Mayriver

There are two very detailed Wind reports, one for the same voyage and one for the previous Tower Bridge round trip. Have a read and see if you still have questions.

 

 

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I assume you are referring to WesW exhaustive travelogue. Frankly I don't understand why anyone would want to spend their time covering such minutiae, but one thing is clear, he sees no wrong in anything SS offers. As I mentioned earlier we remain convinced that SS still offers the best service and food, and we have voted with our "feet" with over 160 days on SS. My central point is that the Wind is a sad, tired and dilapidated ship, something that WesW either can't see or does not wish to report. In my comments I stuck to the odor and failing sanitation system, because that crossed the line of acceptability, but there were other examples. 1) Our bathroom floor flooded because the caulking between the tub and the wall had cracked which allowed the shower water to seep through 2) the toilet failed twice 3) a panorama window in the restaurant began to leak in a rainstorm 4) several chairs collapsed in the panorama lounge, and finally, try looking out the big windows in the bar...they are so weather beaten ( cloudy) it is pathetic. The things that needed repair were quickly handled and were no big deal, but they do point to the fragility of the ship.

I realize that these posts reflect many opinions but I would hope that we could read more constructive criticism and less cheerleading. Without this balance, SS like any business, will postpone investment because every thing is just fine, when in fact, they are not.

It's been awhile since I've commented on Silversea, but I'm forced to comment on the condition of the Wind. We just completed the Norway two week swing, and because of good weather and the superlative service and food we have come to expect, the trip was a success. The ship however is a wreck.

When we boarded in London, a sickly smell of sewage permeated the ship, and was made worse when we had to stay overnight on the Thames because of another unrelated malfunction.

The smell dissipated once we set sail but once at port ( i.e. stopped) it returned. It was only then that the crew figured out that we were one big malfunctioning porta-potty which needed to be flushed out and quickly. Sure enough, the ship was serviced three times (!) by fleets of environmental tanker trucks in Tromso, Bodo and Bergen. In Tromso, two divers ( i.e. frogmen!) began to inspect the ship. I have no idea why, but it did not inspire confidence.

In short ,no amount of white paint can disguise the age and deterioration of the ship. This conclusion was reinforced when I learned ( from members of the show cast) that two itineraries earlier, the entire air conditioning and heating system broke down for five days. The net result: passengers watched the shows in blankets!

One final observation. Silversea needs to have smaller ships if they are to offer itineraries where the behemoth ships can't venture ( inland passages in Norway) but to suggest that the Wind justifies Silversea pricing is absurd. Premium pricing demands premium ships.

Many thanks to all....we booked it through to Hong Kong!

Out of curiosity, has anyone done this re-positioning cruise? We have done just about every other one ( LA to Auckland, London to Montreal, Dubai to Cape Town etc), but this leg intrigues us. All comments, good and bad are welcome.....!

Uniworld's old world style and heavy decor is a turn off for us. We have been next to them in port on several occasions and their boats, while very nice, just do not appeal.

 

We have done five river cruises between AMA and Avalon. AMA was outstanding and has what we look for in a river cruise: great food featuring local dishes and an artisinal cheese board that was fabulous at lunch and dinner; entertainment that went beyond standard river cruise piano player and kept us up having fun past midnight, a first; a younger demographic; bike tours; interesting twists on the included excursions which we mostly avoid on river cruises as we prefer to do our own thing; fast walker groups; on board masseuse and a young crew that was truly outstanding.

 

Their new boat has a wine bar, pool with swim up bar, and multiple dining venues. We are excited to be checking her out this fall, sailing Budapest to Prague.