Seabourn Spirit vs Silversea Silver Spirit

[wripro]

The larger discounts that UK TAs give is great UNTIL you need to cancel and have to lose your deposit.

[Tothesunset]

Tothesunset,

I know in the past Host Dan has been willing to act as a go between regarding Referral Coupons for those of us like you and me who prefer to not publicly post our Email address. If you are interested in a $400 coupon it is not too late and I have one I would be happy to send across the pond to you. Just let me know and then we can each Email Dan.

I would be very grateful but have a question (remember, I am new to all this). Who is Host Dan and how would I contact him/her? Sorry to sound a bit dumb!!

[wripro]

There is a sticky for referral coupons at the top of the page.

[Tothesunset]

There is a sticky for referral coupons at the top of the page.

Now that's why you are a success in life and I'm not. I'm clearly having a blonde day - I had not noticed (or seen) the sticky.

 

I am hoping Chairsin gets back to me as I would very much like to take up his/her offer.

[Travelcat2]

Having been on both Seabourn Spirit and Silversea Wind within the last six months

(disembarked SS in January) we found the ONLY comparison with SB was their

marvellous staff and there it ended. SS was a smoker's paradise, food was terrible,

officers rarely seen, the only music to dance to was one painist, they did have a band

but they only played where the dance floor only held 3 couples with the result no one

ever went there. Needless to say we will not be returning to SS. It was not our first

one however the last time we tried their 'Whisper' and found their food was terrible

as well. Thankfully in 10 days we will be joining the 'Pride' and I already know, as per

usual, we will enjoy our 18 days of paradise.

 

Silversea went non-smoking in suites on January 1, 2013 -- after you sailed. In terms of food, it is so subjective..... we really enjoyed our food on both the Whisper and the Spirit.

[margbem]

I would be very grateful but have a question (remember, I am new to all this). Who is Host Dan and how would I contact him/her? Sorry to sound a bit dumb!!

 

Please email me on mjberry56@hotmail.com and I will explain about the referral vouchers and can provide one for you. We live not far away from you!

 

Margaret

[Miss Jet Set]

The smoking continued in January despite complaints to Hotel Director who was not

prepared to do anything about it. Also regards to the food if you were to look on the Passenger Forum with their thoughts of the Christmas/New Year Cruise they all mention

the food but I do appreciate we all have different tastes. The Head Chef never

appeared once in the dining room which is where we always ate in the evening unlike

Seabourn where he comes around every evening, that shows he has confidence of

what he is going to hear.

[Tothesunset]

Please email me on mjberry56@hotmail.com and I will explain about the referral vouchers and can provide one for you. We live not far away from you!

 

Margaret

Email sent. Ta very muchly.

[Ravenscroft]

There is a sticky for referral coupons at the top of the page.

 

I haven't visited the sticky for at least two months as it had been taken over by a former poster under several alter ego logins. It was a waste of time for anyone else to even mention their own referral coupons. I'm not sure we'll cruise with Seabourn in the future but it would be nice to let someone have our coupon.

Is it safe to revisit now?

[Emperor Norton]

I haven't visited the sticky for at least two months as it had been taken over by a former poster under several alter ego logins. It was a waste of time for anyone else to even mention their own referral coupons. I'm not sure we'll cruise with Seabourn in the future but it would be nice to let someone have our coupon.

Is it safe to revisit now?

 

It appears safe to go back in the water.

[Chairsin]

Tothesunset,

No problem -- Host Dan moderates this board. He can be reached at HostDan@cruisecritic.com.If you do want my voucher please contact him and I shall do the same.

[Capri73]

We have been on both.SB in our opinion was far better.The crew are so much nicer.SS was more reserved.The food was close but SB let us order special meals,SS did not want to stray from their menu.

We had a much more relaxed time on SB.:)The crew on SB made the trip so enjoyable.

[Tothesunset]

Tothesunset,

No problem -- Host Dan moderates this board. He can be reached at HostDan@cruisecritic.com.If you do want my voucher please contact him and I shall do the same.

Thank you but can I take a raincheck (did you notice that transatlantic reference - I've gone slightly light-headed now?)? Margbem lives nearby and has kindly offered us her voucher which we have accepted. But I remain grateful for your offer.

[Chairsin]

No problem -- hope this ends up being the first of many wonderful SB voyages!

[wripro]

Ravenscroft,

 

If that is true (I don't know since I never visit the thread) then perhaps Host Dan should look into it and remedy the situation.

[Emperor Norton]

Ravenscroft,

 

If that is true (I don't know since I never visit the thread) then perhaps Host Dan should look into it and remedy the situation.

 

I believe the posts that were referred to were several months ago and since then either that account has been banned or the person has stopped posting.

[wripro]

Good to know!

[Les Picantins]

So, the name's the same (nearly) but how do the ships compare?

 

Just finished South Pacific cruise on Silversea and just booked Seabourn Spirit for Caribbean cruise end Nov.

 

Are the 2 similar? Any startling differences (other than the obvious difference in ship size)?

 

My very first Seabourn cruise was on the Spirit back in 2009 and I returned to the Spirit this past winter - both experiences were fantastic. Last week I tried out Silversea for the first time and it was also on the Spirit - again a great vacation. To answer your question fairly, I will break up my opinion into two parts. The first being smaller ship to larger and then Seabourn compared to Silversea.

 

The smaller ship experience is much more intimate especially if you enjoy meeting and making friends with other passengers. You also get to know the staff better and vice verse on the little sisters. On the other hand, there are more dining options of course and a larger entertainment team on the larger ships.

 

Now the difference between the two lines is really a matter of personal taste, little details and of course the staff and service. I found the comfort levels to be very similar along with the food (I have had everything from outstanding to mediocre on both lines but the note is overall positive for both). With the exception of the breadsticks and the french fries/chips on Seabourn, the little details award goes to Silversea IMO. Better coffee, champagne (unless they try to slip you the Prosecco), bedding and towels, toiletries and luggage cleaning. As far as the staff and service goes, the difference is in the different nationalities recruited by the the two lines. The hotel staff on Seabourn comes from many different countries including South Africa, South America, Western and Eastern Europe. When they are not running around, they can be very interesting to talk to and can also be very funny, they can also be surly and argumentative. The hotel staff on Silversea are primarily from the Philippines and India with the senior staff coming from Italy and Brazil. They are very kind, friendly and eager to please but (whether we want to admit it or not) there is a social barrier between our cultures that change the contact with passengers. While I tend to prefer the staff on Seabourn, my husband prefers the staff on Silversea.

 

So there you have it. I hope I answered your question and that you enjoy the Seabourn Spirit as much as you enjoyed the Silversea Spirit. Should you find that you prefer the larger of the two Spirits, you will have to give one of the Seabourn big sisters a try as they are more comparable. If you prefer the SB Spirit, however, hurry up and book another cruise on one of the little sisters before they are gone!

[Emperor Norton]

... With the exception of the breadsticks and the french fries/chips on Seabourn, the little details award goes to Silversea IMO. Better coffee, champagne (unless they try to slip you the Prosecco), ...

 

Thats odd. On both my Seabourn and Silversea cruises the champagne was the (plonk to me) Nicholas F. As you noted above at times Silversea would switch it out for prosecco (on my cruise they never bothered to inform you of the switch - which made me wonder how people could not notice the difference).

[Tothesunset]

A little update.

 

We now have our referral voucher - thanks Margaret - and that will go off with the final payment. I get an almost childish feeling of victory at getting $400 OBC for nothing (except for the cost of the cruise, of course).

 

Since booking the Seabourn Spirit we have booked 2 further cruises - both with Silversea and dictated by destinations and the extras (hotels, flights etc) arranged by the TA at no extra cost above the Silversea basic cruise price. I'm an Irish lad, can't resist a bargain!

 

So....thanks again for all the advice above. In about 204 days time we shall see first hand whether the Seabourn Spirit lives up to expectations.

[Les Picantins]

We had Piper Heidsick Monopole. On day one they tried to serve me Prosecco twice (even poured out of a PHM bottle!). I called them on it and I believe the message was passed around not to make that mistake a third time. It is very possible that a certain percentage of the guests do not know the difference and management tries to save pennies here and there. When I see the way that some people fill their plates and how they pair their beverages, I can see how management could make that assumption.

[lincslady]

Les Picantins - I appreciated and agree generally with your comments on Seabourn versus Silversea, particularly regarding the staff who look after you. We have, however, only very rarely found a rather surly member of staff on Seabourn, but it can happen. We both prefer the ambiance created by the Seabourn staff.

[Emperor Norton]

We had Piper Heidsick Monopole. On day one they tried to serve me Prosecco twice (even poured out of a PHM bottle!). I called them on it and I believe the message was passed around not to make that mistake a third time. It is very possible that a certain percentage of the guests do not know the difference and management tries to save pennies here and there. When I see the way that some people fill their plates and how they pair their beverages, I can see how management could make that assumption.

 

:eek: Pouring prosecco from the Piper bottle, wow.

[Tillylovesseabourn]

I'm afraid the two ships can't be compared by my, Seabourn is in a different league.

 

Silver sea was an expensive joke! Surly staff,atrocious food and the lack of atmosphere was dreadful. Didn't think the crew or the other passengers were as friendly either!

[eyedoctor]

do you still have a referral coupon? we are on the silver sea from rome to barcelona nov 2 2013 thanks, anne schwartz