Silversea Cloud Questions

[sandbag7]

Our last two scheduled cruises (Crystal) have been canceled. We are thinking about a cruise on a smaller ship.  Silversea Cloud had a Lisbon to Senegal itinerary that might be interesting but the Berlitz guide suggests that the ship is tired and mediocre.  I can’t find information as to the current number and type of restaurants, quality of food, size of verandas, currently available exercise equipment and spa quality and cabin sound proofing.  What is the evening dress code like? Can anyone who has been on the Cloud this past year shed some  light on these issues?  Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseej]

There's lots of information about the Cloud on the Internet, so please allow me to offer a few helpful hints. Start with the Cruise Critic detailed review of the ship? The restaurants, the size of suites, etc. doesn't change. 😉  There are reviews from other travel sites and publications as well, which you'll turn up if you Google "Silver Cloud Review". You can read reader reviews of trips on the Cloud here on Cruise Critic by clicking here. Most reviews are from 2019 and earlier, because the Cloud has only been back in service for a short time, in Antartica the past few months — but they might give you some of the pros and cons of life aboard the Cloud and answer some of your questions. Then come back here and post specific questions you haven't had answered by what you've read. Hope that helps.

 

 

[FlyingScotSailors]

We were on the last pre-Covid Cloud cruise Ushuaia to Cape Town, Feb 28 - March 22, 2020.  We chose it for the itinerary, which was very good.

 

We started in suite DV542.  It had an empty room on one side and the entry foyer on the other.  We complained of the noise from banging pipes at night.  Guest Services first tried to tell us there was no problem, as they also tried to tell us when we complained about the high temperature in the room.  The Engineer later told us that the pipes running next to the room caused noise under certain operating conditions.  Guest (poor) Services finally told us that previous guests also complained about the noise.

 

We were moved to the empty room 540, next door to 538, which contained a presumably hard-of-hearing guest who played a very loud tv most of the time.  We cannot really answer your question about sound proofing, since we are not aware of any.

 

The rooms, as you noted, were tired without any modernization, except for the highest suite classes.  Rooms and verandas were smaller than on Seabourn.

 

Dress code on expeditions is casual.  We did take "dressy" outfits for La Dame.  Our recommendation now is to forget both the dressy clothes and La Dame.

 

There are three restaurants.  Food is subjective; many people, especially on this board, find the food and experiences onboard good.

 

The expedition staff were generally knowledgable, but standoffish, preferring to keep to themselves rather than interacting with guests.

[sandbag7]

Thanks for the suggestions Cruisee; before  I posted I did read available reviews and checked the “Cruise critic Detailed Review” which stated there were 5 dining options; this is contradicted by both Berlitz and Flyingscot’s comment above, so I can’t really credit the review; as to passenger reviews they suffer from the usual vagueness and didn’t address any of the concerns I raised above.  I like a  Veranda that’s big enough and contains two full size loungers and a table (not for dining as I don’t really like in suite dining); on a non-expedition cruise food quality and amenities are more important to me and if La Dame is not a worthwhile dining experience that’s important to know as are the noise issues raised by FlyingScotSailors; that was an issue on our first Ocean Cruise 35 years ago when we booked a Fodor recommended cabin; go figure.

[Stumblefoot]

2 hours ago, sandbag7 said:

I like a  Veranda that’s big enough and contains two full size loungers and a table (not for dining as I don’t really like in suite dining); on a non-expedition cruise food quality and amenities are more important to me and if La Dame is not a worthwhile dining experience that’s important to know as are the noise issues.

If you have the cash, then you can find a suite with a Veranda large enough for your loungers. The vast majority of veranda suites do not have the space for two loungers and as such have two common chairs and a single side table.

 

We think La Dame great. Others will tell you otherwise. As FlyingScot said, food is subjective. So, your question is impossible to answer as phrased.

 

No noise issues from suite neighbors, hallways, or laundry. Forward cabins below deck 6 have some noise from the anchor. The most forward cabins have limited noise impact by the lowering and raising of zodiacs.

[WesW]

We love the size and intimacy of the Silver cloud and since the Cloud has become an expedition ship, enjoy cruising on the Cloud more. We have enjoyed visiting Iceland/Northern England(Classic voyage), Svalbard, Antarctica and Transatlantic crossings(Classic voyage)  on the Cloud.

 

I was also on the Cape to Cape voyage with FlyingScotSailors in March 2020 (and we're booked on the Cloud again for Ushuaia to Capetown in March 2023).  Had lunch each day next to the Expedition staff in La Terraza, soon Kaylee, Bernardo (Ornithologist) and others took it on themselves to ask to join me (was a solo, my wife gave me a kitchen pass to go on this voyage and take care of our 18  year old furson.) for lunch. 

 

Have been in touch with Bernardo (on Facebook)  the last year and enjoyed his Sea bird lectures, and when he was the driver his zodiac rides this past Christmas on the Cloud's Holiday Antarctica voyage.  Kaylee quickly came up to us and gave me a hug and said hello when we boarded.  Alas, due to Covid restrictions no Expedition staff or Cloud Officers could join guests for any meals.  Tho, the Captain and key staff did have one meal (New Year's eve) in the main Restaurant during our 15 day voyage.

 

We dressed casually whether for lunch or dinner (slacks, turtlenecks, long sleeve shirts, my wife wore dresses on Christmas and New Years eve, did not bring a sports coat or tie) 

 

We enjoyed all the dining venues on the Silver Cloud, even had a marvelous dinner one night with FlyingScotSailors and another couple at the outdoor Grill.  I generally do not eat in La Dame when by myself, but my wife and I ate in La Dame over the Holidays and enjoyed our Dover sole.  Every meal in the main Restaurant was superb, and La Terraza offers excellent Italian dining for dinner and delivers a nice lunch buffet.  We enjoyed pre dinner drinks in Dolce Vita as well as a few dances with Alfredo playing delightful music.

 

I was in suite 640 during the Cape to Cape voyage and heard no noise and we were in 540 over Christmas/New Years and also hear no noise.

 

I spent very early mornings (5-7am), and afternoons (3-4:30pm )  daily in the Silver Cloud fitness facility and found the cardio (Techno (brand) two treadmills, two  ellipticals, two bikes) rarely all used.  The strength equipment (dumbbell  sets, and universal machine) sufficient for my daily routines.  Tho, I brought resistance bands to augment my strength training. The Silver Cloud has a Fitness instructor who provides exercise classes daily and can provide personal training.

 

The Ice Class Cloud now probably has the best Silversea photo studio in the fleet with an outstanding Photographer/Manager (Antarctica Alan) who we also got know two years ago and have kept in touch for the past two years.

 

Looking forward to boarding the Silver Cloud in Lisbon at the end of September for an Azores expedition cruise. In the meantime, will board the Silver Dawn in April for it's first two voyages with guests.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited February 12, 2022 by WesW

[crusinbanjo]

The Wind and the Cloud are my two favorite ships in the SS fleet.  We love the size and intimacy of the small ships.  We always try to book on deck 7 or above to avoid and have never experienced any noise issues.  If memory serves, Deck 5 is mostly vista suites, and don’t have verandas.  Again, Mrs Banjo and I always want a veranda, even if it is a bit small. We have sailed on the Cloud and Wind since they were new and like I said before, they remain our favorite Silver Sea ships

[Silver Spectre]

13 minutes ago, crusinbanjo said:

The Wind and the Cloud are my two favorite ships in the SS fleet.  We love the size and intimacy of the small ships.  We always try to book on deck 7 or above to avoid and have never experienced any noise issues.  If memory serves, Deck 5 is mostly vista suites, and don’t have verandas.  Again, Mrs Banjo and I always want a veranda, even if it is a bit small. We have sailed on the Cloud and Wind since they were new and like I said before, they remain our favorite Silver Sea ships

Deck 4 is Vista suites, deck 5 are Veranda suites.

[RachelG]

TheCloud was completely refurbished when it became an expedition ship.  We love it.  The rooms are large and comfortable.  Public spaces are very nice.  Would book another cruise on this ship anytime.

[sandbag7]

Okay, some nice posts!  I may rethink the large veranda as I do not expect seasonal weather to favor sunning as opposed to just enjoying the veranda.  I will have to check the Lisbon/Azores cruise in September as we were looking at one then on the Europa.

Thanks to all who posted.

[crusinbanjo]

On 2/12/2022 at 9:56 AM, Silver Spectre said:

Deck 4 is Vista suites, deck 5 are Veranda suites.

Thanks for the correction.  We were last on the Wind in January of 2020, just before the Covid mess hit. Unfortunately we have not cruised since, and are eager to get back on board, when restrictions and roadblocks are lifted.  Maybe fall of 2022?  I hope so! 
 

(Sorry, not the Cloud, we were on the Wind in Jan of 2020)

Edited February 14, 2022 by crusinbanjo
Accuracy

[Stumblefoot]

7 minutes ago, crusinbanjo said:

We were last on the cloud in January of 2020, just before the Covid mess hit.

Remind me again, because I've forgotten, were you on the January 4th voyage to South Georgia?

[crusinbanjo]

1 hour ago, Stumblefoot said:

Remind me again, because I've forgotten, were you on the January 4th voyage to South Georgia?

No, we were in the Caribbean, Jan 23 Ft Lauderdale round trip.  We had just finished a visit to Disney with Family, and a visit with friends in Florida, and decided this would be a nice birthday present for myself.

 

prior to that Mrs Banjo and I were on the Shadow, Hong Kong to Singapore.  I was just looking at my Silversea profile, we have sailed on the Wind and the Cloud  more than any of the other ships since 1996……wow, now I’m feeling old!  I actually remember being on board the Wind when they announced building a third ship and the groans from Pax when they said it would be bigger. My how things have changed.