Bye Bye Silversea Cruises

[Tothesunset]

This thread shows the difficulty of expressing an opinion that is critical of the line. Even to the point where someone suggested that if you don't like it go somewhere else - that's exactly what you said you were doing in the first post! 

 

So, and I hope others agree, I hope others won't be reluctant to state their opinions and that those that have had a different experience can state that without rancour. 

 

Sometimes you'd think SS walks on water. 

[saminina]

Wrapping up seven days on Muse.   The OP states his opinion and I basically concur.   The cheerleaders for any cruise line will be.......cheerleaders regardless.  

 

I'm walking away happy.   But it has nothing to do the food that has been served.   It has nothing to do with the new bath towels on board.  It has nothing to do with so many obvious cuts.   There have been  some upgrades. 

[turtlemichael]

2 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

This thread shows the difficulty of expressing an opinion that is critical of the line. Even to the point where someone suggested that if you don't like it go somewhere else - that's exactly what you said you were doing in the first post! 

 

So, and I hope others agree, I hope others won't be reluctant to state their opinions and that those that have had a different experience can state that without rancour. 

 

Sometimes you'd think SS walks on water. 

I'm not at all averse to anyone stating what they see as inadequacies or failings of Silversea. By putting their views here they invite debate and disagreement. That is all fine and its the nature of an internet forum. I've done it myself. But my question is how many times do you need to do it essentially repeating the same points in the same thread?  I think that your point that a reaction to, and disagreement with, negative comments may discourage others from stating their opinions is categorically  disproved by history.

[Yankeeclipper1]

7 hours ago, turtlemichael said:

 But how long do we need to go on with it? 

 

4 hours ago, turtlemichael said:

But my question is how many times do you need to do it essentially repeating the same points in the same thread?  

 

 Interesting, so - 70 people can post, respond, agree, disagree, misread, mislead, misinterpret or say whatever they want - but I respond to my own thread to put it back to my original point and I am torturing you?  With all due respect, you do not have “to go on with anything - don’t read it. I  responded 4 times to clarify a point. I repeated my point - twice. Since most responses had gotten far away from my original point it is my prerogative to restate or clarify it. If it’s too much for you to bear then don’t read, or ask the question of your fellow Silversea-ites - how long will they continue to post?  Or do you prefer to be the arbiter of what is too much conversation.  Don’t we have enough of those these days?

[ggo85]

Not food but beverages.  We’re on Moon and they ran out of Diet Coke and Coke Zero 5 days into a 10-day cruise.  Sorry, but that is really not acceptable.  I could see running out the last day, but halfway through!!  I thought when we stopped in the major port of Oslo, they might be able to procure enough for the last 2 days.  Nope.

 

i realize this may not be a huge deal to some, but for others, it’s equivalent to running out of champagne with 5 days to go. I’m not aware of any worldwide shortage of diet soda, so I’m ascribing it to poor planning. 
 

Of course, it didn’t ruin my cruise, but I found it surprising and disappointing. 

 

[mofrances]

36 minutes ago, ggo85 said:

Not food but beverages.  We’re on Moon and they ran out of Diet Coke and Coke Zero 5 days into a 10-day cruise.  Sorry, but that is really not acceptable.  I could see running out the last day, but halfway through!!  I thought when we stopped in the major port of Oslo, they might be able to procure enough for the last 2 days.  Nope.

 

i realize this may not be a huge deal to some, but for others, it’s equivalent to running out of champagne with 5 days to go. I’m not aware of any worldwide shortage of diet soda, so I’m ascribing it to poor planning. 
 

Of course, it didn’t ruin my cruise, but I found it surprising and disappointing. 

 

 

Oh my gosh - this would be a complete dealbreaker for me! I am with you all the way ggo85! To me that is like running out of coffee...completely unacceptable. I may have resorted to purchasing my own stash in Oslo if that happened. Very scary thought for a total Diet Coke addict...😁

[Gourmet Gal]

I find balanced critiques of any aspect of cruising appropriate and helpful here on Cruise Critic.
 

Yankeeclipper, thanks for elaborating.  I agree that SS food and bev does not measure up to RC, FS or especially Peninsula but then, honestly, which cruiselines are Peninsula caliber?  That’s a high hurtle but I would love to know.  I’ve sailed on only 3 older SS ships and am booked on the Moon this Fall.  I wonder if others can comment if there are differences in the quality if food on the various ships.  The Moon seems to have garnered some very positive reviews related to food.

 

Hope your RC cruising meets your expectation.  I booked with them pre-Covid and it’s been so delayed we gave up and cancelled.  Now I don’t see any interesting itineraries but the ship looks beautiful.

Edited July 14, 2022 by Gourmet Gal

[cece50]

Appreciate your thoughts on Culinary situation on SS.  We have only done one SS cruise and the food was very good but certainly not up to the standards of the fine cuisine you were expecting.  Not sure why you were expecting it, as we were not.  We did expect very good food but that was it.  Certain dishes at La Dame we’re a cut above. We are not sailing at this time due to uncertainty regarding Covid restrictions on board, but for the price of a cruise  we rented a gorgeous villa outside of Cortona in Tuscany with a full time chef for 20 people for a full week and Francesco’s farm to table meals would put a Michelin star to shame.  Cruising at this time is not the place if you are looking for a foody experience IMHO.  

[ggo85]

We are just finishing SS for the first time and we thought the food was uniformly excellent.  The lobster in Atlantide was among the best I’ve had - and I lived in Maine for 3 years.  I thought the variety and quality were higher than we had on Crystal.  Of course, we aren’t foodies, so probably not the harshest critics.  

[Gourmet Gal]

Gogo, which ship?

[Yankeeclipper1]

49 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

 I agree that SS food and bev does not measure up to RC, FS or especially Peninsula but then, honestly, which cruiselines are Peninsula caliber?  That’s a high hurtle but I would love to know. 

Hope your RC cruising meets your expectation.  I booked with them pre-Covid and it’s been so delayed we gave up and cancelled.  

 

Thanks Gourmet Gal.  I'll respond at the risk of causing some to endure this thread some more 😁.  I should have been clearer, the RC, FS Peninsula mentioned was just illustrative and was meant to indicate hotel levels - the restaurant mentions were for food levels - basically good steakhouse/seafood levels.  I actually feel that these luxury cruise lines in many aspects come close to those hotels (as best as possible), especially similar to RC and FS - no complaint about the various ships.  Can't wait to see how the RC ship pans out.  The 3 new RSSC ships are over the top in décor. Everywhere you look is a sensory feast of fabrics, woods, marbles, stones, art - too much for some, great for others.  Itinerary is not our priority but I would give RSSC a try. Research the newest videos first and the 3 newer ships.  

[Silver Spectre]

Interesting to see Costco mentioned in an SS thread, definitely a first and maybe a sign of things to come.

[ggo85]

We’re on Moon. Overall, we’ve really enjoyed it.  

[Texas Tillie]

1 hour ago, Silver Spectre said:

Interesting to see Costco mentioned in an SS thread, definitely a first and maybe a sign of things to come.

 

In the US, Costco is considered much "higher end" than Sam's Club. I can assure you that it would not be surprising to find Silversea cruisers shopping there!

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, Texas Tillie said:

 

In the US, Costco is considered much "higher end" than Sam's Club. I can assure you that it would not be surprising to find Silversea cruisers shopping there!

It’s on a par with Lidl and Aldi here. So that’s well below Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, let alone Marks and Waitrose. And what on earth is Sam’s Club?

[Gourmet Gal]

I’m a Target shopper for household supplies.  I cannot stand those towering piles of bulk packages looming over the poorly lit warehouse aisles at Costco, not to mention those giant carts!

[RetiredandTravel]

4 hours ago, cece50 said:

Cruising at this time is not the place if you are looking for a foody experience IMHO.  

 

Definitely seems to be the case, but they are a great way to get to certain areas.  I think Red Lobster would have been a better comparison than Olive Garden and I love Costco.  Recently bought a Chateauneuf du Pape that was rated #3 wine of the year by the wine spectator for $50, cheapest you could find it in a wine store was $100.   Costco has great wines at great prices, you just have to buy what they have always find decent wines.  Can't beat the $1.50 hot dog but they aren't good for you.  😏

 

 

 

 

[Yankeeclipper1]

18 minutes ago, Silver Spectre said:

It’s on a par with Lidl and Aldi here. So that’s well below Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, let alone Marks and Waitrose. And what on earth is Sam’s Club?

On the one hand you find it interesting to mention Costco as if bargain basement - but yet don't flinch at the mention of Olive Garden (low end Italian eatery) - I flinch at Olive Garden 😆.  When I lived in London/Putney for 4 years we used the Costco UK a lot - different than Costco here.  You would be surprised at who shops at Costco in US (maybe through the back door though).  Sam's Club is Walmart - Costco is a different species.  Loved Waitrose BTW.

[RetiredandTravel]

33 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

I’m a Target shopper for household supplies.  I cannot stand those towering piles of bulk packages looming over the poorly lit warehouse aisles at Costco, not to mention those giant carts!

 

Target?  How low budget.  Costco rules, much higher class clientele. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 minutes ago, RetiredandTravel said:

 

Target?  How low budget.  Costco rules, much higher class clientele. 

Tar-zhay, if you please!

[HPfoodie]

2 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

It’s on a par with Lidl and Aldi here. So that’s well below Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, let alone Marks and Waitrose.

In your opinion! Can’t quite believe how ridiculous your comment is. I would also shop at all of those other supermarkets - have you actually been into them all? If you are selective, you can get some quality items in them all. FYI the Telegraph particularly recommended an Asda own brand sun cream as one of the safest/best in the market. Both Aldi & Lidl sell their own brand delicious continental chocolate. And Costco sell some excellent meat as well as other goods. Maybe I’m just a savvy shopper. 
 

[Texas Tillie]

3 hours ago, Silver Spectre said:

It’s on a par with Lidl and Aldi here. So that’s well below Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury, let alone Marks and Waitrose. And what on earth is Sam’s Club?

 

As I understand it, those are just grocery stores. Costco and Sam's Club (owned by Walmart) are what we call warehouse clubs. They sell food, but many other items, often in bulk. You could go in and purchase tires for your car, patio furniture, a diamond ring, a giant bag of coffee and really good deals on very drinkable wine.

[Silver Spectre]

1 hour ago, HPfoodie said:

In your opinion! Can’t quite believe how ridiculous your comment is. I would also shop at all of those other supermarkets - have you actually been into them all? If you are selective, you can get some quality items in them all. FYI the Telegraph particularly recommended an Asda own brand sun cream as one of the safest/best in the market. Both Aldi & Lidl sell their own brand delicious continental chocolate. And Costco sell some excellent meat as well as other goods. Maybe I’m just a savvy shopper. 
 

I certainly have. Must say I’m a wee bit surprised that the Torygraph makes it that far north 😎

[Silver Spectre]

3 hours ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

On the one hand you find it interesting to mention Costco as if bargain basement - but yet don't flinch at the mention of Olive Garden (low end Italian eatery) - I flinch at Olive Garden 😆.  When I lived in London/Putney for 4 years we used the Costco UK a lot - different than Costco here.  You would be surprised at who shops at Costco in US (maybe through the back door though).  Sam's Club is Walmart - Costco is a different species.  Loved Waitrose BTW.

That’s because in all my years of travel in the US I have never come across an Olive Garden. I assumed it was a bit like Denny’s. All becomes clear now that you have admitted to living south of the river 🤣

[Daveywavey70]

I’m certainly not a cheerleader in any way of any line. I am however a pragmatist. I Did take a cruise in January (not SS) despite my friends questioning my sanity for doing so. I Set out upon my adventure not expecting perfection given the current global situation, but with the attitude that I was going to enjoy every available  minute and experience as much as I was able to. Setting sail with those expectations, I was pleasantly surprised every day. I Had an absolute ball.  Had I set sail with the attitude that I was paying for and expected perfection, especially in a very difficult world  then I would have been very disappointed with my holiday. How anybody can expect to have such specific demands met fully on a ship, during the current global circumstances makes me wonder how much they intended to enjoy their cruise at the outset, especially if they have lived in Putney.