Silver Origin Mini Review

[josh1324342]

My wife and I recently took the Silver Origin to see the Galapagos for our 20th anniversary.  I wanted to post a quick review of our experience on the cruise and with Silversea in general.  This was our first trip to the Galapagos and our first cruise with Silversea.  Let me start with the good things.  The ship is beautiful and the staff are very friendly.  We really enjoyed the food.  The best part for us was every meal had at least one traditional Ecuadorian dish.  One thing we don't like about cruising is that it really sterilizes the travel experience as you miss out on local eateries and street food.  We felt like this cruise didn't have that issue as we got to try lots of great local food.      

 

The Galapagos is great as a destination.  Beautiful with lots of exotic bird life.  We got to see so many birds and other animals that are endemic to the Galapagos.  The snorkeling was the highlight of the trip for us.  We absolutely loved it.  It was by far the best snorkeling we've ever experienced.  I would recommend bringing your own wetsuit if you get cold easily.  The provided wetsuits aren't full length, so you can get pretty cold while snorkeling.  One other thing to note was all gear that we used was absolutely top notch quality.

 

The excursions were mostly good, with the exception of the last day.  On Friday, we toured a tortoise breeding center in the morning and then had a beach day in the afternoon.  It was a real let down after all of the great excursions we had already done on the cruise.  I didn't come to the Galapagos to see a 'zoo.'  I would have rather seen something else that was less artificial and more natural.  The beach was beautiful, but not as good of an activity as the guided walks we did most other days. 

 

The Covid protocols were extensive and they definitely made me feel comfortable on the ship.  Everyone received a PCR test the day before we boarded in addition to being fully vaccinated.  We had to wear masks on the Zodiacs, but it wasn't a big deal as it was pretty chilly on the water most days.  When we got off on an island we were able to take our masks off as long as no other people were around.

 

Now on to the things that didn't go so well.  Our pre cruise experience was not good.  We struggled to get airfare booked.  I had to repeatedly call my travel agent and Silversea to get reservations.  They finally made them when we were about 30 days from sailing.  The first set of air reservations were absolutely terrible, but they claimed we couldn't change them without penalty because we were so close to sailing.  I spend 2+ hours on the phone with my travel agent and Silversea to finally get them to admit they could be changed without penalty since they had just been issued that morning.  It was quite a frustrating experience and not the kind of customer service I would expect from a luxury cruise line.  

 

Another issue we had was since the website and all communication was down, we didn't know what was going on with our cruise and couldn't double check any documentation and testing requirements.  It wouldn't be such a big deal during normal times, but these aren't normal times.  Not being able to confirm anything about our booking or check requirements was frustrating.  I've definitely not been impressed with Silversea's communications on that issue. 

 

We had one additional issue on board.  We had specified a night to celebrate our anniversary when we booked the cruise and I had also added the details on our my Silversea booking page.  Nobody on board seemed to be aware of it and I had to ask on the last day to get a small cake to celebrate with my wife. 

 

None of our issues were major, but on the whole, I was just not impressed with their attention to detail.  I've had much better experiences with other cruise lines that aren't supposed to even be in the same league as Silversea.  Our next major destination for an exotic cruise is going to be Antarctica.  We will be looking for other cruise lines as we just didn't think Silversea did a good enough job with the overall experience for the price they charge.  

 

If you have any specific questions about the ship or excursions feel free to ask them and I will try to answer.  

 

 

[Stumblefoot]

11 minutes ago, josh1324342 said:

My wife and I recently took the Silver Origin to see the Galapagos for our 20th anniversary.  I wanted to post a quick review of our experience on the cruise and with Silversea in general.  This was our first trip to the Galapagos and our first cruise with Silversea.  Let me start with the good things.  The ship is beautiful and the staff are very friendly.  We really enjoyed the food.  The best part for us was every meal had at least one traditional Ecuadorian dish.  One thing we don't like about cruising is that it really sterilizes the travel experience as you miss out on local eateries and street food.  We felt like this cruise didn't have that issue as we got to try lots of great local food.      

 

The Galapagos is great as a destination.  Beautiful with lots of exotic bird life.  We got to see so many birds and other animals that are endemic to the Galapagos.  The snorkeling was the highlight of the trip for us.  We absolutely loved it.  It was by far the best snorkeling we've ever experienced.  I would recommend bringing your own wetsuit if you get cold easily.  The provided wetsuits aren't full length, so you can get pretty cold while snorkeling.  One other thing to note was all gear that we used was absolutely top notch quality.

 

The excursions were mostly good, with the exception of the last day.  On Friday, we toured a tortoise breeding center in the morning and then had a beach day in the afternoon.  It was a real let down after all of the great excursions we had already done on the cruise.  I didn't come to the Galapagos to see a 'zoo.'  I would have rather seen something else that was less artificial and more natural.  The beach was beautiful, but not as good of an activity as the guided walks we did most other days. 

 

The Covid protocols were extensive and they definitely made me feel comfortable on the ship.  Everyone received a PCR test the day before we boarded in addition to being fully vaccinated.  We had to wear masks on the Zodiacs, but it wasn't a big deal as it was pretty chilly on the water most days.  When we got off on an island we were able to take our masks off as long as no other people were around.

 

Now on to the things that didn't go so well.  Our pre cruise experience was not good.  We struggled to get airfare booked.  I had to repeatedly call my travel agent and Silversea to get reservations.  They finally made them when we were about 30 days from sailing.  The first set of air reservations were absolutely terrible, but they claimed we couldn't change them without penalty because we were so close to sailing.  I spend 2+ hours on the phone with my travel agent and Silversea to finally get them to admit they could be changed without penalty since they had just been issued that morning.  It was quite a frustrating experience and not the kind of customer service I would expect from a luxury cruise line.  

 

Another issue we had was since the website and all communication was down, we didn't know what was going on with our cruise and couldn't double check any documentation and testing requirements.  It wouldn't be such a big deal during normal times, but these aren't normal times.  Not being able to confirm anything about our booking or check requirements was frustrating.  I've definitely not been impressed with Silversea's communications on that issue. 

 

We had one additional issue on board.  We had specified a night to celebrate our anniversary when we booked the cruise and I had also added the details on our my Silversea booking page.  Nobody on board seemed to be aware of it and I had to ask on the last day to get a small cake to celebrate with my wife. 

 

None of our issues were major, but on the whole, I was just not impressed with their attention to detail.  I've had much better experiences with other cruise lines that aren't supposed to even be in the same league as Silversea.  Our next major destination for an exotic cruise is going to be Antarctica.  We will be looking for other cruise lines as we just didn't think Silversea did a good enough job with the overall experience for the price they charge.  

 

If you have any specific questions about the ship or excursions feel free to ask them and I will try to answer.  

 

 

Thanks so much for sharing your perspective.  It will be super helpful to so many that visit this topic.

 

One thing I might suggest is consider finding a different travel agent.  I totally understand your frustration because I would have been too.  Thankfully, the issues you encountered we’ve never experienced because our agent is on top of every detail every step of the way.  The ship is always aware of our special requests, including special order products, because we don’t leave it up to Silversea, but our travel agent.

 

Best wishes to you as you plan your adventure to Antarctica.  I can tell you our voyage on Silver Cloud that also included South Georgia was nothing short of spectacular.

[RachelG]

Agree with stumblefoot regarding the Cloud in Antarctica.  It is amazing.

 

i was on board Origin the week prior to you.  I highly recommend doing your own air if you want to have a say in that part of the trip.  We always do ours.

 

 

[josh1324342]

1 hour ago, RachelG said:

Agree with stumblefoot regarding the Cloud in Antarctica.  It is amazing.

 

i was on board Origin the week prior to you.  I highly recommend doing your own air if you want to have a say in that part of the trip.  We always do ours.

 

 

I would have booked our own air as we usually do for all trips, but I wasn't sure what that would mean with the pre cruise hotel and flights to the Galapagos.  I didn't get any clear indication from my travel agent or Silversea, so we just used the included airfare.  We had read about deviations and were willing to pay for a deviation it was just the way that Silversea handled it that was frustrating to me.

 

Based on what I'd read on this board as well as other places I was expecting exceptional service and we just simply didn't get it throughout the process.  I'd much rather book a suite on Celebrity then go on Silversea again.  That's a great thing about cruising, there are lots of options to find what works for you.    

[josh1324342]

4 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

One thing I might suggest is consider finding a different travel agent.  I totally understand your frustration because I would have been too.  

 

 

We have already found another agent.  We weren't happy with our existing one for multiple reasons and this was the final straw.

[Fletcher]

I hardly ever use a travel agent - can't see the point of them really, although I did use one for organising our last big trip to South America which involved 11 flights and 11 hotels.  But for the Galapagos portion of the trip we booked directly with Silversea who gave us a tremendous discount and highly detailed service.  Our TA's arrangements got us to Quito, Silversea took over from there until Guayaquil, then TA took over again and got us to Colombia.

 

As far as Antarctica is concerned, do make the effort to book a trip which includes South Georgia and maybe the Falklands as well.  I believe the market leader in this sector remains Lindblad/National Geographic, especially with their new ship.

Edited September 19, 2021 by Fletcher

[scottjeanne]

The original poster is not happy with Silver seas, but they have a 29 day Antarctica cruise next spring that includes South Georgia and the Falklands.  I have to say, I was not happy with Seabourn and the handling of their cancellations. Times are challenging right now.  I am not sure the cruise lines can make any of us happy.

[RachelG]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:10 PM, josh1324342 said:

I would have booked our own air as we usually do for all trips, but I wasn't sure what that would mean with the pre cruise hotel and flights to the Galapagos.  I didn't get any clear indication from my travel agent or Silversea, so we just used the included airfare.  We had read about deviations and were willing to pay for a deviation it was just the way that Silversea handled it that was frustrating to me.

 

Based on what I'd read on this board as well as other places I was expecting exceptional service and we just simply didn't get it throughout the process.  I'd much rather book a suite on Celebrity then go on Silversea again.  That's a great thing about cruising, there are lots of options to find what works for you.    

Clearly you need a new travel agent, as they should be able to tell you all this stuff in detail.  Ours did.  The precruise hotel and flights to/from Galapagos as well as post-cruise day room and transfers were included, even with not using their air. 

[josh1324342]

4 hours ago, RachelG said:

Clearly you need a new travel agent, as they should be able to tell you all this stuff in detail.  Ours did.  The precruise hotel and flights to/from Galapagos as well as post-cruise day room and transfers were included, even with not using their air. 

Agreed about a new agent, I already have one.  But the problem with air not getting booked and the poor customer service regarding that isn't on my travel agent, it is on Silversea since they were the ones that were supposed to do the booking.  I'm scared to think of what would have happened if I didn't hound Silversea to get my flights booked.

[scottjeanne]

Our Cruise is in late February and we already have our Silver seas booked flights and seats.  That is not saying that they may not change as the itinerary may need to be adjusted or our Iguazu falls extension is cancelled or modified.

[HappyLadyTravels]

Is there Covid testing onboard during the 7 day Origin cruise? Anyone on a pre or post Machu Picchu tour?

[RachelG]

2 hours ago, HappyLadyTravels said:

Is there Covid testing onboard during the 7 day Origin cruise? Anyone on a pre or post Machu Picchu tour?

you have to be tested and test negative prior to boarding.  This is done in quito. They do have testing onboard as well as my friends who had to be on quarantine because of possible exposure on the previous cruise were tested daily.