Silversea or Seabourn - More similarities than differences.

We’ve been on several Seabourn cruises (Gold Level) and lovethe line, but the opportunity to depart from Tower Bridge lured us into bookingour first Silversea cruise, the Silver Cloud from London to Oslo.

I found more similarities than differences. A comparison of services is a little offbecause the Silver Cloud holds only 296 passengers while the Odyssey holds 450passengers. A comparison of the physicalcondition is unfair because the Silver Cloud is scheduled for a completerenovation this fall so they have delayed some refurbishment that surely wouldhave done. With that said, here are somevery subjective comparisons.

One difference is the Silversea butler/room steward vs. theSeabourn room steward only. For ourneeds, the two Silversea employees provided the same quantity and the samequality of service as did the one Seabourn employee. However, the butler did seem to be alwayspresent and I found myself utilizing his services more than I thought I would. Not a deal changer, but I give Silversea aplus for the butler.

Assuming good weather, we enjoy eating lunch on the Odyssey’sPool Deck and often eat dinner there. The Silver Cloud also has Pool Deck dining and I found lunch there to beas enjoyable as the Odyssey’s. However,Silversea’s dinner on the Pool Deck is a little more upscale and they make it abig deal by supplying hot lava rocks on which one cooks their own meat, fish,etc. After my initial skepticism, Ifound it to be the perfect way to get my steak the right temperature. A plus to Silversea, but with the followingcaveat.

One major reason (for us) to cruise on small ships is to nothave to make dinner reservations. Welike the freedom of letting the events of the evening determine when we go todinner. On the Silver Cloud, dinnerreservations are required in both La Terrazza (compatible to the Colonnade) andthe Pool Grill and often there was no space available. (The restaurant does not require areservation.) Plus to Seabourn.

Silver Cloud offers one hour of free wifi per person perday. For many, that is all that isneeded.

It “seemed” that Seabourn has more staff offering drinks andrefreshments than we observed on the Silver Cloud. Also, it seemed that the Silver Cloud staffdid not make a great attempt to learn passengers’ names.

One big difference was Trivia. For me, Seabourn’s trivia contests areextremely enjoyable. Seabourn schedulesan hour per session with three sets of ten questions each. Enthusiasm builds when teams have to call outtheir answers and each day the winning team gets a prize such as a flashlight,umbrella, etc. At the end of the cruise,a grand prize is awarded. Not so onSilversea (at least on this cruise). Thirty minutes is allocated to the event with 20 questions being asked. At the end of the session, the director callsout the answers and teams report their score. Very sterile. Winning teams are awarded points (1, 2, or 3) and at theend of the cruise, points can be turned in for some minor prizes such as abookmark. (The top prize is a smallteddy bear – 120 points.) Regardless,the Silversea participants enjoyed themselves.

My take is that both lines are worthy of consideration. So, Pepsi or Coke, Ritz Carlton or FourSeasons, Seabourn or Silversea? Hard togo wrong with either.

Thank you for this - do you have any observations on the difference - if any - in the evening dress code between the two lines? We have heard that Silversea can be a bit formal.

Based on my one-time experience, I didn't see much difference between lines in the percentage of passengers wearing formal dress. I was a little surprised when several men came into the bar on a formal night without either coats or ties on (Silver Cloud). However, that could occur on any given cruise.

I really didnt notice any difference in formality between the two, just found SS staff surly and food was overcooked and IMHO poor.

Based upon my experience with SilverSea I found there was a massive difference in the quality of the staff with the difference vastly favoring Seabourn. Even the worst food I've had on Seabourn was near the best food I've had on SilverSea.

Drink management in SilverSea was the worst I've ever experienced. Anywhere.

The tours were quite nice and some staff members were great but overall dragged down by what in my opinion was the angriest staff at sea.

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We are taking our first Seabourn cruise in February and are really looking forward to it. We sailed on Silversea many years ago, which we dubbed "the cruise of the living dead." The food was better on Celebrity than what we had on Silversea and you could plotz (i.e. die ) before someone would come by your deck chair and offer you a drink. The staff complained and seemed tired. Even though, because of their reputation, I just chalked it up to an "off" sailing, I'd never get my husband back on Silversea. I sure hope that there are some BIG differences! LOL

Friends I whom I trust their opinion have sailed on Silversea in the last few months. One couple has only just got off Silver Muse. They are long time Seabourn sailors and have been happy with both the service, food and wine on Silversea. They aren't changing their loyalty to Seabourn but are pleased they will have an alternative cruise line for itineraries.

So I guess this just just shows different opinions.

Julie

We are taking our first Seabourn cruise in February and are really looking forward to it. We sailed on Silversea many years ago, which we dubbed "the cruise of the living dead." The food was better on Celebrity than what we had on Silversea and you could plotz (i.e. die ) before someone would come by your deck chair and offer you a drink. The staff complained and seemed tired. Even though, because of their reputation, I just chalked it up to an "off" sailing, I'd never get my husband back on Silversea. I sure hope that there are some BIG differences! LOL

Yes. Very much. The crowd on Seabourn is younger and far more active IME. Even given a same or similar age the Seabourn passengers are more active. Also while I've experienced quiet scared on Seabourn I've never seen the anger I ve experienced on SS.

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We have sailed both Seabourn (250 days) Silverseas (100 days) last year. I enjoy the wine/champagne on Silverseas over Seabourn. The staff on Seabourn are more polished IMO than on Silverseas (having said that we had one of the best wine waiters (he was not a sommelier) on Silverseas last year who would select a wine to match our meals (from the included wines) every night. Food is subjective but I would give the nod to Seabourn. I do favour Seabourn over Silverseas but I now base my cruising decisions on itinerary and I'm happy to cruise either line. We are trying Regent for the first time in November so that will be interesting. As we all know you can have good cruises and great cruises a lot depends on the staff on board at the time and also the passenger mix.

Perhaps it's not fair to base one's opinion on one experience, but we didn't enjoy our SS cruise at all, and for the reasons already stated. We particularly noticed the very obvious poor morale among staff and their general "attitude". We suspected there was a LOT of aggro behind the scenes.

We are on Silversea on the Spirit right now from Rouen to Lisbon and it has far-exceeded our expectations. We are in our 30s and find this ship elegant and relaxing. We are enjoying it much more than Regent and find it on par with Crystal. The staff have been fabulous and we are well-taken care of. Point of my post is that everyone has a different opinion and experience, and people shouldn't rely on Cruise Critic members' critiques to decide on a cruise. We are trying Seabourn for the first time next year on the Encore, and we are so excited!

Happy sailing to all.

Michael

I had a much different experience on Silversea. Perhaps it was because I was on an older ship, but we had significant issues with air conditioning and the food was unacceptable.

And, by the way, I agree about the trivia difference, although that is a very minor point.

Not sure if this link will work but here is my post about my trip:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2377435&highlight=clou

Crew differences? First, you would have to be color blind and/or deaf not to notice. Morale? One company signs eight month contracts that are oft extended. The other four month contracts.

There might be slight differences somewhere, but I cannot think of any. SS does have an edge sometimes, but normally it is on items SB has chosen to ignore or cut back.

The only ‘wow’ on SS is how poor they were in comparison to Seabourn in our opinion.

SS in our experience DID NOT even come close to delivering the service and amenities of Seabourn.

We’ve been cruising on Seabourn since the ‘90’s and decided to try SS Spirit which for that date accommodated our schedule better than Seabourn to celebrate a personal special occasion which SS was aware of but never mentioned nor recognized. We are certain, Seabourn would have taken note and recognized it.

Taking SS was a huge mistake. The differences we saw were not ‘cold soup’ whining, but measurable differences.

On our SS cruise there were NO flowers or floral arrangements at all in the ship but for the odd white orchid in a public area. The ship felt sterile.

Seabourn like other premium and some not so premium cruise lines, is adorned with floral arrangements in public areas and cabins.

SS entertainment was the ship's own singers and full-time musicians seen in the bars. Not a single comedian, guest entertainer, magician or professional show was brought aboard to entertain for the entire 8 day cruise.

Seabourn whilst not known for entertainment, on every cruise, regardless of length that we've taken had outside professional entertainment in addition to their ship staff musicians and singers.

On SS’s MDR and La Terrazza Italian specialty restaurant, they were unable to complete meal service in under 2 hours and the courses when finally served, were often wrong from what was ordered.

Food is very subjective...and Seabourn in our opinion is vastly better than what SS served. Seabourn MDR and specialty restaurant service is far exceptional in our opinion.

SS Breakfast buffet choices were the same offering every single day with only a few steam table entree changes at lunch. Fresh squeezed OJ was not offered on SS but is on Seabourn. On SS we were offered canned ‘cling peaches’ and canned pears every day…fresh fruit was minimal.

Seabourn excels at breakfast and lunch buffets with daily changing specials, fresh fruit in abundance exceptionally presented with beautiful culinary garnishment and friendly service. Seabourn offers a vast variety of jams, jellies and accouterments that were not available on SS. Fresh assorted berries have been abundant on every Seabourn cruise we've taken.

On SS there NEVER was any pool BBQ nor other special lunch event day or night e.g.; not a TexMex day, no special themed day, no juice bar, no ice cream bar, no smoothie bar, no omelet station at breakfast. No bar specialty drinks of the day being walked around public areas. No cool refreshing towels on hot pool days.

Seabourn often has a special lunch around the pool with a BBQ, special theme'd buffet and so many other options that SS just did not offer. Specialty drinks of the day, cool refreshing towels around the pool and other little touches that SS is clueless about.

On SS there was no 'spa' or health conscious menu with nutritional information, low-fat, gluton or calorie watcher concerns.

Seabourn offers all...in addition to a larger selection in MDR choices if it's just a steak, chops or what ever tickles your fancy on their 'available all the time' menu.

We asked for lamb chops on SS (an item on Seabourn's 'all the time' menu every night) and were told we needed to order it at least 24 hours in advance...we ordered the chops for a future night and after an almost 2 hour wait for the main course of chops, the medium rare chops we pre-ordered were all well done and ruined.

SS had a minimal espresso bar in the Panorama Lounge with early morning riser (6:30 am) offering basic plate of muffins and a few danish like one would see in a corporate board room on the back table.

Seabourn Square’s coffee shop is a highlight for coffee and espresso bar lovers with fabulous pastry choices in the am and lunch items mid-day in addition to being a very popular social area to meet others.

Caviar: Seabourn is famous for all you wish when you wish…using sustainable caviar that’s quite good and is included in your cruise.

Caviar on SS is an expensive up charge for barely a few grams.

We tried speaking with SS’s Maitre D's regarding them being unable to complete dinner meals under 2 hours with errors in what was ordered. We were met with indifference and some defensiveness about their dining venue failures.

When Seabourn has not delivered on something (which was rare indeed), they always made extra efforts to over-deliver, apologize and show they cared to make our cruise special.

SS bar service was OK. But before meal hors d'oevres and bar snacks on SS were not of high quality and were few and far between.

We always enjoyed excellent hors d’oerves and drinks on Seabourn accompanied by live music, dancing with attentive service before heading off to dining.

On positive notes; SS’s suite was well appointed, clean and very quiet. Doors don't slam and even the toilet seats are slow closing to not make noise. And in bad weather, both Seabourn and SS ships handle big water very well.

SS’s health spa was the one bright spot that excelled over Seabourn. Every piece of exercise equipment worked fine. The health spa fitness trainer was attentive, enthusiastic and did an excellent job. Yoga and Pilates classes were offered every day and were better than most we've experienced on other cruise lines.

We found just too many measurable differences between SS and Seabourn which in our opinion could not have been due to a bad SS cruise anomaly.

I hesitate to join the fray on this one but here goes. We have about 200 days on each line and have recently completed a 60+ day "grand voyage" on the Spirit. We will be on the Odyssey in October so it's clear we love both lines ! I don't look at them as either/or but as which has the better itinerary. Our experience on the Spirit which seems to be everyone's least favorite, was fantastic. I don't like the silly sink in the regular verandah suite but the "normal" 2 sink arrangement on the Seabourn ships is in my opinion far better, but that's the only appreciable difference I can see in comparing the cabins. Our experience with the staff on the Spirit couldn't have been more different than those mentioned above. From the lovely stewardess to the bartenders/waiters to the deck hands you would run across in the halls or on deck, everyone was welcoming, friendly and immediately knew our names (if that's an important factor.) Our experience with staff on Seabourn has been wonderful also but we always appreciate so much their effort to ensure our enjoyment even though they must all be exhausted. We had a fabulous cruise director, Vicky, the lecturers were outstanding there was always a bridge instructor & almost daily games - good (not fabulous) entertainment. There were so many "special" events planned for those of us on the G.V. - "family dinners" in La Terrazza, lunches under the life boats (sounds scary doesn't it?); cocktail parties...on & on. It was just a very special cruise. The included wines were vastly (and by vastly, I mean off the charts) superior to anything I've ever had served on Seabourn. The "house" whites were from Joseph Drouhin & there were also about 8-10 other choices - always a nice selection. Wines, like food, are very subjective and vive la difference. We did have deck bar-b-ques as well as deck dessert buffets with dancing (much like Rock the Boat). Yes, dinners are leisurely but they are generally spent with interesting people, good wines & plenty of time to make the show if that's important. We loved the pace but I don't recall a significant difference with Seabourn on that front. A rushed dinner wouldn't be enjoyable to me on any cruise line. Trivia is indeed spirited....and the prizes less than wonderful on both lines. I am concerned over the new dining arrangement on the Muse. We have heard & read mixed reviews about this and hopefully someone somewhere will come up with a fix before we are on it in January. If not, we probably won't starve & will be just as thrilled to be on board as we will be thrilled to be on board the Odyssey in October. How lucky we all are to have these amazing opportunities and choices !

Great attitude, nowornever!!!

I'm not sure how much better Silversea can get. Our experience now on the Spirit is absolutely flawless. Wonderful staff and each meal is better than the next. SS, in our experience, is light years ahead of what we've experienced on Regent and Crystal.

If Seabourn is better than SS, we can't wait for our cruise on the Encore next summer !

Michael

I have travelled on several luxury lines including twice sailing on Silver Spirit (once over Christmas/New year holidays) and three times on Seabourn (soon to be 4). Loved many things on every voyage and agree there are big areas of crossover, but for me there was one main advantage/disadvantage every time.

1. I can afford a far bigger suite with butler on Silversea which I like more than the standard room onSeabourn, where the penthouse has always worked out just a bit too expensive for me.

2. Passengers on Silversea were generally older and very much quieter than those on Silversea. Not at all lively, even over Christmas/New year (the Christmas Eve disco was beyond parody really, but that is a long and possibly libellous story) and I prefer the much livelier atmosphere on Seabourn.

About to try Encore, but Silver Muse looks so lovely in its decor that I will probably give it a try too, especially if I begin to read that it attracts a livelier crowd.

Looking at cruises this Christmas & new year in the Caribbean. Seabourn are listing £5,700 for 14 nights on Sojourn Miami to Miami.

Silverseas are listing 16 nights on Muse, Fort Lauderdale return at £8,400. In addition the 2 speciality restaurants are a $180 per night supplement for the 3 of us.

So on the face of things a significant increase. Even if you adjust for the 2 extra nights Seabourn would only be £6,500.

£2,000 will fly me business class London to Miami. The girl's economy tickets are just over £500 ;)

Henry :)

Henry,

One thing to remember if considering the Silver Muse is its unusual dining situation. No MDR. All specialty restaurants which the advise should be reserved months in advance. So you better know if you want pasta or Asian six months prior on any given night. Plus very little opportunity to dine with new friends since you'll be booked and so will they.

Given we are happy with Seabourn I can't see us spending business class fares extra to try Silverseas but your advice is noted. Some of our best meals have been with impromptu friends from the bar.

One of the many things which eventually turned us away from Royal Caribbean was having to book meals and activities months in advance only to have bookings lost of changed. It helped having a suite / loyalty concierge service but it took the spontaneity out of life.

Henry :)

Anyone recently been on the Silver Shadow? If so, please share your experience. Thanks!