Silver Wind 7/15 to 7/23- Lisbon to Copenhagen

[mrsgritoli]

Recently returned from this sailing, and would like to share some random thoughts.

 

We are Regent veterans who have never previously sailed Silversea. Frankly, from reviewing this Board prior to the Cruise, I didn't know what to expect.

 

The ship had recently spent a few days in port undergoing minor upgrades, such as new carpeting and Exercise Equipment. Overall, we were quite pleased with the condition of the Ship.

 

We loved the intimacy of the whole Silversea experience. We don't know how crew we never previously interacted with could know our names by the second day of the cruise, but they did. I have visions of the crew sitting in the bowels of the ship studying photographs, having to undergo pop quizzes...

 

Nothing compares to Regent's basic suites, although Silversea is a close second. Ample room and plenty of storage space. The TV's need upgrading, and the cabinet in which it is located does not permit angling of it to see from the bed, but this is a niggling complaint.

 

The food is also not as good as Regent (other than the Afternnon Tea, which is first rate and desserts, which are generally superior). This is not a matter of "taste"; it simply is not as good. That being said, it is not that the food is bad. For the most part, it is well above average. Saletta is odd- the food is no better than the Restaurant, and I don't really understand the purpose of the upcharge. I Think Silversea would be better served turning this space into a specialty steakhouse, which would attract more business and could justify the upcharge. La Terrazza was nicely implemented, and we ate there on 2 occassions.

 

Service is where Silversea really shines. Great attention to detail; personal and friendly service, without any variation as I can recall. There was one instance where I requested Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert where only Vanilla was on the Menu, and the server told me that she could not fulfill my request. This seemed peculiar, as this was hardly a bizarre request, and we were having dinner with the Cruise Director and Cruise Consultant that night. Maybe she was just nervous?....

 

Special kudos to Colin, the Cruise Director, who went out of his way to make us feel welcome. He also seemed to do the same with many of the other passengers.

 

Also, regards to Sonoman and his SO, who were seasoned Silversea cruisers, who took us under their wing, and shared lots of laughs with us. (Sonoman- how were the next 2 weeks?- Regards, Jeff and Lauren here:) ).

 

2 issues worthy of note- the shore excursions were hit or miss. On the one hand, our D-Day beach excursion was excellent, with a very knowledgable guide. On the other hand, the Bruges chocolate excursion was very disorganized, involved only about 20 minutes of "chocolate" related experiences, and involved an undisclosed half hour walk back to the bus over cobblestones. Not an issue for us, but there was a wheelchair-bound grandmother who couldn't have been feeling too chipper after spending a half hour being bounced over cobblestones. Also, I understand that the Linda Gassenheimer Calvados tour was a similar nightmare.

 

Finally, do not sail Silversea if you are expecting to be entertained. Rudy, the "comedian/acrobat" is basically a hack ( Rudy:"I DON'T like you":) ), and the Welsh singer was a rarebit. Fortunately, my spouse and I like to people-watch, and there was no shortage of eclectic personalities to watch. Also, even thogh my spouse was one of the youngest (39), there were plenty of contemporaries, in body and spirit.

 

In sum, we would happily sail this line again. It wasn't perfect, but it has enough advantages over Regent that we would do it again without hesitation.

[duct tape]

Thanx, we really like it here.

[Seas the Day]

Recently returned from this sailing, and would like to share some random thoughts.

 

We are Regent veterans who have never previously sailed Silversea. Frankly, from reviewing this Board prior to the Cruise, I didn't know what to expect.

 

The ship had recently spent a few days in port undergoing minor upgrades, such as new carpeting and Exercise Equipment. Overall, we were quite pleased with the condition of the Ship.

 

In sum, we would happily sail this line again. It wasn't perfect, but it has enough advantages over Regent that we would do it again without hesitation.

 

What changes were made during the days in port? just carpeting and exercise equipment?

 

Reading your entire review, you gave Silversea top marks for service. What else would you rank higher than Regent?

[mrsgritoli]

I found that dinner was more of a "dining" experience on Silversea, whereas it was more of just a "meal" on Regent. Perhaps this was attributable to the more formal attire on most nights. I actually like taking the Tux out of mothballs from time to time.

 

Also, the crew seemed more interested in interacting, as opposed to just serving you.

 

Easier to get availability of gym equipment (probably just attributable to the older clientele that doesn't use the equipment as much).

 

ALso, the 300 passenger Wind lends itself to much greater intimacy than the 500 passenger Navigator or 750 passenger Mariner/Voyager.

 

In sum, (at least for this cruise), Regent has advantages in suites, food, shore excursions and entertainment, but Silversea was superior in Service, intimacy and attention to detail.

 

Hope this helps, FWIW.

[Sonoman]

Hello J+L-The next 2 weeks of the trip(Copenhagen to Copenhagen) were spectacular. I didn't think anything would beat the Chilean Fijords, but the ones in Norway were breath taking. We did a couple of excursions, but they were just OK(we really had a problem with their early morning departures). The passengers were much quieter on this leg than when you were on. Food seemed to take a dip as well, but we were so spoiled on the 1st 8 days. Weather in the North Cape was quite warm(people by the pool, in shorts, etc.), something about Global Warming????

Hope your trip home was good. Our best to L, and thanks for the good times.

Sonoman

[mrsgritoli]

R and D:

 

Nice to hear from you. Glad to hear you enjoyed the next leg.

 

As for us, we spent a day in Copenhagen, and flew home, uneventfully, the next day.

 

Thanks again for the laughs and memories. Let us know your plans for next year, on the chance we can rendezvous again (lausachs@yahoo.com).

 

In the meantime, have a good year!