Thoughts on a week on Silver Wind from a new to SS cruiser

[the_dylaness]

Greetings,

 

For those who might care, just some thoughts and observations for a week spent aboard the Silver Wind, from the eyes of a new Silversea cruiser.

 

Travelers: Myself (30s) DH (early 50s- he'd correct me if I left out the "early"!)  This was my 19th cruise, on a wide variety of lines and experiences including an inside on Carnival (!!!) to suites on HAL/X and previous Seabourn and Crystal cruises.  So, I can compare against a pretty wide swath of experiences.  We often cruise with our young children but this trip was just for the two of us. 

 

Suite: The famous 738.  I booked about 18 months in advance and was pleased to get this storied room.  It was certainly spacious- more storage space than even I could fill (and I've never been known to under pack.)  The decor was well maintained, but tired in appearance.  On our last (very rough) night, the drawers slammed open and shut more times than I can count, which made it impossible to sleep.  I haven't had this trouble, even in rough seas, in newer rooms.  The cabinet door beneath the TV literally fell from the hinges in the middle of the night and landed on the floor, much to my husband's big toe's dismay during an early AM restroom visit.  The bed was comfortable--- on the firm end of things, to be sure.  If you like a softer bed perhaps the butlers can offer a pad, my husband loved it, I was ok with it, and it wasn't worth fooling with.  The bathroom is lackluster but functional.  Unfortunately our toilet seemed to carry a permanent scent of old urine (much like a gas station.)  I felt like the suite was cleaned daily to within an inch of its life by our fantastic housekeeper, so I don't think that was the problem.

 

Staff:  Our housekeeper could have made mud clean and sparkling.  She was really great, this was truly the cleanest cruise ship room I have ever encountered.  Our butler was also really amazing.  This was only the 4th or 5th time I have had a butler and while a couple were good, she was incredible.  I have heard people say that a great butler "knows what you want before you do"- I never understood until now.  I don't think we are particularly high maintenance and didn't have too many requests of her- she went above and beyond to anticipate our needs and understand our preferences.  She even offered me her own nail polish when I got a small chip in my own and had forgotten to pack some (I declined but wow, how nice!)  All of the other staff we encountered were at least good and in most cases fantastic.  I remember having pretty similarly wonderful service on Crystal but here it felt a little more personal.  Everyone knew our names by day 2, even people we had never met.  Our first night in La Terrazza, the waiter knew which pasta dish I wanted (I asked him how- he said he saw me pointing it out to my husband on the menu- amazing, maybe a little odd, but still impressive.)  The waiters/bartenders/deck attendants at the pool were very friendly, super helpful, and really hard working.

 

Food: Overall very good, maybe a touch short of amazing.  I was impressed at how La Terrazza offers such an incredible variety of lunch options in such a tiny buffet.  Actually, eating lunches there on the back deck was overall my favorite dining experience on the whole cruise.  I am generally not crazy about buffets but I liked the nice variety of food, attentive service, sunny breeze, et cetera.  For whatever reason veal seems to be very popular (not a criticism, just an observation).  The composed vegetable salads (chickpea salad, beet salad, etc) during lunches were nice and light and very good.  I can't comment much on breakfast- I don't like breakfast food all that much and tire of it very quickly.  I often eat "non breakfast" food at home for breakfast, but that is hard to do on a cruise.  That being said, the poached eggs were the best I've ever had and I let the restaurant manager know and asked him to convey my appreciation.  The strangest thing I encountered was that most fresh leafy items (spinach, arugula, mint, etc) and some other fresh green vegetables (green beans most noticeably) all carried a very strange taste.  I am guessing it was some type of wash used to clean them, because I did not notice it on other foods.  It made most of those items inedible to me and the rest still carried a strange flavor, like mildewy dishwater.  I have never in my life encountered something like this, and I prepare and eat green vegetables on a very frequent basis.

 

Drinks: Great! Wine selections generally enjoyable (I don't expect $70 bottles- just a tasty and well chosen one is fine with me) and the few times I did not care for them it was easy to ask for a replacement from a previous night.  How can you not love any place where you are basically swimming in champagne?  Mixed drinks also nice.

 

Ship: Showing its age (and this is despite a recent dry dock with at least some cosmetic updates?)  The back deck behind Panorama Lounge is incredibly poorly used.  You could have seats for quite a few more people if the big couches were ditched.  Often we saw one person sitting on the center loveseat (which is flanked by two single chairs) reading- essentially taking up seating for four, as of course we are not going to sit in the chairs on either side of a reader and start conversing.  This brings me to what is perhaps my biggest complaint about this ship; SMOKING.  This is the smokiest ship I have ever encountered.  Often the scent of cigarette smoke wafted through the air around deck 7 and 8 interior.  Sometimes it was cigar smoke, quite heavy at that.  The Panorama lounge smells somewhat of cigar smoke at all times as well.  The pool bar allows people to smoke in its relatively enclosed space, which then wafts to the dining tables nearby.  The prime real estate outside the panorama lounge is taken over by smokers.  Enough already!   

 

Entertainment: Having sailed on the even-smaller Seabourn Legend, I knew there wouldn't be much in the way of entertainment, and my expectations were met.  I appreciated the trio and pianist before dinner, but wished that perhaps a bit livelier music could have been worked in... one of our favorite ship activities is a cocktail and a few dances before dinner, but this was not really possible here.  The 11pm disco was usually poorly attended (and often too late for me!)  Trivia was fun- we joined in on day 5 and came in third- day 6 and 7 we won!  Beginner's luck I am sure but a good time nonetheless.  We did see (most of) one show, Argento (swing/jazz music) and for a small production on a small ship we were impressed.  We don't gamble so I can't comment on the casino- we did one ship's excursion in Dominican Republic and I felt it was generally well organized, well run, and enjoyable.

 

Fellow passengers: Observations only: 95+ % of passengers were caucasian (self included.) Probably >90% were at least 40 years old- there were no children onboard.  The youngest passenger I personally encountered was a college student traveling with her family- she seemed to be having fun and was polite and interesting to talk to for the few minutes we met in the hot tub.  As with all things in life, you meet all sorts, but most folks that we talked with were at least reasonably pleasant, many were quite interesting, and we made a few "friends" for the cruise (including our trivia team who we had previously met in the hot tub and then were invited to join.)  One of our "cruise friends" had an unfortunate interaction with a gentleman who insisted on referring to her as "that very old woman from Chicago" (Anywhere in life, but especially on this cruise, I hardly think 62 qualifies as "very old!")  An older fellow who, I am sure just thought he was being witty (and would have been, had we perhaps been already acquainted) came to the hot tub where I was sitting with my husband and told me "not to drown him just yet, you'll still have to pay taxes on the inheritance." (??) My fantastic husband saved the day by jokingly remarking "Oh, don't worry, it's mostly her money anyway, I'm just her trophy husband!", allowing everyone a laugh and a way out of the awkwardness.   

 

I also met a very, erm, interesting man who daily wore a "bearded for her pleasure" lanyard (ugh), got a great deal of enjoyment of sharing his vast knowledge of the universe, on any imaginable topic, (I suspect his deep and permeating knowledge of everything is surpassed possibly only by that of Kim Jong Un) with anyone who did not run fast enough, and I suspect tried to invite my husband and I to join him in some "extracurricular activities" by telling our captive ears all about a certain "adults only" Jamaican resort he visits annually... but we could have met him anywhere.  

 

Will I sail SS again?

Maybe.

I have found that the "sweet spot" for me is probably more in the 1000 pax range- Crystal Serenity was quite perfect for me size-wise.  I am *not* easily bored (some knitting and a book sounds like a great day at the pool for me) but in the evenings I do like a bit more liveliness and found that somewhat lacking.  (Not anything wild, just a bit more activity, some dancing.  I also liked the variety of activities available after dinner on Crystal- maybe a theater show, maybe a pianist, maybe the sing-along guy, maybe some dancing, maybe etc etc)  I missed the lack of a central atrium for people watching.  Overall I really enjoyed the passengers I met and did not feel that being a ways off from the average demographic was any problem.  I enjoyed the lack of children.  Perhaps I will try one of the larger SS ships at some point in the future, as I did enjoy many aspects of my cruise.

 

 

[imcpa]

Thanks for your review.  It was a joy to read. 

 

I recommend you sail the Spirit or the Muse.  I sailed the Cloud in 2010 (at age 40) and enjoyed it, but feel like you on its nightlife.  I have also sailed Crystal (and Regent, PG, Seabourn, Windstar and Viking) and agree on the size/benefits.  However, my two cruises on the Spirit have been some of my favorites and I did get to visit the Muse for a day on my 2nd Spirit cruise.

 

 

[Unibok]

Thank you for reporting back on the cruise! And for writing such a thorough and thoughtful write-up. I'm glad to hear it was mostly enjoyable, and I appreciate all of your observations.

 

Cheers,

[Stumblefoot]

The-Dylaness, thank you for sharing your POV of your Wind cruise.  I remember when you posted here in CC and were preparing for your first Silversea voyage and appreciate your follow-up.  We are so lucky to live in an age where so much choice surrounds us.  Enjoy planning your next cruise whichever line you decide to sail on!

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for posting such a detailed review, good luck with trying out the Muse or Spirit.

[Sunprince]

Thanks for posting your thoughts on your recent Wind cruise. We will be taking our first SS and Wind cruise in March, so your comments were helpful. I was surprised to read that smoking was an issue given the small size of the ship, but I guess it only takes a few smokers to impact the enjoyment of others. I had always thought the location of the Connoisseurs Corner by the Panorama would cause the lounge to be smoky. 

 

We also like to dine on the terrace at the back of the ship. Given the small space of the outdoor seating area, was it difficult to find a table for 2? And what times are best to dine in the evening...early vs late? I'd also be interesting in hearing what was the passenger count on your cruise? The one I booked doesn't appear to be selling well so I have been wondering how the Wind is selling vs the Spirit which is also in the Caribbean so similar itineraries. 

 

Many thanks

[jpalbny]

Smoking is such a touchy subject so please don't misconstrue anything here as being judgemental... IME after 4 Wind and 3 Cloud cruises it's highly dependent on how many smokers are on board and how much they smoke.  Some cruises you notice it more than others. There have been times where the smell of smoke has been really strong in the bar, or it's been so strong out the back of the Panorama Lounge that it's not pleasant. On other cruises we've hardly noticed it.

 

In general we are a little sheltered here in the US because restaurants, etc are generally smoke-free. That isn't the case in Europe so we have just come to expect to smell more cigarette/cigar smoke when we are on vacation. We have found that even a small ship like the Wind is big enough that you can escape if you need to.

 

On our last Silver Wind cruise in September, we often ate lunch outside on the back deck of La Terrazza. There are 4 or 5 tables for 2 along the back railing, then probably 4 more 4-tops lined up along the wall separating LT from the back deck. Sure, in nice weather they fill up fast. But if we wanted one, we'd just show up near the start of lunch service, and it wasn't a problem. It is a really pleasant place for lunch! Here's Chris enjoying the scenery.

 

 

 

[Sunprince]

Thanks JP. For dinner in La Terrazza we booked a 7pm reservation assuming it would be easier to get an outside table when they first open.  We prefer to eat later but I wasn’t sure how busy it would be if we show up at around 8:30pm?  I hate jockeying for an outdoor table if it’s busy.  Since this is a Caribbean cruise we will likely only dine in the Restaurant once so I expect we will make La Terrazza home for most of our evening meals.  

[Tarwood3]

Agree with another poster that you should try the Muse or Spirit.  We have done many Silversea trips as  well as many other cruise lines such as yourself.  We dont care much for the smaller ships...they are just way too sleepy ...just no energy.  WE are 46 and 51......and they just dont offer enough for us.  They are relaxing but a bit dull.  The average age is much older than us...and while we have met lovely people...Idont always want to hang out with folks my parents age.  Its nice, no matter what your age is , 20 or 70, to be able chat with people about your same age....you share the same type of experiences and memories growing up, in the same place in your life etc.  Anyway , when we went on the Muse for the first time, we were like “ whoa, this is a completely different experience”. Ship is gorgeous, crew amazing, much more diverse age range as well as a more varied nationalities.  We loved so much about this ship and are so excited for the Moon and the Dawn as well.  While we have sailed many other lines, Silversea always feels like home since it was our first cruise line ever. We like that you can have many different experiences with just one cruise line.  You have the smaller more intimate ships, the larger newer ship and the expedition ships.  I know some folks arent happy with the newer ships and decor but for us, we dont want the same experience on every ship.  For example, Viking is building a lot of ships but they are absolutely identical...seems kinda boring to us.  Isn’t travel about new experiences and stepping out of your comfort zone? Anyway, there’s something out there for everyone now....which is awesome!

[UpstateJan]

On 1/31/2019 at 9:41 AM, Sunprince said:

Thanks for posting your thoughts on your recent Wind cruise. We will be taking our first SS and Wind cruise in March, so ...

Sunprince, will you be on the March 24th sailing by any chance?   We'll be taking our first Wind cruise.

 

Jan & Jeremy

[Doylestown5518]

Excellent review - we will be taking our first SS cruise on 3/10 on the Wind.  One of my favorite cruises ever was on Seaboard Legend with 2 teenage boys who really liked it too.  Their only request was finding a similar ship with maybe a few others their age next time.  What I liked most of the Legend and am hoping for a similar experience on the Wind was dinner.  I found my fellow cruizers to be so interesting but not obnoxious - which doesn't work well with me.  It was so cool to watch my sons interact with them and listen to their advice (my older son was choosing colleges and majors at the time).  Our waiter told us of a woman who ordered a bowl of raspberries every morning but required the little hairs to be plucked out and they did it.  He said it was so disheartening for all the time they spent each morning to prepare this small bowl of fruit that would be gone in minutes - that person I would probably have to go out of my way to offend.

[Lois R]

Thanks for your review. It is so interesting to me reading about all different experiences.  I haven't sailed Wind yet but have been on Whisper and Spirit. They were both sailings out of Europe and I am 60 and  found varying ages on board those cruises.

 

As for the guy who has no class (the stupid inheritance comment)….sorry about that. Some people are just idiots. Glad your hubby found a nice way around that....sometimes people just have me shaking my head!