So What Now?

Our upcoming Galapagos cruise was to be our first adult trip- previous cruises have been for the kids. Our options in the Galapagos are limited- especially for the larger ships (about 100 people). But with all this coming out I am really wondering if it is worth the risk. And can't figure out how to make this decision. Will these high risk practices revealed by the CDC be dealt with? How responsible is SS? And what could they do that would make me feel not just comfortable but safe? We have until early October before final payment due dates so have some leeway here.

Our upcoming Galapagos cruise was to be our first adult trip- previous cruises have been for the kids. Our options in the Galapagos are limited- especially for the larger ships (about 100 people). But with all this coming out I am really wondering if it is worth the risk. And can't figure out how to make this decision. Will these high risk practices revealed by the CDC be dealt with? How responsible is SS? And what could they do that would make me feel not just comfortable but safe? We have until early October before final payment due dates so have some leeway here.

Glad you have not made final payment. We have enjoyed the Galapagos on Celebrity, and have booked again for Jan 2015. Silversea appears to not be what we thought it was. They have really disappointed a lot of people.

We are now fairly confident that our September cruise on the Shadow will be fine - possibly better than in recent months in terms of food quality. We will be reading all Silversea reviews during the next several months and then will decide if we will sail with them again.

P.S. Still going to request unopened bottled water for our suite;)

Apologies for the corny title of this post but this is exactly the dilemma facing us now - much like the OP and others.

We are booked on the Wind B2B voyages from CPT to the Canaries in Feb/March 2014.

Under normal circumstance I might cancel the cruise in view of the current “situation”, not as a knee jerk reaction but to see where Silversea is heading after the current crisis.

However, this is a truly unique itinerary that very few ships do (and not frequently). It was done by the Silver Explorer (we would prefer the Wind) and by National Geographic at three times the cost.

Even Silversea is not planning this again till 2015 (if then). It visits places that would be very difficult, if not impossible, to visit on our own. Also, we have all the difficult to get business class awards set up round trip.

We are not as frequent cruisers on Silversea as many of you here are but these would be our cruises number 8 & 9, respectively. All of our prior experiences on Silversea have been very good but the last cruise was a couple of years ago. It would seem to me that Silversea (along with many other cruise lines) have been trying to cut costs in face of the current economic situation, resulting in many changes (the current problem may be part of this). Some of the recent trip reviews have been less favorable. That also means that perhaps our past experiences with the cruise line are not accurate predictors of our future experiences on Silversea. It would not be impossible to imagine that Silversea may not survive the current crisis. If it was operating on marginal profits (or at a loss), too many future cruise cancelations as a result of this current problem may prove to be the proverbial straw. Renaissance cruise line comes to mind. This, of course, is pure speculation.

Hence the dilemma.

My current feeling is to wait and see what the near future brings. Our final payment is not due till end of October, so we have some time to think about this. One thing is clear to me – we need to get a very good cancelation insurance.

I would like to hear what others think, particularly those who are booked on these voyages.

I am still going unless they cease to exist and I doubt that will happen. Let us know what you decide.

I am still going unless they cease to exist and I doubt that will happen. Let us know what you decide.

Thanks duct tape.

We are going as well - as of now. If we change our minds, I will let you know.

Can you tell if there had been any cancelations on these 2 segments?

Honestly, no one knows. It is a very personal decision. I would have felt better if the response from Silversea was much more forthcoming. People are forgiving in this world we live in but usually that comes after a more sincere and comprehensive response.

And a more comprehensive response would have detailed steps taken to address what caused this problem including if anyone was relieved of responsibilities without naming names and also all of the steps being taken to address the problem and to prevent a reoccurrence including internal audits.

I have been very unimpressed with the response.

So in the end you have to decide if they have earned your trust to sail with them and only you can decide.

You do have other options including Celebrity.

Keith

I want to add that I have just read the post about what they posted on Facebook. It is certainly better later than never but it should have been their first response rather than now responding after the CNN report made the waves. Actually the CNN report came out sooner than I thought but most of us knew that some media outlet such as 60 Minutes would have come out with an investigative report. I also do not think this is the end of this.

Now the question is if it happened on the Silver Shadow what about the other ships and was this isolated to just a few people or is this part of the culture of the cruise line. I certainly do not know but those are things that run through my. Mind and to be real honest are there other issues where short cuts are being taken such as in the area of safety or other items.

Again this is a very personal decision.

My disappointment is not only what happened which is grotesque but at the way the first response was handled which to me was very poor given np what they obviously already knew internally. To me both items showed very poor judgement.

Keith

Paul,

In terms of your decision process, no one can answer for you but my approach would be to basically do nothing now and actually stop thinking about the decision.

I'd tell myself very sternly to resist all temptation to attempt to resolve and conclude this now. You needn't so why do it. Keep a sensible eye on the progress of the core issues we're discussing. Keep an eye on the reviews, but be aware that you need to monitor the bona fides of reviews and the track record of reviewers as you would TripAdvisor reports. I think it impossible that we might start seeing some positive reviews from new people. Caveat Emptor. In September decide. Base it on instinct not any logical or mathematical or logic-based process. Be guided by the inner-brain. It's more reliable.

Good luck.

With all due respect, the word "denial" leaps to mind. The Silversea brand is irreparably damaged. An excerpt from the VSP report on the Shadow follows:

"An organized effort was made to physically remove over 15 full trolleys of dry foods, spices, canned foods, cooked foods, milk, raw meats, pasteurized eggs, cheeses of all types, baking goods, raw fruits, raw vegetables, and a variety of both hand held and counter model food equipment, pans, dishware and utensils to over 10 individual cabins shared by two or three galley crew members in order to avoid inspection by VSP staff. All the potentially hazardous foods were discarded along with most other foods that were not canned. The lead VSP inspector poured concentrated chlorine liquid over all the discarded foods to ensure they would not be used again."

I mean, c'mon. I realize how distressing it must be to be looking forward to a trip and have this happen, but if anyone is seriously considering going ahead by adopting the "they all have skeletons in their closets" mentality, they can't say they weren't duly warned. This has nothing to do with "Schadenfreude", and everything to do with common sense. It absolutely beggars belief, IMHO.

The lead VSP inspector poured concentrated chlorine liquid over all the discarded foods to ensure they would not be used again.

Must admit, that is a pretty raw statement for sure. And what it implies is really disturbing.

Jeff - thank you. Sound advice.

That is what'll do - wait and watch and then see what my inner brain says in September :)

Jeff - thank you. Sound advice.

That is what'll do - wait and watch and then see what my inner brain says in September :)

Well done Grasshopper!:)

Sounds like good advice to me too, except we are headed to the Galapagos, with two other major excursions already booked. As well as our air travel. We would need to find a replacement cruise just exactly at the right time- not necessarily an easy thing.

Then you either have an earlier tipping point with the decision more weighted towards proceeding or you'd have to be brave and strong minded to say " s* d it - I'm cancelling" . I don't envy you. Bon chance.:)

Then you either have an earlier tipping point with the decision more weighted towards proceeding or you'd have to be brave and strong minded to say " s* d it - I'm cancelling" . I don't envy you. Bon chance.:)

I don't WANT to be brave and strong! I just wanted a nice bit of pampering and no worries. It took enough thinking to decide between SS and Xpedition.

I may have to file a suit for aggravated anxiety and annoyance. :D

I don't WANT to be brave and strong! I just wanted a nice bit of pampering and no worries. It took enough thinking to decide between SS and Xpedition.

 

I may have to file a suit for aggravated anxiety and annoyance. :D

I really sympathise. It is unfair.

By the way, my special extra award was specifically for "vexation, aggravation, and disappointment". He said it was because I looked after my mother-in-law ....:)

I genuinely wish you luck with your dilemma and however nasty some can get - I think you'll find lot's more of sensible people here who are happy to be a sounding board and help and sympathy if they can.

Thanks- can you hear me stomping my foot and whinging?

You sound very sensible and thoughtful to me .... but then I'm easilly led astray ...:)

To be completely honest - I would cancel. I win so many battles and games I recognise that sometimes I'm beaten and winning is reconciling I'm beaten - earlier and cutting losses and moving on. I'm not envious of your predicament.

We don't have much of a choice... Sail in Sept or forfeit plenty. We haven't sailed on the Shadow but had exceptional trips the last few years on the Spirit and Wind, so we are holding our breath... Our TA also shared some additional context her agency got since plenty of their clients are paid like us and upset. Here's hoping!

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Swaldos, did you read the member review section for the explorer. I know it is not the end for all but sometimes looking for those areas where there is general agreement on pluses and minuses can be helpful.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=497

Keith

Prompted by Keith (and the current "situation" at Silversea), I decided to look at some of the Wind recent reviews. We have sailed on the Wind (and the Cloud) some time ago and were quite happy but these reviews had me really thinking:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=113047

and there is this one from this June (disembarked after 1 day onboard!!!!!):

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=222203

Yes, I did select the "bad" ones but I want to hear the worst (and there are plenty more of those rated 2 and 3 stars).

Duct tape - please tell me "it ain't so"

It has been a year, but I need to write my Shadow review

Swaldos, did you read the member review section for the explorer. I know it is not the end for all but sometimes looking for those areas where there is general agreement on pluses and minuses can be helpful.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=497

 

Keith

Thanks for the suggestion. Should see what the current ones are saying. Did look at them when I was making final decisions about the trip- difficult to decide between the Celebrity Xpedition and the Silver Galapagos. I figured that I had time to look at the SG reviews once it had set sail, before final payment. Never did it occur to me that I might need to worry about these kind of health issues.

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Celebrity Xpedition in the Galapagos. Superb, wonderful cruise. If you can couple it with a visit before or after to Machu Picchu as we did, you will have one of your best holidays ever! We travel extensively (including on SS and Seabourn), and when friends and family ask "What was your all time favorite trip?" - the answer is the Galapagos and Machu Picchu. (Take the Hiram Bingham train too - yet another amazing experience to talk about!)