Seabourn v Silversea Dining

[machotspur]

Hello Seabourn Board

 

My wife and I have cruised with Silversea 5 times in recent years, however there has been certain aspects of the onboard experience that has disappointed us on the past couple of trips, specifically the quality of the food.

As a result we recently decided to put a small toe in the water and try a short Seabourn cruise, aboard Seabourn Spirit - just a short seven day cruise along the Dalmatian Coast.

Well - we were absolutely delighted with the interesting menus , quality of the ingredients and the presentation - in our humble opinion it was of a far higher standard to what we had experienced with Silversea on our more recent trips.

 

So - before we switch allegiances more fully, we would very much appreciate any insight from those that have recent experience of both Seabourn & Silversea.

 

On average, is the standard of Seabourn cuisine significantly better than that of Silversea, or was the single short cruise we expereinced an exception ?

 

Thank you so much to anyone who can give an opinion on this.

[fairbourne]

Hi Machotspur

 

The DH and myself have been on SS and SB. For us SB beats SS in lots of ways but especially the food. Not that SS was in any way bad, it was very good but SB was consistently just that much better in terms of variety and quality. We also enjoyed the public spaces on the Quest e.g. Seabourn Square. However in saying that we have a special place in our hearts for the Silver Whisper as she was our first ever sailing and we were very well looked after. We also found the SB officers much more approachable and interacting with the guests - Captain Magnus was always visible and always had a word with people.

 

We are looking at an Alaskan cruise for 2013 and the only thing stopping us booking one - none available on Seabourn - yet! - so maybe that will answer your question better! :)

[MillieMeter]

Just responding to the bit about no Alaskan cruise available on Seabourn. That is unfortunately true . Someone on another board said they thought it might be coming in 2013

But I sent an email to Seabourn inquiring and the response was NO. There are no Seabourn ships that go to Alaska now or in the future from what the reply I received indicated. Now I am trying to decide between Silversea and Regent and it sounds like a toss up from everything I have read on the CC boards from each line. Wish my DH wanted to go somewhere else that Seabourn cruised to but I am guessing in 2013 we will be on some other cruise line going to Alaska!!!

I am at least glad we will be on Seabourn in August to the Baltics/St.Petersburg.

I'm sorry if I butted in on this thread since I cannot compare SS and Seabourn---never having been on SS.

But IMHO and very limited experience I thought food on Seabourn was excellent.

 

 

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[gretchen's mom]

We have never been on Silversea ships but have been on five Seabourn cruises. On each, the food has been excellent. We just disembarked from the Spirit last Friday and I think that the food was better than ever. Even during the Tasting Menu in Restaurant 2, they made substitutions in consideration of food allergies. You can feel comfortable that your first experience on Seabourn is indicative of what you will experience in the future.

[Paminflorida]

Echoing everyone else on this thread -- SB food was far superior to the food on SS. We did enjoy La Terrazza at night on SS -- the Captain was Italian so I think they make a special effort to have excellent Italian food. However, the service on SS didn't come close to SB -- no one even made an effort to call us by name, even though our names were clearly right next to our suite number for all reservations! And we had a major beef with having to wait on line to shake the Captain's hand at the Welcome and Farewell receptions. Honestly, we didn't really care to shake his hand - just wanted to sit and have some champagne, but you couldn't get into the Venetian Room without going through this receiving line. We actually walked off the line after waiting 15 minutes at the Farewell reception and just went back the Bar for our champagne. SS made us feel like the Captain was the most important person on the ship -- SB makes us feel like WE are the most important. No more SS for us -- just booked SB Amazon River cruise in March 2013 -- can't wait!

[Paminflorida]

Almost forgot - there was one meal that was exceptional on SS -- at the Le Champagne restaurant. But there was a $30 pp charge to eat there - the whole thing was weird on a supposedly "all-inclusive" cruise.

[adoctor]

Seabourn wins this one.I found the main dining rooms pretty similar but the Buffet and breakfast on the Sojourn vastly superior to SS.

On SS(Shadow) the buffet area is in need of refurbishment.The lighting is poor and the fixtures and fittings resemble an industrial canteen.The fare lacked variety and imagination.The breakfast buffet with its 3 hour old congealing scrambled egg quite unpleasant.

On Sojourn a contemporary varied display, state of the art fittings and great variety.Daily specials,fresh fish and great pasta were on offer at lunchtime and the freshly cooked eggs at breakfast a delight.

The signature restaurant on Shadow was actually very good(despite the extra cost) and better than Seabourn who could up their game in this area.

[fairbourne]

Just responding to the bit about no Alaskan cruise available on Seabourn. That is unfortunately true . Someone on another board said they thought it might be coming in 2013

But I sent an email to Seabourn inquiring and the response was NO. There are no Seabourn ships that go to Alaska now or in the future from what the reply I received indicated. Now I am trying to decide between Silversea and Regent and it sounds like a toss up from everything I have read on the CC boards from each line. Wish my DH wanted to go somewhere else that Seabourn cruised to but I am guessing in 2013 we will be on some other cruise line going to Alaska!!!

I am at least glad we will be on Seabourn in August to the Baltics/St.Petersburg.

I'm sorry if I butted in on this thread since I cannot compare SS and Seabourn---never having been on SS.

But IMHO and very limited experience I thought food on Seabourn was excellent.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for posting this I was going to phone Seabourn today as I really want to go to Alaska and I really really want to do it on a SB ship! Decisions, decisions! :D:D Maybe if enough guests want to do it ..... ???? We'll have to start a petition! LOL!

[fairbourne]

Almost forgot - there was one meal that was exceptional on SS -- at the Le Champagne restaurant. But there was a $30 pp charge to eat there - the whole thing was weird on a supposedly "all-inclusive" cruise.

 

Yes I quite forgot as well about Le Champagne - it was superb and they adjusted the menu for me very well. The Chef was excellent in discussing the menu with me before but just learning enough from me so he could "surprise" me with his creations - and they were truly wonderful!

[fairbourne]

Seabourn wins this one.I found the main dining rooms pretty similar but the Buffet and breakfast on the Sojourn vastly superior to SS.

On SS(Shadow) the buffet area is in need of refurbishment.The lighting is poor and the fixtures and fittings resemble an industrial canteen.The fare lacked variety and imagination.The breakfast buffet with its 3 hour old congealing scrambled egg quite unpleasant.

On Sojourn a contemporary varied display, state of the art fittings and great variety.Daily specials,fresh fish and great pasta were on offer at lunchtime and the freshly cooked eggs at breakfast a delight.

The signature restaurant on Shadow was actually very good(despite the extra cost) and better than Seabourn who could up their game in this area.

 

That's really disappointing to read about the Shadow breakfast buffet as that's the ship that does the Alaskan journeys - mmmmm don't know whether this is "food" for thought or not! ;):)

[white oak]

Hello Seabourn Board

 

My wife and I have cruised with Silversea 5 times in recent years, however there has been certain aspects of the onboard experience that has disappointed us on the past couple of trips, specifically the quality of the food.

As a result we recently decided to put a small toe in the water and try a short Seabourn cruise, aboard Seabourn Spirit - just a short seven day cruise along the Dalmatian Coast.

Well - we were absolutely delighted with the interesting menus , quality of the ingredients and the presentation - in our humble opinion it was of a far higher standard to what we had experienced with Silversea on our more recent trips.

 

So - before we switch allegiances more fully, we would very much appreciate any insight from those that have recent experience of both Seabourn & Silversea.

 

On average, is the standard of Seabourn cuisine significantly better than that of Silversea, or was the single short cruise we expereinced an exception ?

 

Thank you so much to anyone who can give an opinion on this.

 

In my opinion the quality of the food on both SS and SB is very close with SS edging out SB slightly in variety and creativity. This has to do with the fact SS is owned and run by an Italian family and the food and wine offered has more of a European feel which I like because it is different from what we are used to. LaChampagne menus can be at times outstanding and well worth the extra $30.00. Of course this is a very subjective subject and it is only your opinion that really matters. Where SB excels over SS is in the service area and this can make all the difference in the world in terms of your enjoyment of the entire dining experience. I personally prefer the decor and setup of the dining rooms on SS over SB (Can't get past those hanging white curtains - They seem tacky to me) but overall think the layout of the 3 new larger ships from SB far surpass anything SS has to offer including the Spirit. IMHO each cruise is different and it is hard to recreate what you remember as an exceptional experience; even on the same ship. If the food is the deciding factor for you, I don't think SB or SS has much of an edge on the other.

[JaneBP]

Thanks for posting this I was going to phone Seabourn today as I really want to go to Alaska and I really really want to do it on a SB ship! Decisions, decisions! :D:D Maybe if enough guests want to do it ..... ???? We'll have to start a petition! LOL!

 

One of the issues is that the little sisters are not modern enough to meet the strict sanitation requirements for the Alaskan itineraries, so it will have to be the big girls. Ever think about Linblad??

[fairbourne]

JaneBP - thanks for that info - had not heard of them - just had a quick look - very interesting will show to the DH! :) The ships look very "HMS Britannia"!

 

But I have to say Alaska on one of the big sisters - now you're talking! LOL!

 

White oak - yes of course the public space and layout on the SB big sisters is wonderful - Seabourn Square for example - SS just can't IMO compete with that concept at all. And you are so right anything the second time around will lose a little bit of the first-time sparkle! ;):D

[JaneBP]

Trust me, Linblad is the way to go to see Alaska, up close and personal. Not that Seabourn or SS would not be nice, but there is so much more to experience than the scenery and some port excursions.

One evening we were amid a pod of whales and the ship stopped, and announced that dinner would hold and when we were all done with photos and observations, it would begin. The Zodiacs are great fun. Do consider it. However, there are no formal dinner nights. <g>

[wripro]

I started sailing on SS in June, 1994 when there was just the Silver Cloud. At that time the menus were creative, sophisticated and full of tempting options. As the years progressed the menus have become more generic and much less interesting. The food is good but not special, imo (Le Champagne apart, which I think will start to deteriorate now that they are including wines and one is no longer obliged to buy off the list) I find SB's food superior in every instance (I happen to love Restaurant 2 on the new ships) but in all honesty my one big complaint is that they rarely change the menus so if you cruise consistently you will find the same menu choices over and over.

[Emperor Norton]

I can't comment on Seabounrns food (yet). However, on my single SS cruise (Alaska on the Shadow) I found the food to be unimaginative and depending upon the dish ineptly prepared (Risotto should not go SNAP*CRACKLE*POP when you're eating it). Le Champagne turned me off almost from the get go. Veiny Foir Gras? The best part of that dinner were the wine pairings. I'm surprised however that the cost to dine there has gone down. When I went dinner in Le Champagne was far more than $30.

[wripro]

When they started offering dinner at Le Champagne it was $200 99 including an excellent wine pairing with each course. At that point most nights the room was fairly empty because SS was not yet offering generous OBCs. The they began offering dinner for $30 pp but you had to purchase wine off the premium list. Now they will still be charging $30 but will allow complementary wine to be served. This evolution is obviously a downward trend and will imo result in not being able to get reservations and a degradation of the product.

[Chairsin]

Fairbourne,

 

I can second Jane's comment about Lindblad for Alaska. We have used them whenever we are looking for a great adventure trip. We have been on a trips in Baja and the Copper canyon, and the Galapagos and Machu Pichu with them . Terrific naturalists and first rate educational experience but do not expect luxury. Their ships are very basic, cabins tiny and food so-so. But they are a class act.(sorry about the off topic post)

[Tillylovesseabourn]

Hi, have to jump in here.

 

We sailed on Odyssey last aug and SS Whisper in october, SB food was great, SS was very ordinary and at times bad! Frequent complaints from lots of passengers to the food and bev manager. Most of the complainants were commenting on the food getting worse, and were SB and SS previous passengers.

 

Overcooked fish, very dated food choices lacking imagination, and lack of choice of salads etc especially poor in la terraza at lunchtime. However, some of the best food we had in there in the evening for italian.

 

Wont be going back, as just didnt think it had the edge, sad really as they seem to have the better itineraries.:)

[fairbourne]

Thanks Tillloveseabourn - this is what we're afraid of in booking the Whisper for next year (but of course a whole lot could happen in that time!) I think we are going to have a serious look at Linblad for Alaska.

[Chairsin]

Fairbourne,

If you go on Linblad with the expectation of a great adventure trip versus Seabourn pampering you will have a great time.The food will be acceptable but obviously not Seabourn's level of quality and selection.When on board Linblad I have to remind myself that there will not be any escargot and that I must sign a chit for every glass of wine I drank. But we have met some very interesting people on board and learned ever so much about the natural world.And of course the cabins are not only small but lack many Seabourn amenities -- such as bathubs, double sinks, sitting areas and walk in closets.Our next Linblad trip may be Antactica.

[JaneBP]

I think taking a Linblad cruise is so different that one can forget comparisons. Not like the either/or similarities of SB & SS. Totally different and more adventurous.

 

And..>"As for dress, a few people were dressed "smart casual" at dinner, but for the most part shorts, tees,polos, capris a few dresses. Some wore the same clothes they wore during the day. I brought 2 pairs of capris and 4 tess which I switched out. No one cares about what you are wearing since packing light is crucial. There is laundry service on board. I washed my clothes in the sink and they dried quickly (light weight wicking type material). I later discovered a dryer in the gym on the top deck. Some (including me) went barefoot (though usually not for dinner). The food was really good too-you won't starve. I was amazed I had lost weight on the trip. Shoes-I took a pair of Tevas which I used for wet landings, and a pair of Merrill low-hikers which I wore the most. Next time, I will throw in a pair of flip flops for on the ship since my Tevas were usually wet."

[fairbourne]

Fairbourne,

Our next Linblad trip may be Antactica.

 

Fantastic!

 

Thanks Chairsin - I think this is what we have to seriously discuss - I've just been looking at some beautiful photos posted over on the Alaska board and they make me want to go book something right now! We're going on a bit of an adventure later this year to Australia - camping in the outback etc., (when I told my friends they said "oh Glamping" - oh no I say camping with a swag on the ground, no tent! So we can be up for an adventure, but I do so love the pampering of SB! And the food, and the suites, and the not signing for anything. We can do adventure and then we'll just have to have some pampering after!

 

Apologies to all for going off topic.

[SusanNJ]

Tillie, I am in total agreement with you. I will be on the whisper this summer because of the wonderful itinerary. Seabourn definitely has the edge for food and service. I over indulge all year. If the food isn't stupendous, I'll be annoyed, but it won't ruin my journey. As we will be making wonderful stops, I will seek out local fare for lunch, if the mood hits me. Keep in mind with the air allowance and shipboard credit Silver Seas is more reasonable. Something has to suffer. With the loss on the bottom line at Carnival, I wonder if there will be cut backs on all of their lines too. After 9/11 I took my first dream Seabourn trip; a week for 2400. It is not that much more a decade later.