Silversea v. Seabourn comparison from 1st timer on SS

[Travelcat2]

wripro: I agree with you -- most of us are not as objective and diplomatic.

 

Keith1010: Would like to read your review -- which ship?

 

In terms of enjoying a cruise rather than comparing it to another cruise/ship, it easier to do to when you are not "reviewing" it live from the ship during your cruise. Also, posters ask questions which involve comparisons. For this reason, I will not be posting from the Spirit (plus, I don't receive free email;)).

[Keith1010]

I reviewed the Silver Shadow from August, 2009.

 

Keith

[Travelcat2]

I reviewed the Silver Shadow from August, 2009.

 

Keith

 

I took my time to read and re-read your review as well as another Silver Shadow review from August, 2009. I really appreciated your summary. It gives the reader your point of view as well as general differences between the cruise lines you have cruised on. I also appreciated the fact that the other reviewer had been on Crystal and Regent and was using that as a comparison.

 

It was clear that your review would be diplomatic. There were only a few key words where I felt I could tell some details that you may not have liked as well as you expected to. Your review was well written (not a surprise) and extremely enjoyable to read. This type of review would be helpful to most people that are considering a cruise on Silversea (like me -- except I understand that the Spirit is a different experience). Your descriptions made me feel like I was on the ship.

 

The other reviewer did a nice job -- it appeared that they were trying to put together a fair review. This review, IMO, is most helpful for those on Regent or Crystal who may be considering Silversea. In fact, I hope this poster also gave these observations to folks on the Crystal and Regent boards as they would find it of interest.

 

After reading both reviews, in the future I look forward to seeing both review styles. What got me started on this thread in the first place (which is now quite off topic) was the review from the OP where Silversea lost (by points) overall from someone who may (or may not) have had a preference for Seabourn from the beginning. This isn't meant to be critical of the OP -- it is only an observation.

[TV Dad]

This was a GREAT review and a big help in my Silversea/Seabourn dillema!

[Rally]

Hello everyone... after receiving so much good information from these boards, I wanted to take a chance and write my first detailed review of our first Silversea voyage on the Silver Cloud – 10 days from Barcelona to London in May, 2010. Some background: we are two 48-year olds. Recent cruises have all been on the Seabourn Spirit (3 of them), and we have also sailed with HAL, Princess, Carnival, and many, many times with Celebrity. Decided to give Silversea a try as the price was right (well not really, but at least moderately acceptable) and the itinerary was great (got to visit Normandy France and Omaha Beach on the 66th Anniversary of D-Day... an utterly amazing experience!).

To keep things interesting, I will compare our Silversea experience with that of our recent Seabourn trips, giving each category of the review a rating factor to indicate how important that aspect of the cruise was to us (1 being least important and 5 being most important). Then I’ll rate each category in much the same way for each line (Silversea vs. Seabourn) to hopefully arrive at numerical score to see who wins. As I begin, I don’t really know who will come out on top. There were aspects of the Silversea and Seabourn experiences that we very much enjoyed. I will also cross-post this on both boards so both lines’ passengers can benefit from this information.

OK… here goes. First, the categories and their importance to us on a scale of 1 (least important) to 5 (most important). I may have missed a few, but these are what are important to us.

 

• Ship overall: 5

• Crew/service overall: 5

• Main Dining Room food: 5

• Alternative restaurant(s): 4

• Special Event dining: 3

• Room service: 4

• Outdoor pool/Jacuzzis: 5

• Pool/deck bar: 5

• Other bars/nightspots: 4

• Handling/Recognition of special milestones/birthdays: 3

• Self-service laundry facilities: 3

• Full-service/ship laundry & dry cleaning: 2

• Cabin design/layout: 5

• Cabin bathroom: 5

• Cabin balcony/veranda: 3 (on these small ships, it’s not as important as we thought)

• Spa: 2

• Ship-sponsored excursions: 4

• Gym/fitness facilities: 4

• On-board shopping: 1

• Casino: 2

• Shipboard entertainment: 2

• Overall feel of the cruise experience and camaraderie with like-minded travelers: 5

 

And now, some comments on each category along with a rating of 1-5, with 1 being OK and 5 being outstanding.

 

Ship overall (importance 5)

 

Both ships are lovely. Small, no lines anywhere, nice fixtures and finishes. I liked the extra space and additional bar and restaurant options on the Cloud vs. smaller Spirit, and the Cloud is also so beautiful to look at. Like a classic ocean liner trimmed down in size. Cabin interiors I liked better on Seabourn.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

Seabourn rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

 

Crew/service overall (importance 5)

Silversea was good but Seabourn far better. By day two of our Seabourn voyages, we were being called by our first and/or last names. I can count on one hand how many Silversea crew called us by name throughout the voyage. It sounds corny, but it was amazing how much we missed that on Silversea and the difference it made. In terms of friendliness, promptness, attention to detail, and other service aspects, I’d say both lines are pretty competitive with one another. Maybe it was just the smaller size of the Seabourn ship that makes a difference, but I really felt more a part of the Seabourn family than I did apart of Silversea.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

Seabourn: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Main Dining Room food and service (importance 5)

 

This was perhaps our biggest disappointment with Silversea. On our 10-day itinerary, we ate only 3 times in the MDR. The menus were generally boring, with only a few items that really peaked our interest. I can recall reading the menus on Seabourn and genuinely looking forward to the dining experience each night. Now don’t get me wrong, during the entire 10 days, we never had a bad meal anywhere on Silversea. We are not fussy eaters or high maintenance patrons when it comes to restaurants. And although we dine out frequently at home, we rarely go to the top-end/expensive restaurants in any particular city around the world. Also, the number of entrée choices was fairly limited, with three or sometimes four courses being the standard on Silversea vs. five on Seabourn. Service in the MDR on both lines was similarly excellent however as was the quality of flatware, plates, glasses etc.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Alternative restaurant (importance 4)

 

As average as we thought the Silversea MDR experience was, La Terazza – one of three! alternative venues, the other being outdoors on deck under the stars and Le Champagne (more later on that) – was superb! We ate there 4 times on our 10 night voyage. The La Terazza menu was the same most nights, but that did not matter. Every item we ate there was mouth-watering delicious. On two occasions, and with 24 hours advanced notice, we asked the chef to prepare something special off the main menu. Both of these items were delivered and equally outstanding. Well done, La Terazza. We dined outdoors on deck once, with a basic menu of salads, fish, steak, prawns etc. It was very nice and the food was very good but not excellent. My steak was cooked medium rather than medium-well as ordered, but the Madagascar prawns were delicious. We did not try Le Champagne, the $200 per person with wine venue. There is just something wrong with charging that price on a luxury line where you’re already paying roughly $1,000 per night room and board. I know you can dine there for only $30 per person without wine, but the up-charge left such a sour taste in our mouths that we decided against it. I talked to several fellow cruisers who did opt to try it, and it received across the board “good” but not outstanding reviews.

 

Seabourn alternative dining options were limited to Restaurant 2, a tapas style concept with a changing menu each evening. While extremely enjoyable and a definite change of pace from most alternative restaurants at sea today, La Terazza on Silversea was superior in most every respect.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 4 = 16 points (would have given this a 5 if it hadn’t been for the ridiculous up-charge of Le Champagne).

Seabourn rating: 3 * 4 = 12 points

 

Special Event Dining (importance 3)

 

Silversea, like Seabourn, offers a deck BBQ one evening and a galley lunch. Silversea’s BBQ was laid out in one long line, with a lot of food choices in terms of quantity, but nothing overtly special. It was one big buffet that reminded me of any gala buffet on a big-ship line. The wait in line was in excess of 15 minutes, and for the price I paid for the cruise, I was just underwhelmed. Seabourn’s on-deck BBQ extravaganza was set up in small stations to minimize lines and wait times, with food items that included as I recall grilled Lobster among other wonderful food items. Silversea’s experience was so average that we skipped the galley lunch entirely.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 3 = 6 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 3 = 15 points

 

Room service (importance 4)

 

Both lines did a good job with this. Table with linens always set for breakfast or dinner, great service provided with a smile, and the cabin layouts made for a very comfortable overall experience. When it comes to the menu, I believe Seabourn offered a more varied selection and better overall quality of ingredients. Again, the boring MDR menu (see above) limited our dinner choices to the likes of French Onion Soup and pizza one evening. A telephone call to the cabin was always made before each delivery on Seabourn (especially helpful on those early mornings). Not so on Silversea. A minor point for some, but another factor that makes Seabourn superior in this category.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 4 = 12 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 4 = 20 points

 

Outdoor pool/Jacuzzis (importance 5)

 

As a swimmer and someone who uses both the pool and Jacuzzis 2, 3, 4 or more times daily, the Silversea pool area beats Seabourn without exception. Silversea’s pool was heated to an almost uncomfortable high temperature (90+ degrees) on 2 days, but it sure beats that tiny “pool” on Seabourn that’s barely big enough to cool off on a hot day. I missed Seabourn’s Jacuzzi far forward on the bow, but Silversea’s two Jacuzzis were lovely and afforded just as great a view.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

Seabourn rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

 

Pool/deck bar (importance 5)

 

I know it may seem strange to call this out as its own separate category, but on these small ships it is a big aspect of afternoon shipboard life for us. Sitting around, chatting with fellow guests, observing and interacting with the bar staff and their cocktail-making abilities etc. Silversea was good (and their bar folks were the ones to call us by name most of the time) but Seabourn was a notch above. Silversea had the premium-brand liquors out of sight in a cabinet underneath the bar, although available if requested. A cost-cutting move I’m sure. Seabourn on the other hand presented all options to its guests within view. Want a peach Bellini or strawberry daiquiri? On Silversea, out came the fruit concentrate dispensed from large bottles. On Seabourn, fresh fruit went into the blender to make the drinks. How about a Bloody Mary in the Jacuzzi? On Silversea, it was promptly delivered without celery and olives. On Seabourn, those two side accompaniments were always present. Just a few examples… but little things like this mean a lot when paying these high-end prices, so Seabourn wins this category handily.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Other bars/nightspots (importance 3)

 

Please see above for comments on premium liquors and cocktail ingredients. Because of the larger size of the Silver Cloud vs. Seabourn Spirit, I did appreciate the additional venues to enjoy pre-dinner drinks or post-dinner socializing. Not much else to say here, but Silversea’s sheer number of choices was welcome.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

Seabourn rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

 

Handling/Recognition of special milestones/birthdays (importance 3)

 

Both my partner and I have the same birthday (yes, it’s true) – and we celebrated it on this cruise. Last year we celebrated it on Seabourn. On Silversea, nothing was mentioned at the dinner table, and when we returned to the cabin, there were three balloons on the bed, a slice of chocolate cake with a generic Happy Birthday written on it, and a card addressed to just my partner. On Seabourn last year, at the conclusion of dinner in the MDR, my partner was presented with a personalized cake at the table with Happy Birthday XXX written on it. Yes, Seabourn forgot me to. I guess neither line gets too many travelers with identical birthdays. The difference is that on Seabourn, after bringing the mistake to the wait staff’s attention, a personalized Happy Belated Birthday XXX cake was brought out to me the following evening. After making a Silversea staff member aware of the mistake, absolutely nothing was done for the rest of the cruise. No biggie really… but the attention to detail on Silversea with these sorts of things is not at the level of Seabourn.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 3 = 6

Seabourn rating: 4 * 3 = 12

 

Self-service laundry facilities (importance 3)

 

I love returning home with clean clothes, so I really enjoyed the launderette facilities on both Silversea and Seabourn. Both were clean and of good quality (machines, detergent), but Silversea’s laundry was bigger with an additional washer and dryer which made for a no-wait experience for me. Excellent. On Seabourn, it was a cramped space with a survival of the fittest mentality, and guests were lined up in the hallway to use it.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 3 = 15

Seabourn rating: 2 * 3 = 6

 

Full-service/ship laundry & dry cleaning (importance 2)

 

Both lines did an equally good job here with both laundry and dry cleaning. Not much else to say.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 2 = 10

Seabourn rating: 5 * 2 = 10

 

Cabin design/layout (importance 5)

 

In terms of the main cabin (we had a standard veranda on Deck 5), I have to say Silversea and Seabourn were pretty much on par with one another. Nice walk-in closets on both. No Bose radio on Silversea (although I understand they are coming soon), but I really liked the main cabins’ design and layout equally on both ships. Very, very comfortable for 10 days or more. The big differentiating factor was soundproofing between the suites. On Silversea, when it was quiet , you could literally hear the neighbors conversing next door in their room. It was a bit muffled, but if you tried and really listened, you could make out their sentences. Scary! Not the case on Seabourn with much better soundproofing – where you rarely heard your neighbors’ comings and goings.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 5 = 25

Seabourn rating: 5 *5 = 25

 

Cabin bathroom (importance 5)

 

Silversea’s bathroom was no bigger than a bathroom on Celebrity or Holland America. Yes, it has a tiny bathtub which was actually quite nice, but only 1 sink and a toilet all jammed next to one another. It was fine and very functional, but far inferior to Seabourn Spirit’s bathroom with a larger and better arranged tub/shower combination and dual sinks. And although the Cloud is a newer ship, the bathroom looked shabbier than Seabourn’s for some reason. Must be the marble with the pink accents (not so attractive to begin with) that’s not wearing so well!

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

 

Cabin balcony/veranda (importance 3)

 

This category is easy. Silversea had a comfortable private veranda with two chairs and a nice table. Seabourn has no true balconies except in their very high end (and priced!) suites. The importance of a private veranda on these small ships is less important than it would be on a larger vessel. You are literally 2-3 minutes to the open decks no matter where your cabin is on the ship.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 3 = 15

Seabourn rating: 0 * 3 = 0

 

Spa (importance 2)

 

Other than haircuts, we didn’t really utilize the spa services on either Silversea or Seabourn. I did look around however and would rate Silversea’s facilities a little higher just because of the larger footprint that the bigger ship affords. Both have separate steam/sauna rooms for men and women, massage treatment rooms, and hair/nail salon areas… but Silversea has a nice little outside deck to relax on outside the locker rooms where Seabourn does not.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 2 = 6

Seabourn rating: 2 * 2 = 4

 

Ship-sponsored excursions (importance 4)

 

All excursions were good on both lines with no real disappointments. But there were no special “Welcome Home” receptions or in-cabin goodies on Silversea as there were on Seabourn. On Seabourn, for example, after an all-day outing, you may come back to the ship to find a staff of 10 or so crew members pier-side displaying a “Welcome Home” banner with waiters serving champagne before you even re-board the ship. Not so on Silversea. On another all-day excursion on Seabourn, you may return to the cabin to find a “Welcome Back” note from your room steward on the dining table complemented by Caviar, fixings, and a bottle of champagne. Not so on Silversea. I could list other examples where Seabourn far excels over Silversea in its attention to detail, but will instead switch to something that Silversea delivered on big time!

 

We were scheduled to be in Honfleur, France (the port for Normandy) on June 6, 2010. Yet there was no excursion available to Normandy or the landing beaches, due supposedly to our early 3pm departure. When other Silversea ships dock here with a later departure, Normandy tours are offered. It seemed that none of the senior crew members realized it was the anniversary of D-Day, so I approached the Cruise Director about it and explained the significance of the port stop, date, and that I’m sure when Silversea arranged this itinerary (probably 2 years ago) that they knew it was the 66th anniversary of that momentous day in history. Well, in a couple of days time, a flyer was delivered to all cabins announcing the Normandy tour offering. The captain had not only arranged an earlier than planned arrival in Honfleur, but a later departure time as well in order to allow this tour to be offered. Major kudos to the excursion staff and Cruise Director, Jimmy, for putting this together and pulling it off on such short notice! Bravo! It does make me wonder though about Silversea’s lack of attention to the finer details of this and other things (like the numerous grammatical and typographical errors in all the daily newsletters/bulletins). Oh well… let’s not get too off track.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 4 = 20 (rating this a 5 only because of the Normandy trip - would otherwise have been a 3)

Seabourn rating: 4 * 4 = 16

 

Gym/fitness facilities (importance 4)

 

This is another clear-cut category. The Silver Cloud’s size affords it a much nicer gym area with a great view forward across the oceans. Seabourn’s gym is small and from what I recall, had no view. Also no Elliptical machines on Seabourn which is a big deal to me as I really enjoy using them vs. the traditional treadmills.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 4 = 16

Seabourn rating: 2 * 4 = 8

 

On-board shopping (importance 1)

 

As noted this is of not much importance to us, but the selection of merchandise was better on Silversea than on Seabourn. Although seeing an on-board H. Stern on Silversea was a real turnoff. What a tourist trap with a hard sell!

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 1 = 3

Seabourn rating: 2 * 1 = 2

 

Casino (importance 2)

 

I know this will sound familiar by now, but the larger Silver Cloud had a larger casino than Seabourn. About twice the number of slots and I believe an additional blackjack table, although I never saw both in use simultaneously. What was key here is that I thought the casino staff on Silversea were very professional and pushy/casino-like (fast dealing, made sure your drinks were always full etc.) - whereas on Seabourn the casino staff were much more conversational and leisurely which made for a much more relaxing gambling experience.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 2 = 4

Seabourn rating: 3 * 2 = 6

 

Shipboard entertainment and Theater (importance 2)

 

I enjoyed the entertainment on both lines. Silversea had a professional production company/cast aboard that did 4 different shows in 10 days. Impressive for a small ship! Seabourn’s entertainment is mostly handled by its senior crew (cruise directors, asst CD, and others) – which was also good but different than a production show. Depends on what you like. Nicer theater by far on Silversea but I personally preferred the intimacy of the Seabourn crew entertainment. A draw for me in this category – but please note, don’t go on a small ship if big show, theatrical entertainment is a high priority.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 2 = 6

Seabourn rating: 3 * 2 = 6

 

Overall feel of the cruise experience and camaraderie with like-minded travelers (importance 5)

 

This is an area where for us there was a huge difference. Please don’t flame me on this as my thoughts are difficult to convey in writing. At 48 years of age, we were among the 20 youngest passengers I would say on both Silversea and Seabourn. Not a big issue… we knew that would be the case going into both cruises. Let’s suffice it to say that Silversea just felt older to us than Seabourn all around. Seabourn’s passengers were all of similar age to Silversea, but definitely much more young at heart. I know what I’m about to write is a huge generality and in fact may not even be entirely true, but in order to simplify my feelings about our fellow travelers and to provide some background to other travelers considering Silversea vs. Seabourn… Silversea was very reserved and sometimes downright stoic while Seabourn was uplifting and sometimes rather raucous (and thus fun!). It was really quite different in terms of shipboard environments, attitudes, passenger interactions, and overall feel. Huge plus to Seabourn here for us.

 

Silversea rating: 1 * 5 = 5

Seabourn rating: 5 * 5 = 25

 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE… finally tally – and it’s very close much to my surprise:

 

Silversea rating: 280

Seabourn rating: 312

 

Concluding thoughts

 

Although we thoroughly enjoyed our Silversea experience (anyone who can’t have a good time on Silversea has got a problem in my opinion!), I am a little worried about the viability of Silversea long-term. It is just not in the same league overall as Seabourn with a focus on small details (not sure about how it compares to Regent or Crystal). In fact, Silversea does not distinguish itself enough from even the likes of Celebrity, IF you consider what Celebrity offers in their higher end suite categories at roughly the same price as you’d pay on Silversea their entry level veranda cabin. Yes, of course you don’t get the crowds as you encounter on a huge ship – and for some, I understand that is a deal breaker. But other than that, I don’t know what Silversea provides in a standard veranda cabin that Celebrity does not let’s say provide in one of their Celebrity or Royal Suites.

 

This was also the first time in a long time that we did not book another cruise while on-board. Instead… what did we do? Well, the weekend after our return from Silversea we booked another Seabourn voyage this August in the Med. Hmmmmm. What does that tell you?

 

I have provided a lot of information I know, but I do hope some of the readers find it helpful. Others of course will disagree with some of my comments. And I no doubt left some details out that others will be interested to know about. So questions and comments are welcome. Please feel free to post them here or email me directly.

And most importantly, THANK YOU to the Silver Cloud staff and crew for an excellent vacation. You worked very hard - and despite the occasional suggestions for improvement noted above, please know that we appreciated your efforts and you are to be commended for affording us a great time. Happy and safe journeys to all of us fellow CC’ers.

 

This is an exceptional review/comparison and certainly shows a lot of thought and work. Thank you for it. I have no complaint abut any of your opinions or preferences; I just want to comment on a few of them that are very contrary to our own experience on SS. I know two people on the same ship at the same time can have very different experiences. We have been very lucky on Silversea. Here are our observations and experiences: (always in a verandah suite, never anything fancy =)

 

Crew/Service, etc: Our first cruise on SS was on Shadow, 9 days L.A. - L.A. We came onboard and went to lunch on the main dining room. We introduced ourselves to the maitre d', who introduced us to a head-waiter, who took us to our table and introudced us to our waiter. Fron that moment on we were always greeted by name in the dining room. Same experience at the bar(s) We said hello and that took care of it -- from bartender to waitstaff to deck hands. We have an easy to remember name, but I swear within two hours we couldn't go anywhere without a "Hello Mr & Mrs. sos-and-so" =)

 

Main dining room food/service and alternative dining venues: Every one has their own taste and preferences. We happen to love the food but we may be lucky. The service has always been exemplary.

 

Special Occaisions: Our next SS cruise will include our wedding anniversary and we shall see. Two SS cruises ago it included my wife's birthday. I asked reception if I could set up a little birthday dinner in the main dining room and invite a few friends we had made in the first few days of sailing. The exec. chef and maitre d' found me, and enthusiastically helped design a menu, etc. Reception printed invitation, had me approve them, and delivered them to the guests. Eleven of us enjoyed an incredible dinner, ending in crepes suzette and a special St. Honore cake; the two main singers showed up to sing Happy Birthday; a waitress from China asked if she could sing Happy Birthdya in Chinese. When we returned to our verandah suite the bed was strewn with rose petals, and the bath had been filled and lighted with electric candles. There was a card on the bed signed by the Captain, Hotel Director, Maitre d' and exec. chef. Our cost? Zero; the event: Priceless. Now, just to repeat, this was our second SS voyage, again in a regular suite (nothing fancy.) At the time of the party we had about 20 nights with Silversea --- newcomers compared to many!

[TLCOhio]

take a look at Terry from Ohio's pix showing the liquor at the bar. all the good stuff

 

Below is that picture that I posted on the below live review as we did our cruise on the Silver Cloud. Seeing is believing!!! I'm not a Scotch drinker, so my expertise is rather limited for some of the details on that question. I was happy with the frozen Margaritas with salt on the edge of the glass, plus wine, beer, etc.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details on our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

From “The Bar”, here is what it showed for the main area with various Scotch selections and other options for drinks in this area. If you wanted added options, I understand there is more available. There are also nice bar areas in the Panorama Lounge and on the Pool Deck. The secret is asking. The bar staff was very good and helpful.:

 

[Marylebone37]

Travelcat2,

Just to set the record straight, I had no bias/preference towards Seabourn upon embarking on my first SS experience. In fact, quite the opposite (otherwise I would have remained with SB). I enjoy the variety of luxury travel experiences available (whether that be hotels, cruises, land packages etc.), and I tried to present a balanced review of both SS and SB experiences. That's all I meant to do.

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat2,

Just to set the record straight, I had no bias/preference towards Seabourn upon embarking on my first SS experience. In fact, quite the opposite (otherwise I would have remained with SB). I enjoy the variety of luxury travel experiences available (whether that be hotels, cruises, land packages etc.), and I tried to present a balanced review of both SS and SB experiences. That's all I meant to do.

 

Appreciate hearing the facts of your review. It sounds like you were a bit curious about Seabourn and decided to give it a try. We are very happy with Regent and are simply curious about Seabourn after cruising on Silversea. Silversea includes airfare -- this was the decision maker for us. The fact that both allow smoking in their suites and balconies is the only reason we had not booked a cruise earlier. We are looking forward to our first Silversea cruise:)

[Rally]

Appreciate hearing the facts of your review. It sounds like you were a bit curious about Seabourn and decided to give it a try. We are very happy with Regent and are simply curious about Seabourn after cruising on Silversea. Silversea includes airfare -- this was the decision maker for us. The fact that both allow smoking in their suites and balconies is the only reason we had not booked a cruise earlier. We are looking forward to our first Silversea cruise:)

 

I am trying not to be mean, combative or anything else, but I just don't get this post. The OP had been on SB 3 times and then tried SS, yet you say, "It sounds like you were a bit curious about Seabourn and decided to give it a try"

 

And then you say, "We are very happy with Regent and are simply curious about Seabourn after cruising on Silversea. . . . We are looking forward to our first Silversea cruise" but you haven't sailed on Silversea yet?

 

Thannks for clearing everything up.

[DGF]

Really? Not even the service or the food? Wow, I've been on a Celebrity cruise recently and I can't imagine that Silversea doesn't surpass it in the areas I just mentioned. Well, we're leaving for The Silver Spirit in a few weeks and keeping my fingers crossed that the level of service, food, etc. exceeds Celebrity by far.

 

Another WOW, having been on several Celebrity cruises; and a similiar hope that the Silversea Spirit far exceeds Celebrity

 

Cruzemaven- Hope you create a thread comparing the two expereinces. Seaborne is on our To Do list

 

Thank you for such an excellent review

[DGF]

Cruizemaven,

Don't get me wrong... Silversea was good. But if I had it do over... I would take a 10 night cruise in a Celebrity Royal Suite vs. a 10 night cruise in a standard Silversea veranda. Being a premium suite guest on Celebrity affords a lot of additional perks (private parties, butler etc.)... and Silversea did not offer any additional perks really... except that the size of the Cloud was MUCH smaller and thus no crowds, no lines anywhere. Being younger and mobile, that is not an issue for us. I can understand that if one if elderly or infirmed, a huge ship is cause for concern and a major challenge. Honestly, the food was about the same in quality between the two lines. Except for La Terazza on Silversea which my review pointed out was exceptional! Perhaps Silvesea's service was a notch above Celebrity, but the price point on Silversea vs. what I would have paid for a similar cabin on Celebrity did NOT compensate for the slightly better service. If VALUE for the dollar is important (perhaps that should have been one of my rating categories)... Celebrity wins hands-down. In fact, for value, they probably beat Seabourn as well. Cheers.

 

Decided to re read your excellent thread and missed this post first time around

 

Value for Dollar- Gayle and I are trying to experience all of the Cruise Lines (NCL, RCI, Princess, Disney, Cunard (Princess & Queens Grill), Celebrity, Crystal, Oceania, and River Cruises (Uniworld, Sheraton) to date) and one of the many comparisons we use is the same analysis you are so capably putting forward- Value, or in our words "How To Get The Greatest Enjoyment For Our Buck"

 

We are looking forward to our first cruise on Silversea and will be most interesting to compare our experiences with yours

 

DEAN

[Marylebone37]

Hi Dean,

I'll be interested to hear what you think. We have done several Celebrity cruises in their Celebrity or Royal Suites. And when I think about the overall experience & value for the dollar compared with a regular SS veranda stateroom - for roughly 10K-12K per cruise - I'd choose Celebrity over SS for that steep price point, unless the itinerary of course was so much better on one line vs. the other. Like I said, we are younger, mobile, and don't mind walking and waiting in the occasional line or two. And the food was not that much better on SS than Celebrity IMHO.

 

I just returned from a 7-day Seabourn Spirit voyage in the Med (review is in progress but not finished yet), and I can say without question that Seabourn is still superior to SS in just about every aspect except for the pool and gym. We enjoyed it SO SO much more than SS, especially the younger and younger-at-heart fellow passengers vs. the (dare I say it, but someone has to) 10pm and it's time to go to bed crowd on SS. The overall vibe/feel is so very different between the two lines.

[lord of the seas]

I am trying not to be mean, combative or anything else, but I just don't get this post. The OP had been on SB 3 times and then tried SS, yet you say, "It sounds like you were a bit curious about Seabourn and decided to give it a try"

 

And then you say, "We are very happy with Regent and are simply curious about Seabourn after cruising on Silversea. . . . We are looking forward to our first Silversea cruise" but you haven't sailed on Silversea yet?

 

Thannks for clearing everything up.

 

TC2 posts are often as clear as mud.There have been several amusing :rolleyes: posts on the Regent board.

[billcrooz]

Hi Dean,

I'll be interested to hear what you think. We have done several Celebrity cruises in their Celebrity or Royal Suites. And when I think about the overall experience & value for the dollar compared with a regular SS veranda stateroom - for roughly 10K-12K per cruise - I'd choose Celebrity over SS for that steep price point, unless the itinerary of course was so much better on one line vs. the other. Like I said, we are younger, mobile, and don't mind walking and waiting in the occasional line or two. And the food was not that much better on SS than Celebrity IMHO.

 

I just returned from a 7-day Seabourn Spirit voyage in the Med (review is in progress but not finished yet), and I can say without question that Seabourn is still superior to SS in just about every aspect except for the pool and gym. We enjoyed it SO SO much more than SS, especially the younger and younger-at-heart fellow passengers vs. the (dare I say it, but someone has to) 10pm and it's time to go to bed crowd on SS. The overall vibe/feel is so very different between the two lines.

 

 

 

So glad that Stines is going back to the "much superior' Seabourn ships and much 'livelier and dare i might say it Younger" paseengers and leave Silversea to our older and less livelier guests :eek:

[Marylebone37]

No offense intended... and it was just 1 cruise with 1 set of passengers, which admittedly does not necessarily mean that all SS cruises will have the same vibe/feel.

[cruzemaven]

Another WOW, having been on several Celebrity cruises; and a similiar hope that the Silversea Spirit far exceeds Celebrity

 

Cruzemaven- Hope you create a thread comparing the two expereinces. Seaborne is on our To Do list

 

Thank you for such an excellent review

 

Sailed last month on Silver Spirit and even though it exceeds Celebrity in food and service, we felt it fell short of being top notch in both of these areas. We would look to go back on Crystal or Regent.

[wripro]

The only message I get from this thread is that we should all be grateful that there are several luxury lines from which to choose as it is obvious everyone has a different perspective on which suits him/her best.

[lord of the seas]

The only message I get from this thread is that we should all be grateful that there are several luxury lines from which to choose as it is obvious everyone has a different perspective on which suits him/her best.

 

 

Another point to consider when reading these boards is that some people have not tried all of the lines in a particular catagory,and often they have only experience from one of the luxury lines,so thier view is not of a complete picture.

[TLCOhio]

Another point to consider when reading these boards is that some people have not tried all of the lines in a particular catagory,and often they have only experience from one of the luxury lines,so thier view is not of a complete picture.

 

We have done three cruises. Late June 2006 on 204-passenger Seabourn Spirit, Athens to Istanbul, enjoying the Greek Isles over seven days. Then late July 2008 on the 940-passenger Crystal Symphony, Dover to Stockholm, enjoying the Baltics and Russia. And this year July 1-16 on the 296-passenger Silver Cloud from Copenhagen seeing the Norway Coast, fjords, above the Arctic Circle, Land of the Midnight Sun, etc. All three lines are excellent with great service, fellow passengers, staff, etc. What’s best? The honest answer is . . . “It depends!!!”. Ports, schedules, timing and prices vary much, especially right now with this economy and two of these lines expanding (especially Seabourn) so much. You need to seek what best fits your exact personal needs, budget and interests.

 

You can see many more details below on what we like best about our Silver Cloud sailing last month.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For more details, great visuals, etc., from our July 1-16 Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle Silver Cloud experiences:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Scotspea]

Stines, thanks for a very comprehensive review but as always it can only be subjective. As such a points score, however well meaning, can only be of limited value to others.

Good for you, having a bash and puting in so much work.

[wripro]

There is no such thing as the best. There is only what you prefer.

[zomax]

What a great in-depth review. Very informative. Since it is now 2 years later, I wonder if you could review your Med. cruise. We are planning a June trip on the Legend... Also out of philadlphia. Yes, we are neighbors ;)

Thanks!

 

 

Hello everyone... after receiving so much good information from these boards, I wanted to take a chance and write my first detailed review of our first Silversea voyage on the Silver Cloud – 10 days from Barcelona to London in May, 2010. Some background: we are two 48-year olds. Recent cruises have all been on the Seabourn Spirit (3 of them), and we have also sailed with HAL, Princess, Carnival, and many, many times with Celebrity. Decided to give Silversea a try as the price was right (well not really, but at least moderately acceptable) and the itinerary was great (got to visit Normandy France and Omaha Beach on the 66th Anniversary of D-Day... an utterly amazing experience!).

To keep things interesting, I will compare our Silversea experience with that of our recent Seabourn trips, giving each category of the review a rating factor to indicate how important that aspect of the cruise was to us (1 being least important and 5 being most important). Then I’ll rate each category in much the same way for each line (Silversea vs. Seabourn) to hopefully arrive at numerical score to see who wins. As I begin, I don’t really know who will come out on top. There were aspects of the Silversea and Seabourn experiences that we very much enjoyed. I will also cross-post this on both boards so both lines’ passengers can benefit from this information.

OK… here goes. First, the categories and their importance to us on a scale of 1 (least important) to 5 (most important). I may have missed a few, but these are what are important to us.

 

• Ship overall: 5

• Crew/service overall: 5

• Main Dining Room food: 5

• Alternative restaurant(s): 4

• Special Event dining: 3

• Room service: 4

• Outdoor pool/Jacuzzis: 5

• Pool/deck bar: 5

• Other bars/nightspots: 4

• Handling/Recognition of special milestones/birthdays: 3

• Self-service laundry facilities: 3

• Full-service/ship laundry & dry cleaning: 2

• Cabin design/layout: 5

• Cabin bathroom: 5

• Cabin balcony/veranda: 3 (on these small ships, it’s not as important as we thought)

• Spa: 2

• Ship-sponsored excursions: 4

• Gym/fitness facilities: 4

• On-board shopping: 1

• Casino: 2

• Shipboard entertainment: 2

• Overall feel of the cruise experience and camaraderie with like-minded travelers: 5

 

And now, some comments on each category along with a rating of 1-5, with 1 being OK and 5 being outstanding.

 

Ship overall (importance 5)

 

Both ships are lovely. Small, no lines anywhere, nice fixtures and finishes. I liked the extra space and additional bar and restaurant options on the Cloud vs. smaller Spirit, and the Cloud is also so beautiful to look at. Like a classic ocean liner trimmed down in size. Cabin interiors I liked better on Seabourn.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

Seabourn rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

 

Crew/service overall (importance 5)

Silversea was good but Seabourn far better. By day two of our Seabourn voyages, we were being called by our first and/or last names. I can count on one hand how many Silversea crew called us by name throughout the voyage. It sounds corny, but it was amazing how much we missed that on Silversea and the difference it made. In terms of friendliness, promptness, attention to detail, and other service aspects, I’d say both lines are pretty competitive with one another. Maybe it was just the smaller size of the Seabourn ship that makes a difference, but I really felt more a part of the Seabourn family than I did apart of Silversea.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

Seabourn: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Main Dining Room food and service (importance 5)

 

This was perhaps our biggest disappointment with Silversea. On our 10-day itinerary, we ate only 3 times in the MDR. The menus were generally boring, with only a few items that really peaked our interest. I can recall reading the menus on Seabourn and genuinely looking forward to the dining experience each night. Now don’t get me wrong, during the entire 10 days, we never had a bad meal anywhere on Silversea. We are not fussy eaters or high maintenance patrons when it comes to restaurants. And although we dine out frequently at home, we rarely go to the top-end/expensive restaurants in any particular city around the world. Also, the number of entrée choices was fairly limited, with three or sometimes four courses being the standard on Silversea vs. five on Seabourn. Service in the MDR on both lines was similarly excellent however as was the quality of flatware, plates, glasses etc.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Alternative restaurant (importance 4)

 

As average as we thought the Silversea MDR experience was, La Terazza – one of three! alternative venues, the other being outdoors on deck under the stars and Le Champagne (more later on that) – was superb! We ate there 4 times on our 10 night voyage. The La Terazza menu was the same most nights, but that did not matter. Every item we ate there was mouth-watering delicious. On two occasions, and with 24 hours advanced notice, we asked the chef to prepare something special off the main menu. Both of these items were delivered and equally outstanding. Well done, La Terazza. We dined outdoors on deck once, with a basic menu of salads, fish, steak, prawns etc. It was very nice and the food was very good but not excellent. My steak was cooked medium rather than medium-well as ordered, but the Madagascar prawns were delicious. We did not try Le Champagne, the $200 per person with wine venue. There is just something wrong with charging that price on a luxury line where you’re already paying roughly $1,000 per night room and board. I know you can dine there for only $30 per person without wine, but the up-charge left such a sour taste in our mouths that we decided against it. I talked to several fellow cruisers who did opt to try it, and it received across the board “good” but not outstanding reviews.

 

Seabourn alternative dining options were limited to Restaurant 2, a tapas style concept with a changing menu each evening. While extremely enjoyable and a definite change of pace from most alternative restaurants at sea today, La Terazza on Silversea was superior in most every respect.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 4 = 16 points (would have given this a 5 if it hadn’t been for the ridiculous up-charge of Le Champagne).

Seabourn rating: 3 * 4 = 12 points

 

Special Event Dining (importance 3)

 

Silversea, like Seabourn, offers a deck BBQ one evening and a galley lunch. Silversea’s BBQ was laid out in one long line, with a lot of food choices in terms of quantity, but nothing overtly special. It was one big buffet that reminded me of any gala buffet on a big-ship line. The wait in line was in excess of 15 minutes, and for the price I paid for the cruise, I was just underwhelmed. Seabourn’s on-deck BBQ extravaganza was set up in small stations to minimize lines and wait times, with food items that included as I recall grilled Lobster among other wonderful food items. Silversea’s experience was so average that we skipped the galley lunch entirely.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 3 = 6 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 3 = 15 points

 

Room service (importance 4)

 

Both lines did a good job with this. Table with linens always set for breakfast or dinner, great service provided with a smile, and the cabin layouts made for a very comfortable overall experience. When it comes to the menu, I believe Seabourn offered a more varied selection and better overall quality of ingredients. Again, the boring MDR menu (see above) limited our dinner choices to the likes of French Onion Soup and pizza one evening. A telephone call to the cabin was always made before each delivery on Seabourn (especially helpful on those early mornings). Not so on Silversea. A minor point for some, but another factor that makes Seabourn superior in this category.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 4 = 12 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 4 = 20 points

 

Outdoor pool/Jacuzzis (importance 5)

 

As a swimmer and someone who uses both the pool and Jacuzzis 2, 3, 4 or more times daily, the Silversea pool area beats Seabourn without exception. Silversea’s pool was heated to an almost uncomfortable high temperature (90+ degrees) on 2 days, but it sure beats that tiny “pool” on Seabourn that’s barely big enough to cool off on a hot day. I missed Seabourn’s Jacuzzi far forward on the bow, but Silversea’s two Jacuzzis were lovely and afforded just as great a view.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

Seabourn rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

 

Pool/deck bar (importance 5)

 

I know it may seem strange to call this out as its own separate category, but on these small ships it is a big aspect of afternoon shipboard life for us. Sitting around, chatting with fellow guests, observing and interacting with the bar staff and their cocktail-making abilities etc. Silversea was good (and their bar folks were the ones to call us by name most of the time) but Seabourn was a notch above. Silversea had the premium-brand liquors out of sight in a cabinet underneath the bar, although available if requested. A cost-cutting move I’m sure. Seabourn on the other hand presented all options to its guests within view. Want a peach Bellini or strawberry daiquiri? On Silversea, out came the fruit concentrate dispensed from large bottles. On Seabourn, fresh fruit went into the blender to make the drinks. How about a Bloody Mary in the Jacuzzi? On Silversea, it was promptly delivered without celery and olives. On Seabourn, those two side accompaniments were always present. Just a few examples… but little things like this mean a lot when paying these high-end prices, so Seabourn wins this category handily.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn rating: 5 * 5 = 25 points

 

Other bars/nightspots (importance 3)

 

Please see above for comments on premium liquors and cocktail ingredients. Because of the larger size of the Silver Cloud vs. Seabourn Spirit, I did appreciate the additional venues to enjoy pre-dinner drinks or post-dinner socializing. Not much else to say here, but Silversea’s sheer number of choices was welcome.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

Seabourn rating: 3 * 5 = 15 points

 

Handling/Recognition of special milestones/birthdays (importance 3)

 

Both my partner and I have the same birthday (yes, it’s true) – and we celebrated it on this cruise. Last year we celebrated it on Seabourn. On Silversea, nothing was mentioned at the dinner table, and when we returned to the cabin, there were three balloons on the bed, a slice of chocolate cake with a generic Happy Birthday written on it, and a card addressed to just my partner. On Seabourn last year, at the conclusion of dinner in the MDR, my partner was presented with a personalized cake at the table with Happy Birthday XXX written on it. Yes, Seabourn forgot me to. I guess neither line gets too many travelers with identical birthdays. The difference is that on Seabourn, after bringing the mistake to the wait staff’s attention, a personalized Happy Belated Birthday XXX cake was brought out to me the following evening. After making a Silversea staff member aware of the mistake, absolutely nothing was done for the rest of the cruise. No biggie really… but the attention to detail on Silversea with these sorts of things is not at the level of Seabourn.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 3 = 6

Seabourn rating: 4 * 3 = 12

 

Self-service laundry facilities (importance 3)

 

I love returning home with clean clothes, so I really enjoyed the launderette facilities on both Silversea and Seabourn. Both were clean and of good quality (machines, detergent), but Silversea’s laundry was bigger with an additional washer and dryer which made for a no-wait experience for me. Excellent. On Seabourn, it was a cramped space with a survival of the fittest mentality, and guests were lined up in the hallway to use it.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 3 = 15

Seabourn rating: 2 * 3 = 6

 

Full-service/ship laundry & dry cleaning (importance 2)

 

Both lines did an equally good job here with both laundry and dry cleaning. Not much else to say.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 2 = 10

Seabourn rating: 5 * 2 = 10

 

Cabin design/layout (importance 5)

 

In terms of the main cabin (we had a standard veranda on Deck 5), I have to say Silversea and Seabourn were pretty much on par with one another. Nice walk-in closets on both. No Bose radio on Silversea (although I understand they are coming soon), but I really liked the main cabins’ design and layout equally on both ships. Very, very comfortable for 10 days or more. The big differentiating factor was soundproofing between the suites. On Silversea, when it was quiet , you could literally hear the neighbors conversing next door in their room. It was a bit muffled, but if you tried and really listened, you could make out their sentences. Scary! Not the case on Seabourn with much better soundproofing – where you rarely heard your neighbors’ comings and goings.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 5 = 25

Seabourn rating: 5 *5 = 25

 

Cabin bathroom (importance 5)

 

Silversea’s bathroom was no bigger than a bathroom on Celebrity or Holland America. Yes, it has a tiny bathtub which was actually quite nice, but only 1 sink and a toilet all jammed next to one another. It was fine and very functional, but far inferior to Seabourn Spirit’s bathroom with a larger and better arranged tub/shower combination and dual sinks. And although the Cloud is a newer ship, the bathroom looked shabbier than Seabourn’s for some reason. Must be the marble with the pink accents (not so attractive to begin with) that’s not wearing so well!

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 5 = 10 points

Seabourn rating: 4 * 5 = 20 points

 

Cabin balcony/veranda (importance 3)

 

This category is easy. Silversea had a comfortable private veranda with two chairs and a nice table. Seabourn has no true balconies except in their very high end (and priced!) suites. The importance of a private veranda on these small ships is less important than it would be on a larger vessel. You are literally 2-3 minutes to the open decks no matter where your cabin is on the ship.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 3 = 15

Seabourn rating: 0 * 3 = 0

 

Spa (importance 2)

 

Other than haircuts, we didn’t really utilize the spa services on either Silversea or Seabourn. I did look around however and would rate Silversea’s facilities a little higher just because of the larger footprint that the bigger ship affords. Both have separate steam/sauna rooms for men and women, massage treatment rooms, and hair/nail salon areas… but Silversea has a nice little outside deck to relax on outside the locker rooms where Seabourn does not.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 2 = 6

Seabourn rating: 2 * 2 = 4

 

Ship-sponsored excursions (importance 4)

 

All excursions were good on both lines with no real disappointments. But there were no special “Welcome Home” receptions or in-cabin goodies on Silversea as there were on Seabourn. On Seabourn, for example, after an all-day outing, you may come back to the ship to find a staff of 10 or so crew members pier-side displaying a “Welcome Home” banner with waiters serving champagne before you even re-board the ship. Not so on Silversea. On another all-day excursion on Seabourn, you may return to the cabin to find a “Welcome Back” note from your room steward on the dining table complemented by Caviar, fixings, and a bottle of champagne. Not so on Silversea. I could list other examples where Seabourn far excels over Silversea in its attention to detail, but will instead switch to something that Silversea delivered on big time!

 

We were scheduled to be in Honfleur, France (the port for Normandy) on June 6, 2010. Yet there was no excursion available to Normandy or the landing beaches, due supposedly to our early 3pm departure. When other Silversea ships dock here with a later departure, Normandy tours are offered. It seemed that none of the senior crew members realized it was the anniversary of D-Day, so I approached the Cruise Director about it and explained the significance of the port stop, date, and that I’m sure when Silversea arranged this itinerary (probably 2 years ago) that they knew it was the 66th anniversary of that momentous day in history. Well, in a couple of days time, a flyer was delivered to all cabins announcing the Normandy tour offering. The captain had not only arranged an earlier than planned arrival in Honfleur, but a later departure time as well in order to allow this tour to be offered. Major kudos to the excursion staff and Cruise Director, Jimmy, for putting this together and pulling it off on such short notice! Bravo! It does make me wonder though about Silversea’s lack of attention to the finer details of this and other things (like the numerous grammatical and typographical errors in all the daily newsletters/bulletins). Oh well… let’s not get too off track.

 

Silversea rating: 5 * 4 = 20 (rating this a 5 only because of the Normandy trip - would otherwise have been a 3)

Seabourn rating: 4 * 4 = 16

 

Gym/fitness facilities (importance 4)

 

This is another clear-cut category. The Silver Cloud’s size affords it a much nicer gym area with a great view forward across the oceans. Seabourn’s gym is small and from what I recall, had no view. Also no Elliptical machines on Seabourn which is a big deal to me as I really enjoy using them vs. the traditional treadmills.

 

Silversea rating: 4 * 4 = 16

Seabourn rating: 2 * 4 = 8

 

On-board shopping (importance 1)

 

As noted this is of not much importance to us, but the selection of merchandise was better on Silversea than on Seabourn. Although seeing an on-board H. Stern on Silversea was a real turnoff. What a tourist trap with a hard sell!

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 1 = 3

Seabourn rating: 2 * 1 = 2

 

Casino (importance 2)

 

I know this will sound familiar by now, but the larger Silver Cloud had a larger casino than Seabourn. About twice the number of slots and I believe an additional blackjack table, although I never saw both in use simultaneously. What was key here is that I thought the casino staff on Silversea were very professional and pushy/casino-like (fast dealing, made sure your drinks were always full etc.) - whereas on Seabourn the casino staff were much more conversational and leisurely which made for a much more relaxing gambling experience.

 

Silversea rating: 2 * 2 = 4

Seabourn rating: 3 * 2 = 6

 

Shipboard entertainment and Theater (importance 2)

 

I enjoyed the entertainment on both lines. Silversea had a professional production company/cast aboard that did 4 different shows in 10 days. Impressive for a small ship! Seabourn’s entertainment is mostly handled by its senior crew (cruise directors, asst CD, and others) – which was also good but different than a production show. Depends on what you like. Nicer theater by far on Silversea but I personally preferred the intimacy of the Seabourn crew entertainment. A draw for me in this category – but please note, don’t go on a small ship if big show, theatrical entertainment is a high priority.

 

Silversea rating: 3 * 2 = 6

Seabourn rating: 3 * 2 = 6

 

Overall feel of the cruise experience and camaraderie with like-minded travelers (importance 5)

 

This is an area where for us there was a huge difference. Please don’t flame me on this as my thoughts are difficult to convey in writing. At 48 years of age, we were among the 20 youngest passengers I would say on both Silversea and Seabourn. Not a big issue… we knew that would be the case going into both cruises. Let’s suffice it to say that Silversea just felt older to us than Seabourn all around. Seabourn’s passengers were all of similar age to Silversea, but definitely much more young at heart. I know what I’m about to write is a huge generality and in fact may not even be entirely true, but in order to simplify my feelings about our fellow travelers and to provide some background to other travelers considering Silversea vs. Seabourn… Silversea was very reserved and sometimes downright stoic while Seabourn was uplifting and sometimes rather raucous (and thus fun!). It was really quite different in terms of shipboard environments, attitudes, passenger interactions, and overall feel. Huge plus to Seabourn here for us.

 

Silversea rating: 1 * 5 = 5

Seabourn rating: 5 * 5 = 25

 

DRUM ROLL PLEASE… finally tally – and it’s very close much to my surprise:

 

Silversea rating: 280

Seabourn rating: 312

 

Concluding thoughts

 

Although we thoroughly enjoyed our Silversea experience (anyone who can’t have a good time on Silversea has got a problem in my opinion!), I am a little worried about the viability of Silversea long-term. It is just not in the same league overall as Seabourn with a focus on small details (not sure about how it compares to Regent or Crystal). In fact, Silversea does not distinguish itself enough from even the likes of Celebrity, IF you consider what Celebrity offers in their higher end suite categories at roughly the same price as you’d pay on Silversea their entry level veranda cabin. Yes, of course you don’t get the crowds as you encounter on a huge ship – and for some, I understand that is a deal breaker. But other than that, I don’t know what Silversea provides in a standard veranda cabin that Celebrity does not let’s say provide in one of their Celebrity or Royal Suites.

 

This was also the first time in a long time that we did not book another cruise while on-board. Instead… what did we do? Well, the weekend after our return from Silversea we booked another Seabourn voyage this August in the Med. Hmmmmm. What does that tell you?

 

I have provided a lot of information I know, but I do hope some of the readers find it helpful. Others of course will disagree with some of my comments. And I no doubt left some details out that others will be interested to know about. So questions and comments are welcome. Please feel free to post them here or email me directly.

And most importantly, THANK YOU to the Silver Cloud staff and crew for an excellent vacation. You worked very hard - and despite the occasional suggestions for improvement noted above, please know that we appreciated your efforts and you are to be commended for affording us a great time. Happy and safe journeys to all of us fellow CC’ers.

[OntheBlueOcean]

Thank you for such a great and useful review. Much appreciated!:)

[ededmd]

Thank you for such a great and useful review. Much appreciated!:)

 

While not trying to diminish its value, please note this comparison review is almost 3 yrs old. You may wish to also seek more current information.