Whisper Reviews

[twoboys]

I know its a small ship so there wont be as may reviews posted. But there hasnt been a new one for months.  I love reading reviews. If you have been on the Whisper in the past couple of months or you were on a cruise in the Riviera, please post a review. Thank you

[Emtbsam]

The Whisper is currently on the world cruise which might account for the lack of reviews.  We have spent a lot of time on the Whisper and in fact will be joining her three weeks from today in Singapore.  If you have any specific questions, just ask.

[jpalbny]

Oh, that's right. It is on the world cruise. Twoboys, have a look at Mysty's live from thread if you want any recent updates. She, and a couple of others on the WC, are posting here and there. It looks like they are having a great time!

[twoboys]

Thank you. I did look at that thread. WOW! Cruising around the world...I cannot even imagine. We think its decadent when we are away for 2 weeks. #goals.  I would love to know about the gym and how far in advance we should book excursions.

[Emtbsam]

The gym is adequate.  There are three treadmills, three Cybex-type machines, several bikes and a number of weight machines.  There is also a room for yoga or other independent exercise.  The machines are not used that much on longer cruises.   I have never had to wait for a machine.

[twoboys]

There has not been a new review posted in 4 months. And, no one has joined the roll call for our cruise September 3rd.  We always travel on small ships and we have always had more interaction on CC pre-cruise with fellow passengers.   I also realize that the cruise around the world might be having an impact on people posting. But still, strange

[Stumblefoot]

48 minutes ago, twoboys said:

We always travel on small ships and we have always had more interaction on CC pre-cruise with fellow passengers.

I would say it probably has more to do with Cruise Critic's Roll Call functionality than anything else.  But, with that said, I think you'll find most Silversea interaction happens within the parent forum, rather than roll calls anyway.

[Silver Spectre]

3 hours ago, twoboys said:

There has not been a new review posted in 4 months. And, no one has joined the roll call for our cruise September 3rd.  We always travel on small ships and we have always had more interaction on CC pre-cruise with fellow passengers.   I also realize that the cruise around the world might be having an impact on people posting. But still, strange

What do you want to know, in addition to the detail posted on the two current threads?

[twoboys]

I am not sure exactly what I want to know  I just appreciate getting peoples impressions and advice. Many times I got helpful tips by reading reviews of things to look out for or avoid, excursions that were favorites or not worth it, restaurant and food recommendations etc. This is our first cruise with Silversea. We were originally going to go back to Seabourn or Windstar but these dates worked better for us. So, its more curiosity and "research"  Thank you

[markham]

Impressions of Whisper? We were on our first Silversea cruise, on the Whisper, about 19 months ago. We are big fans of Seabourn’s Odyssey class ships- so you know.

 

What impressed us was the Italian cuisine and a very few engaging staff, the complementary wines and the fact that the passengers we spoke with seem very loyal. They may well be customers for many many years. Oh, and we liked the top deck wraparound track

 

But to us Whisper is not competitive, and so we will not go back. That said, we will try Cloud this summer and Muse next winter which we know are quite different, and we find the particular itineraries special.

 

Whisper is old and common areas were tired. Staff are less engaging and this may be a cultural issue alongside training and supervision matter. Senior officers were seldom to be seen, much less did they choose to interact with passengers as on Seabourn. For a ship with roughly 80 fewer passengers its deck layout and amenities were subpar e.g. 2 jacuzzis vs 5, no open deck 6 forward, no generous Observation Bar forward (our favorite lookout and grand bar on Seabourn), and only one pool area bar vs one on Seabourn and another, the Sky Bar, right above the Seabourn pool deck. But the worst aspect was smoking  including cigars being allowed at the Whisper pool bar and the dining area behind it, starboard side. Who needs that?

 

That’s it for now. I trust that this mini review is helpful. No arrows, please. 

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Edited April 24, 2019 by markham

[Silver Spectre]

The ship went in for an extensive dry dock late last year and before starting the current World Cruise. We had not been onboard for 2 years and have found its current state to be excellent. The interior decor has been updated, the pool deck and the wraparound walking track on deck 9 have been completely relaid and look pristine. A new ‘tent shade’ has been added at the back of the Panorama Lounge providing complete shade at the rear. The audio visual system has been upgraded to match that on the Muse. Ok, the internet is poor.

 

We find the staff, without exception, to be excellent, the majority of the guests, both WC and segmenters, are friendly, cultured and delightful.

 

The complimentary wines are still way above average.

 

SS still has a number of long term cigar smoking guests and is unlikely to upset them anytime soon by changing where they are allowed to smoke, so if smoking is a deal breaker then stay away from SS.

[Silver Spectre]

Markhan, your review is nicely balanced. I look forward to your thoughts on the Cloud this summer.

[Silver Spectre]

This is the ‘tent’ at the back of the Panorama and the new furniture.

 

[twoboys]

Thank you both! This was really helpful. We LOVED our Seabourn cruise but found people on Windstar and Uniworld to be friendlier. We found the staff on Windstar to be excellent: friendly and professional and available. The Seabourn crew were great but a little more formal (with a couple of exceptions). Honestly we got a very good deal on SS (relatively speaking) so that is one of the reasons, after itinerary and dates, that why we chose it. We have traveled enough to know nothing is perfect and we always have a great time and appreciate that we are able to travel.  But I really appreciate the community, especially discerning and seasoned travelers,  offering their impressions and advice.  

[Emtbsam]

Twoboys...the best advice I can give you about Silversea is that if you want something, just ask for it.  If you want a special meal, ask a day in advance and if the ingredients are on board, you can have it.  If there is something that you do not like, be sure to mention it to the hotel director so it can be corrected if possible.  We are currently on the world cruise which has a very different vibe from the usual shorter cruises since the vast majority of the passengers and crew have been together since early January.  It is more like a large family gathering than a cruise.

 

The ship is older and will have areas that have not been modernized, but the last refurb really spruced up the ship.  Be sure to bring a multi-plug since 110 plugs are not plentiful.

 

i see you are from Dobbs Ferry.  I went to high school in Scarborough.  Small world.

 

hope you enjoy your trip.