SILVER SEAS – HOW IS IT LIKE COMPARED TO CRUISING WITH VIKING, OCEANIA & AZAMARA?

[Gnoelj]

We are looking at a cruise on the Silver Shadow.

 

However, we have never cruised with Silver Seas. Our past experience has been with Viking Ocean, Azamara and Oceania (and a few others).

 

For folks who have cruised with Silver Seas as well as with either Azamara, Oceania or Viking (or all of them), could you perhaps tell us what you think the quality  and experience is  like comparing cruising with Silver Seas , and with either or all of these three cruise lines? Would we be overwhelmed or underwhelmed?

f meals and wines on board. For sit-down non-buffet meals, in the restaurants,  what would drive us up the wall (well, just a little bit!) would be to sit for long periods of time before the food arrives!  Food served hot is also high on our list for extra brownie points!!!

 

We realise that on board activities (especially entertainment in the theatre) on Oceania and Viking are not  really their strengths (we know some folks rave about the 0n-board cultural enrichment talks on Viking, but we were not too sure about). However, you tell us,  what do you think their activities are like on  Silver Seas ships compared to  ships on those 3 cruise lines?

 

Just for information, if we book on the Silver Shadow, it will just be one of their standard verandah. On Oceania, we usually prefer their “O” ships rather than the smaller “R” ones. Strangely enough, for Azamara, as all their ships are “R” ships, for some reason, we did not mind that at all!

 

Looking forward to hear from you with your views. We learn new things every day, that’s our motto!

 

PS: We are going to place this discussion on all the boards of the four cruise lines, to get a more balanced view from various cruisers.

 

PPS: Just to say, we will never "desert" Viking cruises. We will be back for another one, as we just love cruising with them!

 

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Gnoelj

[Stolibear]

While I can’t compare the cruise lines you mentioned such as Viking Ocean, as Azamara and Oceana, I just got off of the Silver Shadow a week ago so I thought I would chime in with a little input on that particular ship. I have only sailed Silversea and Seabourn however I was actually reading the Viking threads as we are considering a first time cruise on Viking Ocean and saw this title.

    

    This was our 5th Silversea cruise and although we have sailed on the Shadow in 2016 and enjoyed it, I was quite underwhelmed with the Shadow’s new renovations and this cruise. We had a large group celebrating some milestone birthdays so between 10 cabins, about 3/4 of them had glitchy issues. The main things were toilets not flushing frequently, in some of the suites this was a daily occurrence, fluctuating water temperatures in the shower from scalding hot to cold without touching a thing, this also happened daily and in our particular suite we had a leak from the shower through the wall into the closet thus making a very strong mildew/mold smell in the closet. All issues were reported and at least they were able to resolve the toilet issues daily however it never stopped them from happening.

    The finishes for the renovations that were selected are very pretty and elegant however the manner in which things were installed and the craftsmanship is very very poor and obvious. 

    We found the food still to be good overall and the service good and super in some areas like the pool bar for lunch. 

    I cannot comment on the Buffet as we never dined there but we did dine in all of the venues excluding La Dame and the service and food were good and food hot. 

    Theater entertainment has never been Silversea’s strong suit on any cruise I’ve ever been on with them however that never really bothered us that much. Just depends on how important that is to you.

    So for my personal opinion, I feel Silversea is slipping a bit.  The Shadow overall was just OK.  The service (for us) is not what is used to be and these days they seem to say "no" before you even finish the question so to speak.   Total opposite for us on Seabourn which I love and everything is yes yes yes.  I will not sail on the Shadow again and not sure yet about Silversea in general which is why I’m looking for something new and entertaining a Viking ocean cruise. 

    Hopefully Someone with more experience on the lines you mentioned can chime in as I would be curious also to hear all input as well.

 

Happy cruising!

 

[Jim Avery]

On 1/9/2020 at 8:28 AM, Gnoelj said:

We are looking at a cruise on the Silver Shadow.

 

However, we have never cruised with Silver Seas. Our past experience has been with Viking Ocean, Azamara and Oceania (and a few others).

 

For folks who have cruised with Silver Seas as well as with either Azamara, Oceania or Viking (or all of them), could you perhaps tell us what you think the quality  and experience is  like comparing cruising with Silver Seas , and with either or all of these three cruise lines? Would we be overwhelmed or underwhelmed?

f meals and wines on board. For sit-down non-buffet meals, in the restaurants,  what would drive us up the wall (well, just a little bit!) would be to sit for long periods of time before the food arrives!  Food served hot is also high on our list for extra brownie points!!!

 

We realise that on board activities (especially entertainment in the theatre) on Oceania and Viking are not  really their strengths (we know some folks rave about the 0n-board cultural enrichment talks on Viking, but we were not too sure about). However, you tell us,  what do you think their activities are like on  Silver Seas ships compared to  ships on those 3 cruise lines?

 

Just for information, if we book on the Silver Shadow, it will just be one of their standard verandah. On Oceania, we usually prefer their “O” ships rather than the smaller “R” ones. Strangely enough, for Azamara, as all their ships are “R” ships, for some reason, we did not mind that at all!

 

Looking forward to hear from you with your views. We learn new things every day, that’s our motto!

 

PS: We are going to place this discussion on all the boards of the four cruise lines, to get a more balanced view from various cruisers.

 

PPS: Just to say, we will never "desert" Viking cruises. We will be back for another one, as we just love cruising with them!

 

 

Haha, what you are proposing is "cheating" on Viking....🍸

[Not a Georgia Peach]

We have only sailed on Viking (four ocean and four river)) and have a Silversea Mediterranean cruise on the Moon planned for September.  We just got off the Viking Sky on Friday and were disappointed with the decline in service and food.  There were errors on the electronic menu as to what was available for meals, the upholstery on numerous chairs was stained, the quality of the food was noticeable lower than on previous cruises, and the number of staff serving in the restaurants was less. The primary entertainment since Viking's first ocean cruise continues to be the ABBA and Beatles shows.  We look forward to our Silversea cruise - I won't have any previous Silversea cruise to compare it to, so I won't be able to  find any areas in which they have declined. 

[philw1776]

Done 2 Silversea cruises Silver Spirit and Silver Muse, both 620 passenger ships.  Loved both cruises.
Done 2 Viking Ocean cruises; booked on 2 more
Silversea:

+ All liquor included
+ Greater selection of included wines. "Please bring me the Cabernet I had last Wednesday"
+ Panaroma Lounge at the stern is lovely.  No similar spot on Viking. Aquavit Terrace comes closest.
+ Liked the Asian dining experience in Indochine
+ Larger staterooms & bathrooms (Penthouse Veranda equivalent & larger)

+  Evening entertainment so-so but better than Viking's; 

+ Far more choices of excursions plus many more excursions for active people
+ Somewhat more formal white glove restaurant service (I'm OK with Viking's service but Silversea's is better)
+ Onboard gambling (A big do not care for me)
+ Atlantide restaurant has wider menu selection & better service than Viking
+ Spaccanapoli informal pizza dining area (Meh)
+ Unique Arts Cafe delightful breakfast & lunch light snack cozy nook
+ Unique Silver note live blues & jazz tapas dining alternative (Meh)
- $60 per person for 2 specialty restaurants La Dame & Kaiseki.  Not for me.
- Not a fan of personal butlers; find Viking's room stewards more than helpful enough

- Men need to bring a suit jacket or sports coat for most evening dining & evening cocktail lounges

 

Viking
+ 2 story Explorer Lounge much nicer than Silversea's excellent Observation Lounge at the bow
+ World Cafe buffet dining plus Pool dining buffet is top notch
+ Viking pool area has moveable roof, handy for cold weather
+ Viking pool grill >> Silversea experience
+ Manfredis > than Silversea La Terrazza but both are great Italian restaurants

+ Overall floor to ceiling windows everywhere makes VO ships light & airy
- Just one selection of white & one of red wine without buying the "package" (Viking a la carte drinks are inexpensive)

 

Both lines handle excursion departures from the ship professionally & smoothly
Both lines have excellent lecture series really worth attending

Buffet breakfasts on Viking World Cafe & Silversea La Terrazza somewhat similar

 

Overall I prefer Viking but would sail with Silversea again anytime.  Depends more on ports & costs.

 

Edited January 19, 2020 by philw1776