Trying Seabourn after 3 cruises on Silversea- what differences can I expect?

[dafne]

I am looking to switch to a cruise on Seabourn Quest next year after going on 3 cruises on Silversea.

Felt the food on our last Silversea cruise this past summer was just fair.

The service, and guests we met on SilverSpirit were great. But the food was a big disappointment.

Those of you that have taken recent Seabourn cruises please tell me what differences

should I expect? Is the food much better than Silversea?

Are there certain restaurants you prefer?

Any tips you can offer - will be appreciated.

[oregon50]

The crew......a different person can expound.

 

Of course the food is better. It's also better on Celebrity, Cunard, and Europa. That's our experience for 2013. However, our one recent SS cruise was about 300% better than any of the five (SS) taken during 2012.

Edited December 26, 2013 by oregon50

[oregon50]

Many differences, and I'll just add one more that really bugs me. The lifeboat muster on SS. Of the five companies mentioned in previous post, SS is the only one that forces you to stand outside "shoulder to shoulder" for whatever length of time amuses the captain. It's also the only line where we had to muster in real life after colliding with another ship. What a joke it was to watch the live performance. Disgusting.

Edited December 26, 2013 by oregon50

[rl787]

Many differences, and I'll just add one more that really bugs me. The lifeboat muster on SS. Of the five companies mentioned in previous post, SS is the only one that forces you to stand outside "shoulder to shoulder" for whatever length of time amuses the captain. It's also the only line where we had to muster in real life after colliding with another ship. What a joke it was to watch the live performance. Disgusting.

 

This is a mute point, I agree that it is inconvenient to stand about but if we all listened and concentrated to the safety briefing I do think that the actual real emergency may have gone smoother. I bet people listened carefully in the days after the Concordia disaster....but we all have such short memories. It is also the same on Air travel, how many of us listen to the attendants during the safety briefing, we all should.

I personally would like stricter safety drills, it may be my life or yours that is saved.

As regards the original post, it would be great to hear how you find the trip, it is 5 years since my last SS cruise. At the time I felt the lines were similar, SS more European in style with SB more American. Both quality lines. Please let us know. Enjoy the trip if you book it.

[sea goupie]

It's been a couple of years since we have been on SS - did 3 cruises in a row with them. Have always returned to Seabourn and now will stay with Seabourn. Here's a clear difference that I remember:

One passenger on our last SS cruise asked for caviar in the dining room and the waiter brought her the "Caviar Menu" with prices. She was horrified and was told that free caviar was served only on the menu a couple of times a cruise. Don't know if the policy is still the same.

On Seabourn, the caviar flows whenever and wherever it is requested: - restaurants, hot tubs, card rooms, etc.

I find the crew and staff much friendlier on Seabourn - willing to let you get to know them as people which I enjoy.

I think you will love Seabourn!

[dafne]

Why do you like Seabourn better than Silversea?

Do you think the food is much better? and what else?

Thanks.

[Tothesunset]

With our unrivalled experience (ahem) of one cruise on eachline we would agree that the food on Seabourn seemed better in ingredient quality, preparation and service although the difference was small.

 

If you are European the major bonus on SS is the coffee. On Seabourn whatever type of coffee we ordered seemed to be of the brown water/insipid lack of flavour that seems to be favoured by the US market. On SS yiou can get real coffee with taste and strength. For us that's very important - certainly more important than pretending we know the different wines!

[softsands]

Dining experience is just plain forgettable on SilverSea. Seabourn portions are small, yes, but you can easily double up on portions. That's what stands out in my mind. (two cruises with each line)

Edited December 27, 2013 by softsands

[markham]

I drink excellent "custom" coffee in Seabourn Square twice a day when I am lucky enough to be on one of Seabourn's Odyssey class ships. The barristas are usually big personalities too so it's a win-win.

 

I don't know much about Silversea apart from what I read on this forum; haven't been and don't intend to go there especially when Seabourn treats its Diamond cruisers so sublimely.

 

Happy sailing!

[Silver Spectre]

It's been a couple of years since we have been on SS - did 3 cruises in a row with them. Have always returned to Seabourn and now will stay with Seabourn. Here's a clear difference that I remember:

One passenger on our last SS cruise asked for caviar in the dining room and the waiter brought her the "Caviar Menu" with prices. She was horrified and was told that free caviar was served only on the menu a couple of times a cruise. Don't know if the policy is still the same.

On Seabourn, the caviar flows whenever and wherever it is requested: - restaurants, hot tubs, card rooms, etc.

I find the crew and staff much friendlier on Seabourn - willing to let you get to know them as people which I enjoy.

I think you will love Seabourn!

 

Unfortunately, the Caviar Menu is still in existance.

[wripro]

imo people can explain the differences ll they want. You really have to experience the two different products ti determine which one suites you better.

[Ithaca]

imo people can explain the differences ll they want. You really have to experience the two different products to determine which one suites you better.

 

I totally agree; you have to try both. I've sailed Seabourn and loved it, but my last cruise was with SS in April, last year, and found the food much improved from previous cruises with that line. I found the SS crew to be very sweet, and the Seabourn crew to be interesting to meet and interact with. I recommend you make your own assessments.

[sea goupie]

I found the Seabourn food better and the staff in all venues much more willing to prepare something special.

The SS Spirit is the larger SS ship, comparable to the 3 big sisters on Seabourn. The SS spirit card room was a hole in the wall - no windows, 4 card tables crammed in. Seabourn card rooms on the big sisters much larger, windows, comfortable seating. As one who plays bridge, this was important.

Back to the food - there were many special parties given by guests - to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or just to have a fun party. Also, guests could pre-order special dishes and even special menus in the MDR. This is all done at no extra cost to guests. The guests create their menu and some even had special decorations all done by staff. Never saw this on SS - to me, all part of the friendlier and can do attitude on Seabourn. the only thing Seabourn doesn't have are butlers - I never found them particularly useful on SS.

So, long story short, we are sticking with Seabourn!!

[Tothesunset]

Also, guests could pre-order special dishes and even special menus in the MDR. This is all done at no extra cost to guests. The guests create their menu and some even had special decorations all done by staff. Never saw this on SS ...

SS will do all you describe - you need only ask.

[travelingduo]

I think comparing SS and Seabourn is quite difficult -- especially on a CC board:D SS loyalists will promote SS and Seabourn loyalists will promote Seabourn. I think both are great and if you liked SS you will like Seabourn. I also think that every sailing is as different as every theater performance -- different audience, mood, atmosphere. We have been on 10 SS cruises and were just recently on the Sojourn. In our opinion, the food on Seabourn was better than what we had experienced on SS, but perhaps it was because it was all new to us and we were getting bored with the SS menus. We thought the service on Seabourn was impeccable; however on SS, we were always referred to by name and we thought the crew was outstanding as well. While some feel the butlers on SS are not valuable, we had a couple cruises where we thought the butler was useless and others where the butler absolutely made our trip -- taking care of every tiny detail and insuring that everything was perfect. Just the luck of the draw, I guess. As you read, everyone has something that is particularly important to them -- i.e. the card room, or caviar, or the coffee. Our issue was champagne. We like to drink champagne in our suite and have cocktails in the bars/lounges. On SS, every time we finished a bottle of champagne in our suite it was replenished. We ordered bottles whenever we wanted it. On Seabourn, we requested champagne instead of liquor and were told that we could only have one bottle and that each additional bottle was $35. While we did get this resolved and we were given all the champagne we wanted, we had to take measures to get it. I am a coffee snob and I LOVE Seabourn Square. On SS, when we ordered breakfast, I just ordered steamed milk and was able to make the coffee drinkable. All that being said, we enjoyed the Sojourn so much, that we booked a penthouse spa suite on the Quest for next year! Bottom line is I don't think you could go wrong. After 3 SS cruises, you might enjoy the difference that Seabourn has to offer-- we did;)

[Guest superradiationboy]

We were on the same boat as you are right now. Having tested the Seabourn water after devoting to Silversea, we can say that Seabourn is very good, but still like Silversea better. It all boils down to personal preferences.

 

Silversea to us is more European styled, while Seabourn is more geared towards the American taste.

 

Here are some of my observations.

 

Seabourn has caviar included anytime anywhere; portions are quite small and there might be a 30mins+ wait. Silversea has caviar in Le Champagne, which to us is enough.

 

Both Seabourn and Silversea can order off menu; you might need to give them time (half a day or so) to defrost and prepare in some cases. But we find that Silversea handles that a bit better. For example, last time on Silversea, we wanted pasta when they did not have their usual pasta station setup. The chef immediately made a fresh batch for us. On Seabourn, I wanted onion rings one lunch, they told me there was none, but I could order it today and have it tomorrow. One dinner, someone at our table wanted the mascarpone crepe he had last night. They told him that was not possible. He asked if he could have just a spoonful of mascarpone without anything else. Without asking the kitchen, the waiter said no.

 

Silversea serves bigger shrimps, scallops, lobsters. Seabourn tends to use regular sized ones, occasionally they do serve those gigantic prawns. Yes, you can order as much as you want on both lines, but I like the texture of the bigger scallops and lobsters, especially when it's just cooked inside and crispy on the outside.

 

Ronnefeldt tea on Silversea, Twinings on Seabourn.

 

Silversea has fresh pasta made onboard cooked al dente, at least that's what the matire'd told us. Seabourn uses regular pasta, often cooked till it's suitable for a teething baby. Both have good sauces.

 

Seabourn has the best bread sticks and fries. I could snack on those the entire day! Neither is as good on Silversea.

 

Now, I am not a wine connoisseur nor do I pretending to be one. But my personal taste led me think that Seabourn serves better wines, and they tend to be from some well known vineyards. I find some of Silversea's reds taste "off"...

 

Silversea uses Frette/Pratasi linens throughout the ship. On our last Pride cruise, we saw some Riegel branded tablecloths, and the napkins felt like they didn't need much ironing. Also Silversea uses cloth cocktail napkins, Seabourn uses paper.

 

Service is similar, with Silversea being a bit more formal and reserved, Seabourn is more "friendly".

 

That's all I can think of now.

 

We'll be happy sailing either one of them. But given a choice, we still prefer going with Silversea.