What's wrong with Whisper?

[ging466]

I would only recommend that your first SS cruise not be on the Whisper in the near future. They have some work to do there.

 

Hi duct tape

I'm doing my first Silversea cruise on Whisper in December 08, Singapore-Sydney and am paying a huge amount of money for a single Vista suite....so your comment is very worrying...if Whisper has problems, what should I expect or should I cancel?

 

Cheers

Ging466

[Dreps]

We just returned from 15 days on the Whisper (Dubai to Athens). The cruise--our first on Silversea--was very good, though we have a slight preference for Regent. You can see some comments on the Dubai to Athens thread about specifics. The one general comment that most agree on is that the food was very inconsistent on this cruise. According to Silversea regulars, this is not usually the case.

[duct tape]

Glad to hear the above poster had a fairly good cruise. Our last experience on the Whisper (Jan-Mar this year) was not good. There was nothing that made me jump ship, but I could feel a tension in the staff (it did not alter their exemplary behavior)! The food was less than mediocre and the Hotel Director did not appear interested in what was going on. I am probably worrying you needlessly as much as I am just dumping my own dissappointment. As a first timer, there will be lots of my issues (as a very frequent sailor) that will not affect you at all. I would not encourage you to cancel. You can always change eating venue if you don't like the food in the restaurant. You make the fun. You need to make your own decisions and I wish you the best time! Let us know how it goes.

[Wellseasoned]

I am currently on the Whisper, finishing a 27 day back to back. With the exception of Jeddah, the entire cruise has been marvelous. The entire crew has been absolutely outstanding, not a hint of tension. And I have been on these ships often and know the crew reasonably well. The weather has been perfect, the seas calm, and no problems that I know of. Although a majority of passengers are repeaters, they and the first timers seem very happy. There have been large numbers of onboard bookings for future cruises. I have had no real food complaints and have eaten outstanding meals in the Restaurant and La Terazza. I think that some of the inconsistency others have mentioned may relate to the executive chef being relatively new to Silversea, but he seems to be getting his "sea legs". The officers are outstanding. Captain Palmieri, who took over in Athens, is very personable and happily interacts with the passengers. He is a longtime Silversea captain and a great representative of the line.

To put it bluntly, I think you would be crazy to cancel your reservation. You will have a wonderful time, meet great people, and have a crew which will bend over backward to give you a terrific experience. By the way, I understand that the Whisper is currently fully booked through November.

[duct tape]

Wellseasoned, I am VERY relieved to hear you had such a great trip! All of ships go in cycles and it sounds like their bad patch is over. Each ship has gone through one. Could you please tell me who the Hotel Director was when you were on. Thanx.

[Island Cruiser]

I have written a review of the Dubai-Athens cruise that may or may not be accepted and posted by CC. It inculdes a description of our Jeddah adventure. I absolutely loved the cruise and would also recommend you NOT bail out on the Whisper. The only downside to the cruise was, in my opinion and that of most of the Silversea regulars I met on board, was the inconsistent galley. When it was good it was very good indeed and that was often. But there were too many misfires. I believe this is the exception to the norm on Silversea and definitely plan to book Silversea again. Patrick

[Host Dan]

I have written a review of the Dubai-Athens cruise that may or may not be accepted and posted by CC. It inculdes a description of our Jeddah adventure. I absolutely loved the cruise and would also recommend you NOT bail out on the Whisper. The only downside to the cruise was, in my opinion and that of most of the Silversea regulars I met on board, was the inconsistent galley. When it was good it was very good indeed and that was often. But there were too many misfires. I believe this is the exception to the norm on Silversea and definitely plan to book Silversea again. Patrick

Island Cruiser,

The ONLY way CC wouldn't publish your review, is if it violated any of CC guidelines. I does take a while, as each review written is reviewed by the Community Assistant before publication. Be patient, it'll make it! :)

 

Host Dan

[Island Cruiser]

The review has been posted. I think you will see I am really really impressed with Silversea.

[Host Dan]

The review has been posted. I think you will see I am really really impressed with Silversea.

Heres a link to Island Cruisers review of Whisper! :)

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=41925

 

Host Dan

[duct tape]

Ialand cruiser, I feel much better now. Thanx.

[DebbieH103]

I really enjoyed your review and read every view with great interest.

 

You bragged on the things that make us like the line SO much - embarkation, service and staff. I so wish that you'd had better luck with the dining. We've not had this issue.

 

Your experiences all sounded great, especially the Jeddah experience with the exotic dining experience. I am sure SS will perfect the half day if they go back as you said, but normally, Silversea holds the dining room open if guests are not coming back on time, even if it is a handful. In fact, they watch for a time for the specific list of names that were on the tour. It is too bad for those people this did not happen. I hope they all ordered something nice in their room.

 

The production shows will be back in a couple of months. I love them, but like you, I've enjoyed some of the other offerings without missing it.

 

That locking down of the liquor in Saudi waters is something else! What did they do? Sieze everyone's room setup? Sounds like it. Did they go from cabin to cabin to inspect? That sounds inconvenient for the crew and for any guests who were relaxing. I'm sure the cultural experience must have been worth it.

[Island Cruiser]

Hi Debbie:

 

With respect to the booze, when the cabin attendants turned down beds the night before Jeddah they removed ALL booze from the cabins, labeled it, and returned it the next night. Must have been a considerable ordeal for them. With respect to the rest of the ship, it wasn't enough that all bars be closed. Even the sight of liquor had to be eliminated. So EVERYTHING went below. Given the Cloud experience, this was a huge deal. I was worried about my mouthwash. We don't know how extensively they inspected the ship. But they reserved the right to look at everything. So we had to assume they would look under our bed. Think of those disappointed half-day tour folks. They returned to the ship angry and couldn't even take to their bottles for consolation! The forms we were given to clear Saudi Customs asked "religion" and "marital status." I understand several Jewish passengers chose to answer the first question "Christian." One of the Customs forms carried the following warning in red letters: "Drug Smuggling Equals Death." This was really serious business. For me, it made the Jeddah visit unique and particularly memorable. It was not a routine port stop!

 

Whisper may, indeed, have held The Restaurant open for the late-returning folks. I don't know for sure. I just heard they were "late for lunch."

 

The lunch we had the good fortune to enjoy in Jeddah was clearly the most memorable meal of the trip. Let me assure you the occasional misfires from the Whisper galley did not diminish our enjoyment of the trip. They would have mattered to us if they were the rule rather than the expection. Pat

[Island Cruiser]

Sorry, they were the exception. Blame my fingers. Pat

[ging466]

Thankx Island Cruiser, your review has made me feel better. I sure was concerned after reading HongKongMember's review and duct tape's comments.

 

I won't cancel my trip - now I'm really looking forward to it.

 

Cheers

Ging466:)

[duct tape]

Bon Voyage! Don't forget to let us know how it was...........

[ging466]

Bon Voyage! Don't forget to let us know how it was...........

 

Thankx! I certainly will:D

[rols]

Glad you're having a good time. We were on the Singpaore/Dubai leg and thought the food was rather inconsistent (that's in my review), I noted the head chef was new and hoped that was the problem ... perhaps it was.

 

Say hi to Simon for us ..

 

I am currently on the Whisper, finishing a 27 day back to back. With the exception of Jeddah, the entire cruise has been marvelous. The entire crew has been absolutely outstanding, not a hint of tension. And I have been on these ships often and know the crew reasonably well. The weather has been perfect, the seas calm, and no problems that I know of. Although a majority of passengers are repeaters, they and the first timers seem very happy. There have been large numbers of onboard bookings for future cruises. I have had no real food complaints and have eaten outstanding meals in the Restaurant and La Terazza. I think that some of the inconsistency others have mentioned may relate to the executive chef being relatively new to Silversea, but he seems to be getting his "sea legs". The officers are outstanding. Captain Palmieri, who took over in Athens, is very personable and happily interacts with the passengers. He is a longtime Silversea captain and a great representative of the line.

To put it bluntly, I think you would be crazy to cancel your reservation. You will have a wonderful time, meet great people, and have a crew which will bend over backward to give you a terrific experience. By the way, I understand that the Whisper is currently fully booked through November.

[wripro]

Islandcruiser,

 

Did any Jewish passengers put "Jewish" for religion, and if so, were there any consequences? Personally, I would have left a bottle of Manischewitz wine in my cabin!!!!!

[DebbieH103]

Pat, I know on our cruise, there were some issues - like not only did we go to Fujairah but also to Sharjah, and they are building all those beautiful hotels in those dry areas. Of course, you know in Dubai there are rules, but they don't affect tourists too much.

 

If you remember, I was worried even flying over Saudi, thinking that might cause Todd to not want to go (actually he didn't think it was a big deal at all, and we were quite intrigued). You all had quite the extreme opposite amount of exposure to the land. I was always more worried about being a woman there than anything else.

 

You read my mind about wanting to console themselves with a drink back on the ship. I think if we came back from that, we'd be wanting them to pull out early so we could carry on.

 

Going to so much trouble and all was the worry I had of the staff, and it just shows how much they want to show guests new things on Silversea even with this much work and trouble.

 

Enjoying the full dining experience like you did was clearly the way to go. You two usually find some of the most interesting things to do and experience.

 

Wripro, I imagine that was a joke, but we do have to honor customs of another country when we choose to go there. We never want to feel uncomfortable or unsafe due to religion or sex or citizenship, but if we go somewhere, we have to abide by their rules or stay home. We would want people to do the same here, and imagine if the Bubba cruises went here and people said, "to heck with it" and were stashing liquor in the underwear drawer (as tempting as that might be, lol). How humiliating would it be for the whole ship to know you were the one that got them in trouble.

 

From the reports I've read here and elsewhere on this cruise and from my own middle east experience in December, I have come to know even more than I ever suspected that thorough research is required when visiting this region. This is not a place to wing it.

[Island Cruiser]

Wipro, I don't know the answer to your question. I just heard that several Jewish passengers decided to play it safe. Silversea announced well before the cruise that people traveling on an Israeli passport would not be permitted to book the cruise. The Saudis on the ground in Jeddah, including the Saudis working Customs desks, seemed to be quite cordial and non-threatening, a significant step up from many of the TSA folks we encounter in American airports. The guides were most cordial. Fred and I felt totally comfortable spending over an hour by ourselves shopping and people watching in the grand souk. As far as hiding that bottle of wine, Wipro, you are a brave person indeed. After the build up we received from the Tour Director, most of us decided against taking chances. Imagining a $10,000 fine on our ship's bill did the trick. Pat

[wripro]

Wow, did the Saudis confiscate everyone's sense of humor too? Of course, that was a joke. If I were going to hide anything it certainly wouldn't be Manischewitz! And I am well aware one must abide by local customs when traveling. I do so every time I go to the Bronx!

 

Regarding passports, if those with Israeli passports could not book the cruise, what about those with Israeli stamps in their passports? I have heard people have been denied entry.

[Island Cruiser]

My ears are red, Wipro. Sorry. I realize now you would only risk life and limb for, at least, Gallo! I'm not familiar with that particular wine lable. But I gather I won't be seeing in on Silversea any time soon--I hope. Pat

[Wellseasoned]

wripro, Silversea advised in advance that anyone with an Israeli stamp in the passport could be denied entry to several of the countries visited, and recommended obtaining a new passport.

 

duct tape, the hotel director on the Whisper is Sue Richardson, British and relatively quiet. Didn't have much contact, but she seemed pleasant enough, and I am not aware of any problems with her.

[wripro]

Thanks for the info. So if you've been to Israel you have to get a new passport to satisfy the Saudis. Talk about appeasement!

 

No problem, Islandcruiser. Sometimes I'm the only one who gets my sense of humor.

[MJN1]

"So if you've been to Israel you have to get a new passport to satisfy the Saudis. Talk about appeasement!"

 

And what do you think will happen when one travels with an Iranian visa in the passport to the "land of the free".....? :rolleyes: