REVIEW OF SILVER WHISPER (March 2010)

[Hobar]

Just returned from Singapore-Dubai March 12-March 30 aboard Whisper. PRAISES:

1. SERVICE was excellent overall, and Ali (head waiter) was excellent in that he was involved, always visible and making sure everythng was running to perfection, friendly and professional, and Francois (assistant to Ali) also excellent; waiter Singh was our favorite because he joked around with us, could read our wants before we even spoke them; the sommerliers (Robin and his team) were extremely knowledgeable, professional and always eager to work with us to find wines we liked (complimentary no less, never trying to steer us to the premiums); other wonderful staff include pool bartender Aldrin and bar bartender Oliver (who also has a fabulous singing voice, so make sure you don't miss that treat); and all waiters quickly learned our habits, but I like to think we are relatively easy; and I saw staff remain polite, professional and courteous with demanding, rude passengers.

2. Gym - despite complaints from other passengers about low ceiling and small size, I found it quite adequate (comparer to the Wind and Seabourn's small sister ships), and was often the only one there, so it suited me fine.

 

NEGATIVES:

1. Ship old and tired - upholstery and carpeting threadbare, and furnishings old. Bed sheet was torn, and I requested a new one, but it was simply turned around. Maitenance was uneven at best -- lights that didn't work had to be reported by us as neither our housekeeper nor butler apparently noticed (which they would have on Seabourn);

2. Rarely saw any officers - just saw F&B officer who was wonderful in that he was always friendly and communicative and seemed to really enjoy meeting and chatting with passengers, but all other officers were missing, and Hotel Director was visible but aloof.

3. Shore excursions were all poor in that the tours did not appear to deliver what had been described, and were overpriced for what was offered - for instance, each tour was approx $100 - $200 pp, but compare that to a private tour we arranged in Mumbai through Mumbai Magic for 8 people at $55 pp/$110 a couple for 8 full hours, including full Indian lunch, and saw more sites than were offered by any other SS tour; and the Leandro was disinterested and simply unpleasant; Sean was nice enough, but didn't know much -- he was most recently a Verizon salesman, so I question SS' criteria, especially since SS touts itself as a high-end product and therefore it should fill positions with knowledgeable, talented personnel, not a kid out of an unrelated retail market;

4. Port lecturer was just awful - all he did was READ from the tour descriptions in the SS guide, he offered no additional information whatsover, and there were no lectures for first or last port - which, as it turns out, was no loss considering the lack of any information he had to offer.

5. Potato chips -- seriously, would rather do without than have low end potato chips. But on the other hand, nuts were plentiful (so why dimish with low end junk food, even if they were, in all fairness, Pringles?).

 

OVERALL:

It was better than expected given our previous sailing on the Wind, but still not on the level of Seabourn, so we will return to Seabourn now that it offers more varied itineraries; we selected SS this time around for the itinerary.

[ging466]

5. Potato chips -- seriously, would rather do without than have low end potato chips. But on the other hand, nuts were plentiful (so why dimish with low end junk food, even if they were, in all fairness, Pringles?).

 

OMG, Pringles? I absolutely detest Pringles. If SS served me Pringles, my cruise would have been ruined.

 

:D:D

 

Cheers

Jennifer (ging466)

[cruzemaven]

We are going on the Spirit so I expect that by the summer the ship will still be in new condition. But there is no excuse for anyone paying Silversea prices to experience a ship that is not properly maintained as this poster has expressed. I wonder if it was just his cabin or if this was the general condition of the ship.

[fussyandfinicky]

We are booked on Spirit in October. Have sailed with SS more than 100 nites.

Review is shocking compared to our Singapore-Dubai cruise on Whisper exactly 3 years ago which was wonderful. Is it possible that your experience reflects a fleet wide condition for SS? Should we reconsider the Spirit?

 

We sailed on SB Odyssey for 12 days in December 2009. With the exception of "Ship old and tired---" and "Potato chips---", all the Whisper negatives mentioned were the same on the Odyssey plus the SERVICE WAS NOT EXCELLENT OVERALL. It was mixed at best.

 

Question for any cruisers who are interested:

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT TRUE SIX STAR CRUISES ARE NOW FEW AND FAR BETWEEN? Should we continue to pay six star prices for four star cruises?

[JPR]

The new Silver Spirit is absolutely gorgeous, but be forewarned: the ceilings throughout the Spirit are much lower and the corridors in the hallways and basic suites much noticeably narrower than on the other Silversea ships and competing ships on Regent. We were with a large group who toured the ship in Los Angeles, and several of us felt claustrophic. The theater is not large enough to accommodate everyone, so they have two shows every night. And there is only one, small CO-ED sauna!

 

I don't know if it's indicative, but our lunch in the main dining room took forever...and I don't think that's what they meant by advertising "slow food"...

[Hobar]

Whisper is going in to dry dock next month and we were told that upholstery and carpet will be replaced throughout ship, so that should address the old and tired concern. My negatives pale in comparison to several passengers we spoke with, and I did forget to mention that our luggage remained outside until WE brought it in. Our butler and stewardess were no where to be found, and I did not meet our butler until the next day. In fact, neither of our keys worked so my husband had to go Reception to get new keys. After that, our butler was quite attentive, but since we do not order room service and have no special needs or wants, we found the butler service unnecessary. In fact, the only time we really needed it -- first day to haul in our luggage -- it was no where to be found. Complaints by others: staff gossiping in open about passengers (although I never saw that); ashtrays in humidor not emptied regularly and generally filthy until several complaints made; food subpar (although it was not Seabourn quality, we had no complaints at all); Hotel Director walked around seemingly disinterested and not responsive to complaints. I am returning to SB b/c of all our phenomenal experiences on the sisters, and the fact that our friends who sailed on Odyssey twice last year report that the service was as good if not better than it had been on the smaller sister ships.

[duct tape]

I would never go on the Odyssey again.

[torst]

I m going on the Whisper in July, interested to know when the time in drydock is scheduled?

 

ps I adore pringles

[Tyler919]

I'll be Whispering on the September crossing, and looking for the Pringles. Also am happy to know the the rough edges will be smoothed out. My dad and I don't require much (if any) butlering, but still would be nice to know they were there and attentive.

 

Am curious: Does Silversea have advanced reservations available online for dinners like Regent does? I'm sure once we pay deposit I'll be notified of all that...but since we have so much helpful information here, I ask;-)

[unfathomable]

I m going on the Whisper in July, interested to know when the time in drydock is scheduled?

Looking at the schedules, I'm guessing 12-24 May.

[unfathomable]

Am curious: Does Silversea have advanced reservations available online for dinners like Regent does?

Not yet, I think, but the gossip is that they hope to add this. Haven't heard when, though.

[avalon1025]

I have cruises scheduled next year on both the Odyssey and Spirit, is it that these ships carry more passengers than both lines original ships that people have issue with them? Is the magic lost? I'm looking forward to trying both but would love some constructive feedback about why people do not enjoy either new ship