Bye Bye Silversea Cruises

[Yankeeclipper1]

Second SS cruise. As previously reviewed - wanted to give SS a second shot 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2821190-first-silversea-cruise-good-not-great/

 

Many of the issues mentioned previously existed on this cruise.  I’ll caveat for those who do not read my previous entry - When we travel, my wife and I enjoy the culinary/ship experience parts of the cruise the most.  Ports are secondary to us - we enjoy our culinary experiences and have high expectations in this category of cruising - combined with the rest of the cruise experience.  So, for us - the dining experiences are very important.  My reference point for this cruise is our Seabourn, Crystal, Regent experiences.  My comments are very food centric because that is important to us. 

 

We were on the June 2 Seward - Vancouver run - Silver Muse. The cruise started out on the first days promising - with my comment - “We will book again.”  I even met our F&B manager from the Silver Spirit - Martin.  

 

By the end of the cruise - my comment was - “not going to bother again” - not at these prices anyway.  It was not one thing but a series of minor annoyances/issues (for use) that added up.  First - an “A” for effort.  The crew, staff, cabin attendants the ship condition were all excellent - that was expected.  The cumulative failures were in the F&B area - which as previously mentioned in other reviews - are most important to us. 

 

Subjectively - we found the bars inconsistent.  The bartenders can not consistently follow their own recipes.  We would order the same drink in various venues and they would range from delicious to undrinkable - the same drink should taste the same.  

 

Food ranged from “good” (never extraordinary) to - “are you kidding me?” I’ll mention bread - they need another bread maker (or better recipes) - many pieces of bread were tasteless, lacking salt, substance, flavor.  It didn’t matter which restaurant - we came across the same tasteless bread. It was almost as if they were using the same dough and just changing the shapes.  I am comparing it to other lines - Seabourn, Regent, Oceania, Crystal.  Our bread baskets were never emptied - by us.  One night (in advance)  I asked for King Crab legs but wanted the whole tubes of  premium crab (Jumbo-Colossal) - not split open and not the poor C category stuff served on lunch buffets - we were in Alaska for gosh sakes.  Big deal was made out of my special dinner that night - every server had to mention I was getting a special dinner..  Well - it plain sucked.  The crab was the same cheap crab - split open for the masses - dried out and tasteless - and had a slightly fishy odor that my wife even noticed. There is a difference from the second rate, mass packaged end pieces/small legs that you need to serve buffets and 300 plates at once - I get that.  I was expecting 6-9 legs - whole.  Sounds like a bridge too far - Regent has a separate stock of legs that are just that - jumbos - whole and for the asking.  This should be an easy one since all crab is already quick frozen and processed when caught - it just requires careful defrosting and warming.  

The lunch buffets were unimaginative and mundane, we really had to sort through to find something interesting and not buffet line common - same salads every lunchtime, large bowls of just chopped lettuces and vegetables  - no creativity - no variations and creative salad making. Leg of Lamb - uncuttable.  Pasta station could never get the order right - time after time I asked for extra sauce (swimming) with my pasta,  extra cheese and no green garnishes - always came almost dry and a few sprinkles of cheese and green garnish.  Had to wait for the corrections each time - almost as if I was talking to the wall when I ordered at the pasta station.  Breakfast pastries - were meh - again nothing special - I expect "French Pastry shop quality and selection - this was very basic.  Sorry but (IMO) most of the menu items were very ordinary, uninspired and could be on any mainline ship.  It was our worst buffet experience - even Oceania Marina and Riviera’s buffets were better..

 

Canapes served with drinks in the bars during evenings were uninspired, skimpy, bland and repeating - basically boring - and took forever to get service. We would sometimes receive stale nuts and nibbles.  The Asian inspired restaurant - definitely better than the horror of an Asian inspired restaurant on the Spirit but yet again - meh - Benihana teppanyaki - very greasy.

 

The Art’s Cafe (coffee) was a poor representation (comparatively speaking) - regarding nibble selections - very basic and scant - / and we could not even get a french press - when compared to the coffee locations on Regent and Seabourn. 

 

However - La Dame and La Terrazza were (IMO) very good - actually better than on the Spirit. Atlantide was usually good (except for my crab disaster).  Indochine was closed (I don’t know why and if it was only closed the nights we wanted to go).Spaccanapoli for lunch is good but really not the best pizza - the pizza is way overhyped - it's good but not great.  Only a 7 day cruise so we did not make it to the Grill for dinner - but I expect with its limited menu it would be the same as on the Spirit - good. Silver Note was the same - “interesting” but I don’t need to repeat a 3rd time. They did a nice birthday acknowledgement for me in our suite. We thought the itinerary was wonderful and the included excursions were adequate to good.  I did attend evening performances - IMO - they paled compared to Regent’s investment in live entertainment on board and on stage.

 

Even though Martin (F&B) was on this ship and knew my issue from the Spirit, I did not put him on speed dial this time - many issues are related to corporate, provisioning contracts, corporate menus and standard operating procedures (necessary for consistency) and beyond one F&B’s manager's ability to change.  (They did have maple syrup on board but took an extraordinary effort each time to get it (it was in room service supply - little jars) - none of the servers could understand the difference between syrup goop and real maple syrup - I didn’t even bother this time trying to get better cheese selections).

 

The above are a few minor issues - but there were many more and it just added up to  - “and for those reasons - I’m out” (Sharktank). 

[Tothesunset]

Thanks for posting this comprehensive review. Clearly you had certain expectations which SS signally failed to fulfil. Given that you already knew those areas that were important to you and had, in effect, given notice of your needs, the failure to please you isn't easy to forgive or explain away. 

 

I'm saddened that you had such an experience - we still rate SS highly - but at the current price point they seem to be writing cheques their fleet can't cash! 

 

I hope the SS cheerleaders don't pile on now. The point is you have stated your case. It is a valid opinion and should be respected as such. 

[Gourmet Gal]

Thanks for the thorough review of your dining experience.  Good info for those who focus on dining while onboard.  
 

My priority on a cruise is always the itinerary and then the category of ship with respect to level of service, food, accommodations, amenities.  For true high-end culinary experiences I would never expect that on a ship - I book land-based trips for that with a focus on restaurant choice.  
 

I’ve sailed SS, Crystal but not Regent or Seabourn and have always found the food to be just okay.  I don’t expect a Michelin * experience but usually the dining is pleasant enough although the service can be over-wrought in some venues.

[Lois R]

Sorry you found yourself with such a bad experience.

 

I LOVE the Arts Cafe and it is one my favorite places with (in my case) a wonderful variety of items.

Sorry you found them so paltry on your cruise. I am quite surprised actually because whenever I have been there, they are always trying to keep those shelves stocked/replenished.

 

Wishing you smooth sailing on whatever line you choose.

 

 

 

[TrulyBlonde]

38 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Thanks for the thorough review of your dining experience.  Good info for those who focus on dining while onboard.  
 

My priority on a cruise is always the itinerary and then the category of ship with respect to level of service, food, accommodations, amenities.  For true high-end culinary experiences I would never expect that on a ship - I book land-based trips for that with a focus on restaurant choice.  
 

I’ve sailed SS, Crystal but not Regent or Seabourn and have always found the food to be just okay.  I don’t expect a Michelin * experience but usually the dining is pleasant enough although the service can be over-wrought in some venues.

+1   For true high-end culinary experiences I would never expect that on a ship - I book land-based trips for that with a focus on restaurant choice.  

[Yankeeclipper1]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Sorry you found yourself with such a bad experience.

 

I LOVE the Arts Cafe and it is one my favorite places with (in my case) a wonderful variety of items.

Sorry you found them so paltry on your cruise. I am quite surprised actually because whenever I have been there, they are always trying to keep those shelves stocked/replenished.

 

Wishing you smooth sailing on whatever line you choose.

 

 

 

Sorry I was not clearer - I meant scant in terms of variety of items, not the amount available.  For example - on Regent - Coffee Connection is more of a café concept - always available charcuterie, pastries and cakes, fruits and other sundries to have with your coffee or other beverages.   Seabourn's Seabourn Square (coffee)  also had a much larger selection of items - and much better cakes and pastries (IMO).  

[Yankeeclipper1]

1 hour ago, Gourmet Gal said:

 For true high-end culinary experiences I would never expect that on a ship - I book land-based trips for that with a focus on restaurant choice.  

 Gourmet Gal, Our expectations may not be as lofty as you perceive.  As I have said before in other strings (maybe not fully expressed here) we do  not expect Michelin or "true high end" experiences on a ship.  BUT - I think I can expect at least a good steakhouse or land based dining experience.  That is what these luxury lines are selling - upscale experiences - not mediocrity or mainstream.  

[Yankeeclipper1]

2 hours ago, Tothesunset said:

I hope the SS cheerleaders don't pile on now.

They most certainly will. 😆

[Lois R]

No piling on from me. Again, sorry you were so underwhelmed and disappointed.

 

[WesW]

Thanks for your review. Have sailed over 200 days on both Silversea and Regent and except for the entertainment during the day on Regent crossings where you have lots of sea days, prefer Silversea for classic and expedition voyages.

[scseas]

Agree about the bread being so bad and Arts Cafe to have minimal offerings. La Terazza was outstanding as was Silver Note.

 

for bars, we were on the Silver Moon recently and just went to SALT Bar. It was by far the best on the ship. The other bars were fine but just not as creative if you want an interesting cocktail. 

[RachelG]

Agree regarding entertainment—much prefer regent.  I am not sure what was going on with your bartenders.  They should be making the same drinks.  Perhaps a training issue.

[Sweetpea711423]

6 hours ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

Breakfast pastries - were meh - again nothing special - I expect "French Pastry shop quality and selection - this was very basic. 

Hi.  I read this part of your review with great interest.  I have never, on any cruise line, had breakfast pastries that were "French Pasty shop quality and selection", although I would love to!  I checked with my husband to see whether his view corresponded with mine, and it did.  We have sailed on Silversea, Crystal, Regent, and Cunard (Queen's Grill).  Would you mind naming the cruise line(s) that you think serve this level of pastry?  I would greatly appreciate it.

[Yankeeclipper1]

16 minutes ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Hi.  I read this part of your review with great interest.  I have never, on any cruise line, had breakfast pastries that were "French Pasty shop quality and selection", although I would love to!  I checked with my husband to see whether his view corresponded with mine, and it did.  We have sailed on Silversea, Crystal, Regent, and Cunard (Queen's Grill).  Would you mind naming the cruise line(s) that you think serve this level of pastry?  I would greatly appreciate it.

OK I'll bite  😁- French Pastry Shop quality was an over emphasis of how I consider (IMO) the breads and pastries on SS to be subpar.   For example - the breads on Regent were much more varied, had different taste between the types, good crusts and were all different  - the pastries were much more varied and flavorful - the daily selection of different stuffed cronuts was great - the Torsades au Chocolate where flaky, buttery, tasty, the croissants and chocolate versions were flaky, buttery, and tasty.  Common theme here - between the afternoon tea offerings, canapés, breads, cakes, and pastries - Regent (I used that example because we had recently cruised on Explorer) had a much better bakery (IMO) as were the bakeries on Crystal, Seabourn, Oceania.  Sorry you took me so literally.    

[Sweetpea711423]

31 minutes ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

OK I'll bite  😁- French Pastry Shop quality was an over emphasis of how I consider (IMO) the breads and pastries on SS to be subpar.   For example - the breads on Regent were much more varied, had different taste between the types, good crusts and were all different  - the pastries were much more varied and flavorful - the daily selection of different stuffed cronuts was great - the Torsades au Chocolate where flaky, buttery, tasty, the croissants and chocolate versions were flaky, buttery, and tasty.  Common theme here - between the afternoon tea offerings, canapés, breads, cakes, and pastries - Regent (I used that example because we had recently cruised on Explorer) had a much better bakery (IMO) as were the bakeries on Crystal, Seabourn, Oceania.  Sorry you took me so literally.    

Thanks for the response.  I must admit, however, to being a bit disappointed at not finding out about some hidden gem that I was unaware of.

[turtlemichael]

I wish you a pleasant and successful cruise whoever you sail with next time.

[Host Jazzbeau]

My standard for French pastry quality is Parisian croissants.  On Oceania in January they were as good as in Paris in May – but they were not that good on either AmaWaterways or Scenic leading up to the Paris stay.  If they are so buttery that I'm not tempted to add butter or jam, I'm happy.  And I don't need a lot of variety, if the traditional croissants are that good.

[Catlover54]

10 hours ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

 Gourmet Gal, Our expectations may not be as lofty as you perceive.  As I have said before in other strings (maybe not fully expressed here) we do  not expect Michelin or "true high end" experiences on a ship.  BUT - I think I can expect at least a good steakhouse or land based dining experience.  That is what these luxury lines are selling - upscale experiences - not mediocrity or mainstream.  

 

Since your culinary experience is critical, you might enjoy the Europa 2 (Hapag Lloyd's luxury ship which has German/English on board).   There are multiple restaurants, and each has outstanding food.  Itineraries are also good. The waiters and other key staff speak English and menus are available in English.

[mancunian]

We all have different thoughts after all food is probably the most subjective.  However I am wondering when your last trip on Seabourn was.   we went on Encore in March and Silver Spirit in April and June and there was no comparison.  Silversea won hands down in fact we were very unimpressed with food offerings and limited choice on Encore and the Arts Cafe I loved including the coffee and a huge bonus they actually brought your food and drink to your table and then cleared it away promptly unlike Seabourn.  The only place we were really impressed with was TK.

 

Interesting about the bread too.  On Seabourn the waiter served the bread which was a choice of sliced farmhouse bread or nothing.   I guess there was a problem here perhaps the bread chef had covid.

[Mr Luxury]

18 hours ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

Second SS cruise. As previously reviewed - wanted to give SS a second shot 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2821190-first-silversea-cruise-good-not-great/

 

Many of the issues mentioned previously existed on this cruise.  I’ll caveat for those who do not read my previous entry - When we travel, my wife and I enjoy the culinary/ship experience parts of the cruise the most.  Ports are secondary to us - we enjoy our culinary experiences and have high expectations in this category of cruising - combined with the rest of the cruise experience.  So, for us - the dining experiences are very important.  My reference point for this cruise is our Seabourn, Crystal, Regent experiences.  My comments are very food centric because that is important to us. 

 

We were on the June 2 Seward - Vancouver run - Silver Muse. The cruise started out on the first days promising - with my comment - “We will book again.”  I even met our F&B manager from the Silver Spirit - Martin.  

 

By the end of the cruise - my comment was - “not going to bother again” - not at these prices anyway.  It was not one thing but a series of minor annoyances/issues (for use) that added up.  First - an “A” for effort.  The crew, staff, cabin attendants the ship condition were all excellent - that was expected.  The cumulative failures were in the F&B area - which as previously mentioned in other reviews - are most important to us. 

 

Subjectively - we found the bars inconsistent.  The bartenders can not consistently follow their own recipes.  We would order the same drink in various venues and they would range from delicious to undrinkable - the same drink should taste the same.  

 

Food ranged from “good” (never extraordinary) to - “are you kidding me?” I’ll mention bread - they need another bread maker (or better recipes) - many pieces of bread were tasteless, lacking salt, substance, flavor.  It didn’t matter which restaurant - we came across the same tasteless bread. It was almost as if they were using the same dough and just changing the shapes.  I am comparing it to other lines - Seabourn, Regent, Oceania, Crystal.  Our bread baskets were never emptied - by us.  One night (in advance)  I asked for King Crab legs but wanted the whole tubes of  premium crab (Jumbo-Colossal) - not split open and not the poor C category stuff served on lunch buffets - we were in Alaska for gosh sakes.  Big deal was made out of my special dinner that night - every server had to mention I was getting a special dinner..  Well - it plain sucked.  The crab was the same cheap crab - split open for the masses - dried out and tasteless - and had a slightly fishy odor that my wife even noticed. There is a difference from the second rate, mass packaged end pieces/small legs that you need to serve buffets and 300 plates at once - I get that.  I was expecting 6-9 legs - whole.  Sounds like a bridge too far - Regent has a separate stock of legs that are just that - jumbos - whole and for the asking.  This should be an easy one since all crab is already quick frozen and processed when caught - it just requires careful defrosting and warming.  

The lunch buffets were unimaginative and mundane, we really had to sort through to find something interesting and not buffet line common - same salads every lunchtime, large bowls of just chopped lettuces and vegetables  - no creativity - no variations and creative salad making. Leg of Lamb - uncuttable.  Pasta station could never get the order right - time after time I asked for extra sauce (swimming) with my pasta,  extra cheese and no green garnishes - always came almost dry and a few sprinkles of cheese and green garnish.  Had to wait for the corrections each time - almost as if I was talking to the wall when I ordered at the pasta station.  Breakfast pastries - were meh - again nothing special - I expect "French Pastry shop quality and selection - this was very basic.  Sorry but (IMO) most of the menu items were very ordinary, uninspired and could be on any mainline ship.  It was our worst buffet experience - even Oceania Marina and Riviera’s buffets were better..

 

Canapes served with drinks in the bars during evenings were uninspired, skimpy, bland and repeating - basically boring - and took forever to get service. We would sometimes receive stale nuts and nibbles.  The Asian inspired restaurant - definitely better than the horror of an Asian inspired restaurant on the Spirit but yet again - meh - Benihana teppanyaki - very greasy.

 

The Art’s Cafe (coffee) was a poor representation (comparatively speaking) - regarding nibble selections - very basic and scant - / and we could not even get a french press - when compared to the coffee locations on Regent and Seabourn. 

 

However - La Dame and La Terrazza were (IMO) very good - actually better than on the Spirit. Atlantide was usually good (except for my crab disaster).  Indochine was closed (I don’t know why and if it was only closed the nights we wanted to go).Spaccanapoli for lunch is good but really not the best pizza - the pizza is way overhyped - it's good but not great.  Only a 7 day cruise so we did not make it to the Grill for dinner - but I expect with its limited menu it would be the same as on the Spirit - good. Silver Note was the same - “interesting” but I don’t need to repeat a 3rd time. They did a nice birthday acknowledgement for me in our suite. We thought the itinerary was wonderful and the included excursions were adequate to good.  I did attend evening performances - IMO - they paled compared to Regent’s investment in live entertainment on board and on stage.

 

Even though Martin (F&B) was on this ship and knew my issue from the Spirit, I did not put him on speed dial this time - many issues are related to corporate, provisioning contracts, corporate menus and standard operating procedures (necessary for consistency) and beyond one F&B’s manager's ability to change.  (They did have maple syrup on board but took an extraordinary effort each time to get it (it was in room service supply - little jars) - none of the servers could understand the difference between syrup goop and real maple syrup - I didn’t even bother this time trying to get better cheese selections).

 

The above are a few minor issues - but there were many more and it just added up to  - “and for those reasons - I’m out” (Sharktank). 

Thanks for posting,I'm just of to the doctors to get some anti depressants.

[Rothko1]

I'm sorry to read you had a bad experience.

 

It's tempting to write something snarky - it's in my nature.  But instead I'll attempt to be serious.

 

Everyone has their own list of what is important to them on a cruise and what is not.  For some it's the ship size, or itinerary, or food, or entertainment, or the other passengers onboard, etc.  You know what is important to you; I believe you tried to inform the crew as to your priorities, and they did not meet your expectations.  That really is a shame, because for the price of a luxury cruise you have many other options that might more easily have met them.

 

So I truly do wish you well and just might say look not only at other cruise lines, but non-cruising adventures that might offer you the best chance to get the things that you want from your leisure time.

[saminina]

The breakfast pastries are similar to what you see in a USA mid range hotel chain.  Of course, once they do mid range, they push it to the next hotel level up.  Probably tested on RCCL, and passed onto SS.   Same idea for the bathroom towels.   There is a mid sized croissant on breakfast buffet that is quite tasty relative to rest of selection.  It also looks like a freak relative to appearance.   Half the size of a great croissant, three times size of the pasties it sits besides.

 

The irony is the menu on the TV screen list the various meats with country/local source, grain or grass fed, age range when slaughtered.   Something is missing between their lofty ordering process to what is served on the plate.

 

Crystal maintained until the end.   The remaining lines are trying to survive with a thousand cuts.  But really, the cuts began long before Covid.   Too many ships to fill.  So many passengers that accept the lower standards.   Why would anyone accept the flavored breakfast syrup if they knew anything about maple syrup?   It's a different passenger to which they cater.   Same people that swallow the caviar being served and think it's great.

[saminina]

18 hours ago, scseas said:

for bars, we were on the Silver Moon recently and just went to SALT Bar. It was by far the best on the ship. The other bars were fine but just not as creative if you want an interesting cocktail. 

 

That is because they contract a real mixologist.   He has nothing to do with the ship/crew other than to keep S.A.L.T.  as it was designed to do.   Silver Note/S.A.L.T./La Terrazza.  I'm happy enough if they don't screw around with the three.   Meals on Moon much better than we're finding on Muse.  Big difference.

Edited July 11, 2022 by saminina

[LAexNY]

17 hours ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Hi.  I read this part of your review with great interest.  I have never, on any cruise line, had breakfast pastries that were "French Pasty shop quality and selection", although I would love to!  I checked with my husband to see whether his view corresponded with mine, and it did.  We have sailed on Silversea, Crystal, Regent, and Cunard (Queen's Grill).  Would you mind naming the cruise line(s) that you think serve this level of pastry?  I would greatly appreciate it.

The bread on Oceania is excellent, especially the croissants and baguettes, thanks to Jacques Pepin.  Rumor is he has a secret grain mill in France which supplies flour to Oceania ships.

[Riverroad]

17 hours ago, Sweetpea711423 said:

Hi.  I read this part of your review with great interest.  I have never, on any cruise line, had breakfast pastries that were "French Pasty shop quality and selection", although I would love to!  I checked with my husband to see whether his view corresponded with mine, and it did.  We have sailed on Silversea, Crystal, Regent, and Cunard (Queen's Grill).  Would you mind naming the cruise line(s) that you think serve this level of pastry?  I would greatly appreciate it.

Try Oceania. Best croissants outside of Paris. In fact, all breakfast pastries are outstanding.