Silver Discoverer

[fudge]

I filled out a survey from silversea regarding expedition cruising, with the reward for doing so being a promised 5% off a cruise on discoverer.

 

Got my reward today--5% off if booked by June 30th for a cruise before March 31 2015. I think the book by June 30th is reasonable, but no way can I cruise on discoverer before March 31 2015. I have a regent cruise and 2 silversea cruises booked in his time frame, and I routinely book travel over a year in advance.

 

So the reward is worthless to me, unless I cancel a cruise I already have booked. Oh, well! At least I got my 2 cents worth in on the survey.

 

Couldn't agree more, what a con that was! You get nothing for free in this life, typical SS!

[cruising kirby]

But back to the Discoverer- wonder what the dress is for dinner? The picture I saw was a bit more glittery than I would have expected. What are people seeing?

 

Hi, I will post a full review here when I get home, but happy to answer any questions you have in the interim. Dress standards for each evening are designated casual and "elegantly casual". On this cruise, in the heat of the Kimberleys, ladies are wearing casual dresses or pants and tops to dinner most nights, and men long trousers and short sleeve shirts. On the elegantly casual nights, there are a few more sparkly things being worn, and a few men wear jackets (almost no ties being worn), but overall I would say most people are wearing casual and comfortable clothing.

[5waldos]

Casual and Elegantly Casual. Ok- wonder where Amy Vanderbilt's rules for those are! :p But thanks- I must have seen a picture from an Elegantly Casual night. This gives me an excuse to get a float in the breeze dress or skirt- love those in the tropical winds. I assume that for sail days shorts, etc are fine for women? And men I guess. (Not dinner- just hanging around for the day).

 

But I really can wait until you return- no sense in spending your trip answering questions for me- I have more than 4 months to worry about these things. Will be looking forward to your review and will probably have lots of questions then.

 

Well- perhaps one question- how many people are aboard? Curious how well it is selling.

[cruising kirby]

Casual and Elegantly Casual. Ok- wonder where Amy Vanderbilt's rules for those are! :p But thanks- I must have seen a picture from an Elegantly Casual night. This gives me an excuse to get a float in the breeze dress or skirt- love those in the tropical winds. I assume that for sail days shorts, etc are fine for women? And men I guess. (Not dinner- just hanging around for the day).

 

But I really can wait until you return- no sense in spending your trip answering questions for me- I have more than 4 months to worry about these things. Will be looking forward to your review and will probably have lots of questions then.

 

Well- perhaps one question- how many people are aboard? Curious how well it is selling.

Very casual during the day, shorts for men and women throughout the ship, including lunch dining.

 

The ship is sailing full, I think they said about 115 guests and just under 100 crew. Almost all Australians, not surprising as I don't know how many "outsider's" know about our fabulous Kimberley region

[5waldos]

Very casual during the day, shorts for men and women throughout the ship, including lunch dining.

 

The ship is sailing full, I think they said about 115 guests and just under 100 crew. Almost all Australians, not surprising as I don't know how many "outsider's" know about our fabulous Kimberley region

 

Those of us watching the Discoverer certainly do now! It really is quite beautiful. WIll admit to never having heard of it before this.

[duct tape]

The only part of OZ I have missed. Can't wait until it is my turn!

[melmike]

So, I have also just done the Discoverer from Darwin to Broome and have posted a review on the Silver Discoverer members page, but happy to reprint it here.

 

I've always wanted to see the Kimberley but balked at the price of the cruises, looking at Orion and True North. When we heard about the Silver Discoverer we decided it was going to be worth the (extremely high) cost. After all, not only is it all-inclusive (alcohol and gratuities) but all excursions are included. And it's Silversea.

We had high expectations, as this is a newly leased and re-badged ship for Silversea. It came out of drydock in Singapore only at the beginning of the year and had, I think, 3 or 4 journeys before ours. From the official website: "And she has been newly refurbished to help guests maximize their experience…"

So you would expect a spotless and immaculate ship, right? Unfortunately, wrong.

The public areas were mostly good, though it was pretty annoying that some outdoor areas were still being painted (mattress box near pool). In a pristine landscape, it's not pleasant to smell paint fumes over lunch outdoors.

Being an expedition ship, we expected the smaller lounge and dining areas, and the lower ceilings, and fewer amenities. But we did not expect cheap wines, or a cabin that was poorly finished.

When choosing a cabin, we realised that the View (16.8sq m) would be too claustrophobic, and while the Veranda sounded great at 32sq m, the room itself was 26sq m, which was almost the same size as the Vista at 25sq m. So the balcony was about 6sq m, which is tiny in anyone's language. And it was considerably more money, so we passed on the balcony and were very glad we did. It would have been a very expensive way to dry clothes. So we were happy with the size of Vista Suite 653, and the location was good, too. The bathroom was a decent size for one person at a time, with an adequate shower stall. This was a big complaint from guests in smaller suites: apparently the shower stalls are so small it's hard to turn around.

But our cabin disappointed for many reasons, all of which could have been rectified and should not have been an issue in (a) a Silversea vessel and (b) a newly refurbished vessel.

Photos attached:

1) Between the wardrobes and the bedroom area there was previously a curtain. The old hooks were still swinging freely. These took 10 minutes to remove when brought to the attention of the hotel manager, but why where they still there after a refurbishment?

2) Behind the TV (which pulls off the wall) were large dirty handprints. Probably from the installers of the TV. So after a launch and 3 cruises, no one checked?

3) One bedside lamp was held together with putty.

4) The emergency sign was stuck onto the back of the door over what was obviously a bigger sign, so the marks of the previous one were obvious. Tacky.

5) Large marks and scratches in the walls/ceilings in various places.

6) Metal pins in the wall had been puttied over (badly) and touched up with paint (badly).

7) The bathroom door squeaked VERY LOUDLY – especially annoying in the middle of the night. All it needed was a squirt of WD40. Why did no butler or room attendant have this fixed in the month she was at sea, before we complained? (For that matter, did no previous guest complain about it?)

8) Overall cleanliness of the cabin was sadly lacking. They sent a team in to fix on the second day.

 

Is this to be expected from a Silverseas suite? This is the question we asked of the hotel manager Sonia (who was charming, I might add). She apologised and did what she could to rectify the situation, but the bottom line is still that we paid a great deal of money for a substandard product. Definitely not a 5-star product.

Moving on. The staff was exemplary, especially the food and drink staff. Really excellent: remembering orders and names, being cheerful and attentive. All top notch.

The food was good. Nothing special, but by no means awful. It wasn't 5-star, although the dinner menus far outshone breakfast and lunch (both of which were buffet, with some freshly made offerings).

The wines were, quite simply, shocking. We are in the wine business and Australia is a wine lovers delight, but Silver Discoverer served plonk which can be purchased for $7.95 in any bottle shop. The sommelier – a pleasant European – had no idea of Australian wines and obviously just took whatever the supplier offered, without doing any homework at all. It was extremely disappointing and not what should be acceptable on a cruise of this caliber and cost.

The dining room atmosphere was pleasant and the restaurant manager ran a very efficient operation. Casual attire every night. Some men wore shorts to the dining room, but thankfully not many. I would call it smart casual all the time and very casual during the day. Dinner was very enjoyable: we could sit at a table for 2, or ask to join other tables of 4, 6 or 8. This way you could sit with different people every evening if you chose, which made for a very friendly and convivial atmosphere. Remember, this is an expedition ship so you are thrown together more often than occurs on a more formal type cruise.

And on that subject, the excursions were also excellent. It's not an exaggeration to say the expedition guides – all men, of various nationalities but mostly Aussies – could make or break this cruise. Every evening there was a briefing from expedition leader Mick Fogg, outlining the next day's excursions and options, weather, and what to expect. A very amiable, straight-talking man, Mick obviously had the respect of his team and, quickly, of the guests. He has a big job: organising 120 guests, checking tides, and weather, getting 13 zodiac boats up and down, explaining how tough an outing could be (eg: a 2km walk in the sun over rocks to see rock art, or a 6hr zodiac ride to see cascades) and hoping guests are realistic about their abilities. Many skills are needed here, including tact and diplomacy, and Mick has them all. He and his team are experts in their fields: zoologists, botanists, naturalists, marine biologists: the breadth of their knowledge is astounding and, combined with their passion, totally infectious.

In this respect, everything was definitely 5 star. The excursions were well-planned, well organised and interesting, with various options to suits all guests.

One issue for everyone was that we spent the first 2 days at sea sailing out of Australian waters to Indonesia and back. The purchased itinerary stated a half-day landing in Indonesia, but this did not eventuate and we were never really given an adequate explanation. Everyone was annoyed at this, feeling it was a great waste of time, and did not represent value for money. The explanation given: an Australian government requirement that ships over a certain size have to go into international waters. But the gossip is that if they go into international waters they pay no GST on alcohol, which would be a huge saving for the cruise line. I have no idea if either of these are true or not.

So, the ultimate verdict is that the Kimberley did not disappoint – absolutely stunning - and the expeditions did not disappoint. Silversea has some work to do on this ship – it should never have gone out in that condition. We feel very cheated in that respect and are unsure we will try another Silversea cruise.

Note to help you with perspective: My husband and I are in our mid-50s, have travelled extensively, and enjoy wine, food, theatre, museums etc. Previous cruises include one Celebrity to Alaska when our daughter was young, then RSS Voyager in the Med, and in 2013 Seabourn Odyssey also in the Med. We hope to cruise often in the future.

 

Oh, fellow passengers on this cruise were mostly quite a lot older than us. Of the approx 115 guests, I'd say ¾ were over 65. I was surprised at this, but they were all very pleasant and pretty much everyone made an effort to mingle and make conversation. It's hard to avoid when there's 8 of you on a zodiac for 4 hours!

[spinnaker2]

Thank you for your extensive and detailed review. Sounds as if there is work to be done on the vessel, but that the " expedition" part delivered as promised. We are on the discoverer in July, and now know what to expect. We have been on the explorer to svalbard and it was wonderful.

I do hope you let ss know of your disappointments along with the kudos to the crew and expedition leaders.

Not sure if ss is listening these days...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[duct tape]

O dear. How disappointing to read. Wish you had a better experience. Thanx for taking the time.

[melmike]

I have to stress, amidst all this, that the Kimberley itself is truly amazing and I'm very happy that we saw it via ship. The heat would have overwhelmed me via a land tour. And I can't emphasise enough how wonderful the expedition team was.

But oh, another issue for everyone was the laundry. There is none. So on a destination that is hot and sticky, you either wash clothes in the sink (no iron, of course) or get charged to have them cleaned and/or ironed. I think that's pretty poor. They should offer one or two items a day cleaning, in my opinion, if they are not going to provide a laundry room.

[rojaan19]

Mick Fogg has been working in the Kimberleys for years, he was an assistant expedition leader on the Orion. He was very good on our cruise in the Kimberleys and I was glad to see him on the list of leaders on the SS website. He is definitely an asset.

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for your detailed review Melmike, the Kimberly sounds absolutely wonderful. Like you we looked at Orion for this trip and rejected it, and we were excited that SS were adding this itinerary with the Discoverer. It seems that SS has made the same mistakes as with the Galapagos, an inadequate makeover and trying to pitch the product at the same price point as the 5 non expedition ships without the ability or perhaps the wish to deliver. I hope that SS get their act together as we really want to do this trip. However, we will wait for sometime and see if things improve before booking.

[5waldos]

Thanks for your review- I remember you set out with such positive expectations.

 

I am becoming increasingly glad that we do not have any trips on the regular SS ships to compare the expedition trips to. We were generally happy with the S. Galapagos and could ignore the rough spots. We will be on the Discoverer for most of the month of October and will hope that some of the rough spots have been smoothed over but will enjoy the trip whatever. I do hope that they improve the wine selection some- that does seem like a set of poor choices given the fact that they were in Australia. This time however if my butler is not more on top of things than the one was in the Galapagos I will try to sort it out immediately. That was the one real sore point for us- she really was not up to even Carnival standards.

 

PS- what is "the Silver Discoverer members page"?

Edited May 17, 2014 by 5waldos

[RachelG]

Disappointing that things aren't up to standard, but hopefully they will improve quickly. Really no excuse for poor wines given they are in fact in Australia. That could be corrected immediately.

I do want to see the Kimberley, but am going to wait a while to see how things sort out before booking, especially given the very high fare.

[cruising kirby]

Hi everyone,

 

I am sorry for the delay in writing my review of the Silver Discoverer - life sometimes just gets in the way!

 

My husband and I were on the same cruise as melmike. As they have written a comprehensive review, I will try not to repeat too much of what they have said, where my impressions were the same.

 

By way of brief background, we have cruised on several lines including Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn, Celebrity, Princess and Royal Caribbean. This was our first Silversea cruise, and our first expedition cruise.

 

The Silver Discoverer is about 30 years old, and even after a refurbishment, the ship did show her age. However that didn't bother me, I wasn't expecting a sparkling new vessel. My cabin was spotless and with the exception of a TV that didn't work most of the time (we had to get it "reset" by staff), I was very happy with the layout, size and inclusions. Our butler and cabin stewardess were exemplary, couldn't ask for more. The public areas of the ship had been refurbished with new chairs, soft furnishings etc, but her age was evident in the older style floor/ceiling heights etc. I guess I just looked past those "irritations" as I booked the cruise knowing the ship was older and certainly wouldn't have the features of the more modern vessels. It isn't a 5 star feel, but the service, expedition staff and the beautiful Kimberleys made up for that.

 

The expedition staff were very interesting and knowledgeable, we enjoyed their company and they taught us a lot about the Kimberley. We loved the daily zodiac trips out into the wilderness, accompanied by the expedition staff commentary. They made themselves accessible around the ship too, and got us excited along with them as they pointed out birds, dolphins etc as we cruised along.

 

The food was good, not outstanding and not 5 star in my opinion. However once again, on an expedition ship, I guess it was appropriate and we could always find options we were happy with. Service at the bars and in the restaurants improved greatly as the cruise went on, perhaps the staff became more comfortable with guests I am not sure, but we appreciated being called by our names and our drink preferences remembered. The included white wines were acceptable, the reds were pretty awful. We did turn to cocktails on several occasions and we did request Chandon sparkling, which was readily poured for us at no extra cost. About half way through the cruise, we started ordering from the paid wines selection (at dinner), and were happy with the price and selection. The sommelier explained that he couldn't offer the range available on the bigger Silversea ships, but was extremely generous, supplying our paid wine as well as giving us several free bottles from his private collection.

 

The Kimberley was absolutely beautiful. To anyone considering this destination my advice is JUST DO IT! It is pristine wilderness and it is a privilege to see it from the sea as we did. The changing colours of the rock faces as the sun went down were stunning.

 

We made some lovely friends, everyone was warm and inclusive.

 

So was the cruise value for money? There is no doubt that the per night rate of this cruise is the highest we have paid. Overall, considering the magnificent location, crew service, friendships formed and quality of the expedition staff, I have come to the conclusion that it is worth the $'s as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Just keep your expectations about the ship in check, she is a bit of an ugly duckling in parts, however if you can go into it knowing she is an older girl, and focus on the experience of the itinerary, I think you will have a wonderful time.

[spinnaker2]

Thank you Kirby

For your honest appraisal and for taking the time to let us know your thoughts.

We are onboard for the July Seward to nome.

As we have been on the SS explorer we will have a comparison to gauge our experience by.

Hope that other pax write their reviews of the upcoming voyages so we will all have their collective experiences

Thanks again!!

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[duct tape]

Thank you for your post. It is always interesting to read experiences of people on the same cruise. I look forward to that trip one of these day. Sail on!

[spinnaker2]

Kirby

Quick practical question

How many outlets are there in the room and what is voltage?

I am from us and can bring converter if need be

Thanks again

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

[cruising kirby]

Kirby

Quick practical question

How many outlets are there in the room and what is voltage?

I am from us and can bring converter if need be

Thanks again

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

Hmmm, I can't recall the exact number of outlets, but there were definitely a couple over the desk, we had two items plugged in most of the time, using USA/AUS adapters. I guess the voltage is the same as in the USA.

[spinnaker2]

Thanks much !!

 

 

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[drron29]

Definitely recommend a Kimberley cruise.I did do a trip report but it was before I got a decent camera and before I learnt how to post pictures.I also think Mick Fogg was excellent.Probably a few more of the old Orion Expedition team on board.Robin West was the Orion's original Expedition leader.

I have a few photos of the cruise on this new computer so a little teaser-

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[drron29]

And definitely have a couple of days in Broome and try to be there when the stairway to the moon is visible-just google it and the dates are known-

..

[spinnaker2]

WOW !!

 

 

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[5waldos]

Wow indeed. But a terrible thought crossed my mind with one of the pictures-The missing plane !!

 

I apologize for such thoughts and must now take myself away in shame. But the pictures are wonderful .

 

 

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[5waldos]

" Behind the TV (which pulls off the wall) were large dirty handprints. Probably from the installers of the TV. So after a launch and 3 cruises, no one checked?"

 

Do I understand this correctly- the TV was attached to the wall and you removed it to check behind it? Why would it matter if there were handprints behind the TV? Or am I not getting the picture here?