Cheili Posted July 10, 2017 #1 Share Posted July 10, 2017 We are a couple in our early fifties are thinking of going for Alaska cruise on Silversea Shadow, as we have some unused credit from cancellation of a cruise we booked earlier. Would appreciate your sharing of experience on Silversea Shadow and/or Alaska cruise with similar itinerary. We are looking for a smaller ship which presumably will have shorter waiting time and a comfortable bed and spacious cabin are important to us, so is quality of food options. How does Silversea compare with Regent? Our only cruise experience was with Regent explorer and that was excellent because it was a brand new ship and the service was excellent. I have also read recommendations for Celebrity. How does Silversea compare with Celebrity in terms of pricing and comfort and food options? Any feedback and advice will be much appreciated. Thank you in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted July 10, 2017 #2 Share Posted July 10, 2017 You will find all the Silversea info you will ever need on the portion of Cruise Critic devoted to Silversea, located here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=183 That is where the experts hang out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCalicoCat Posted July 10, 2017 #3 Share Posted July 10, 2017 I agree with Bruce, But to answer you other question, depending on the cabin/suite type Celebrity is probably going to be cheaper. (It is usually lumped in with Princess and Holland America, not Regent & Silversea.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new_cruiser Posted July 11, 2017 #4 Share Posted July 11, 2017 Celebrity is going to bigger ships on a mainstream line (perhaps the nicer end of mainstream but not a small luxury cruise with no crowding or lines). You might also look at Crystal. I haven't been on them yet - we sail next month. I like that the itinerary has two glacier days, Glacier Bay and Hubbard. None of the Silversea sailings that I saw had Glacier Bay. Also Windstar Star Legend is going to have Alaska cruises in 2018. We were just aboard that ship in May. It has lovely large rooms. The ship is small enough to go places that the others don't. There are itineraries that include cruising Misty Fjords and Kenai Fjords. The food quality on Windstar was great. In the ports on our Lisbon to Barcelona cruise, the chef would go ashore to buy fresh fish and other local foods. I'd hope that in Alaska they would do that too. I don't know how you feel about ship dress codes. We ruled out Silversea because the dress code is too formal for us (on a 7 day cruise 1 formal night and 3 informal nights that require jackets for men). Crystal has a less formal dress code - on a 7 day cruise all evenings are Crystal Casual. Windstar evenings are always casual elegance. The Regent dress code looks more similar to Crystal and Windstar with Elegant Casual for all nights on cruises 14 days or shorter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted July 11, 2017 #5 Share Posted July 11, 2017 The experience on a luxury line will be different then on Celebrity. I have sailed Celebrity, Silversea and Crystal in Alaska. Had a great time on all the lines but the luxury lines does make the on board experience quite nice. I am a believer to begin with itinerary. Figure out in advance things such as where in Alaska you want to sail and other things such as length of cruise. Then start looking at itineraries. If Glacier Bay is important to you that will rule out Celebrity. Often luxury lines stop at some (not all but some) ports that mainstream cruise lines don't stop at but that is also a factor of the length of the cruise. If you find itineraries across multiple lines (I think you will) then read member reviews and study the cruise lines web sites. The web site will tell you a lot including what is included with the cruise fare and other things such as pricing, room sizes what the line emphasizes etc. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlsess Posted July 12, 2017 #6 Share Posted July 12, 2017 We were on Silver Shadow last week in Alaska! Staff was incredible- we had suites on 6(Veranda) Everything is small- bars, restaurants, casino- Food was mediocre............ Entertainment- thumbs down! only 1 show a night but they always had something going on in lounge late around10-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted July 12, 2017 #7 Share Posted July 12, 2017 We were on Silver Shadow last week in Alaska! Staff was incredible- we had suites on 6(Veranda) Everything is small- bars, restaurants, casino- Food was mediocre............ Entertainment- thumbs down! only 1 show a night but they always had something going on in lounge late around10-1 Food mediocre? Can you compare to your past cruises. I think you made me stop wishing to sail on the line some day. How was enrichment programs (anything about Alaska onboard)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted July 14, 2017 Author #8 Share Posted July 14, 2017 We were on Silver Shadow last week in Alaska! Staff was incredible- we had suites on 6(Veranda) Everything is small- bars, restaurants, casino- Food was mediocre............ Entertainment- thumbs down! only 1 show a night but they always had something going on in lounge late around10-1 Silver Shadow doesn't sound too promising. What about the cabin -- is it spacious and comfortable and updated? And the excursions -- are they well taylored and reasonably priced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted July 14, 2017 Author #9 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Celebrity is going to bigger ships on a mainstream line (perhaps the nicer end of mainstream but not a small luxury cruise with no crowding or lines). You might also look at Crystal. I haven't been on them yet - we sail next month. I like that the itinerary has two glacier days, Glacier Bay and Hubbard. None of the Silversea sailings that I saw had Glacier Bay. Also Windstar Star Legend is going to have Alaska cruises in 2018. We were just aboard that ship in May. It has lovely large rooms. The ship is small enough to go places that the others don't. There are itineraries that include cruising Misty Fjords and Kenai Fjords. The food quality on Windstar was great. In the ports on our Lisbon to Barcelona cruise, the chef would go ashore to buy fresh fish and other local foods. I'd hope that in Alaska they would do that too. I don't know how you feel about ship dress codes. We ruled out Silversea because the dress code is too formal for us (on a 7 day cruise 1 formal night and 3 informal nights that require jackets for men). Crystal has a less formal dress code - on a 7 day cruise all evenings are Crystal Casual. Windstar evenings are always casual elegance. The Regent dress code looks more similar to Crystal and Windstar with Elegant Casual for all nights on cruises 14 days or shorter. Thank you for the informative reply. Would love to hear from you on your experience on Crystal when you get back. Does Windstar belong to the same luxury category as Siversea? What is most important to me is the cabin being spacious and comfortable with all the updated amenities and also the itinerary and excursions. Food quality and options as well, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted July 14, 2017 Author #10 Share Posted July 14, 2017 The experience on a luxury line will be different then on Celebrity. I have sailed Celebrity, Silversea and Crystal in Alaska. Had a great time on all the lines but the luxury lines does make the on board experience quite nice. I am a believer to begin with itinerary. Figure out in advance things such as where in Alaska you want to sail and other things such as length of cruise. Then start looking at itineraries. If Glacier Bay is important to you that will rule out Celebrity. Often luxury lines stop at some (not all but some) ports that mainstream cruise lines don't stop at but that is also a factor of the length of the cruise. If you find itineraries across multiple lines (I think you will) then read member reviews and study the cruise lines web sites. The web site will tell you a lot including what is included with the cruise fare and other things such as pricing, room sizes what the line emphasizes etc. Keith Thank you Keith. Pardon my ignorance --What about Glacier Bay that is so nice ? More on itinerary-- would it be better to start from Vancouver or Seattle? Both are a long way from where we live - Singapore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlsess Posted July 14, 2017 #11 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Silver Shadow doesn't sound too promising. What about the cabin -- is it spacious and comfortable and updated? And the excursions -- are they well taylored and reasonably priced? We weren't in the room that much but it was fine. I'm sure there are larger suites though. I booked all excursions myself bc we had a group of 12 and it was less $$$... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new_cruiser Posted July 14, 2017 #12 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Thank you for the informative reply. Would love to hear from you on your experience on Crystal when you get back. Does Windstar belong to the same luxury category as Siversea? What is most important to me is the cabin being spacious and comfortable with all the updated amenities and also the itinerary and excursions. Food quality and options as well, of course. I'm no expert on the categories, but generally, I think, Windstar is considered "premium" which is a category between the mainstream lines and "luxury". They aren't all inclusive - mainly that shows up in there being a gratuity charge added to your bill and alcohol being paid by the drink/bottle (but there are alcohol packages available). All non-alcoholic drinks were included. Neither of those makes a difference to me. They have a very reasonably priced laundry package - for our recent 7-day, it was $109 per cabin to get all our laundry done. Loved that as we had time on land before and after and it took care of all our laundry needs for the trip. They have two kinds of "yachts". Their 3 original sail yachts and 3 motor yachts which were bought from Seabourn. One of the motor yachts is doing the Alaska cruises. The motor yachts have large cabins that include a couch and chairs in a sitting area and a bathroom with a tub (277 sq ft). So for the Alaska cruises the cabins are large. The sailing ships have more compact cabins (188 sq ft) - I find them to be well laid out and appointed so they are comfortable but they aren't spacious). Both kinds of ships have a small number of larger suites. On both kinds of ships, there is plenty of public space so I never feel crowded. There isn't much entertainment. A small duo that plays, usually one night that they bring on local dancers, that sort of thing. There is enough space in the main dining room to seat everyone at once. It is open dining and you can ask to be seated by yourself or to share a table with other couples. We did the latter being seated with one or two other couples and quite enjoyed their company. The food was very good to excellent. One of the best things was the local food that the chef bought in each port. There was a local fresh fish offered each night. The breakfast and lunch venue is buffet plus menu items that you can order. The Yacht club has coffee drinks, early riser's breakfast and snacks (e.g. small sandwiches) throughout the day. There is a specialty restaurant, Candles, which is an al fresco grill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted March 23, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted March 23, 2018 We have decided to do the Alaska cruise on Silver Muse, and would appreciate recommendations on outside private tours for shore excursions at the following ports please:- 1) Ketchikan 2) Juneau 3) Skagway 4) Sitka 5) Seward Recommendations on both tour operators at these towns as well as recommendations on what excursions to take would be much appreciated. Thank you. Cheili Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Coral Posted March 23, 2018 #14 Share Posted March 23, 2018 We have decided to do the Alaska cruise on Silver Muse, and would appreciate recommendations on outside private tours for shore excursions at the following ports please:-1) Ketchikan 2) Juneau 3) Skagway 4) Sitka 5) Seward Recommendations on both tour operators at these towns as well as recommendations on what excursions to take would be much appreciated. Thank you. Cheili Does it go to a glacier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new_cruiser Posted March 23, 2018 #15 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The one way Silversea cruises include Hubbard Glacier. The Vancouver round trips don't have a glacier day. (At least that's what I saw looking at some of their 2018 itineraries. Sent from my Pixel using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted March 23, 2018 Author #16 Share Posted March 23, 2018 The itinerary includes inside passage and cruise to Hubbard Glacier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleRocker Posted March 29, 2018 #17 Share Posted March 29, 2018 The experience on a luxury line will be different then on Celebrity. I have sailed Celebrity, Silversea and Crystal in Alaska. Had a great time on all the lines but the luxury lines does make the on board experience quite nice. I am a believer to begin with itinerary. Figure out in advance things such as where in Alaska you want to sail and other things such as length of cruise. Then start looking at itineraries. If Glacier Bay is important to you that will rule out Celebrity. Often luxury lines stop at some (not all but some) ports that mainstream cruise lines don't stop at but that is also a factor of the length of the cruise. If you find itineraries across multiple lines (I think you will) then read member reviews and study the cruise lines web sites. The web site will tell you a lot including what is included with the cruise fare and other things such as pricing, room sizes what the line emphasizes etc. Keith Agree with all of the above. Itinerary is key, but many are similar, so if you find some on various lines that are acceptable and can spring for Silversea, I recommend it. We did Silversea in May 2014, Seward to Vancouver on the Silver Shadow, and loved it. We had done Alaska cruises previously on RCI, Holland America (twice), and Celebrity. The Silversea cruise was one of our favorites, with the one downside that it did not go to Glacier Bay (which I consider a must do if you only can go on one Alaska cruise). It did go to Sitka, which many do not, and Sitka is wonderful - I prefer it over many of the typical port stops. We really enjoyed the Silver Shadow - a bit older but a comfortable ship. We had a regular verandah room, which I thought was great, plenty spacious and comfy (balcony is kinda small though). We usually get suites on the other lines, and our Silver Shadow verandah room (tho much smaller) soundly bested them in two respects: a nice walk in closet; and a huge, fabulous marble bathroom, much nicer than any I have had on even high level suites on other lines. Not to be weird about it, but that bathroom was really great, has spoiled me for other lines. Our attendant also was great; indeed, the service all around was very high caliber. Example: when we got back from our day in Sitka, waiting for me was a filled bath with votive (electric) candles and rose petals strewn all around (I felt very pampered), which I understand is standard. I was not expecting it and it was a nice touch. We found the food to be fine - not amazing, but good enough (and we loved the specialty Italian restaurant, very good). Perhaps the lavish free drinks helped, but we were content with it all. So, start with itinerary and then winnow by lines. Assuming price is an issue (as it is for most of us), and assuming we are talking about a 7-night trip, I would rather devote money to excursions than a fancy room or line (that said, I would go with HAL or Celebrity over RCI). Alaska is all about the outdoors experiences, of which there are many and they are glorious. I hope you have a wonderful trip (notwithstanding my out of date signature, we are going again (6th time, if that tells you something) on June 24, 2018, on a HAL Seward to Vancouver trip). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted March 29, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted March 29, 2018 Agree with all of the above. Itinerary is key, but many are similar, so if you find some on various lines that are acceptable and can spring for Silversea, I recommend it. We did Silversea in May 2014, Seward to Vancouver on the Silver Shadow, and loved it. We had done Alaska cruises previously on RCI, Holland America (twice), and Celebrity. The Silversea cruise was one of our favorites, with the one downside that it did not go to Glacier Bay (which I consider a must do if you only can go on one Alaska cruise). It did go to Sitka, which many do not, and Sitka is wonderful - I prefer it over many of the typical port stops. We really enjoyed the Silver Shadow - a bit older but a comfortable ship. We had a regular verandah room, which I thought was great, plenty spacious and comfy (balcony is kinda small though). We usually get suites on the other lines, and our Silver Shadow verandah room (tho much smaller) soundly bested them in two respects: a nice walk in closet; and a huge, fabulous marble bathroom, much nicer than any I have had on even high level suites on other lines. Not to be weird about it, but that bathroom was really great, has spoiled me for other lines. Our attendant also was great; indeed, the service all around was very high caliber. Example: when we got back from our day in Sitka, waiting for me was a filled bath with votive (electric) candles and rose petals strewn all around (I felt very pampered), which I understand is standard. I was not expecting it and it was a nice touch. We found the food to be fine - not amazing, but good enough (and we loved the specialty Italian restaurant, very good). Perhaps the lavish free drinks helped, but we were content with it all. So, start with itinerary and then winnow by lines. Assuming price is an issue (as it is for most of us), and assuming we are talking about a 7-night trip, I would rather devote money to excursions than a fancy room or line (that said, I would go with HAL or Celebrity over RCI). Alaska is all about the outdoors experiences, of which there are many and they are glorious. I hope you have a wonderful trip (notwithstanding my out of date signature, we are going again (6th time, if that tells you something) on June 24, 2018, on a HAL Seward to Vancouver trip). Thank you EagleRocker for the informative comments. Pardon my ignorance as this would be my first Alaska cruise — is cruising inside passage the same as cruising Glacier Bay? How are the shore excursions offered by Silversea? Are they of high quality and competitive pricing? Would you recommend us to take their shore excursions or find independent providers? I would also welcome your suggestions on excursions since you have done several cruises already 😊 Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EagleRocker Posted April 6, 2018 #19 Share Posted April 6, 2018 Thank you EagleRocker for the informative comments. Pardon my ignorance as this would be my first Alaska cruise — is cruising inside passage the same as cruising Glacier Bay?How are the shore excursions offered by Silversea? Are they of high quality and competitive pricing? Would you recommend us to take their shore excursions or find independent providers? I would also welcome your suggestions on excursions since you have done several cruises already 😊 Thanks in advance! Sorry, have not had a chance to look at the Boards for a while. Glacier Bay is not the same thing as an Inside Passage cruise, tho an Inside Passage cruise might include a day in Glacier Bay. Access to Glacier Bay is limited and only a few big cruise lines are granted the rights to access it in a given year. Right now, Holland America can do so but I forget which other line can. I am having trouble remembering which shore excursions we took through Silversea. I know we did a wonderful one through them in Sitka, in which you go on a big zodiac style boat -- very fast, holds around 10 people or so, you have to wear a Coast Guard style suit they give you -- and look for birds, wildlife. It was exhilarating. I have seen that excursion offered by other lines like Regent - I suspect the pricing is similar across lines. We may not have done other excursions through Silversea given that we have gone many times before and just decided to do other things on our own. We often find independent providers, some of whom offer the same excursions that are on offer through the cruise line. Sorry not to be of more help on this question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheili Posted April 7, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted April 7, 2018 Thank you EagleRocker, you have been very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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