Silverseas vs Seabourn Anarctica

[Dkaye]

We are planning an Anarctica cruise later this year. We are leaning towards Silverseas Explorer, but are wondering if There is a case to be made for Seabourn.  The best information we can find on the Explorer is that it was last refurbished in 2008. TIA

[Hanoverian]

I cannot speak from experience about an Antarctica cruise on either line, but there is no doubt that Seabourn has been hyperactive in Antarctica for years.  I would suggest that you go to YouTube and look at videos about each line's Antarctica expeditions to help you make up your mind.

[drron29]

It had major work in 2018 strengthening the hull as new regulations came out for polar ice conditions.I know because it was started 2 weeks before we were meant to cruise Papeete to Easter Island on the Explorer and had a frantic time rearranging our trip.It is a great ship.Even before this work we cruised on her Cape to Cape and it handled  South Georgia well.Even in a force 12 gale near Tristan Da Cunha there were few problems and only a handful of guests didn't make it to breakfast.

 

With Seabourn I see that their new Expedition ship will not be ready now until 12/12/21.And always with a new ship there is a definite chance it won't be ready by then.It also has 132 suites so at least 200  pax v Explorer at ~100 in Antarctica.

 

[cruiseej]

The new Seabourn expedition ship looks fantastic, but with its delays, it won't be cruising Antarctica this winter. It's also quite a bit more expensive, as one might expect for a brand new luxury ship for only 200 passengers.

 

Seabourn is doing this winter season again with the Quest. We've been on that ship, love it, and love the overall Seabourn experience. We'd have done Seabourn in Antarctica in a heartbeat… but… we chose Silversea for Antartica this winter because the Silversea ships are smaller. And smaller means more time on the water and land. (Which is why Seabourn is building its new, smaller ships.)  We're booked on the Silver Wind, assuming it gets its renovation this summer. We became convinced by talking to past Antarctica travelers to splurge for a longer (and more expensive) trip which includes South Georgia Island; I haven't yet talked to anyone who has been there who doesn't rave about it and insist it is a must-see.

 

The Seabourn Quest might provide a bit more luxury, with theater productions and other accoutrements of a larger ship. But we figure this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica, so we're opting for a smaller expedition ship in order to have more opportunities to be off the ship. We've previously done an expedition trip to Greenland on the Silver Cloud and found it had a fine balance of luxury and getting everyone off the ship to explore. 

[Fletcher]

There are choices and compromises to be made at  every turn here.  We did the Seabourn Quest trip which went to South Georgia and loved it. 

 

The main difference between the two is that Seabourn takes you round from Santiago to Buenos Aires (or vice versa) which gives you the bonus of the Chilean fjords and eliminates the hassle of additional flights down to Ushuaia.  

Edited March 24, 2021 by Fletcher

[markham]

I have sailed on Quest to Antarctica in 2017-18 and then Wind two years ago to Canada and Greenland.

The experiences could not have been more different.

 

Quest is an elegant ship. For us it combined our one group's landing per day (which was enough for me) efficiently while the ship offered all the luxury that any cruise on the Odyssey, Sojourn and Quest class of ship (450 passengers) offers. 

 

Wind is a very old and tired ship, cold throughout the ship especially when the low deck tender doors are open and the large automated pool deck doors open. Even in the theater when I attended lectures the room and corridors were very uncomfortable. The main dining room chairs were hard and worn out. There was cabin flooding all too often- several times on our deck 5 which is ridiculous on a 16 day cruise. If this is what you know and all that you know of this former luxury Med cruiser turned expedition-lite ship maybe it's ok.

 

I would not go back to those very old ships of Silversea. To round out the picture, I don't find the Whisper class ships at all comparable facilities-wise to the slightly larger Odyssey class ships, but I do enjoy very much the Muse class ships whose superior long pool and high deck wraparound deck make walking a pleasure. Hopefully our Moon cruise will go this November.

 

I am booked on what it possibly Quest's last time in Antarctica. It's the January, 2023 South America circumnavigation including South Georgia. The best of all worlds when you start and leave from Miami. Segments are on sale now, I believe. Of course, I hope to try the soon-to-be launched Seabourn Venture when things calm down.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[bitob]

The Seabourn Antartica experience was fabulous.  The expedition team and the enrichment were superb.  Highly recommend.

[highplanesdrifters]

Another thumbs up for Seabourn Quest with South Georgia a must. Great ship, and amazing expedition crew. For the most part one expedition a day was enough. It gives one time to soak it all in. The days that we had added a kayak, were fantastic and one of my favorite parts, but we definitely felt rushed. Consider starting in Santiago, as everything after Antarctica and South Georgia pales.  As Fletcher mentioned, avoiding the Ushusia flights and hassle is a big bonus.  A piece of advice given by Brent Houston the Penguin experert was to sit and observe. I wish I had done more of that.

[TRIPACIAN]

We just booked the Silver Cloud (November 7th through 27th, 2022] for our Antarctic cruise.  The itinerary is perfect for us!  

[markham]

Tripacian’s post reminded me that our rather flat Canada/Greenland cruise was on Cloud and not Wind. It did not leave much of an impression, and perhaps I am unfairly comparing that ship to Quest which is of a different class, a more modern ship and a style of cruising that I prefer. Different strokes.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[TRIPACIAN]

16 minutes ago, markham said:

Tripacian’s post reminded me that our rather flat Canada/Greenland cruise was on Cloud and not Wind. It did not leave much of an impression, and perhaps I am unfairly comparing that ship to Quest which is of a different class, a more modern ship and a style of cruising that I prefer. Different strokes.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

240 passengers vs 450 passenger!  We love Seabourn but the quest wasn’t available.

[cruiseej]

On 3/24/2021 at 2:32 AM, Fletcher said:

The main difference between the two is that Seabourn takes you round from Santiago to Buenos Aires (or vice versa) which gives you the bonus of the Chilean fjords and eliminates the hassle of additional flights down to Ushuaia.  

 

We'd love to see the Chilean fjords, but unfortunately that also adds about 6 days  (24 days on Seabourn versus 18 on Silversea), which makes an already-expensive trip more expensive, and with two addiotional travel days, just too much time away for us while still working.

 

On 3/24/2021 at 3:14 PM, markham said:

Our rather flat Canada/Greenland cruise was on Cloud and not Wind. It did not leave much of an impression, and perhaps I am unfairly comparing that ship to Quest which is of a different class, a more modern ship and a style of cruising that I prefer. Different strokes.

 

We were on the Cloud for Iceland-to-Greenland in 2018, and the Seabourn Quest, Sojourn and Odyssey between 2016 and 2019. We love Seabourn and those ships; of course they're nicer ships than the smaller Silversea Cloud and Wind -- they're newer, twice the size, and therefore have more amenities. But we didn't dislike the Cloud, and Wind will be fresh off a major refurbishment this winter. For us in Antarctica, as with Greenland, the destination was a bigger driver than the ship. I hope we'll feel we made a good choice after the trip! (Well, heck, I hope we'll have a trip!)

[PaulMCO]

Call me old fashion.  It is all about the Expedition and staff.   Have done 3 trips on Explorer,  Great food, personalized service, smaller number of guests and the best of the best as far as expedition experts.

[shipsmail]

we did both Seabourn and Silversea in Antarctica and loved both. But we would prefer the WIND/CLOUD because it is a smaller ship.

[markham]

I  could say I am old fashioned too in terms of seeking value for money.

 

Given that I attach a big weighting to what I get per day in terms of comfort including comfortable padded chairs in the dining room, comfortable moderate temperatures on board, higher grade entertainment including an affable cruise director and larger staff, more generous facilities such as a gym considering the 450 vs 210 passenger numbers, and other items including ship maintenance issues, I would always choose an Odyssey class Seabourn ship such as Quest for Antarctica over the old Cloud. 
 

Further, these ships for those itineraries cost a lot of money per day. A lot. So who needs to take a risk and compromise on these basic issues? I guess if Cloud offered multiple landings in the same location vs the single landing per group on Quest, that would weigh in its favor. But for me it did not in Canada/Greenland, and so it doesn’t.

 

By the way, an admission: I love to socialize and meet people, and have made scores of friends on ships whom I see often on cruises. Frankly, I cannot imagine a more magnificent ship board 5* experience than the Quest’s Observation Bar while sailing among icebergs in the evening while is was so light outside. Full bar service and hors d’œuvres with scores of friends inside and outside the large Obs Bar and its exterior forward-facing deck. Cloud has no similar venue with its Observation Lounge a smallish lounge/library. Nor does it have a venue at the bow of the ship for something like Seabourn’s Caviar on Deck parties on deck 6 which can accommodate maybe 100 passengers. There’s only a kind of ramp around the bow on Cloud. Which all means to me that Seabourn has a big advantage in settings for those “memory moments” we still talk about.

 

Anyway, I recommend that anyone curious do their homework and try a short cruise on both before spending big time for even more expensive “extreme” voyages.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[drron29]

On 3/27/2021 at 8:44 AM, PaulMCO said:

Call me old fashion.  It is all about the Expedition and staff.   Have done 3 trips on Explorer,  Great food, personalized service, smaller number of guests and the best of the best as far as expedition experts.

I'm with you on this which is why 10 of our 17 cruises on SS have been on the Explorer.

[Stumblefoot]

16 hours ago, markham said:

I guess if Cloud offered multiple landings in the same location vs the single landing per group on Quest, that would weigh in its favor. But for me it did not in Canada/Greenland, and so it doesn’t.

While I do not know your itinerary, our Antarctica voyage on the Cloud offered two landings per day.

[cruiseej]

On 3/29/2021 at 7:33 AM, markham said:

Given that I attach a big weighting to what I get per day in terms of comfort including comfortable padded chairs in the dining room, comfortable moderate temperatures on board, higher grade entertainment including an affable cruise director and larger staff, more generous facilities such as a gym considering the 450 vs 210 passenger numbers, and other items including ship maintenance issues, I would always choose an Odyssey class Seabourn ship such as Quest for Antarctica over the old Cloud. 

 

@markham We've traveled on Seabourn Odyssey, Quest and Sojourn and love those ships. We traveled on the Silversea Cloud in Greenland and did not experience the same negatives you felt about it; temperatures were fine, the ship didn't feel old and tired, crew was excellent. Yes, the Observation Lounge as well as the Square on the Seabourn ships beat the smaller Silversea ships for luxury amenities. I'd note that there are not capacity limits for getting people off the ship in Greenland the way there are in Antarctica -- and the opportunity to get off the ship more often is what led us to choose the soon-to-be-renovated Wind over the Quest for our trip to Antarctica. (If time and price weren't significant issues, we'd have waited a year for the Seabourn Venture, which makes my knees buckle. Or perhaps tried one of the brand new Lindblad/National Geographic expedition ships, which look similarly spectacular… but wow, those prices!)

[briar14]

January 2020. Cloud, South Georgia/Antarctica. Perfect trip. Superb expedition staff and crew. First SS cruise. What a way to start!

[OlsSalt]

World Penguin Day - April 25 - pick your favorite and celebrate - Krill Kocktails at 5pm on the aft deck at  5pm - formal attire please:

 

https://www.penguinsinternational.org/2021/04/20/world-penguin-day-april-25th/

 

Or celebrate World Malaria Day - same day. Take your pick.

[bohaiboy]

We are three time sailings on the WInd, Whisper and Explorer and are supposed to be on the Whisper again this summer.  We just evaluated the Antarctica Cruises from both SS and SB.  All of the SS start in Ushuaia (at least most) so transportation to there is a necessity.  We are on the Quest from Santiago Chile, Patagonia, Antarctica for 5 days and S Georgia for two.  

 

In evaluating, a lot may depend on timings.  If you are still a working sot, then the SS may be a better option as they are usually shorter.  The Quest cruise is 24 days.,  We have had friends that used to be SS diehards, but after a few SB sailings sailings they say there is a night and day difference in favor of SB.  We shall see.

[markham]

Here is my 2 cents having been on the 450 pax Quest for a 24 day Antarctica cruise starting in Santiago and ending in Buenos Aires with South Georgia, and the 200 pax Cloud for 16 days in Greenland/Canada starting with their charter from/to Reykjavik. 

 

The Quest is elegant and more comfortable and modern than the SIlversea ships you mentioned and far superior in every way facilities-wise than the very old Cloud which is, in essence, a Med cruiser from another era repurposed. (You will need to draw parallels with the other small Silversea ships.) Cloud’s main advantage is in its size and relative ease to join launches, although this is easy on Quest and very well organized. That said, I expect that Cloud and similar ships can offer more than one landing at a site should people want it, and this would be less viable on Quest considering its passenger count.

 

Seabourn’s entertainment and especially cruise director program are far better resourced, confident and sophisticated, including deck events such as the caviar on deck and the epicurean cocktail buffet evening with officer and crew farewell. So much more fun and sophisticated. It’s wanting on Cloud. Ditto even on the larger Whisper. Seabourn’s passengers appreciate this, and this may be what influences former SS passengers to switch. Another admission: I dislike strongly cruise line air charters. Much better to arrive at the ship relaxed on one’s than start with one more en masse “hurry up and wait” event out of your control.

 

I would like to add that cruise line selection is also about ships and itinerary. I am a big fan of Muse and hope our Nov cruise on Moon from Athens to Dubai sails! I especially like the long pool and wraparound top walking deck and all that deck space for warm weather. But the cruise director hokey intros at the Panorama Lounge on the first day are holiday camp cringing. They might as well step up their content and tone to match the luxury vibe Silversea exudes. Might as well let the butlers do this event!

 

Of course bohaiboy is right about the where to start and with what line. If you have less time then Silversea is the logical choice. And what they offer is more like a small/smaller expedition experience with mainly like-minded people whereas Seabourn’s classical style cruising offers a larger and more mixed crowd.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

[clo]

On 3/23/2021 at 10:21 PM, cruiseej said:

And smaller means more time on the water and land.

We cruised to Antarctica on Hurtigruten's Midnatsol a couple of years ago. With only 400 pax it was glorious to be as you say on the water and the land. I never knew that I would have a favorite iceberg and a favorite whale (which was only may seven feet away from the zodiac-esque. IMO I can't imagine doing a cruise-by.

[machotspur]

A really big issue for us was the itineraries offered by Silversea v Seabourn.

 

Admittedly with a Brit mentality we wanted to visit Antarctica (inc Elephant Island) , Falklands and South Georgia.

 

At the time of booking :-

Silversea offer an itinerary including Falklands AND South Georgia

Seabourn offer Falklands OR South Georgia

 

We are booked on Silver Cloud in Jan 2023 having cancelled Crystal who we feared may not be around that long ! 

[Fletcher]

12 hours ago, machotspur said:

A really big issue for us was the itineraries offered by Silversea v Seabourn.  Admittedly with a Brit mentality we wanted to visit Antarctica (inc Elephant Island) , Falklands and South Georgia.

 

At the time of booking :-

Silversea offer an itinerary including Falklands AND South Georgia

Seabourn offer Falklands OR South Georgia

 

We are booked on Silver Cloud in Jan 2023 having cancelled Crystal who we feared may not be around that long ! 

Be aware that hardly any cruise passengers are able to land on Elephant Island.  The best you can hope for is a view of the Shackleton camp site and the memorial to the captain who rescued the crew.  It's unbelievably bleak.

 

If you want a tour of British possessions there are two great options - Silversea usually do a reposition cruise from Ushuaia to Cape Town via the Falklands, South Georgia and Tristan da Cunha with a sail-by of Gough Island, the world's remotest World Heritage Site.

 

Also, the British cruise operator Noble Caledonia have a stunning trip from Ushuaia to the Falklands, South Georgia, Tristan, St Helena and Ascension.  We did a version of this a few years ago.  The cruise now continues to the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau and disembarks in Dakar, Senegal.