Bad food on Silversea?

[Emtbsam]

I would hate to see formal nights go the way of the Edsel. I love having an occasion to wear formal wear, and my SO has actually begun to enjoy it as well.

[Sweetpea711423]

I would hate to see formal nights go the way of the Edsel. I love having an occasion to wear formal wear, and my SO has actually begun to enjoy it as well.

 

I couldn't agree with you more, Emtbsam. The opportunity to dress up is one of the major reasons my husband and I go on several cruises a year. My husband even bought his own tuxedo years ago for this purpose! And this is one of the reasons that we continue to choose Silversea -- their continuation of formal nights. (In addition, I might add their smoking policy as another key reason that we always choose this line now).

[Goldens4]

Ditto to Emtbsam and Sweetpea.:)

[dwelsh]

Ditto to Emtbsam and Sweetpea.:)

As has been said many times on this and other boards, "different strokes for different folks."

Thank goodness we have diversity in our thoughts of what cruising ought to be. If a majority of people who cruised had their druthers, Carnival would be the most popular line hands down. By the way, if you want to have a great time with your grandkids that is the way to go. When we took the family, 18 of us, a couple of years ago on the 7 day Carnival Mexican Riviera cruise, we had a ball. The balcony cabins were very adequate, the food very acceptable, the entertainment fabulous , service outstanding but the numbers of people overwhelming!! We didn't even go ashore but enjoyed it immensely and our kids and grandkids had the time of their lives.

Bet you don't get folded animal towels on SS!!!!!!:p:p:p

[Goldens4]

I agree. There is something for everybody and if you are bringing children there should be activities and entertainment for them. A friend of mine did a family cruise on Disney with children ranging from 4 to 16. They had a ball.

 

You're right, no "animal" towels on SS.:) But, I bet if you asked!!!!!!

[dusababy]

I've had a white folded towel swan -- don't remember which cruise or occasion but it was thoughtful and personal.

[ging466]

I know I'm being silly, but I really love the towel animals. I had never experienced this till my cruise on NCL and then discovered that many of the mass-market lines did it.

 

When I went on my Tahiti cruise this year on P&O, I couldn't wait to get my towel animal, but alas I didn't.:( The only time I saw any was in the show lounge after a demonstration!!

 

Maybe on my next SS cruise, I will ask for one:D

 

Cheers

ging466

[Wellseasoned]

We agree with Emtbsam. Formal nights are great. And we personally vouch that the Embtsams do their formal wear justice!

[Mayriver]

Of all the cruises I have taken on SS the food is usually very good. I did have one disastrous cruise on the Shadow about three years ago where both the food and the service in the restaurant were abysmal. But I consider that an anomaly because the very next cruise on the Cloud was great. In general though I have found that the choices are less interesting and sophisticated than they were ten or twelve years ago. That could just be me though.

I've noticed that you are a regular contributor with incisive comments on a variety of topics concerning Silversea. As you point out,the Silversea of old is long gone and we witnessed that recently on the Cloud . After several attempts to talk constructively with Management, I finally gave up and wrote the review which was posted yesterday. Unless we the customers insist on quality, the company will continue to delude themselves that they are delivering their best effort.

[dwelsh]

After reading Mayriver's report I would observe that the writer had GREAT expectations that were obviously not met. The thing that got to me was that the company apparently ignored the passengers complaints in not responding to their communications. If indeed the quality has deteriorated as they observe, it is a sad commentary on the times we live in. We all want lower prices with the same quality, the industry will have to outsource itself to China!!

Again, I repeat, I have to see for myself.

[Goldens4]

The lack of response from SS bothered me also. I just don't know what to make of this one.

[wripro]

Mayriver,

 

I just read your review and I agree with other posters that the lack of response from SS is unacceptable. Having run a Relais-Chateaux property you are obviously more aware of the standards this designation represents. They are very high indeed. I do believe that it is probably close to impossible to duplicate the execution of dishes and availability of ingredients at sea to properties on land. I do not expect that. I do expect SS to maintain the best possible standards for cruise ship dining. Sometimes they succeed, other times they don't. Personally, I think it's always harder to keep pleasing those who are long time passengers because they sailed in the "good old days." Newcomers don't have the same basis for comparison. The economy has obviously affected all luxury cruise lines and I am sure subtle cuts abound. It's a sign of the times and probably safer to lower one's expectations a bit. What makes no difference between establishments at sea or on land is how they reply to a customer's complaints. That is of serious concern

[dwelsh]

I am sure that you are aware that the Oceania CEO, De Rio, often responds in the "O" pages. I am sure that SS executives follow these pages, in fact I know that they do, having observed some postings regarding the Spirit.

Given the fact that the last few reviews have not been 1st class, I believe SS CC posters deserve some communication from the company.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[cmhmarine]

I've noticed that you are a regular contributor with incisive comments on a variety of topics concerning Silversea. As you point out,the Silversea of old is long gone and we witnessed that recently on the Cloud . After several attempts to talk constructively with Management, I finally gave up and wrote the review which was posted yesterday. Unless we the customers insist on quality, the company will continue to delude themselves that they are delivering their best effort.

 

Your review was quite interesting to me. I was quite happy with the food on my cruise overall. However, I am wondering if you dined in Le Champange during your cruise? I did, and there was a very noticeable difference in the quality and taste between La T, the main dining room and Le C. I do understand you review and concur on your philisophy and some of your points. Le C was to me where everyone should dine every night because of how wonderful it was.

 

Note: the table agreed that the brioche we had the night we dined in Le C was not up to the rest of the meal.. They had knocked our socks off for 3 courses and then a let down, followed by and amazing chocolate course......so I guess I need to visit a land based R&C property and compare.....I am thinking the one in barbados.....

[wripro]

cmhmarine,

 

When you're paying $400 for two (if you choose the wine paired menu) over and above the supposedly all inclusive fare I would expect a difference in quality and presentation. Do not forget that the chef is preparing meals for 12 or 14 people in Le Champagne as opposed to several hundred in the main restaurant, a much different proposition.

[LOVE@CRUISE]

This discussion is very troubling, as we approach our cruise on Spirit this December for the maiden voyage. !!!! It is costing way too much money for us to expect anything less than we have in the past on SS ...which has been near perfection (Shadow) I hope SS is aware of these concerns (which appear to be more and more frequent) and I hope they will be addressed.:confused:

[Mayriver]

Your review was quite interesting to me. I was quite happy with the food on my cruise overall. However, I am wondering if you dined in Le Champange during your cruise? I did, and there was a very noticeable difference in the quality and taste between La T, the main dining room and Le C. I do understand you review and concur on your philisophy and some of your points. Le C was to me where everyone should dine every night because of how wonderful it was.

 

Note: the table agreed that the brioche we had the night we dined in Le C was not up to the rest of the meal.. They had knocked our socks off for 3 courses and then a let down, followed by and amazing chocolate course......so I guess I need to visit a land based R&C property and compare.....I am thinking the one in barbados.....

We did have a meal at LeC. We choose the Bordeaux menu and bought our own wines ( the way to go because they have some exceptional wines at reasonable prices). The meal was very good, period. But alas here is the catch: with the exception of the foie gras, the entree ( Gigot d'Agneau ) and the dessert could easily have been prepared and made available in the Main Restaurant.The key was in the ingredients, all of which were first-rate and and carefully prepared.

I know that Wripro and others may believe that my expectations were too high, or that a ship restricts the ability to serve exceptional meals. I totally disagree, and I say this because quality begins with identity. Know who you are, prepare it as well as you can, and serve it proudly. LaT has no identity and the food has suffered terribly. The Main restaurant is trying to mimic a French R&C property, and it can't pull it off. My view is quite simple: either charge more and really stand out in the cruise world, or focus on what you can do best on a ship with your budget, and excel at it. Pretention,combined with cost cutting ,is a formula for a slow but inevitable slide into mediocrity.

I may be the exception out there, and I look forward to hearing from passengers in the months to come, but I would urge people ask them a question that my mentor ( GM Beau Rivage Hotel in Lausanne ) pounded me for years: as a customer, have you been transported into a world that even if you had all the money in the world, you could not replicate on a day to day basis? If your answer is yes, the hotel and restaurant have succeeded because of their attention to detail and quality.

[Keith1010]

I find this thread quite interesting. Now, I am not sure why the thread was titled the way it was "Badfood on Silversea".

 

The original question was how does Silversea food compare to that of Windstar, Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas.

 

As background, I took my first Silversea Cruise over the summer and while I do not have the background to comment on what it used to be like on Silversea I have cruised other luxury cruise lines such as Seabourn and Crystal and am a very experienced luxury cruiser as well as someone who has enjoyed cuisine on land.

 

If the original question is how does the food compare on Silversea with other lines such as Seabourn then my answer is I found the food to be very comparable. In fact, if you put a blind-fold over my face I would be unable to distinguish between the two. I could in some other areas but not when it came to food except for one item that I will cover in a moment. Overall, I thought the food was quite good. There were probably some items that I prefered on Silversea and some that I prefered on Seabourn so I consider that a wash. There were some items that were offered during lunch that I thought were quite unique.

 

I am one of those who prefer quality over quantity and I was pleased with the quality.

 

Now, when it comes to food, I am not sure about any of you but even when we prepare our favorite meals at home sometimes the same meal with the same ingredients tastes differently. And the same goes for a restaurant. We have a favorite land based restaurant and have been there numerous times. And on most nights it is perfect but once in a while it is not. And the other factor is personnel. I have taken some very long cruise of over 100 days and sometime the same items might come out differently because of changes in personnel.

 

The one area related to food that I saw Silversea differing with Seabourn was that on Seabourn they would let you know up front that if you wanted something not on the menu to just give them 24 hours notice and they would likely be able to prepare it for you. This might be the case with Silversea but we were not made aware of that.

 

In short, I thought that the food on Silversea was terrific. At the same time, I realize that there is a difference between cooking for several hundred people and a much smaller crowd.

 

In the end, each person will decide what they think and will come at it from different perspectives.

 

But for us, we thought the food was indeed one of Silversea's strengths and that it was comparable to the food we have had on Seabourn.

 

Keith

[duct tape]

Keith, which SS ship were you on? Thanx.

[Keith1010]

Keith, which SS ship were you on? Thanx.

 

We sailed on the Silver Shadow.

 

Keith

[lord of the seas]

Keith, which SS ship were you on? Thanx.

 

And your thoughts behind the question?

[wripro]

Mayriver,

 

I basically agree with you in terms of your analysis. However, one has to remember that a ship has to cater to many different tastes therefore the chef usually tries for a variety of cuisines. Therefore it's harder to have a specific identity. It's easier for a restaurant on land to do that because they are not serving the same people night after night. With the exception of special dishes most restaurants serve the same menu night after night so they can assume that "identity." I think that is one of the reasons we are now seeing so many specialty restaurants on ships.

[duct tape]

Always like to check if my next SS ship is being bad-mouthed!

[Emtbsam]

Wripro - You make a good point. Just think if you had to dine at the Chateau de la Chevre d'Or every night. I think you'd find it a bit boring after a while. (I'd love to give it a try!)

[Mayriver]

Mayriver,

 

I basically agree with you in terms of your analysis. However, one has to remember that a ship has to cater to many different tastes therefore the chef usually tries for a variety of cuisines. Therefore it's harder to have a specific identity. It's easier for a restaurant on land to do that because they are not serving the same people night after night. With the exception of special dishes most restaurants serve the same menu night after night so they can assume that "identity." I think that is one of the reasons we are now seeing so many specialty restaurants on ships.

 

Wripro: your point is perfectly valid and I agree with you that a cruise line must cater to many tastes and that the trend is to have more specialty restaurants. However, the reason for my review was not to trash Silversea as Duct Tape suggests. Instead it was to talk about standards and what happens when you abandon them or cut corners in the hope that passengers won't notice it.

If people have not noticed the mediocrity of the wines served ( as compared to a year ago), or the blandness of the LaT food, then I am in a clear minority. What matters most to all of us is to believe that Silversea is genuinely delivering their best product, and I for one, am not convinced that this is the case. As another person pointed out, if you were stuck in Ezes and had to put up with the menu of the Chevre d'Or for weeks on end, you would first, be rolled out of there and second, be sick of their food. What you would never say is that their food was not memorable.

Finally, let me just say that it was never my intention to create a hornet's nest of commentary. A discreet conversation with Silversea management would have been in everyone's interest, but to date, Mr Nordseth has not responded to my letter written on behalf of 5 passengers.Should I hear from him I will let you know, but for now, let's let this poor beaten horse take a breather.