

[RachelG]

Dag did it best. He could get you fresh fish on sea days. Pity for Regent and a boon for Seabourn that he switched companies.

 

Yes, I remember voyager captained by Dag with a fishing boat pulling up alongside and the chef jumping onboard to check out the fish and make a trade of whiskey and beer for fish off the coast of Norway.

[cruzemaven]

I am sorry, but I totally disagree. My husband and are excellent cooks, however when I am on a vacation , being served outstanding food is part of the whole package. I expect for $20,000 to be VERY well fed. I just got two more brochures from silversea today, and when I looked at the pictures of the food (before I tossed them in the garbage) I never saw anything that looked like the brochures even at one meal. Why should you lower your food expectations anymore than you should expect the sheets on the bed to be changed more than twice in 9 days. Frankly comparing this to our experiences on Crystal, Regent, and Seaborn, Silversea should be ashamed of themselves. We had much better food on Celebrity in June...no I don't care for big ships and tons of people but that cruise was to see just how we compared the food. Well, Silversea lost big time.

 

We felt the same about the food on our recent Silversea cruise. We were extremely surprised how mediocre the food in The Restaurant was. One night, I ordered roasted baby chicken and there were still feathers on the skin which I plucked off and piled on the side of my plate. I showed it to our waiter but he didn't seem to understand what I was showing him. We felt the quality of the food has been lowered over the years. However, we found the food in Le Champagne to be very good.

[Josette03]

YIKES!!! Roasted chicken with feathers? Reading this thread on the overall decline in food quality on Silversea is making me dread my cruise next week on the Cloud.

[RachelG]

As someone who grew up on a chicken farm in Arkansas, I can tell you, serving chicken with the feathers still on is completely unacceptable. And easily avoided with a match to singe the feathers. My mother would be appalled.

[Travelcat2]

Dag did it best. He could get you fresh fish on sea days. Pity for Regent and a boon for Seabourn that he switched companies.

 

Yes -- Captain Dag did many interesting things and is a great Captain. However, the fact that he occasionally helped the chef get fresh fish, would not have an impact on the quality of fished served on a daily basis on Regent nor does it on Seabourn. I understand that he is the Capt. of one Seabourns little ships -- the ones that are for sale. It certainly may be easier for the Chef to obtain local foods for the passengers on these ships.

 

Merriem: In terms of spending $20,000 for a cruise and expecting to be "VERY well fed", IMO, you could spend less money and do a land vacation visiting as many Michelin star restaurants as time permits. It does make me wonder what percent of the cruise fare is spent on food:confused:

 

cruzemaven: If I found feathers on my baby chicken, Silversea management would definitely have heard about it. Food may be subjective....... but feathers:eek:

[UKCruiseJeff]

I am sorry, but I totally disagree. My husband and are excellent cooks, however when I am on a vacation , being served outstanding food is part of the whole package. I expect for $20,000 to be VERY well fed. I just got two more brochures from silversea today, and when I looked at the pictures of the food (before I tossed them in the garbage) I never saw anything that looked like the brochures even at one meal. Why should you lower your food expectations anymore than you should expect the sheets on the bed to be changed more than twice in 9 days. Frankly comparing this to our experiences on Crystal, Regent, and Seaborn, Silversea should be ashamed of themselves. We had much better food on Celebrity in June...no I don't care for big ships and tons of people but that cruise was to see just how we compared the food. Well, Silversea lost big time.

 

That's fine - and nor should you agree with me.

 

I don't know whether you are excellent cooks or not - it's not really relevant - as I was simply putting forward an alternative approach for people to better enjoy the expereince and to say "that might work for me" or it doesn't! There's no need to get yourself into a tizzy about how our view works for us - I'm not imposing it on anyone - just trying to be helpful by offering a rather different way of thinking about it. :p

 

Ship food is basically industrial style catering with many other challenges not faced by your typical land-based kitchen. As you said about the brochures it is generally over promised and under delivered. You are eating at a function with a limited menu delivered to hundred of people within a short time with food that has been stored. And no one reading other people's views about food quality can judge different people's standards, experience or expectations. It is more like barmitvah cooking than restaurant cooking and I'm simply saying that I choose to be realistic about what it is and that I'm happy to put up with the food because of the other qualities I like about SS.

 

Each to their own.:)

[Mr Luxury]

That's fine - and nor should you agree with me.

 

I don't know whether you are excellent cooks or not - it's not really relevant - as I was simply putting forward an alternative approach for people to better enjoy the expereince and to say "that might work for me" or it doesn't! There's no need to get yourself into a tizzy about how our view works for us - I'm not imposing it on anyone - just trying to be helpful by offering a rather different way of thinking about it. :p

 

Ship food is basically industrial style catering with many other challenges not faced by your typical land-based kitchen. As you said about the brochures it is generally over promised and under delivered. You are eating at a function with a limited menu delivered to hundred of people within a short time with food that has been stored. And no one reading other people's views about food quality can judge different people's standards, experience or expectations. It is more like barmitvah cooking than restaurant cooking and I'm simply saying that I choose to be realistic about what it is and that I'm happy to put up with the food because of the other qualities I like about SS.

 

Each to their own.:)

 

Jeff,

A good point you make.

We eat well at home or when on land when away from home.

A ship type cuisine can never come near to a good land based restaurant.

 

I did think that Silk Road operated by Nobu on my recent Crystal Serenity trip was probably the best food at sea at present.