Review of 5/20 Anchorage Shadow cruise and RSSC comparisons by a SS newbie

This is a review of the Silver Shadow cruise from Anchorage to Vancouver. It will also be a bit of a comparison of this cruise with Regent Seven Seas, simply because that is the line we have cruised most often and comparisons just happen naturally. I'll post this as a review as well, but it seemed like a good idea to post it here for those planning. A bit about us, we are in our early 40s and this is our 7th cruise but our first with Silverseas. As I look back over this now it is quite long, and I apologize for my verbosity! We started it just making notes while on the cruise, and it has really taken on a life of its own! I'm sure it is also rife with spelling errors as I normally wrote it at the end of the day while I wasn't wearing my contacts. Sorry about that!

Pre-cruise: We spent a couple of days in Denali park doing it on our own. We were there during the short shoulder season when the park road is only open to mile 29. You can either take the Teklanika tour on a bus or you can drive to the same point in your own car. We did it on our own. The road is very well maintained and nice and wide so you can stop as you please and there is always room for others to go around you.

We also spent one night in Talkeetna. We stayed at the Talkeetna Chalet bed and breakfast and loved it. The owner, Dave, could not have been nicer or more caring. We stayed in the Denali suite, which was lovely with a nicely updated bathroom. The town was small but cute. Dave gave us recommendations for where to go for drinks and dinner, which were all spot on. And we even saw a moose! Two of them were right by the side of the road in Talkeetna. We had spent days in Denali scanning the hillsides for them, and here they were!

Embarkation: The embarkation process started a bit rough as we were continually referred to as crew and were kept waiting in our cab with the meter running while they moved the gangway. Moving of the gangway would be a frequent activity every time we went to board.

Fellow passengers; many of the people aboard had done the previous cruise from Asia. Several of them commented that it was nice to have some young people aboard as the previous cruise was all old people. We thought it was hilarious that they kept saying that. We found the age range to be a bit younger than it has been on most of our Regent cruises. Everyone, regardless of age, was a lot of fun!

The ship. The finishings on the ship were all very nice and the ship did not appear old or worn to us. We really liked the double vanities in the bathroom of our suite. The large closet was nice as well, but I would have liked more drawers in the stateroom. My husband noted that the cabin layout and color scheme on all ships is very similar and it would be exciting to have someone deviate from that plan. I know others have commented that the ship looks warn and tired, but we were quite impressed with her appearance.

We liked the smaller size of this ship, but felt some of the areas should be better used. The observation lounge in particular is really wasted space. If there was a bartender there and if the seating was changed to a comfortable layout, this would have been our favorite space. There needs to be a forward lounge with cocktail service. The library and computer room take up far too much space considering how little they are used. This space should be combined with the card room and add a coffee cafe with snacks.

There are meal "blind spots" that we often ran into. If we worked out before eating in the morning or just woke up late, we had a hard time finding breakfast. The same was true for late afternoon snack. We haven't had this on any other cruise. The coffee cafe with snacks would have alleviated this problem.

The Internet connection was horrible. Silverseas either needs to invest in a proper set up for Internet, or stop offering it all together. Internet should also be free on all ships as it is ridiculous that luxury hotels and ships charge for something that cheap motels give away. But that is a bigger issue than just the Shadow.

Service. The service was very good. Every single member of the crew and staff were always smiling and happy and really did make you feel like it was their pleasure to assist you. Our butler wasn't a superstar, but we never really use our butlers anyway. But the staff in the lounges and dining rooms was excellent! We felt that the service on the Shadow far exceeded the service on Regent.

Food. This is where Silverseas fell short. The food was quite bad. The menus were more often than not unappealing. When we went to the alternate dining options it was because there was nothing interesting on the main restaurant menu. Many times all of the choices were odd. I like Indian food, quite a bit actually. By there seemed to be an Indian dish on every menu. Seriously! On most of our cruises there has been a focus on regional cuisine. We assumed we would be eating fabulous seafood every day in Alaska. Not so much. The first couple of days the chefs special was "fresh Alaskan rockfish", every day after that it was "rockfish". Did someone over order or is the chef just that lazy? More than one night we ate in the room because the room service menu was more appealing than the dinner menu.

It would be nice if there was a green salad offered every day on the dinner menu. The salad special offered at lunch was normally pretty good and my go to option. The desserts weren't great as a general rule. There was a chocolate croissant bread pudding that was quite good one day. That is a great use of stale bread! The bread was always stale and though bread was always brought to the table, you had to ask for butter. The food was universally under seasoned. The buffet in la terraza was unimpressive as well. The food on Regent is MUCH better. We are both foodies and consider fine dining a favorite part of our travels. We would really hesitate to book another Silverseas cruise based on food alone. We loved just about every other aspect of the cruise, but food is huge for us. And Silverseas just does not deliver an adequate product on this point.

The personal shopping experience. The 'personal shopper' onboard, Phillip, was very nice. But the shopping maps put into your chronicle everyday listing the same partner stores and nothing else was very off putting. It seems cheap and pushy Iike a used car salesman. And the lectures on how to buy a diamond are quite simply, insulting to guests. It is as if Silverseas is assuming their customers don't know how to shop. "You booked a cruise with us, so you must be stupid with money".

The cruise director, Mike, was very good. Excellent. We knew that the CD on our last Regent cruise was awful and that was part of why the cruise was so boring. But seeing how the evening entertainment in the lounges would change around based on how people responded showed that Mike was really doing his job. And now I understand what a great CD is and how it can really enhance a cruise experience. The entertainers were very talented, but the shows were a bit one dimensional. We felt the singers on SS were better singers than those on RSSC. But the inclusion of the Cirque shows and professional ballroom dancers on our last RSSC cruises made the entertainment experience of the shows alone on RSSC superior. The overall entertainment experience on Silverseas was better.

It was annoying that tea time and bingo occurred at the same time and in separate places. We like to attend both. Many days there was nothing else we were interested in all day, and then everything happened at the same time. If bingo and trivia are going to occur in a lounge other than the one where tea is being held, then that lounge should be open and bar service should be provided.

The captain, Alessandro Zanello, was fabulous. I never understood why people on CC ask who is the captain on board. But after having this captain plow through TONS of ice to get us up close and personal with glaciers, I get it.

Attire. All of our cruise documents listed us as having two formal nights. But once we boarded (with formal attire for two nights) we discovered there would only be one formal night. I am sure that someone on this board will feel the need to say that Alaskan itineraries lasting 7 days and starting after June will only have formal optional nights so I will go ahead and point out that this was a 10 night cruise in May. And all of the pre-cruise information indicated there would be two formal nights. And there was one formal (not optional) night. But it is inexcusable that this was changed on board since we had all already schlepped our formal wear to Alaska.

My husband was one of the few people wearing a tux on formal night. I saw no long gowns, very few cocktail dresses and mostly rather casual pantsuits on women. I am not one of the people whose enjoyment of an evening is based in what others around me wear. But I wanted to include our experience of the attire so that others who might use this review to pack can get an idea of what you will actually see onboard. The dress codes were not really adhered to and I never saw anyone turned away from any lounge or restaurant. RSSC may have a more relaxed dress code, but I have seen people asked to leave a lounge at precisely 6 PM because of being in shorts on RSSC. I saw people wearing sweats at the captains farewell party on Silverseas. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, so who cares. But for those that prefer a more formal cruise, RSSC may be for you.

Random observations: The wine served onboard was inexpensive, but good. The bars were well equipped but many of the bartenders were not educated in making classic cocktails. Well they weren't, my husband educated a few of them while we were onboard. The gym needs more elliptical trainers. The one they had was always in use and there were always unused treadmills. A range of smaller hand weights would be nice as well. There were a lot of one particular weight, and then a jump to something quite a bit heavier. I saw many people looking for something in between. They need bottled water in the gym, the small cups for the dispenser don't fit in the machine cup holders. The announcements that we were in port each morning were annoying and unnecessary. If you have a tour booked, be a big boy and wake up and go on your tour. I'm on vacation, be quiet and let me sleep in if I wish.

A brief note on the itinerary. It was snowing like mad when we arrived in Alaska and we questioned if the highways would be open in time for us to drive to Denali (there were travel advisories all along the route). But we had nothing but sunny skies for most of the trip. Phenomenal weather!

We started in Anchorage which was a nice place to fly into.

College fjord: fabulous! We assumed because it was white out conditions when we arrived in Anchorage a few days earlier that everything would be frozen and we wouldn't get very far into the fjord. But the captain got us right up close to Harvard Glacier.

Valdez: this is a throw away stop. Not worth getting off the ship.

Hubbard glacier: Another great day and again the captain got us right up there. This was a bit exciting as a large ship had gotten in ahead of us and gotten "stuck" a bit. How they got in there is amazing.

Juneau: we did a whale watching trip with captain Steve of Harv and Marv and I would highly recommend it! We have done whae watching all over the world and this was one of our best trips. Tons of whales and so close!

Skagway: We rented a car and drove to Emerald lake. It was a gorgeous drive and sort of exciting driving into Canada. It is a very pretty drive but there aren't really many spots worth stopping at on the way.

Sitka: Gorgeous! Beautiful flowers, adorable town, gorgeous homes on these lovely little islands. Of course, we were there on a sunny day, so that didn't hurt. We went to the Fortress of the Bear and were surprised how much we enjoyed it.

Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier. WOW! This was really amazing. Such a tight little channel the captain just threaded like a needle. And of course there was some more amazing glacier viewing at the end.

Ketchikan: Cute and interesting little town. We tried to walk to the rain forest for a hike. We couldn't get there, but certainly got our hike in trying to get there!

Vancouver: We spent a couple of days here. Lovely town, great seafood, extremely nice people.

Thank you for taking the time to share your review with all of us.

In the end the only opinion that counts is your very own.

Keith

Thanx for such a thorough review. Glad you enjoyed it. The scenery in Alaska is truly magnificent!

I have to mention that we have done Alaska before, that time we visited glacier bay. That was our first cruise over 10 years ago. This itinerary blew glacier bay away. After reading some of the comments on the ports forums I was a bit concerned if we would feel disappointed not seeing glacier bay this time. Wow, the thought of that makes me laugh now! College Fjords? Tracy Arm? Disappointed? I can't even imagine that now!

Thanks for your review. I agree with you about tea time and trivia. If they are going to be at the same time, do it in the same area. I like to sip my tea while we are doing trivia.

Also agree about the food. I know this is very subjective. One thing I started doing on our voyage aboard Spirit was just ordering a side of steamed spinach at dinner every night so I could get my veggie quota since most main dishes were served without veggies.

Thanks for your review, its always interesting to get comparisons between lines.

Can I just pick up on your comment regarding the library/computer room. I appreciate that on port intensive itineries you will find few people using the space, however on crossings or cruises with more than a couple of sea days it is quite common to find the room full of people and sometimes a queue waiting to read the provided newspapers.

I love your comments about the 'shopper', spot on, and how did you find the 'art'?

Thanks for the review and comparison. I think this is the first time I have ever seen Regent referred to as more formal than SS.

Thanks for the review and comparison. I think this is the first time I have ever seen Regent referred to as more formal than SS.

That caught my eye as well, Wripro. I have presently sailed neither line but both are "on the list". I enjoyed this informative review as we are strongly considering AK next Spring and our choice is basically between these two lines (unless Seabourn suddenly decides to return to AK).:eek::D I do have a comment about formal nights and formal wear. This is entirely my personal opinion and I will preface it with the fact that I am a lifetime Cunard passenger having sailed since my infancy. As an adult, I have always dressed to the nines on formal nights on Transatlantic crossings and even on Queen Victoria on a Caribbean/Panama Canal cruise. I absolutely hate coming in from a hot day at the beach/pool, ect. and putting a stiff collar and bow tie on a sunburned neck.:eek: I feel that formal wear will eventually be tossed completely by most lines for shorter, port intensive cruises. Alaska is also all about the outdoors and shore excursions. Not the same as spending leisurely sea days and then dressing up for the main entertainment of the day--the evening. I will probably not try to take formal wear to AK due to the increasing problems with baggage. If they dont charge for it, they lose it, or it takes an hour to collect your bag. Give me a carry on every time! Sorry to digress and thanks again for the great review. We look forward to sailing one or both of these lines in the near future.

Jim,

Go for Silversea. Regent uses the Navigator for Alaska which cannot compare to the Voyager or Mariner.

Jim,

 

Go for Silversea. Regent uses the Navigator for Alaska which cannot compare to the Voyager or Mariner.

Plus the vibration from that ship is horrible,

I actually love Navigator. And if you book a forward cabin, there is no vibration at all. I love the smaller size. And the suites are really nice, every bit as nice as on any of the silversea ships.

I actually love Navigator. And if you book a forward cabin, there is no vibration at all. I love the smaller size. And the suites are really nice, every bit as nice as on any of the silversea ships.

It's not the cabins that's the problem so much as the rear which includes the show areas.plus the vibration makes every thing creak,especially in the cabins.

Two points in reply:

Attire. Yes the reality of what we experience on SS was drastically different than what has been reported on this board. There was one other reviewer who wrote recently of very casually attired people, but I thought that was just a one off. Well, it was our reality. As I said, what you wear to dinner isn't important to me and doesn't affect my good time. I would just like others to know the real experience we saw so they aren't completely shocked like we were. I'll wear what I like, but we would not have packed that tux for hubby, or probably that dress and all that goes with it for me, to schlep it all over Alaska if we had known it was for one night and no one else would be even close to that dressy.

Vibration. I haven't been on the Navigator but have heard the horror stories of the vibration and that was a big factor in our decision. Plus we wanted to try another luxury line. We were quite surprised by the vibration we experienced in the panorama lounge on the Shadow. It wasn't all the time, but it was frequent. And it was BAD. Don't base your decision on just that one point, or you might be disappointed.

Attire: this annoyed me too - I had assumed that as this cruise was a 10 day cruise there would be two formals night so I packed by Tux and my wife packed a couple of gowns: but when we got on board we discovered that there was just one formal night - and to be honest for just one formal night I wouldn't have bothered with a Tux I would just have made do with a dark suit.

The only time I have noticed a vibration on the Shadow is when it is backing up (is that the correct term for a ship?) but I must admit on this cruise I was only in the Panorama Lounge once (for the Venetian Society reception) but we did eat in La Terrazza several times and except for when the ship was 'backing up' in College Fjord (when there was a wine-glass shaking vibration) in was quiet and vibration free.

Thanks for your review, its always interesting to get comparisons between lines.

 

Can I just pick up on your comment regarding the library/computer room. I appreciate that on port intensive itineries you will find few people using the space, however on crossings or cruises with more than a couple of sea days it is quite common to find the room full of people and sometimes a queue waiting to read the provided newspapers.

 

I love your comments about the 'shopper', spot on, and how did you find the 'art'?

Silver Spectre, I actually agree with you about the library but didn't get my point across. I don't want to get rid or the papers, but would like it if the space were better used. RSSC has a great area, called coffee connection I think, where there are games, computers, a puzzle, card tables, a full service coffee bar with an excellent barista, and multiple copies of various newspapers.

They also always had snacks available. Pastries and fruit in the morning and savory snacks and cookies later in the day. I think getting rid of a lot of the little areas, the tiny library, computer lounge, card room etc and instead making a larger catch all area that is well staffed could really help SS. How fabulous it would have been to find a barista onboard who could make a decent cup of coffee! My husband finally gave up on getting anything other than a barely passable cup. I held out hope and kept ordering mocha's. Evidently no one on SS has ever done that before because they had no idea what it was or how to make one.

We actually had 4 sea days, so we were one of those cruises you speak of and there were many times I wanted to read the paper and it was taken. I can't understand why they didn't have multiple copies like they do on RSSC. But if I could have had a cookie and a cup of coffee while I waited, I would have been happy to wait my turn. :)

And to answer your questions about the art, I'm not much of an art aficionado, but my husband is very interested in art. He really enjoyed chatting with the art expert. I wasn't bowled over by any of the art on board and was pleased that none of those chats resulted in us having a purchase. ;) I was glad there wasn't an art auction. Those are interesting the first time. As in, on your first cruise. Been there, done that.

How do you like the art?

How fabulous it would have been to find a barista onboard who could make a decent cup of coffee! My husband finally gave up on getting anything other than a barely passable cup. I held out hope and kept ordering mocha's. Evidently no one on SS has ever done that before because they had no idea what it was or how to make one.

Ah my perennial Silversea complaint. How can an Italian luxury cruise line not have someone onboard who knows how to make a decent cup of coffee? On our previous two cruises the waiter who manned the Observation Lounge early in the morning could, by the end of the cruise, produce something approximating a strong Americano. But on this cruise the 'breakfast' service in Observation Lounge had been reduced to drip coffee and a self-service Illy espresso machine – the operation of which, I am sorry to report, was beyond my ken – and the waiter seemed to only flit in and out to pick used cups.

The Pool Bar could rustle up a decent cup of coffee but they never really got going before 10:30 AM – too late for my first cup of the day.

Getting a decent cup of coffee in the America's or on a cruise ship is indeed a huge challenge.

Almost everywhere in Europe and everywhere in Australia, a long black is a 100>120ml of strong black expresso coffee.

In the America's or on a cruise ship the best chance is to ask for a strong americano... however on the shadow this resulted in anything from the same dishwater they serve in the breakfast pots to something almost drinkable.

The Illy machine in the Panorama lounge was mostly unattended and it was easy enough to produce a decent caffeine hit..there were even detailed printed instructions on the wall for the functionally challenged supplicants.

On the mainland we achieved drinkable coffee in Starbucks by asking for the smallest cardboard cup , two shots of coffee , and a little hot water.

Th indifferent quality of the coffee was a constant in social chats , however lots of folks in La Terrazza happily drank the dishwater by the gallon , so I guess good coffee is also a matter of personal taste.

Yes many do have different tastes.So called good coffee is much too nitter for me.No worries they have some great teas on SS even on the Explorer.What is morning or afternoon tea without tea I say!:)

Th indifferent quality of the coffee was a constant in social chats , however lots of folks in La Terrazza happily drank the dishwater by the gallon , so I guess good coffee is also a matter of personal taste.

Same is true for orange juice. Same is true for food. I wouldn't touch the ice cream served, but most think it is great. People consume whatever is put in front of them. Why do they serve garbage? Because they can.

hm .. I disagree that they serve garbage, quite the contrary.

Siversea go to great lengths to accommodate reasonable requests , and had I taken the time to have my coffee "formally prescribed" , I'm sure they could have and would have obliged.

fwiw ...every single morning , we had a carafe of fresh squeezed orange juice in our cabin frig. as we like a wake up hit of juice. It was , I repeat , fresh squeezed, pulp 'n all.... 'twas no big deal .. just ask and it shall be done.... :-)

You are correct about the OJ. All you have to do is ask. Have you tried the OJ that 86% of passengers drink?

Very interesting reading. We leave in two weeks for a cruise on the Shadow, Anchorage to Vancouver. Our first SS cruise. Just received our packets and the formal nights are listed as optional for summer cruises.

I am wondering about being warm enough on the boat when visiting glaciers and when glacier walking. So far am planning on layering clothers - cuddle duds, long sleeve shirts, fleece, and rain coat. Would a light weight winter coat be more appropriate?

Shoes - waterproof leather or will just plain walking/tennis shoes work?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

We took waterproof parkas, rain pants and waterproof hiking boots and were glad we did. But then we had a very rainy cruise at the end of September.

you won't need a winter coat. What you do need is the ability to layer. So you need fleece jacket and a rain jacket/windbreaker that will fit over it. Also I would rec taking a cap that covers your ears (I forgot and had to buy one) and gloves because you will want to be out on deck to see the glaciers.

I would rec also taking hiking shoes. You don't need the high top boots, but you want something relatively water resistant. Your feet could get pretty cold in just regular tennis shoes.

Very interesting reading. We leave in two weeks for a cruise on the Shadow, Anchorage to Vancouver. Our first SS cruise. Just received our packets and the formal nights are listed as optional for summer cruises.

 

I am wondering about being warm enough on the boat when visiting glaciers and when glacier walking. So far am planning on layering clothers - cuddle duds, long sleeve shirts, fleece, and rain coat. Would a light weight winter coat be more appropriate?

 

Shoes - waterproof leather or will just plain walking/tennis shoes work?

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Do you mean Seward to Vancouver? We were the only cruise scheduled from Anchorage this year for the Shadow. As I stated in my review, shorter cruises starting after May will have optional formal nights.

Being warm enough is really a subjective thing, but we were plenty warm out on deck in Tracy Arm, College Fjord and at Hubbard Glacier in jeans with ski jackets, and sometimes just the inner liner of the jacket. It was sometimes quite windy so I used my hood. Most importantly on our cruise was sunscreen and sunglasses because it was very bright out. We were fine in tennis shoes. We did use our gloves when out on deck at times. And we needed all of the above while whale watching in Juneau.

Have a great trip!