New to silversea been with Seabourn last 10 years.Would like a comparision.

[Captainlyle]

We have been exclusively sailing with Seabourn the last ten years.My wife and I a very interested in trying something new.We have booked a cruise on the Silvermoon and where thrilled with all the dinning options .Can anyone tell us what to expect as far as service and friendliest of the crew.I always presume that food is something that is judged by people subjectively however would appreciate any input from all of you that have sailed with Silversea.Thank you in advance

for your input and advice.

 

PS. We return to Seabourn time and time again mostly for the crew.

 

 

[Silver Spectre]

The service is excellent and the crew wonderful, and best of all no Block Party!

[Stumblefoot]

28 minutes ago, Captainlyle said:

Can anyone tell us what to expect as far as service and friendliest of the crew.

Welcome to the SS forum.  CruiseCritic search will be your friend here as there have been many Seabourn comparisons lately.  Just limit your search to the SS forum and enter “Seabourn” as your search term and you’ll find them all.  Happy searching!

[Fort_Worth]

Have sailed both. Neither will disappoint. Good luck!

[QueSeraSera]

Welcome cap'n!  With the exception of a single vegetarian meal we ordered in a fit of health consciousness, we have consistently enjoyed our SS meals

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

Captain Lyle,

My DW & I have done 4 cruises on SS (Muse & Spirit pre-stretch), and 1 (the most recent) on Seabourn Odyssey (3 weeks banging around the Adriatic & Greece).  While we liked the staff (but we always do, as we try to be as kind to them as possible & they respond), we came away saying - nope, back to SS.  The food was good but not great, the hype of Thomas Keller was tiresome, and the standard of upkeep and cleanliness was noticeably lacking.  We have friends who LOVE Seabourn and sail with them all the time.  MY DW said she felt like it was a country club crowd.  (That is not a compliment from us - too many social climbers, hyperaware of the pecking order.)  I said I thought Silver Seas is like the best faculty lounge - interesting  people to talk to, well read and educated, well traveled.  Seabourn is still a great line, one of the best, but we feel if we ever can cruise again, it will be on SS.  Wherever you land, I hope you have a splendid time!  

[cece50]

We have sailed two Seabourn (Encore & Ovation).  And only one on SS (Muse) We loved them both.  Will sail SS again in 2023. 

 

 We felt that SilverSea crew was better trained, more professional while still being friendly without being too familiar. We did prefer this. Our Muse crew drew heavily from the Philippines & India where I believe their training schools are located. They did an  outstanding job.  Our SB crews were from Eastern & Western Europe and tended to be less formal.  We loved them

too, but more impressed with Silversea’s crew. 
 

I am a fan of Thomas Keller so you’ll have to take my opinion with a grain of salt regarding SB, but we loved the restaurants on Silversea. Lots of variety with hits & misses as to be expected. 

 

Was not a fan of the Dolce Vita lounge layout, but it has been updated in the newer ships with a central bar, so I imagine that is the central gathering space.  There is not a comparable space to Seabourn Square, but the small Arts Cafe for coffee & treats is quite nice. The forward Observation Lounges are used differently also.  As you know on SB it is quite the place before & after dinner with great lounge music.  On SS it’s a bit more subdued & nice place to have quiet conversation.  However, there are other venues on SS that make up for that.  I felt the shows were a bit more slick on SB, and there was much more dancing on SB, especially while in the Mediterranean.  
 

As to Tiramisu’s comment, it was a strong statement, but we found mostly interesting, well educated, well traveled, good mannered people on both lines with a small peppering of obnoxious, self centered  people from all walks of life….again on both lines.  It might even be the itineraries that set the tone. On SB Encore, our Med cruise brought out the party animals, while on SB Ovation (Lisbon to Amsterdam) via Northern Spain, Western France, traversing the English Channel several times with stops in Devon (hello Agatha) Belgium & Normandy & finally to London & Amsterdam, we found ourselves immersed in great conversations based on those classic & historic ports.  On the Silver Muse we were surrounded by Aussies who are no slouches when it comes to good conversation & partying alike. I  venture a guess that you will love SIlversea just as you loved Seabourn. Enjoy every minute.  I say Silversea is just quiet enough and Seabourn is just lively enough. 

Edited September 30, 2021 by cece50

[Fletcher]

Personally I prefer the vibe on the Seabourn ships - a little more relaxed perhaps and a more flexible approach to the dreaded dress code thing.  Silversea also has butlers for every category of cabin.  Not a fan of this either - it just adds to the overall tone of starchiness and snobbery that ever so slightly pervades the Silversea ships. Regent is also far more relaxed than Silversea and even Seabourn.  All three offer virtually identical levels of service and luxury.  However, Seabourn Square is unique - Silversea has nothing like it and is the poorer for that.  There may be more Europeans, like me, on the Silversea ships than there are on Seabourn.

 

Yes I totally agree that food is subjective - but I also prefer Seabourn and I say that without liking the Keller restaurant at all.  Silversea has this appallingly naff 'hot rocks' thing which encourages you to grill your own steak and cover your neighbours with smoke.  Some people seem to like it . . .  Silversea also charge extra for some dining venues which is a drawback for me and adds to the tone of snobbery and 'exclusivity.'     

 

In the end it's always the itinerary for me and with their current fleet of four expedition vessels Silversea has by far the most interesting itineraries. 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2021 by Fletcher

[lincslady]

At the risk of offending my cooler friends, I agree  totally with Fletcher's  thoughtful comparison between Seabourn and  Silversea.  (Just don't agree that Regent is as good as either, but that is not relevant here).

 

Lola

 

 

[dawntrdr]

Hmmm, maybe I'll try Seabourn sometime - but not until after I hit the "free laundry" mark.

[CJANDH]

3 hours ago, dawntrdr said:

Hmmm, maybe I'll try Seabourn sometime - but not until after I hit the "free laundry" mark.

Just for the record, Regent is now advertising free laundry to all. Another escalation in the "all inclusive wars" with SS?

[escapefromwinter]

We have sailed both and are happy with either so we make our decision based on the itinerary. I would have to say we lean very slightly toward Seabourn, but I'm now sure exactly why, maybe Seabourn Square which we love, and maybe the breadsticks. 😉

[Camillus112]

I've done at least eight and maybe six cruises in SS and SB, respectively, and all before 2019.  I like the European flavor and formal dressing up of SS, but also enjoy the lively vibe of SB with lots of dancing and more exuberance than in SS.  I wouldn't mind dancing in my lovely formal clothes...

[Gourmet Gal]

You’re all making me want to try SB but I’ve not found the right itinerary and timing so far.  The less stuffy dress code is certainly appealing and more dancing is always good!

[Captainlyle]

We have been exclusively sailing with Seabourn the last ten years.My wife and I a very interested in trying something new.We have booked a cruise on the Silvermoon and where thrilled with all the dinning options .Can anyone tell us what to expect as far as service and friendliest of the crew.I always presume that food is something that is judged by people subjectively however would appreciate any input from all of you that have sailed with Silversea.Thank you in advance

for your input and advice.

 

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR INSIGHTFUL KNOWLEDGE AND OPINION.WE LOVE SEABOURN BUT ITS WONDERFUL TO HAVE CHOICES.SMOOTH SAILING ALL THE BEST CAPTAIN LYLE. 

[Colgal]

Five cruises with Seabourn and four with Silversea-we prefer Silversea for its dining and suite butler service.

 

There is a more formal but still comfortable feeling  on the ships of Silversea which we found to be a real pleasure as day-to-day living as become so casual. My husband does not object to wearing a sport coat and looks forward to formal nights as do I.

 

I don’t believe you can go wrong with either line but if dining is a priority then I would certainly give the edge to Silversea as it offers more menu diversity and higher level of quality in Atlantide, its main dining venue.

 

 

[nonu731]

On 9/30/2021 at 12:59 AM, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

Captain Lyle,

My DW & I have done 4 cruises on SS (Muse & Spirit pre-stretch), and 1 (the most recent) on Seabourn Odyssey (3 weeks banging around the Adriatic & Greece).  While we liked the staff (but we always do, as we try to be as kind to them as possible & they respond), we came away saying - nope, back to SS.  The food was good but not great, the hype of Thomas Keller was tiresome, and the standard of upkeep and cleanliness was noticeably lacking.  We have friends who LOVE Seabourn and sail with them all the time.  MY DW said she felt like it was a country club crowd.  (That is not a compliment from us - too many social climbers, hyperaware of the pecking order.)  I said I thought Silver Seas is like the best faculty lounge - interesting  people to talk to, well read and educated, well traveled.  Seabourn is still a great line, one of the best, but we feel if we ever can cruise again, it will be on SS.  Wherever you land, I hope you have a splendid time!  

 

What do you mean by 'social climbers'? As in how could you tell and the comments made?

 

Isn't everyone a 'social climber' to some extent? Not to get too deep with this but I can't see why the country club atmosphere would be different to real life on any luxury cruise. Any group of people, particularly among those with a few assets, will have a few 'judgemental' members. 

 

 

[tv24]

Thanks to all contributors.  This is of much interest to me.  We have spent many days on Seabourn and love the live, but have booked our first Silverseas cruise for next spring.

[labrasett]

Havent sailed on Seabourn but I dont understand so many references to social climbing and snobbery which have appeared on this and other sites recently.   We are very ordinary UK pensioners, we sailed on SS to Antarctica via Falklands and South Georgia in 2011 choosing SS because of the itinerary and we havent looked back.   We usually do expedition cruises but have done one classic trip too and we meet all sorts of people some lovely, some wonderful, some awful and some downright rude but thats life.  We take it in our stride, treat others as you wish to be treated yourself and usually all will be well.  We avoid anyone we dont like and this works fine.  All these lines are costly but we save for our trips and choose them for the itineraries and then we just get on to the ships and have a great time.

[lincslady]

As another 'very ordinary UK pensioner'  I have never been aware of social climbing, or 'I am richer than you' type behaviour on Seabourn, of all lines.  We are not rich, not very smartly dressed, and fairly old, and have met and enjoyed talking to and in some cases making friends with all sorts of fellow passengers, from different countries.  Sometimes you have a fair bit in common, as in our case an interest in old sport s and racing cars, which resulted  in a friendship with a couple from another European country.  The only line where we did feel a bit unsmart and out of place was Seadream, which does seem to cater for the younger and more cash conscious crowd.

[bitob]

Interesting

 

Seabourn is the only luxury line we have sailed where fellow passengers “dropped” comments about the airplanes they owned, they vacation homes they owned etc LOL

 

We don’t care.  We can keep up with the best of them but we are private people and would not think of making comments like that.  I concur with the other posters.  There are some of those folks on Seabourn.  They just make me laugh.  You can ignore them

[nonu731]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

Interesting

 

Seabourn is the only luxury line we have sailed where fellow passengers “dropped” comments about the airplanes they owned, they vacation homes they owned etc LOL

 

We don’t care.  We can keep up with the best of them but we are private people and would not think of making comments like that.  I concur with the other posters.  There are some of those folks on Seabourn.  They just make me laugh.  You can ignore them

 

Huh. 

 

You sure it was in the bragging sense rather than just making conversation? Flying airplanes is a popular hobby and mentioning vacation homes just sounds like someone making small talk to me. 

 

But I can easily see why different people have different perspectives on this. 

 

[bitob]

1 hour ago, nonu731 said:

 

Huh. 

 

You sure it was in the bragging sense rather than just making conversation? Flying airplanes is a popular hobby and mentioning vacation homes just sounds like someone making small talk to me. 

 

But I can easily see why different people have different perspectives on this. 

 

 

1 hour ago, nonu731 said:

 

Huh. 

 

You sure it was in the bragging sense rather than just making conversation? Flying airplanes is a popular hobby and mentioning vacation homes just sounds like someone making small talk to me. 

 

But I can easily see why different people have different perspectives on this. 

 

Quite sure.  These comments were not part of the natural flow of the conversation.

I can tell the difference.  We just listen with amusement.  Really wealthy people never would make such comments.  Wannabes.

[Gourmet Gal]

4 hours ago, bitob said:

 

Quite sure.  These comments were not part of the natural flow of the conversation.

I can tell the difference.  We just listen with amusement.  Really wealthy people never would make such comments.  Wannabes.

I’ve never cruised Seabourn but definitely encountered this kind of nouveau riche on Crystal.  Never on SS.

[brittany12]

I'm not at all certain there is a typical Seabourn sailer as opposed to a typical SS one.  It's not like comparing with a normal MSC sailer. I say this after 8 SS cruises and a dozen Seabourn since late '90s.  Plus others of similar cost and luxury class. Another 8 Oceania. Personally, I like to stay away from generalizations regarding each cruise line although Im guilty of making some of my own. It all depends on the particular cruise one is on,  the ship (age and size) and the itinerary. Also who are passengers on board that particular time. When the cruise happened is a factor - ten years ago, three years ago or yesterday. All cruise lines have ups and downs with service people and food. Even luxury lines attract loud mouths at times and those reflections seem to stick. If I had a Rodney Dangerfield, that would affect my evaluation of that cruise and cruise line. Crews always being changed. Fresh blood is not always the best blood. Personalities matter. More expensive cruises also attract a wealthier class - yes maybe some who own planes. Just one of those facts of life that doesn't  bother me. We don't take cruises to meet other people. We do it for the experience of travel. But I'd say this - we've met nice people on all our cruises - when least expecting to.