Comments on Silver Whisper 12/3-12/19

[newlondon]

DW and I just returned from an exciting Valpo-BA cruise on the Whisper. We have in our possession certificates certifying we went through a storm with 120mph winds and 20' seas. Thank you Capt. Arma for not taking us around Cape Horn where it was much worse. Unfortunately we missed Ushuaia as the port was closed. In addition on our trip to Torres del Paine a very pleasant gentleman had two strokes and ended up in the Punta Arenas hospital; he was lucky as this is brand new and designed to handle Antartic emergencies.

The Whisper was fantastic and renewed our opinion that SS is the best. Our last trip had been the Norwegian fjords on the Wind. This trip we experienced many of the features that were lacking on the Wind cruise.

To list a few: a bridge tour (Capt. Arma did this 3 times), a galley lunch, an effort by all staff to address you by name, production numbers as well as professional soloists in the evening, 10-12 enrichment lectures as compared to 5, a special meal for DW and I that we did not request, but was suggested by our butler, amusing evening turn down features including a penguin made from a toilet paper roll and a light bulb. It was obvious that the crew was COMMITTED to making your cruise memorable.

As before, the shore excursions were terrific despite missing one. Since the Capt. suspected this might happen he changed the itinerary and sailed past a wonderful series of glaciers.

Info we picked up in a lecture by CD Susan Wood included 1. Crew retention rate is 95% due to the Lefevbre family's employee friendly policies 2. Corporate does pay attention to CC boards even though there are no responses 3. SS is now the employer of choice.

We found the Whisper in wonderful shape with the exception of a few leaks in the high winds and seas. We had to move our dining location during the storm; but, no big deal.

The food was fabulous and as all regular SS patrons know you can basically get what you want with 24 hour notice.

If there are any questions about specific features I will be glad to respond.

[Travelcat2]

Really interesting report. We will be on the Whisper in May (a crossing) and wonder how she did with the 20 foot waves. Was everyone seasick?

[newlondon]

We were going with the seas and my guess is that a few people were uncomfortable, the Restaurant, however was not empty and DW and I enjoyed our meal. I know TC that you are a big Regent supporter. We had several discussions with our waiter-a 10 year Regent vet. Since the Apollo take over they have been cutting salaries, food costs and personnel. He was so glad to be with SS and on our last day he was joined by an assistant who had also come from Regent. We have done 2 Regent cruises -our last being Venice to Istanbul - in our opinion - Regent is disappearing in the wake.

[clkc86]

Glad to hear the good report. We made final payment today for our 25th anniversary cruise in March on Whisper. We are anxious to finally get a small taste of SS life!

[Travelcat2]

We were going with the seas and my guess is that a few people were uncomfortable, the Restaurant, however was not empty and DW and I enjoyed our meal. I know TC that you are a big Regent supporter. We had several discussions with our waiter-a 10 year Regent vet. Since the Apollo take over they have been cutting salaries, food costs and personnel. He was so glad to be with SS and on our last day he was joined by an assistant who had also come from Regent. We have done 2 Regent cruises -our last being Venice to Istanbul - in our opinion - Regent is disappearing in the wake.

 

Thank you for your response. Yes -- we are big Regent supporters. However, we were very impressed with the food and service on our first Silversea cruise last month (not so impressed with the ship) and are definitely looking forward to our Whisper cruise in May.

[CruisinPashmina]

We are now on the beautiful Silver Whisper on the Christmas Cruise. We will be in the Falkland islands tomorrow at 8:00 am. SO glad to hear about the amazing 95% crew retention rate! They are the Best, and deserve to be very very well paid..they are truly what makes SS so special.

Merry Christmas to all, and happy sailing in 2011.

[Emtbsam]

We are now on the beautiful Silver Whisper on the Christmas Cruise. We will be in the Falkland islands tomorrow at 8:00 am. SO glad to hear about the amazing 95% crew retention rate! They are the Best, and deserve to be very very well paid..they are truly what makes SS so special.

Merry Christmas to all, and happy sailing in 2011.

 

If you are taking an excursion to view the penguins, could you please let us know afterwards how it was. There are two options of excursions for our trip - a 3 hour trip and a 6 hour trip. I have yet to reserve either one.

 

Many thanks.

[meow!]

DW and I just returned from an exciting Valpo-BA cruise on the Whisper..

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your Whisper voyage, it sounds more like our Shadow Panama Canal voyage back in 2007. The Shadow/Whisper have the best design, and the Whisper has been refurbished (the Shadow is due for renovation soon).

 

I hope the gentleman who fell ill is recovering well. Your voyage is surely interesting, minus the storm, of course, and we heard that those who crossed the Drake Passage needed to wear bed belts!

[cruiseerf]

Sounds wonderful. The Whisper has been chosen to be the cruise for the World cruise 2012 I believe. Her staff, captain and crew like on the Shadow are wonderful. These are our two favourite ships.

 

That said, you were fed a line on the crew of Silversea. They have a terrible time keeping staff. They are notorious for calling employees who have just gotten off 9 month contracts and after only three weeks at home threatening not to renew their next contract if they don't return ASAP, even though they were promised a three month break to be with their families. The new ship built, the Spirit has the WORST staff quarters at sea and of the Old time Silversea employees on the Whisper and Shadow, Cloud and Wind.....few of them want to work on it and are usually highly pressured to do so. It was poorly designed from the bottom up and the Lefavbre family fired ALL high level employees who participated in that design and build.

 

Silversea's head office in Monte Carlo is known to be a mess with Employees and staffing. This is why over the years Silversea has moved from a European staffed vessel to a Phillipino/Indian staffed Vessel(I am sure money was involved as well). I actually prefer the Philipino and Indian staff however the European staff could not deal with the head office. When you meet some of the hotel directors or cruise directors on other lines, the truth comes out. This is known industry wide.

 

As far as her assumption that Silversea is the employer of choice for working at sea. This is a strange statement as it is impossible to quantify. Employer of choice for who? Ask old Silversea employees to go back...and I don't think you would have many takers.

 

I think Silversea staff are excellent. Rarely have I ever had a staffing complaint. However I know they are under tremendous pressure and they are not allowed to tell you how they really feel on any given day. So when you ask "how are you today" they reply "fine madam" or "excellent madam" because those are the rules. They can be dismissed for voicing complaints to a customer or talking Hindi or Phillino in public areas.

 

Enjoy cruising, Enjoy Silversea however know that Susan Wood just fed you a line of bunk that had me laughing out loud it was so false. But Alas....she is just doing her job and I am sure telling you what the cruiseline wants you to know.

 

Happy Sails!

[Atomica]

DW and I just returned from an exciting Valpo-BA cruise on the Whisper. We have in our possession certificates certifying we went through a storm with 120mph winds and 20' seas. Thank you Capt. Arma for not taking us around Cape Horn where it was much worse. Unfortunately we missed Ushuaia as the port was closed. In addition on our trip to Torres del Paine a very pleasant gentleman had two strokes and ended up in the Punta Arenas hospital; he was lucky as this is brand new and designed to handle Antartic emergencies.

The Whisper was fantastic and renewed our opinion that SS is the best. Our last trip had been the Norwegian fjords on the Wind. This trip we experienced many of the features that were lacking on the Wind cruise.

To list a few: a bridge tour (Capt. Arma did this 3 times), a galley lunch, an effort by all staff to address you by name, production numbers as well as professional soloists in the evening, 10-12 enrichment lectures as compared to 5, a special meal for DW and I that we did not request, but was suggested by our butler, amusing evening turn down features including a penguin made from a toilet paper roll and a light bulb. It was obvious that the crew was COMMITTED to making your cruise memorable.

As before, the shore excursions were terrific despite missing one. Since the Capt. suspected this might happen he changed the itinerary and sailed past a wonderful series of glaciers.

Info we picked up in a lecture by CD Susan Wood included 1. Crew retention rate is 95% due to the Lefevbre family's employee friendly policies 2. Corporate does pay attention to CC boards even though there are no responses 3. SS is now the employer of choice.

We found the Whisper in wonderful shape with the exception of a few leaks in the high winds and seas. We had to move our dining location during the storm; but, no big deal.

The food was fabulous and as all regular SS patrons know you can basically get what you want with 24 hour notice.

If there are any questions about specific features I will be glad to respond.

 

That all sounds fantastic - I can't wait to experience a similar itinerary. Thanks for taking the time to post!

[newlondon]

Cruiseerf, When a ship is half-full you get an opportunity to speak with the staff more frequently than on a full cruise. DW and I enjoy finding out about the individuals who make our experience so pleasant. We even know the names of their families and what their aspirations are. We gave our waiter earrings for his wife and children that apparently were well received by them back in the Philippines. I give you this background because without exception they told us a different story than your post. I am a sophisticated and well educated individual who I hope would pick up on out-and-out dissemblance, I did not. On other cruises we have not heard complaints, nor have we heard the enthusiasm our staff exhibited this time. I may be naive but I tend more to believe the horse's mouth rather than "known in the industry".

[oregon50]

Not to rain on your parade, but I find cruiseerf's comments to be quite accurate. The crew mix is a major reason I preferred SS for many years and happily donated to crew fund. The mix has changed. I could add a few tidbits to the post by cruiseerf, but mine is a minority opinion amongst the current list of SS "regulars" poting here.

[Travelcat2]

newlondon, it sounds like your experience onboard was very positive. As you know, things change from week to week. When we were on the Spirit last month, the service was just about perfection. The following week someone reported that service in The Restaurant was the worst they had experienced on any cruise line. . . . ever.

 

I have spoken to a couple of staff members on Regent who left Regent for Silversea because the pay was more. The amount of work that was expected of them was also more. . . . so, they went back to Regent.

 

Working for Silversea is probably like working for any other company. . . . some people love it and others do not. Whatever Silversea is doing. . . . they should keep doing it. . . . their staff is incredible!

[newlondon]

Thank you TC. Merry Xmas

[Crazy Shirley]

DW and I just returned from an exciting Valpo-BA cruise on the Whisper. We have in our possession certificates certifying we went through a storm with 120mph winds and 20' seas. Thank you Capt. Arma for not taking us around Cape Horn where it was much worse. Unfortunately we missed Ushuaia as the port was closed. In addition on our trip to Torres del Paine a very pleasant gentleman had two strokes and ended up in the Punta Arenas hospital; he was lucky as this is brand new and designed to handle Antartic emergencies.

The Whisper was fantastic and renewed our opinion that SS is the best. Our last trip had been the Norwegian fjords on the Wind. This trip we experienced many of the features that were lacking on the Wind cruise.

To list a few: a bridge tour (Capt. Arma did this 3 times), a galley lunch, an effort by all staff to address you by name, production numbers as well as professional soloists in the evening, 10-12 enrichment lectures as compared to 5, a special meal for DW and I that we did not request, but was suggested by our butler, amusing evening turn down features including a penguin made from a toilet paper roll and a light bulb. It was obvious that the crew was COMMITTED to making your cruise memorable.

As before, the shore excursions were terrific despite missing one. Since the Capt. suspected this might happen he changed the itinerary and sailed past a wonderful series of glaciers.

Info we picked up in a lecture by CD Susan Wood included 1. Crew retention rate is 95% due to the Lefevbre family's employee friendly policies 2. Corporate does pay attention to CC boards even though there are no responses 3. SS is now the employer of choice.

We found the Whisper in wonderful shape with the exception of a few leaks in the high winds and seas. We had to move our dining location during the storm; but, no big deal.

The food was fabulous and as all regular SS patrons know you can basically get what you want with 24 hour notice.

If there are any questions about specific features I will be glad to respond.

 

Very helpful review. Any comments about side tours taken highlites/lowlites, would be greatly appreciated as well. We leave on the Whisper on Jan 4th, Valpo-BA. Happy New Year!

 

Bud and Shirley

[newlondon]

The lake district tour out of Puerto Montt was outstanding. The Valdes Peninsula penguin colony was a highlight. We did the overnight Torres del Paine and lucked out with the weather. It is magnificent but with poor weather it would be a disaster as the amount of time in the bus is substantial. We left the ship at 8:30a and ate dinner at the hotel in Puerto Natales at 10:30p. Lunch was at 12:15, but fortunately there was a heavy tea stop at 6:30p. Because of this trip I can't comment on the other tours in Punta Arenas. Due to the above mentioned storm we did not get into Ushuaia but we were going to do the cruise in Tirra del Fuego. I am bummed out we missed it, but safety first! Do not do the Montevideo highlights-a dirty city and truly uninteresting

[Crazy Shirley]

Thanks for the tip on Montevideo. We have booked a half day there with Mario Ramirez who has outlined places of interest outside the city and along the coast, etc. Hopefully that will be an improvement..but will see. We too are anxious to see Puerto Montt..have an all day tour with Denis Purtov that looks fantastic.

 

Bud

[holly holiday]

DW and I just returned from an exciting Valpo-BA cruise on the Whisper. We have in our possession certificates certifying we went through a storm with 120mph winds and 20' seas. Thank you Capt. Arma for not taking us around Cape Horn where it was much worse. Unfortunately we missed Ushuaia as the port was closed. In addition on our trip to Torres del Paine a very pleasant gentleman had two strokes and ended up in the Punta Arenas hospital; he was lucky as this is brand new and designed to handle Antartic emergencies.

The Whisper was fantastic and renewed our opinion that SS is the best. Our last trip had been the Norwegian fjords on the Wind. This trip we experienced many of the features that were lacking on the Wind cruise.

To list a few: a bridge tour (Capt. Arma did this 3 times), a galley lunch, an effort by all staff to address you by name, production numbers as well as professional soloists in the evening, 10-12 enrichment lectures as compared to 5, a special meal for DW and I that we did not request, but was suggested by our butler, amusing evening turn down features including a penguin made from a toilet paper roll and a light bulb. It was obvious that the crew was COMMITTED to making your cruise memorable.

As before, the shore excursions were terrific despite missing one. Since the Capt. suspected this might happen he changed the itinerary and sailed past a wonderful series of glaciers.

Info we picked up in a lecture by CD Susan Wood included 1. Crew retention rate is 95% due to the Lefevbre family's employee friendly policies 2. Corporate does pay attention to CC boards even though there are no responses 3. SS is now the employer of choice.

We found the Whisper in wonderful shape with the exception of a few leaks in the high winds and seas. We had to move our dining location during the storm; but, no big deal.

The food was fabulous and as all regular SS patrons know you can basically get what you want with 24 hour notice.

If there are any questions about specific features I will be glad to respond.

Hello

 

I am toying with the idea of going on SS whisper in April to Caribbean, is this ship really fab as only been on Princess, Celebrity and Azamara... I really like Azamara but have been told this is another step up. Looking at menus, some food is a bit adventurous for my palette, can you ask for something else, if you dont like what is on offer without it being a big deal?

Also, like champagne, what is available and how good is it.

 

Thanks

 

Holly

[newlondon]

Holly, We don't drink bubbly so I can't comment. The wine however is excellent and if you don't like the nightly pour just ask for something else. The same is true of the food; we asked for many things off the menu and they were always happy to accommodate. :)

[newlondon]

Holly, Imho this is a big step up!!

[holly holiday]

thanks for your help with this... I am booking tomorrow. Cant wait. Havent done the 6* cruise, but should be fab!!

 

Anybody know what the speciality restaurant is like?

 

Holly