Silver Muse vs Seabourn Encore

[sail1658]

 

We were fortunate to sail on both Seabourn Encore and Silver Muse this year within nine weeks of each other, - more by accident than design.

 

We'd booked a cruise on Silver Spirit for April 2018 but it was cancelled due to the extended dry-dock so that it could be cut in half and lengthened. We then had what we felt was a derisory compensation offer of 20% off another cruise or our money back. However by that time all the prices had gone up by 20% to 30% which negated the discount. We initially thought that we'd just get our money back and so we booked a Barcelona roundtrip cruise on Seabourn Encore instead. This was visiting Spain, Portugal, and France at the end of June. In the meantime, we reconsidered the offer from Silversea and asked our travel agent to request a similar itinerary to our cancelled Silver Spirit cruise on Silver Muse in September. This was sailing from Rome to Venice but was twice the price of our original Silver Spirit cruise. We thought: “If you don't ask, you don't get. They can only say “No” ”. To our great surprise, we were offered this cruise at the same price as our cancelled Silver Spirit cruise. It was just a direct transfer, and we were even given the same veranda suite number. So we jumped at the chance and accepted it.

 

So we now had two luxury cruises to look forward to on the newest ships in rival fleets, both of which had somewhat negative reviews. It's quite a first-world issue, but would we like them and the contrast between them? With the cruises being so close would we be disappointed with the Muse after the Encore or vice versa?

 

Well, we enjoyed both, with some niggles on each, so bear with me, as this is my personal opinion. 

 

Seabourn Encore or Silver Muse?

 

On our recent Barcelona round-trip cruise Seabourn Encore was gleaming, almost brand new. All the staff were very welcoming and wait staff and bar staff couldn't do enough for us, so we had no issues at all. There was a short line at the on-shore check-in and we were on board in 15 minutes, then we enjoyed lunch in the Colonnade. It was a bit crowded later but was fine while we were eating there.

 

On our Silver Muse cruise from Rome to Venice embarkation was the best ever, - no queues, just us, straight onto the ship. We checked in at the Dolce Vita Lounge, with a glass of champagne and then had lunch in Atlantide Restaurant within twenty minutes of boarding.

 

Our Seabourn Encore suite was very welcoming with dark woods and deep coloured soft furnishings as opposed to the light woods of the Odyssey class. There were also twin marble sinks, a nice shower and bath, and a walk-in wardrobe. My wife said that the Seabourn walk-in wardrobe was designed by a man. There were two clothes rails, - one high and one low. The rails were both too low so that jackets and dresses either dragged on the floor or on the lower rail. Our suite attendant was very pleasant and efficient.

 

Silver Muse was wonderful. We loved the muted contemporary colour scheme and thought she looked very stylish. Our veranda suite was beautiful, so comfortable. We unpacked by ourselves without any help from the butler. He asked if we wanted any drinks in the cabin as there were plenty of drinks available in the bars!! We'd pre-ordered our preferences, but these seemed to have been misplaced, but they did arrive during the cabin turn-down. The butler was very pleasant but seemed to explain that afternoon tea was available in other places when we ordered it in the cabin!

 

Both ships had champagne on ice waiting on embarkation, and we were offered a selection of high-end toiletries and had a well-stocked mini bar.

 

Main Dining Rooms

 

Seabourn Encore Restaurant was very good and we had an outstanding waitress and assistant who were so good that we went to the same table each night. I think that's what made the difference in our dining experience. As we always eat early, the Observation Bar was very quiet, with quick service for a pre-dinner drink, and the Restaurant was quite empty. In fact, sometimes we were among the first in. Our Wine stewardess was knowledgeable and brought any other wines we preferred to the daily offers and remembered our preferences. She even came back to offer Port when she saw I'd ordered Stilton cheese and she also suggested dessert wines. But I think this good experience boils down to dining at the same table with the same staff.

 

We noticed that later on there were queues at the door and staff were running around. Also, there were some long waits between courses on tables nearby. I think it's the galley that hasn't got the capacity at peak times with more passengers than on the Odyssey class of ships. I only had one complaint that a steak wasn't hot and it was immediately replaced. It seemed to cause great consternation, as the next night the section waiter brought my main course carrying the plate with a cloth on her hand as the plate was so hot.

 

Overall the food was good, - nothing mind-blowing but nothing underwhelming, except for the odd slightly under-done souffle. So we enjoyed every meal.

 

On Silver Muse, we had excellent dinners in the Atlantide, with the same table and waiter each evening. I asked the Maitre'd for this same table each night. There were obviously no guarantees, but we just came for dinner early each night, which is our preference anyway. I think this is what makes a difference to the service you receive as they get to know your preferences. There's a great little bar just inside Atlantide where you can wait for the restaurant to open and have a drink rather than sitting outside. Also, as on Seabourn Encore, the restaurant got very busy later on and then the service would suffer. On one night they were turning some guests away as the restaurant was so full and it was late, so they wouldn't be able to serve them. So overall the food was good despite the menu not changing much over ten nights, except for a few minor alterations. But you can order from the Always-Available menu and order off-menu if you give 24 hours notice. My wife ordered Dover Sole and we had souffles on a number of occasions.

 

Alternative Dining

 

On Seabourn Encore at the TK Grill, I had the best steak ever, fantastic. My wife had Dover sole which was just OK rather than outstanding. Service was very good, if slightly pretentious. We were asked: “Would Sir like to see the Premium Wine list to complement the menu?” Just order the complimentary wines, it's not an issue, But it was a good atmosphere and we'd definitely go again. We didn't go the Colonnade for TK home-style cooking. I went to have a look one evening but I didn't find the look of the food to be appetizing. It just wasn't my style, - ribs and big bowls of salad and a few lumps of cheese.

 

We ate breakfast and lunch in the Colonnade and it was always very good. The choice was good and we could order cooked items if we wished. We always had a nice table outside by the rail because we dined early.

 

On Silver Muse, we dined on two evenings in La Terrazza, once whilst anchored off Sorrento. I can honestly say it was one of the most magical evening meals we've ever had. No wind, warm, spectacular sunset, food, and the wines were excellent. Service was the best ever, then there were fireworks over Sorrento after dinner. We felt like we were extras in an advertisement video by the Italian Tourist board and Silversea. It could have only been topped if Andrea Bocelli was serenading us at the table and George Clooney had brought the coffee!

 

We ate breakfast and lunch in La Terrazza which was always good. The service was excellent, though it could get quite busy when people were going on tours, we always found an acceptable table. La Terrazza on Silver Muse is far superior to Silver Spirit's version. It's bigger and open plan and doesn't feel as crushed. We couldn't reach our table without someone offering to carry our plate for us.

 

Entertainment.

 

Seabourn shows in the lounge were good with the singers and two dancers. We noticed that there are only four singers now instead of six on previous Seabourn cruises. The Rock the Boat deck party and Farewell Epicurean party were very good, although a bit sparse in the food offerings compared to last time on Seabourn Sojourn. We had guest entertainers, - a comedian, a magician and a singer alternating with production shows. The dessert by the pool was just a cold dessert. Last time the chef was cooking Cherries Jubilee and blasting desserts with a blow torch, and there were tables with every kind of cognac and after-dinner drinks. The Epicurean party was pleasant but I noticed the caviar stall had now disappeared. Also, there was no Galley Lunch and the Caviar in the Pool was lacking in style and was really too crowded. It had a Nikki beach if not Spring Break vibe about it, - again with more passengers in the same area as the smaller ships.

 

The entertainment on Silver Muse wasn't as good as Seabourn, as the six singers only had a backing track, no live band, and there were no guest entertainers. Besides the production shows some of the singers had a solo evening show highlighting their special talents, such as swing or opera. One evening there was a Chocolate Extravaganza around the pool with entertainment by the singers and backing tracks. It was good, but it didn't have the vibe of live music with a good band. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable.

 

Pool deck

 

The issues we had with the Encore have been picked over in lots of reviews and we agree with them. The extra passenger numbers have caused some seating issues when the pool deck gets very busy particularly on sea days and in the afternoon when everyone comes back from excursions. There weren't enough sunbeds, particularly in the shade, as there are lots more tables for the grill taking up valuable deck space. The Retreat was under-used and was a waste of space. All those sunbeds in the shade should be for all passengers, not just those paying the extra charge. This could take away the pressures from the pool deck. The sunbeds are so uncomfortable and narrow, nothing like as comfortable as on Silversea, Oceania or Cunard Grills deck. They need some padded sun loungers. They also enforced a thirty minutes unattended sun lounger policy which, in principle, I agree with. It could possibly do with being a bit longer though so that you could have a relaxed lunch or even enjoy the pool without worrying about losing your seat. I think this was indicative of the extra passenger numbers with the same size pool deck, as they needed a turnover of unused sun loungers because there's just not enough space.

 

On Silver Muse, there was plenty of room around the pool deck compared to Seabourn Encore. The pool deck service was fabulous, and there were lovely padded sun loungers. The guys who worked the bar looked after us so well. They'd come and take three towels, put them out as if they were making a bed, all tucked in, and then they rolled up an extra towel for a pillow. They were so good with drink refills that we had to pretend to be asleep to avoid another drink magically appearing!

 

Gripes

 

Seabourn Encore had the issue with an increase in passenger numbers and same size venues as the Odyssey class ships. There were two sittings for the shows, and also a very bizarre Welcome Party which was held in three venues, - the Club, the Theatre, and the Observation Bar. It was strange. The cruise director introduced the Captain and some staff and then said: “We're off to the next venue”. There was no interaction. It was a bit of an embarrassing sort of party, more like no-one turned up to your New Years Eve party. Everyone looked embarrassed as there were more waiters than guests, then two minutes after the captain had gone, the waiters were tidying everything up.

 

If they got rid of the Retreat, ditched the cabanas and made it a beautiful quiet shaded area it would be perfect and take pressure off the pool deck, and they need luxurious padded sun beds. Also, they could put chairs and loungers on the deck outside the TK Grill on deck 8. At present this is used as an overspill from the Colonnade, but no-one seemed to be there throughout the cruise except for officers and one or two passengers. This would give an additional shaded area with great views over the ship's stern.

 

These negative points didn't really detract from our overall enjoyment, but Seabourn Encore wouldn't be our first choice of Seabourn ship. We prefer the Odyssey class. Of course, if there was an amazing deal, then it would become something we could put up with.

 

Silver Muse had an issue with oily soot on the rear decks. Occasionally there were big puffs of black smoke and then lots of small to large flakes of oily soot settled on the deck and furniture at the back of the ship. We had to make sure we wiped down chairs and didn't lean on the rail to avoid any clothing damage.

 

Entertainment needs to be expanded and modernised, with a live band for shows and guest entertainers.

 

Silver Muse had a ladder into the swimming pool and it was quite deep. We prefer graduated steps on different levels to be able to sit and cool off.

 

Overall this was the best Silversea cruise we've ever taken. We'd enjoyed three previous cruises on Silver Spirit, but felt they were a step down from Seabourn. We'd only taken these as they'd fitted in with our schedule and were bargains. However, this Silver Muse cruise was on a par and surpassed Seabourn in a number of aspects. We also now prefer Silver Muse to Silver Spirit, as senior staff were more visible and seemed to be more guest oriented. On our first Silver Spirit cruise, we'd felt as if we were intruding on the officers' private yacht.

 

These were both excellent cruises. We'd been to the ports before, and we always choose a cruise on Silversea or Seabourn for the ship, rather than the itinerary. We like a port intensive cruise, where all the passengers who've travelled from the USA or Australia and Asia to see the cultural sites in the Mediterranean get off on tours and are gone all day. That way we go down for breakfast with no-one there, as they're all on tours and the pool deck is empty. It's like having your own private yacht. We have a quiet lunch at a lovely table overlooking the sea. When everyone drifts back on board around the pool, we go ashore in an empty tender, do a bit of shopping, have a gentle stroll, then get ready early for dinner as we've had a relaxing day. We're among the first in the bar and restaurant as we're not exhausted by all day tours, and it's nice and quiet and the service is excellent.

 

We do things conversely to the majority of passengers, as we've seen all the sights and have taken excursions on less expensive ships and the ones you'd be glad to get off. I always think: “If I've paid for a 5-star luxury ship, why would I want to leave my cosseted cocoon?”

 

So to sum up -

 

Both ships are still brand new and shiny. Most of the staff all seemed to be very efficient and willing, no complaints, all very professional and welcoming. They made us feel special and addressed us by name.

 

Food - breakfast was good on both, lunch - each had good choices. We liked the freshly made pasta every day on Silver Muse. Coffee and snacks were available all day in Arts Cafe on Silver Muse and at Seabourn Square on Encore.

 

Dinner in the restaurant on both Seabourn and Silversea was very good and the service was excellent, but that was helped by eating early and having the same table and waiters each evening. So it could be a different experience if dining later in the evening when things could be rushed. We did miss the changing menu each evening on Silversea, but there was enough choice for a ten-night cruise, especially with the Always-Available menu and ordering off-menu with 24 hours notice.

 

On the pool deck - sun loungers and deck space were far better on Silver Muse. Service was good on both ships. If Seabourn got rid of the Retreat it would take pressure off the pool deck. One of the things I preferred on Seabourn was the graduated steps into the pool. Silver Muse had a ladder into the swimming pool and it was quite deep. I would imagine it would create difficulties for the elderly and the very young. It's nice to sit on steps on different levels to cool off.

 

Suites were equally nice on both, fabulous bathrooms, with twin sinks on Seabourn. TVs in the mirrors on Silversea are difficult to see, and we could hear next doors TV. My wife said the Seabourn walk-in wardrobe was designed by a man, - two clothes rails one high and one low. Rails were too low so jackets and dresses dragged on the floor or on the top rail. Entertainment was better on Seabourn with live bands and guest entertainers.

 

So after experiencing Seabourn Encore and Silver Muse within nine weeks of each other which did we prefer? Well, we wouldn't turn down a cruise on either of them, but to our surprise, our first choice would be Silver Muse. We prefer Silver Muse to Silver Spirit, but prefer Seabourn Sojourn to Seabourn Encore. We'd have to toss a coin between Silver Muse and Seabourn Sojourn but hope it comes down on Silver Muse. But it's a paper-thin difference, it's swings and roundabouts, and we'd go on any one of their ships Encore, Sojourn, Spirit and Muse if the timing fitted in with our schedule and the price was right. - So overall the verdict is that both were excellent. Silver Muse had the edge, but we'd still go on both without any hesitation.

 

 

[jpalbny]

Thanks for the time and effort you put into this comparison. I found it very helpful. I've never been on a SS ship as large as Muse or Spirit but some day we will have to do that.

[Silver Spectre]

Excellent and well balanced review. Thanks for taking the time. We have been on the Muse twice now and once the initial dining issues were resolved we have thoroughly enjoyed the ship.

[Unibok]

Very helpful and interesting -- thank you!

[theozcouple]

Thank you for the excellent post. We are on the Muse for the first time in Feb 2019 and very excited. Particular looking forward to eating in Indochine.

[beaujolais]

Thank you for a very balance and well written report

We only disembarked The Muse 3 weeks ago and have to agree on all your points

We had avoided The Muse up to now after all the negative reports but now realize we have missed out by not sailing on her before

The Wind used to be our favourite SS ship but The Muse has now taken over

[les37b]

4 hours ago, beaujolais said:

The Wind used to be our favourite SS ship but The Muse has now taken over

 

Boooo! haha. Glad you enjoyed. My Muse cruise was shortly after launch and the height of the reservations debate and Muse hate. i loved it. Wind is still my fav though.

 

Have to echo the comments made regarding the review. Giving comparisons to other vessels I think is a very useful way to gauge things to compare for new experiences by having something familiar. Also as a great guide to anyone new to both ships and cruise lines. Thanks very much for doing this..... hope others can do similar when relevant.

Edited November 15, 2018 by les37b

[brimary]

Thanks for a helpful report .We have always cruised on Silversea small ships for 20 years and haven’t had the courage to go for the newer larger ships in the fleet which will increase further when SS merge with the mass market fleet of Royal Caribbean.Your report and the reply of Les37b and the recent experience of Mayflower on the Spirit have convinced us to try the newer and larger SS fleet if we can find a short trial itinerary that suits.Find it hard to drag ourselves away from favourite Wind!

[Mayflower1]

Good Morning Brimary & Beaujolais - So glad to hear that you are both now moving towards accepting The Muse - as you both know we were sceptical as well but were very pleasantly surprised with both Muse & ' Stretched ' Spirit.

We agree with the comments made by sail 658 but have to say that in our opinion The Atlantide Restaurant probably only works if Dining early - anything after 7.30 pm is likely to produce a very busy experience.

 

We still love The Wind and look forward to sailing on her again in June, but have 4 Cruises booked on The Spirit which I know we will enjoy.

[brimary]

Thanks Mayflower .Further positive as we prefer to dine at 7pm.Look forward to meeting up on the Wind next year.