Silver Wind Service & Food Quality

[Kununoppin]

We just returned from 11 days on the Wind in the Black Sea. This was our 4th SS cruise. We noted a very definite decline in dining room service on this trip. We usually had a table for four and were seated between 7:30-8:00 pm each night. It was usually over an hour before our main course was served after we were seated.

 

The dining room staff were hustling, but the food came out of the kitchen slowly. The maitre d' explained that when the ship is full, the peak dinner service is a challenge for them. This left us with the feeling that they schedule staffing for less than a full ship and make do if there are more passengers.

 

We also noted that the food quality was a notch lower than prior cruises. Nothing in particular, just the overall situation. Previously, there were so many good sounding items on the menu, it was sometimes hard to make a decision. This time, we had evenings that we had a hard time finding something to order that sounded good.

 

Still, we will probably book another SS cruise. But if the decline continues, we may start looking elsewhere.

[ridojar]

we just booked the wind on 4 June 2010 into the Black Sea. I hope we haven't made a mistake.

[cotto22]

This is not what I want to hear! We are sailing on the Wind (our first SS cruise) in three weeks. We have previously enjoyed Regent and Seabourn, and had been very much looking forward to this foray into the world of Silversea to celebrate a big anniversary on October 5th. We had few disappointments on our previous cruises, and certainly did not anticipate any from Silversea.:(

[alita]

I was also on this cruise and agree with Kununoppin's comments. The food simply wasn't up to SS standards, and service in both the dining room and La Terrazza was hit and miss due to understaffing. I had lowered my expectations when booking the cruise because the fare was heavily discounted so I didn't feel particularly disappointed.

 

A very pleasant and unexpected surprise was my dinner at Le Champagne. It had everything -- the ambience, cuisine, wine and service were all at the level of a great restaurant anywhere. I had the full food and wine pairing and loved every minute of it and would have no hesitation in returning there on another cruise. In fact, when comparing the $30 w/o wine version of the dining experience in Le Champagne with eating in the Restaurant I'd be very tempted to opt for the former most if not every night... it was that good!

 

I thought the condition of the ship and service overall were very very good, better than I expected. Our cruise was completely filled, and I was told that all cruises through the end of the year are expected to be sold out. Clearly the 'special offers' that Silverseas has advertised are bringing in results.

[ging466]

This is not what I want to hear! We are sailing on the Wind (our first SS cruise) in three weeks.

 

Hi cotto22

 

Don't panic! Just after I booked my Whisper cruise last year, I read a number of poor reviews about service and food and I of course was very worried that I'd done the wrong thing. I asked the SS frequent floaters on this board should I cancel and everyone said "No". It turned out to be the absolute best cruise! So don't worry about some negative comments, everyone has different expectations, needs and wants.

 

I hope that you have a great cruise.

 

Cheers

ging466

[cotto22]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I am hoping that there may be a learning curve for the staff with regards to service for a full cruise and in the weeks to come everything will go more smoothly! Regardless, we are going and plan on having a wonderful time. There is no point worrying over something you can't change.

Cathy