Newbie review of Silver Wind cruise

Just began posting in this forum recently, and thought I'd share my cruise experience. My husband and I have cruised on about 15 ocean cruises, on the bigger ships. We recently have sailed on 2 European river cruises, which we just loved. So we wanted to see what sailing on a small ocean cruise vessel was like.

We just got back from a 10-night Caribbean cruise on the Silver Wind. It met and exceeded our expectations. Here are some specific thoughts:

The crew: Most reviews I read led me to believe that the crew would be outstanding, and it was. They not only tried to meet expectations but exceed them and even anticipate them. Truly the best crew experience we've ever had.

The ship: I really liked the design of the Wind. Our balcony suite was spacious and well designed. The linens on the bed were incredible! There are some places where there were some wear and tear, but overall, I thought the ship was in very good shape.

The experience: This truly struck me as a luxury experience. The embarkation process was SO different from the massive cruise ships! No lines, champagne to greet you, etc. And room service was also very different. Yes, they had a set menu, but if you dined during one of the meal times in the main dining room, you could have anything from that menu, too. And your butler really set up your table well in your room. And just the little things the crew would remember about you made it very special.

The food: This was the best food experience we've had. Le Champagne was fantastic. And La Terrazza may have been my husband's favorite. We were very impressed with the variety and quality of the food. And I was also impressed with the wine selections each lunch and dinner, and liked that you could order any of the wines they had served at previous meals if you preferred. My husband was not as impressed with breakfast, but breakfast is hard to be as impressive IMO!

Anyway, sad to be back, but loved the cruise. We will definitely be back!

Thanks for the report.

Thanks for your report. We are considering a Wind cruise in 2017 and reading comments such as those of the OP lends weight to our intentions.

Many thanks for your review.

Really looking forward for our Wind trip in 4 weeks even more. Anyways nice to read all the positives...... were there any negatives at all?

Thank you so much. This makes us feel so much better about our trip in Aug.The Wind has had so many negative reviews lately:) we were getting worried.

I guess no issues with air conditioning.

Just began posting in this forum recently, and thought I'd share my cruise experience. My husband and I have cruised on about 15 ocean cruises, on the bigger ships. We recently have sailed on 2 European river cruises, which we just loved. So we wanted to see what sailing on a small ocean cruise vessel was like.

 

We just got back from a 10-night Caribbean cruise on the Silver Wind. It met and exceeded our expectations. Here are some specific thoughts:

 

The crew: Most reviews I read led me to believe that the crew would be outstanding, and it was. They not only tried to meet expectations but exceed them and even anticipate them. Truly the best crew experience we've ever had.

 

The ship: I really liked the design of the Wind. Our balcony suite was spacious and well designed. The linens on the bed were incredible! There are some places where there were some wear and tear, but overall, I thought the ship was in very good shape.

 

The experience: This truly struck me as a luxury experience. The embarkation process was SO different from the massive cruise ships! No lines, champagne to greet you, etc. And room service was also very different. Yes, they had a set menu, but if you dined during one of the meal times in the main dining room, you could have anything from that menu, too. And your butler really set up your table well in your room. And just the little things the crew would remember about you made it very special.

 

The food: This was the best food experience we've had. Le Champagne was fantastic. And La Terrazza may have been my husband's favorite. We were very impressed with the variety and quality of the food. And I was also impressed with the wine selections each lunch and dinner, and liked that you could order any of the wines they had served at previous meals if you preferred. My husband was not as impressed with breakfast, but breakfast is hard to be as impressive IMO!

 

Anyway, sad to be back, but loved the cruise. We will definitely be back!

Your review sounds interesting, was on the WIND 22 Dec for holiday cruise they could have done a better job being a LUXURY cruise line but we are booked 5/31 lis-lon on the WIND hoping for the best

Your review sounds interesting, was on the WIND 22 Dec for holiday cruise they could have done a better job being a LUXURY cruise line but we are booked 5/31 lis-lon on the WIND hoping for the best

You simply can't fail to enjoy the final part of your cruise as it twists and turns its way up the Thames on 11 June in front of the cheering crowds and lifting of Tower Bridge. I'll be there watching, just as I was on the 7th June last year for Silver Cloud, before departing on her on the 8th. An extra special location for me as I work in a building about 50m from where she berths next to the HMS Belfast with a desk view that overlooks.

This'll be a taster for you -

Oh - and a special londoners tip....

Get yourself booked to go up the walkie talkie building after you arrive - to "sky garden" which will give you spectacular views looking down on the Wind and it costs nothing. Much better than the £39 view from the Shard rip off. http://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit It needs to be booked in advance - and dates are released each monday - see keep your eye on the site for your dates.

It was magical for me anyway!

You simply can't fail to enjoy the final part of your cruise as it twists and turns its way up the Thames on 11 June in front of the cheering crowds and lifting of Tower Bridge. I'll be there watching, just as I was on the 7th June last year for Silver Cloud, before departing on her on the 8th. An extra special location for me as I work in a building about 50m from where she berths next to the HMS Belfast with a desk view that overlooks.

 

This'll be a taster for you -

 

Oh - and a special londoners tip....

 

Get yourself booked to go up the walkie talkie building after you arrive - to "sky garden" which will give you spectacular views looking down on the Wind and it costs nothing. Much better than the £39 view from the Shard rip off. http://skygarden.london/plan-your-visit It needs to be booked in advance - and dates are released each monday - see keep your eye on the site for your dates.

 

from your hotel room!

 

It was magical for me anyway!

WOW sounds great but the Wind is set to arrive on June 11 at 8pm the sky garden closes at 9 pm, but many many thanks for your idea it sounds like a wonderful experience

Haven't been on the Wind in years. Really looking forward to it. Thank you! [emoji4][emoji568]

Very nice. So glad that the cruise exceeded your expectations.

Keith

WOW sounds great but the Wind is set to arrive on June 11 at 8pm the sky garden closes at 9 pm, but many many thanks for your idea it sounds like a wonderful experience

That's a pity. I expect they have you disembarking at around 9am the next day so just wont line up for you.

I think I will probably do this myself either after arrival or next morning. I may request a visit to the Wind to tie in. Love doing the little Tender over from the Tower to the Belfast too.

As to the AC issues, we had heard it was a bit of a problem. For the most part, we were pleasantly surprised with the AC (and it was pretty warm and humid in the Caribbean). Even DH, who is much more warm natured said he was comfortable. But it was not overly cold - I did not need my evening wraps in the public areas.

As to negatives, I mentioned the breakfasts. We did have a toilet issue, but they handled it rather quickly. And on 1 island we had to tender into, they only ran 1 tender, when they really needed to be running 2.

I'm not the best person to ask if this was a true "luxury" cruise, as it was my first in this class. But as a new person to this category and comparing it to other main line cruises I've taken, I felt it was a definite "step up"!

Haven't been on the Wind in years. Really looking forward to it. Thank you! [emoji4][emoji568]

Neither have we,look forward to meeting up in June on the back of such a positive review.

Good morning Brimary - As you know WE have been on the Wind quite a few times in recent years ( for Itinerary Reasons favouring The Wind over Cloud ) and can honestly say we have had only minor Issues which have been rapidly solved. No doubt the Aircon will continue as it has done over many years, but hopefully it should cope in The Baltic !!!.

We look forward to seeing you, along with Ducttape, and Joan & Peter, in June.

No doubt the Aircon will continue as it has done over many years, but hopefully it should cope in The Baltic !!!.

Thinking back, our suite 701 definitely had air con problems (it simply wasn't working properly) and was always and a bit too warm.... And that was on the baltic (albeit on the Cloud) They did eventually get it to reasonable levels, but in honesty it was never an issue. I expect if id been on the med in the summer, id not be so forgiving! lol

Good morning Brimary - As you know WE have been on the Wind quite a few times in recent years ( for Itinerary Reasons favouring The Wind over Cloud ) and can honestly say we have had only minor Issues which have been rapidly solved. No doubt the Aircon will continue as it has done over many years, but hopefully it should cope in The Baltic !!!.

 

 

 

We look forward to seeing you, along with Ducttape, and Joan & Peter, in June.

All good positive vibes as sailing date with SS friends approaches fast.

We have sailed a lot on the Wind during the last two years, which has been entirely itinerary driven. The Captains have been Arma and Palmieri and the former is zealous when it comes to the condition of the exterior and open decks of his "old girl".

The HDs have been Helmut, Flavio and Gianni and all three try to deliver a consistently high product. In "luxury" ship terms, the Wind is now getting on a bit, and not as "contemporary" as recently launched vessels, but we still love her the most. The small size means that the crew get to know passengers more quickly, which means that they can deliver a better standard of service than even the very high standard found on other SS ships.

We are greatly looking forward to joining her in May for a B2B from Monte Carlo to Tower Bridge.

On the strength of the foregoing positive comments we have booked the TA for Nov 2017.

So it had better be good or there will be trouble;).

Will let you know how ours in November goes.

Good morning Brimary - As you know WE have been on the Wind quite a few times in recent years ( for Itinerary Reasons favouring The Wind over Cloud ) and can honestly say we have had only minor Issues which have been rapidly solved. No doubt the Aircon will continue as it has done over many years, but hopefully it should cope in The Baltic !!!.

 

We look forward to seeing you, along with Ducttape, and Joan & Peter, in June.

We were on the March 4th sailing of the Wind. It was our second sailing on the Wind, our 8th on Silversea. We had no issues with the AC even though it was hot and sunny in the Caribbean. The cruise was great. The service was fabulous, the food among the best we have had on any recent cruise (including cruises on Seabourn and in QM2 Queens Grill) and the complimentary wine was uniformly drinkable and sometimes quite good.

Great news re the Wind,pleased you enjoyed a wonderful Caribbean voyage.

Will let you know how ours in November goes.

Mine leaves in 2 weeks today - to the minute!

I will make sure to report back. I'm confident it'll be all good.

Very nice report, thank-you.

This report is a first for me and the usual caveats apply (food preferences, personal biases, etc.).

Embarkation at Port Everglades (Pier 19) around 13:00 was smooth, as it has been for all of our cruises departing from this port.

Because my wife has mobility problems, wheelchair assistance is always an important issue for us, and it was quickly provided from our drop off point at the terminal to the ship.

After boarding, lunch was available, and our rooms were ready about 14:00. Our butler and room attendant arrived shortly thereafter, explaining the various available toiletries, work schedules, and other details of importance. Our luggage complement (most of which had been shipped ahead with a luggage-forwarding company) arrived about the same time. My wife’s foldable, battery-powered wheelchair arrived in less than pristine condition, and the forwarding company will be hearing about it on our return to the U.S. The muster drill, I think, was conducted at 16:00, but the 17:00 departure was delayed for about an hour to accommodate the on loading of stores.

There are some 170 passengers aboard for this cruise. I haven’t asked but think that most are from the US and UK.

The overall condition of the ship seems fine. Yes, there are the rather large carpet-cleaning stains here and there, and there are some nicks and dents in the furniture, but, overall, everything is in decent shape, given the age of the ship.

As far as demographics, we are, indeed, a very senior group. I’ve not seen any children, and the youngest among us are members of the crew.

On our first night aboard we enjoyed dinner in our suite. We noticed that the room-service menu had changed…for the better, in our opinion…and something we had suggested frequently in the guest critiques.

The second night was the customary formal occasion. We skipped the Captain’s Reception, albeit feeling guilty, and proceeded to Le Champagne for dinner. The service was very good and the food was fine. My wife enjoyed the meal more than I did but that is often the case.

Skipping forward a few days, everyone appears to have settled into their routines, whatever they may be. For us and others as well, relaxation appears to be the main goal, and most are quite expert at the endeavor.

So, now we are at Day 5 with sea days to follow before arriving at Funchal, Madeira, where we’ve hired a taxi service for a 4-hour tour of the island. This is our only scheduled tour so far but we might venture out at some of the other ports, given accessibility options.

For the future, no need, I think, to provide a day-by-day account of things, so I will not. I’ll try to focus on what may be interest to others in future comments and try to answer any questions posed.

Just began posting in this forum recently, and thought I'd share my cruise experience. My husband and I have cruised on about 15 ocean cruises, on the bigger ships. We recently have sailed on 2 European river cruises, which we just loved. So we wanted to see what sailing on a small ocean cruise vessel was like.

Appreciate reading your very detailed summary and added follow-up comments. Which ports did you enjoy and love the most? Any special excursion that worked well? Any other surprises, info nuggets, etc.? Keep up the great sharing!!

We are considering some river cruise options for the future. How would you compare from your experiences the pro/con factors for river versus ocean cruising?

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 37,418 views for these postings.