Has Silversea Really Changed That Much?

[Lois R]

My next 2 trips are outside of Silversea too........;going on Celebrity at the end May to Bermuda and then.......doing a land trip with 6 other gals to Jackson Hole, WY and the Grand Tetons. for a week at the end of June. Talk about a change😮. I am getting my own room though, so that part is still solo😀

[commodoredave]

2 hours ago, Lois R said:

My next 2 trips are outside of Silversea too........;going on Celebrity at the end May to Bermuda and then.......doing a land trip with 6 other gals to Jackson Hole, WY and the Grand Tetons. for a week at the end of June. Talk about a change😮. I am getting my own room though, so that part is still solo😀

We are also going to Bermuda in mid-May with Celebrity. If SS offered a similar itinerary, I still would have chosen Celebrity for several reasons including value. For me, this is an itinerary that doesn’t benefit enough from an ultra-luxury product and price.

[MBP&O2/O]

I agree with many on here in respect of a drop in overall standards across the board.
Our last SS cruise was straight after covid and it was a disaster. The staff on board etc tried their best but it was obvious that there was problems.  Corporate UK were a waste of space.
I would agree that covid was part of the cause but only part of it .... unless it caused the staff not to answer emails?
We elected to try Seabourn last year and were not impressed.  There was a similar issue in staff being shackled by head office but the experience did not match Silversea, especially with regard to F&B and the attitude / helpfulness of staff.
We have a Silversea one booked for later this year. No loyalty involved ... purely based on the itinerary! Certainly not based on the price😁
If they cancel the cruise (they seem to be doing this a lot) I am not sure that I would be overly annoyed😏

Circumstances now dictate that a couple of short haul city breaks but nothing over three days will be the best option.

What I find quite interesting is that the 'My beloved Silversea can do no wrong - criticism is not allowed' brigade are quiet in their defence of Silversea.😊
 

[fdnycruiser]

Am currently on the Oceania Vista on a TA from Miami to Rome. After several SS including the Nova last November, the food is much better on the Oceania. The MDR  is speoand can accommodate a large number . Rooms are smaller of course, but service has been quite good. We’ll be back on the SS in March for Capetown to Doha. We still book our cruises by intinerary and pricing, but will be looking more closely at Oceania in the future, especially the R class ships. As beautiful as Vista is,still not used to 1200 on a ship, although it hasn’t overly crowded 

[Hlitner]

On 4/1/2024 at 11:45 PM, turtlemichael said:

The OP was asking whether they would be disappointed on Silversea, compared with their last sailing 5 years ago, given the increased number of adverse comments in recent times. A perfectly reasonable question to me.  My last cruise was the World Cruise 2023 on Shadow. Prior to that it was a Pacific Island cruise on Muse in 2020 and the World Cruise in 2019 on Whisper. All were excellent in most respects. Of course, you'd expect a WC to be good given it is their premium product. The next is on Nova in November. I haven't deserted Silversea for anyone else. I've just done a lot less cruising as there are many other things on land to do and the attractions of cruising after 600+ days are fading.

 

Now, I'm interested to know what are the intentions of the many people here with significant adverse comments. Is it to move to another line, keep sailing with Silversea or cut back sailing overall? Is it so bad now, for the price, that you don't want to sail with Silversea any more? I'm particularly interested in the views of those who have done many trips on Silversea rather than just one, or even none. 

Your comment about cutting back on cruising because of 600+ days, got me thinking.  Over our 50 years of extensive cruising (on 18 different cruise lines) we have met a few others who would tell us they are tired or bored with cruising.  In nearly every case, these folks were very loyal to only 1 or 2 lines.  Although we also love independent land travel, our passion for cruising remains unchanged from when we started back in the 70s.  We think it has something do with our constant variety of cruise lines, itineraries, and ships.  Different cruise lines mean completely different menus, different entertainment, different atmosphere, etc.  

 

Hank

[DavyWavey70]

On 4/5/2024 at 10:00 PM, Lois R said:

My next 2 trips are outside of Silversea too........;going on Celebrity at the end May to Bermuda and then.......doing a land trip with 6 other gals to Jackson Hole, WY and the Grand Tetons. for a week at the end of June. Talk about a change😮. I am getting my own room though, so that part is still solo😀

I’m looking forward to hearing about your trip Lois. Despite being on a bigger ship in January just gone with obviously more passengers, I never felt for a moment that the service was in any way on X less than I’d received on SS.  I’m currently looking at a trip to Africa that involves an Azamara cruise too for next January. Silversea is offering me nothing at the moment as a solo for less than 100% surcharge. That’s bad enough with the previously incredible level of food that I’ve enjoyed in the past but if you want to charge me for 2 (overpriced) business class flights through badly planned routes, a nickel and dime taxi service that may or may not turn up and then may refuse me because I’ve got 2 cases, included excursions booked well in advance that will likely disappear and the only alternatives offered are a bus tour, and food that would likely spark a riot in a prison I’m giving them a wide berth (swerve) right now. I Hope you enjoy your X cruise as much as I enjoyed mine xxx

[commodoredave]

Currently on the Silver Muse in Japan. Today we decided to have lunch at the Pool Grill as we have always enjoyed their hamburgers as an occasional treat. Well, our burgers were a dissaster -- thin, over-cooked, and tastless. No, they weren't tastless -- they tasted of cardboard, cereal and ground paper towels mixed in with a smidgen of beef. Our waiter sent over a more senior person to opine on our complaint. Yes, he acknowledged that the current burgers were not even up to a McDonald's standard, but this was an outcome of the current provider of pre-formed, frozen burgers in Asia that the ship was buying from. "What happened to those nice plumb and juicy burgers formed  right on the ship," I asked. "Oh, we have been buying frozen, pre-formed burgers for a long time," he said. Well, if I wanted frozen, thin, tasteless and pre-formed burgers I would get them from Publix or Loblaws, and not pay USD$25,000 for a two-week cruise. But not to worry. Our waiter substituted the burger with a dry, tasteless piece of lamb. Why was it dry and tasteless? The senior person explained that it wasn't at noon when first brought out, but since we were there at 1:30 that's the way it is. I'm thinking maybe it's time for McDonald's to start a cruise line as some people on Silversea have a McDonald's mindset already. Photos below of our burger and lamb for you to enjoy.

 

Edited April 9 by commodoredave

[Fletcher]

2 hours ago, commodoredave said:

. . . he acknowledged that the current burgers were not even up to a McDonald's standard, but this was an outcome of the current provider of pre-formed, frozen burgers in Asia that the ship was buying from.

I'm shocked but not surprised that Silversea would serve that sort of  ultra-processed slaughterhouse slurry which is banned in the UK and Europe. I expect their chickens to have the same dubious 'provenance.' 

[jmmiva]

Last year I sailed SS Spirit in Greece and X Apex in the Caribbean; veranda suite and retreat sky suite.  Will admit the cost on SS was higher but the experience was higher as well.  There were several things that turned be off to X.  Dining was a hassle.  Very crowded and very difficult to get in a restaurant.  We tried not long after dining was available and could not get in many of the restaurants - never were able to on the boat as well.  Luminae got boring after a while.  And, usually a line and wait there as well.  Never got into Fine Cut, Raw on 5, Le Grand or the MCRide.  Tried to walk into Le Grand for lunch one day - restaurant practically empty but were turned away.  Dining is one of the best parts of a cruise - on SS I did not have any problem getting into all restaurants.  The other issue for me was crowds.  Getting on and off the boat was taxing.  Running track, gym, casino all shoulder to shoulder.  

[drron29]

Well it is mid cruise survey time again and once more we have missed out on getting it. The butler has a vested interest in our receiving it and once notified it appeared quickly.

Agree with the Grill at lunch. Went twice on first segment and will not go again. The food is not even second class.

 

But Indochine has become our favourite restaurant. Not only do they have a few more non spicy dishes they will take the heat out of some dishes but they will also 

add it for me. 
 

On top of that there has been an increase in the number of obnoxious passengers on this segment. The Maitre’D of Indochine copped a blast from a fellow on the first formal night who didn’t want to wear a tie or jacket. Initially accepted the provided jacket and tie that was offered but then threw them at the Maitre’D with an outburst that was borderline racist but certainly offensive.

 

So tonight on a casual night I arrived at Indochine on a casual night with a bow tie. I explained that if it was fine for those who don’t like formal nights to complain it was right for me to demonstrate that I indeed like those nights by dressing up on casual nights. I have made a new best friend in Indochine.

[commodoredave]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

Well it is mid cruise survey time again and once more we have missed out on getting it. The butler has a vested interest in our receiving it and once notified it appeared quickly.

Agree with the Grill at lunch. Went twice on first segment and will not go again. The food is not even second class.

 

But Indochine has become our favourite restaurant. Not only do they have a few more non spicy dishes they will take the heat out of some dishes but they will also 

add it for me. 
 

On top of that there has been an increase in the number of obnoxious passengers on this segment. The Maitre’D of Indochine copped a blast from a fellow on the first formal night who didn’t want to wear a tie or jacket. Initially accepted the provided jacket and tie that was offered but then threw them at the Maitre’D with an outburst that was borderline racist but certainly offensive.

 

So tonight on a casual night I arrived at Indochine on a casual night with a bow tie. I explained that if it was fine for those who don’t like formal nights to complain it was right for me to demonstrate that I indeed like those nights by dressing up on casual nights. I have made a new best friend in Indochine.

Glad to see you are demonstrating the class that a fellow passenger does not have. There is no excuse for treating any crew member in the manner you described and if I were Captain they would have received an official warning. 
I no longer travel long distances with tuxedos, but I do bring a navy blue suit that I can also mix and match with other items for the informal nights. 

[Tothesunset]

45 minutes ago, commodoredave said:

Glad to see you are demonstrating the class that a fellow passenger does not have. There is no excuse for treating any crew member in the manner you described and if I were Captain they would have received an official warning. 
I no longer travel long distances with tuxedos, but I do bring a navy blue suit that I can also mix and match with other items for the informal nights. 

Even that is too difficult for those turning into McSilversea. 

[commodoredave]

More fun this morning in the over-engineered La Terrazza for breakfast:

1. DW asks table waiter if we order boiled eggs through him or get at the buffet 

2. Waiter says at the buffet 

3. We go to buffet and ask for 2 soft-boiled eggs each.

4. Buffet waiter says they only serve hard boiled eggs and we have to order soft from table waiter

5. Back to table and order 4 soft boiled eggs

6. 10 minutes later waiter arrives to inform us that only 2 soft-boiled eggs were sent from kitchen so he has sent them back

7. 2 minutes later 2 soft boiled eggs arrive from another waiter who is surprised we didn’t get the other two a few minutes ago

8. Don’t worry, we say, just give us 1 egg each

9. We both slice open the tops of our egg shells to discover they are completely raw and the yolk inside not even broken

10. We notify waiter who expresses frustration with kitchen and kindly offers to restart the whole ordering process 

11. Having now been at our table for half an hour without food, we decline and instead go to Atlantide for a lovely and stress-free breakfast served promptly and correctly
12. If you are on the Muse and find 4 soft boiled eggs, they belong to us and are not part of last month’s Easter Egg hunt 

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

DW always went to La Terrazza for breakfast.  I always went to The Restaurant [on Whisper].  Neither of us could understand why the other did this...  [Which just proves Ogden Nash's observation that "marriage is a legal and religious alliance entered into by a man who can't sleep with the window shut and a woman who can't sleep with the window open."  😀]

[Looking 4Answers]

On 4/9/2024 at 2:28 AM, commodoredave said:

Well, if I wanted frozen, thin, tasteless and pre-formed burgers I would get them from Publix or Loblaws, and not pay USD$25,000 for a two-week cruise. But not to worry. Our waiter substituted the burger with a dry, tasteless piece of lamb. Why was it dry and tasteless? The senior person explained that it wasn't at noon when first brought out, but since we were there at 1:30 that's the way it is. I'm thinking maybe it's time for McDonald's to start a cruise line as some people on Silversea have a McDonald's mindset already.

To be fair, you're selling McDonald's short. They would never let anything sit out for an hour and half.

[commodoredave]

2 hours ago, Looking 4Answers said:

To be fair, you're selling McDonald's short. They would never let anything sit out for an hour and half.

You are correct, and therefore I offer my humble apologies to McDonalds!

[commodoredave]

I miss my toast in the morning on the Muse. On just about every cruise ship we’ve ever been on, we’ve been able to choose a slice of bread from the buffet and have it toasted in less than a minute right in front of us by the buffet waiter. And take it back to our table for buttering while still hot. Yum!

But on the Muse, toast can only be ordered from a table waiter, which means a significant wait for it to arrive, lukewarm and if I wait for it after getting my breakfast it too is then cold. 

But after several days of frustration, I am now ordering my toast before going to the buffet, waiting for it to arrive, and then getting my breakfast. The toast is still cold, but not my breakfast.

It’s just great when a cruise ship takes something that has worked well for decades, changes it for the worse, and can’t deliver on the new process. Let’s hope this change doesn’t spread to other SS ships.

[texanaust]

1 hour ago, commodoredave said:

I miss my toast in the morning on the Muse. On just about every cruise ship we’ve ever been on, we’ve been able to choose a slice of bread from the buffet and have it toasted in less than a minute right in front of us by the buffet waiter. And take it back to our table for buttering while still hot. Yum!

But on the Muse, toast can only be ordered from a table waiter, which means a significant wait for it to arrive, lukewarm and if I wait for it after getting my breakfast it too is then cold. 

But after several days of frustration, I am now ordering my toast before going to the buffet, waiting for it to arrive, and then getting my breakfast. The toast is still cold, but not my breakfast.

It’s just great when a cruise ship takes something that has worked well for decades, changes it for the worse, and can’t deliver on the new process. Let’s hope this change doesn’t spread to other SS ships.

 

Have you taken your concerns to the F&B manager or the HD?  Also, can you not order a freshly made ground beef burger?  Surely they have the ingredients onboard to make a decent burger (which should be standard for any 6-star cruise line).

 

 

[commodoredave]

4 minutes ago, texanaust said:

 

Have you taken your concerns to the F&B manager or the HD?  Also, can you not order a freshly made ground beef burger?  Surely they have the ingredients onboard to make a decent burger (which should be standard for any 6-star cruise line).

 

 

I put my comments in the mid-cruise survey but have yet to hear anything. While the pool grill will not make fresh burgers, I will try your suggestion in La Terrazza and Atlantide and report back. But if I choke on another burger, you will be hearing from my attorney!

[ak1004]

6 hours ago, commodoredave said:

I miss my toast in the morning on the Muse. On just about every cruise ship we’ve ever been on, we’ve been able to choose a slice of bread from the buffet and have it toasted in less than a minute right in front of us by the buffet waiter. And take it back to our table for buttering while still hot. Yum!

But on the Muse, toast can only be ordered from a table waiter, which means a significant wait for it to arrive, lukewarm and if I wait for it after getting my breakfast it too is then cold. 

But after several days of frustration, I am now ordering my toast before going to the buffet, waiting for it to arrive, and then getting my breakfast. The toast is still cold, but not my breakfast.

It’s just great when a cruise ship takes something that has worked well for decades, changes it for the worse, and can’t deliver on the new process. Let’s hope this change doesn’t spread to other SS ships.

 

We found the service at breakfast in La Terrazza very inconsistent. It was consistently inconsistent on both our SS cruises, the Dawn and the Spirit. The idea of ordering some items like omelet from a waiter instead of standing in line is good, but the implementation is terrible. Sometimes we waited 15-20 minutes for some of those items. Also many times I had to wait a long time for Perrier (it was almost like they have to bring it from another ship), so at some point I gave up and just settled for their "in house" soda, which is pretty bad compared to Perrier. Around mid cruise they ran out of Perrier and Pellegrino anyway.. 

 

I was very surprised to experience such basic service issues on an ultra luxury line.

[Gourmet Gal]

4 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

I was very surprised to experience such basic service issues on an ultra luxury line.

A people have been worried that any relaxing of the dress code would erode the luxury experience.  Lately, many posts would indicate that SS is doing a good job of eroding the experience in so many other ways.  Really disappointing.

[ak1004]

50 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

A people have been worried that any relaxing of the dress code would erode the luxury experience.  Lately, many posts would indicate that SS is doing a good job of eroding the experience in so many other ways.  Really disappointing.

 

I could never understand how dress code is related to luxury experience.

 

According to this statement, Cunard is much more luxury than Regent or Seabourn..

[Gourmet Gal]

1 minute ago, ak1004 said:

 

I could never understand how dress code is related to luxury experience.

 

According to this statement, Cunard is much more luxury than Regent or Seabourn..

I agree that dress code does not define the luxury experience but many people have been so focused on that element.  Seems there’s far more to worry about now with SS.

[canderson]

8 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I could never understand how dress code is related to luxury experience.

The explanation has been provided several times, but evidently forgotten.

 

[tinaincc]

On 4/9/2024 at 6:39 AM, jmmiva said:

Last year I sailed SS Spirit in Greece and X Apex in the Caribbean; veranda suite and retreat sky suite.  Will admit the cost on SS was higher but the experience was higher as well.  There were several things that turned be off to X.  Dining was a hassle.  Very crowded and very difficult to get in a restaurant.  We tried not long after dining was available and could not get in many of the restaurants - never were able to on the boat as well.  Luminae got boring after a while.  And, usually a line and wait there as well.  Never got into Fine Cut, Raw on 5, Le Grand or the MCRide.  Tried to walk into Le Grand for lunch one day - restaurant practically empty but were turned away.  Dining is one of the best parts of a cruise - on SS I did not have any problem getting into all restaurants.  The other issue for me was crowds.  Getting on and off the boat was taxing.  Running track, gym, casino all shoulder to shoulder.  

Are you sure you were on Apex?  We were on last Summer as well and ate at Fine cut 2x, Eden 2x and Raw on 5 for 4 lunches. Le Grande bistro was only available for lunch and we did it once. I agree that Lumine became boring but I would say the food and ambiance on Apex was great.  What is MCRIDE?