First Silversea Cruise - Good - Not Great

[Yankeeclipper1]

Returned from our first SS cruise - December 9 - 21 - on the Spirit.  This was our first time on Silversea.  It was OK to very good - but not extraordinary. When we travel, my wife and I enjoy the culinary parts of the cruise the most.  Caribbean ports are not that interesting to us - we enjoy our culinary experiences and have high expectations in this category of cruising.  So, for us - the dining experiences are very important.  My reference point for this cruise is our Seabourn cruises, since the ships are similar in size.  My comments are very food centric because that is important to us. 

 

We flew into FLL 3 days ahead and stayed at The Pillars hotel - a wonderful boutique hotel.  Embarkation was good and as expected - with the now normal COVID routines. I do appreciate SS handling the testing onsite.  I did note that when we arrived at about 1345 the hall was already crowded and lines were long - but moving.  Further observed - when we got our boarding OK about 1520 - there were no lines at the initial check-in counters.  It appears arriving early could be counterintuitive.  

 

The Ship - well maintained - spotless.  We had a Veranda Suite on deck 7 forward.  Great bathroom, large room and nice balcony, Bvlgari soaps etc.  I will point out that our butler Raj was exceptional.  Room attendant , exceptional.  Both of them always anticipating what we needed or what he thought we wanted.  For example Raj noticed my sweet tooth and always had a supply of chocolate chip cookies and vanilla truffles supplied on the table.  He was extraordinary.  They were able to make my side of the bed softer than my wife’s side - and that was great.

 

We did not go to any shows except 1 - it was ok.  Our routine was really just relaxing, making breakfast and lunch in Atlantide - and then various cocktail venues before  dinner.  We did take some tours and did get off the ship.

 

Restaurants.  Some good meals, some less than good meals - nothing very memorable or outstanding.  I had two very long discussions with the F&B manager.  He was receptive and agreed with many of the things I was pointing out - even commenting he has pointed some of the same to “corporate”.  Some things beyond the ships control - following the corporate playbook.    

 

Seishin - for dinner.  It may be ok for Sushi lunch but for Dinner - what a waste.  It is not a Japanese restaurant but rather “inspired” which would be OK if it was memorable - it was not.  The King Crab Tempura balls - had way too much seasoning burying what little crab there may have been with over spiced fillers.  I was expecting a nice little piece of crab leg in tempura - there were a few tiny flecks of crab with lots of fillers - all of it on a bed of Yuzu Mayonnaise - which did not go together very well - at all.  The Lobster and Wagu Beef Steak - nothing special.  The lobster had no special taste and the meat was a thin slab that seemed like it came right out of the vacuum pack, thrown on the grill then some horrible soy/teriyaki like sauce dropped on top - the meat was tasteless and that sauce was unpalatable.  Dessert was great - passion fruit brulee.  Service was almost weird - too intrusive and the room and decor seemed too dark and depressing.  Sorry but for the $$ upcharge - not memorable.  Every meal in the Seabourn “Sushi” or Crystal “Umi Umi” was absolutely memorable.  We got a refund of the charge.  From what I have been told - SS may be reimaging that restaurant. 

 

Indochine - Service good - food good - no bad meal - but nothing saying - WOW!  One pet peeve noted to F&B.  When they served the Naan - that was supposed to be a selection of Naans to include Peshawari Naan as described on the menu - they served Chapati.  When I asked for Naan they (the Filipino staff) again brought out Chapati insisting it was Naan. I gave up in exasperation.  

 

La Dame - Not memorable for the price charged. If I had this meal at home and paid $300 for two (I am extrapolating taking into consideration the cost of the cruise, the product it is supposed to be, wine, drinks and upcharge) I would be upset by this experience.   Service was good, and the meal was just OK to good.  Again expecting an extraordinary experience - it was not. Appetizers were good - I have had better of the same dishes (or near so with the same ingredients).  Lobster soup was good.  My wife’s duck was dry and stringy - and my rack of lamb was over cooked and dry.  My wife’s fish soup (Bouillabaisse) was tasteless.  The “Bouillabaisse” in Atlantide was actually much much better.  Actually Atlantide was the most consistent venue along with the Grill.   

 

La Terrazza Dinner - Food good to very good, service very good.  My steak (forget which one) was not the greatest piece.  Pasta’s great.  We did go twice. 

 

La Terrazza - breakfast and lunch.  I went a few times. My wife went once and hated with a passion someone putting her food on her plate (or not listening to where she wants it on her plate)- so she preferred to skip the venue.  From my perspective - standard luxury buffet fare, IMO one step below Seabourn’s (but that was a while ago).

 

Atlantide - Always consistently good. Quite a few lunches and a couple of breakfasts. Our favorite dinning location. One night he Picanha Steak (dinner) was cut too thin - so it was overcooked.   

 

Silver Note - Service was good - food was interesting and good.  Would have preferred to taste the items on the “beehive” in greater quantities without having to dig for the tiny morsels. I get it though - unique experience.

 

Grill - Best place to get beef and grilled shrimp - we skipped the Hot Rock thing and had the chef cook our meals.  

 

Pizza was good - but I have had better in many places.  I hunt for pizza wherever we go.

 

Enjoyed the Caviar service anytime - one time they misunderstood my request for extra creme fraiche and blinis - we wound up with 4 services for two people - we ate it all with the American Express Dom. 

 

Crew were all very helpful.  

 

Every morning my wife made me get her two Americanos “to go” from the Arts Cafe - the only place for decent coffee. 

 

The wine sommeliers - all very helpful - they won’t give out a list (F&B explained company policy and the reason) but after a few tastings they were able to zero in on what we like.  

 

Bartenders were also very good - always had good cocktails around the ship.  Did have to tell the pool bar to rebalance the Pina Coladas and Pain Killers and lighten up on the ice ratio - once they did they were good.  

 

Port tours were OK - one was poor and they refunded everybody.  

 

A few other peeves discussed with F&B.  

 

The maple syrup caper.  I would ask for maple syrup and they would bring some syrup (molasses like, golden syrup, some Dutch syrup etc).  After 3 rounds of the waiters insisting this was maple syrup and my insisting  - no this is not it - they would produce real maple syrup.  This went on for 3 days then no more available from the secret stash.  In that time I counted 14 others who asked for maple syrup and got the other goop. I found out that since the ship had just come from Europe directly the provisioning was off.  The F&B actually got off the ship and bought up all the maple syrup at the “American Grocery” in St. Barts.  Then later ran out again.  The staff does not know the difference and it had to reach the supervisor level to produce the maple syrup each time. 

 

Orange juice.  I would ask for fresh squeezed and would get it - well sometimes - then other times it was packaged - which I would leave on the table.  Many times the staff insisted that it was fresh - well ok - fresh from the box. I would ask again and sometimes get the same or the fresh squeezed.  

 

They did not pre cook their taco shells.  Crispy tacos are not meant to be eaten directly from the box.  They need to be crisped up in the oven. This is a common mistake but one that changes the taco taste and texture.

 

Cheese - I love cheese.  OK the cheese cart is gone due to Covid - BUT - they have plenty on board but no one knew anything about them except what was on that day's menu. They did not have at least a cheese list of available cheese - instead they would be asked me what do you want?  So the routine would be me going through 10 cheeses off the top of my head - back and forth to the kitchen until I hit paydirt - every night. Trying to get to the good French triple creams etc. - was ridiculous.  They have wonderful cheeses no one knows about, including REAL Italian sharp, Provolone Auricchio Piccante- not that soap served on antipasto.

 

French toast - horrible - large dried pieces of bread - they need to be soaked overnight so the custard gets inside the cooks on the grill.  Tried to get that done - to no avail - gave up and switched to pancakes - very good.  

 

No Caribbean beer - in the Caribbean?  Really?

 

About the ship - they brought out the Christmas decorations mid cruise - very understated for my taste, I expected more decorations.  But the ship was in great condition - beautiful - one thing both of us felt was the lack of a central location.  On Seabourn you have the Seabourn Square - a space that sort of centers the ship.  On Crystal you have the atrium area and bar.  The Arts Cafe on SS does not fill that void.  We did like some of the outdoor deck spaces better than other ships and more outdoor under awning spaces to sit and relax.  BUT chair hogs are alive and well - even on SS.  I watch chair after chair with the proverbial hat, book etc. go unused all day - with 4 sea days and COVID distancing the pool deck was crowded.  I wish they would enforce an hour abandonment and then remove your stuff  or something.  I get you want to get up and maybe go to lunch etc. fine - but there are hogs. 

 

Overall this particular cruise for us was not what we expected.  We are doing another Silversea cruise, June 2 on the Muse in Alaska.  We have a Regent Explorer in March to Central America - that will also be a first cruise for us on Regent. 

[Silver Spectre]

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[markham]

I too appreciate the effort you made to list the shortcomings you encountered with such clarity! You have done everyone - I mean it!!! - a big favor!

 

Assuming that Silversea Management read it and get to work with training staff the sooner they can turn this business around. We live in strange times with Covid, strained provisioning while restarting ships, likely new staff and less than ideal training regimes, but now is the time to provide better service in order to maintain the lines’ momentum. And my this I mean of all the luxury lines.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

 

[Host Dan]

Thank you Yankeeclipper1 for your well thought out review!  Taking the time to share your experience is appreciated!

[highplanesdrifters]

10 hours ago, Yankeeclipper1 said:

Indochine - Service good - food good - no bad meal - but nothing saying - WOW!  One pet peeve noted to F&B.  When they served the Naan - that was supposed to be a selection of Naans to include Peshawari Naan as described on the menu - they served Chapati.  When I asked for Naan they (the Filipino staff) again brought out Chapati insisting it was Naan. I gave up in exasperation.  

Had the same experience. Asked for Naan, got Chapati. They insisted it was Naan.  We were traveling with an Indian friend who politely said "I guess it's a different type of Naan then I'm  used too".  We are still laughing. 

 

Your food assessment matches ours from a September cruise, underwhelming. We did work with waiters as you did to ramp up things and get better food, but it was often a challenge.  My theory is that they are trying to do too many things with too many venues on a small ship. Our bartenders were outstanding, the best we have ever had on a ship. I did like that each venue had their own bar as opposed to Seabourn where getting a decent cocktail at dinner is almost impossible.  Raj was also our amazing butler, assuming it was the same Raj.

 

Even with the less than stellar food, I would be thrilled to be back on board.

I  theory, we will be back on SS twice next year as we are destination driven. Hoping the food misses were covid related.

 

Thanks for your  reviews!

Edited December 30, 2021 by highplanesdrifters

[Chas2crews]

Fantastically detailed review.  I love that you state a concern or a positive, and then provide supporting details. Were that only true in other walks of life.  As has often been said, food is subjective, so this gives me that additional information to help me when I take my first SS cruise in 2023.  I for one cannot wait for your similar review of Regent. 

[Yankeeclipper1]

My wife reminded me that our room attendant was Nelson - I  had forgotten his name in the above comments but he deserves a plug by name.  Thanks Nelson.

[spinnaker2]

Thanks for the detailed review!!

 

[Straughn]

Thank you for a balanced review, clearly written by someone who knows his way around the international food world. I am a bit of a foodie, but not as knowledgeable as you. I definitely don’t know the difference between Naan and Chapati. But, I do enjoy well prepared meals, especially seafood and anything French, and I don’t mind paying for them. I have both La Dame and Seishin booked for my first SS cruise, on Spirit, in January. After reading your reviews and others’ comments, I am beginning to think I should cancel.  It sounds like you found that  Atlantide and Indochine offer some of the best food on the ship.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I too am grateful for all the detail and context, but I'm finding it hard to interpret.  It seems that your food standards are much higher than mine [I find this with most of the discussions about wine on many CC boards too!].  So I will rely on all the positives, but don't know what to do with the negatives.  I guess the best approach will be to sample all the venues for myself when I finally get the chance to experience Silver Whisper in Jan. 2024.

[Yankeeclipper1]

Of course food is totally subjective - but it is something we focus on.  Our expectations were not cosmic in nature.  These cruise lines portray a product and I expect for my money they produce.  We were not asking for Densuke Black Watermelon - just certain basics and consistencies - and well executed cuisine. My wife's standard is - if she can make it better at home.......  and many times she does.  I expect that these luxury cruise kitchens produce at least as good as land based upscale restaurants - that's what they advertise. I think for the most part they do it well - or else we would not stick to this type of travel.

 

Seishin was just a mess (IMO) of a menu and execution (taste), and not a great experience for the money.  Even if it was gratis I would not go back.  La Dame was OK - not bad (except my wife's soup - tasteless) but definitely not worth the money and really not the extraordinary experience as the ship's premier restaurant.  Atlantidide and Indochine have varying menus - vs the basically fixed menus for the fee venues - but they seemed to be consistent in their good to very good production.  Interestingly the "main dining rooms" of the ship produced a more overall better experience.

 

BUT - you should try for yourself - the subjective factor.

 

21 minutes ago, Straughn said:

Thank you for a balanced review, clearly written by someone who knows his way around the international food world. I am a bit of a foodie, but not as knowledgeable as you. I definitely don’t know the difference between Naan and Chapati. But, I do enjoy well prepared meals, especially seafood and anything French, and I don’t mind paying for them. I have both La Dame and Seishin booked for my first SS cruise, on Spirit, in January. After reading your reviews and others’ comments, I am beginning to think I should cancel.  It sounds like you found that  Atlantide and Indochine offer some of the best food on the ship.

 

[Yankeeclipper1]

10 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I too am grateful for all the detail and context, but I'm finding it hard to interpret.  It seems that your food standards are much higher than mine [I find this with most of the discussions about wine on many CC boards too!].  So I will rely on all the positives, but don't know what to do with the negatives.  I guess the best approach will be to sample all the venues for myself when I finally get the chance to experience Silver Whisper in Jan. 2024.

The negatives are within the context of what is presented by the cruise line as a product.  This is not a private yacht with private catering - but - is presented as an upscale experience - which for the most part SS succeeded.  On the cuisine side of things I believe they stumbled and did not meet some expectations.  A steak not prepared well, mediocrely prepared dishes, or condiments not available is not satisfactory.  The standard I use is upscale restaurant.  On the other hand -  I am fully content with the wines and spirits offered (Does require some trial and error but that was expected.)   

 

And yes - you must experience the venues yourself and draw your own conclusions.

[Clodia]

8 hours ago, Straughn said:

Thank you for a balanced review, clearly written by someone who knows his way around the international food world. I am a bit of a foodie, but not as knowledgeable as you. I definitely don’t know the difference between Naan and Chapati. But, I do enjoy well prepared meals, especially seafood and anything French, and I don’t mind paying for them. I have both La Dame and Seishin booked for my first SS cruise, on Spirit, in January. After reading your reviews and others’ comments, I am beginning to think I should cancel.  It sounds like you found that  Atlantide and Indochine offer some of the best food on the ship.

I was on Spirit in September and found the best food to be in Atlantide, Indochine and the Grill. I loved the lunchtime sushi in Seishin but was disappointed with the evening menu, and La Dame was a big disappointment for the extra cost/fine wine cost. La Terraza in the evening was also a good experience, not so at the buffet as I hate food being slopped onto the plate and i can't breathe in a face nappy.

 

As a lover of Asian food I think I looked forward to Indochine most; didn't really mind the chapatti though I also joked with the waiters about lack of proper naan bread!

[DCPIV]

Thanks for the review!

 

We are on Spirit in a few months and appreciate your intel.  Here's hoping they get a few things straightened out before we board (but the other reports in this thread lead me to believe that they will not due to "corporate").

 

You mentioned a couple of things that irritate the heck out of me, as well.  First, there is no good excuse for simple meat dishes coming out badly.  If I want a bad steak then I can just go to Saltgrass.  Second, there's no good excuse for not providing (or even understanding) the offerings on the menu (such as proper naan) and then, even worse, trying to gaslight me into thinking you have.

 

The lack of cheese list also irks me.  There used to be one that came as a separate menu, and it was great fun playing through it from night to night.  We were on Whisper earlier this month, and I saw that the separate cheese list was replaced with suggested threesomes.  It was fine (even quite good), but it bothers me that there is something of a secret menu on board.  We did ask for Port Salute one night when dining with a friend that wanted some (and that was fun!)

 

To balance all my fussing, I will say that the dining on Whisper was magnificent with only a couple exceptions that did not affect my overall vacation.  We never went into La Dame, though.

[Gourmet Gal]

Thanks for the detailed review.  Surprising that SS would serve pre-made taco “shells”.  I would never eat those at home, much less dining out.

 

Your overall impression of the food on SS mirrors my own.  I’ve had some nice meals on SS but nothing memorable or truly cutting edge. Meal service also tends to be a mixed bag.  I equate every meal I’ve ever had on a ship to be more hotel-like.  Now some hotels actually house Michelin-starred dining venues but I’ve never had that experience on a ship and honestly, I don’t expect it and thus never book a cruise strictly for the on-board experience - mostly itinerary but in the lux category.

 

Glad your experience outside the food area was satisfactory.

[Stumblefoot]

On 12/29/2021 at 10:37 PM, Yankeeclipper1 said:

French toast - horrible - large dried pieces of bread - they need to be soaked overnight so the custard gets inside the cooks on the grill.  Tried to get that done - to no avail - gave up and switched to pancakes - very good.

Thank goodness you never requested the waffles, right @etual324? 😉

[etual324]

Les you are my witness they NEVER forget

[les37b]

11 hours ago, etual324 said:

Les you are my witness they NEVER forget

 

Haha........ I am indeed. I woz there. 🤣

 

 

[MBP&O2/O]

We cruised on the Spirit in September, and were not overly impressed. 
I was looking forward to the Asian venues but never ate there as the menu wasn’t to my taste and any menu changes were few and far between.

Quite happy  with La T at dinner, but found the “policed” lunch buffet a pain.

Ate once at La Dame … never again. I had the duck which was overcooked and tough. I personally think the the venue design was poor. Minimal customers and maximum tables pushed too close together.

Atlantide was always satisfactory … never brilliant but never poor.

I found the pizza’s acceptable … have had much worse.

Whenever I had a fish dish it was generally lacking … I had the impression it was cheap frozen stuff, and I include the lobster in that critique.

I am struggling to think of a meal that was “a meal to remember”. 🙄

I am not an SS expert but in my opinion standards and quality have been getting lower and lower as prices get higher and higher.

We did book a Dawn cruise for April but that is now on the verge of being cancelled as I can’t help but think that we will be sorely disappointed.

 

 

 

[pf778c]

On 12/30/2021 at 6:29 PM, Straughn said:

I have both La Dame and Seishin booked for my first SS cruise, on Spirit, in January. After reading your reviews and others’ comments, I am beginning to think I should cancel.  It sounds like you found that  Atlantide and Indochine offer some of the best food on the ship.

Just got off the Spirit last month (first time on the BIG ships!) and although I've always enjoyed La Dame, thinking it a a good value for $60/pp, I HATED Seishin!  Tried it both for dinner and for lunch and was horribly disappointed.  The only items that was at all enjoyable was the tuna tataki; to be fair though, as I know many enjoy the sushi lunch particularly, I spent my younger days working in a very traditional Japanese restaurant and was expecting well prepared and well presented traditional Japanese cuisine.  Also, hearing a rumor that there was a very good Punjabi chef onboard, I requested an Indian meal at Indochine that was very good, especially the dal.  I can't comment on the naan vs. chapati incident as I had my curries with rice; no bread.  I was also very happy with Atlantide and had lunch there most days as I found it easier than trying to navigate the "manned" buffet in La Terraza.  I was also pleasantly surprised with Spaccanapoli (sp?) as I've always know the pizza on Silversea to be quite nasty.  This was very good although I was expecting the porcini mushrooms to be fresh and not canned button mushrooms!  The server should have let me know when I ordered!  The only other "miss" for me was Silver Note.  I liked the concept, but the dishes all seemed to be composed of jarring combinations of ingredients and the "Maine" lobster was a frozen tail from warm waters.  Had a lovely pavlova for dessert afterwards in Atlantide though!

[BoundForSea]

I’m currently in the process of deciding between SS and Seabourne for our 2023 Med and Baltic planned voyages. We are very much foodies as well, and my wife is somewhere between a Vegetarian and Vegan, with the occasional Pescatarian urges so these quality options are important to her. For the OP @Yankeeclipper1Would you recommend Seabourne over SS then having not experienced either and looking for the best experience in the market? Notably we’ve looked into Regeant as well, but we think SS or Seabourne would be better suited for us. 

 

Thanks for this great review. Just outstanding. 

[Focused1]

Hands down, Seabourn's food and its presentation are far better than Silversea. Have sailed an equal time on both (but not since the pandemic).

[sfvoyage]

1 hour ago, BoundForSea said:

I’m currently in the process of deciding between SS and Seabourne for our 2023 Med and Baltic planned voyages. We are very much foodies as well, and my wife is somewhere between a Vegetarian and Vegan, with the occasional Pescatarian urges so these quality options are important to her.

We are vegan (vegetarian if necessary at sea) and have sailed extensively on Seabourn and once on Silversea (last August).  Seabourn always takes great care of us, including customized off-menu dishes because we have sailed with them and seen so many of the same veggie dishes over the past 12 years.  Having said that, they are rolling out new and excellent vegan dishes and food items in the past year.  The new breakfast concept at The Patio is outstanding, for instance, along with the new vegan and vegetarian cookies and treats (decadent and irresistible) at Seabourn Square.

 

The vegan/vegetarian dishes on Silversea, on the other hand, are not as good or inspired, and they were not as willing and able to make customized dishes.

 

Can't comment on the fish/seafood dishes though.

[machotspur]

On 1/1/2022 at 5:01 PM, MBP&O2/O said:

>>We cruised on the Spirit in September, and were not overly impressed. <<

>>I am struggling to think of a meal that was “a meal to remember”. 🙄

I am not an SS expert but in my opinion standards and quality have been getting lower and lower as prices get higher and higher.

We did book a Dawn cruise for April but that is now on the verge of being cancelled as I can’t help but think that we will be sorely disappointed.<<

 

 

SUBJECTIVITY ALERT WITH WHAT FOLLOWS  ....🤨

 

Your post caught my eye, indeed until very recently I could have been the author of something similar !

 

Whilst, for obvious reasons, there is significantly less activity on Cruise Critic boards of late I have noted some negativity around food on Silversea. Your post interests me greatly.

 

Back in the day Mrs Machotspur and I were reasonably prolific Silversea cruisers. In truth we were often - at best - underwhelmed by the F&B (as stated above F&B is VERY subjective). We rarely experienced dining that came close to the luxury quality claims and increasingly found some of the products and dishes to be unacceptable. This led to us, seven years ago, abandoning Silversea, and focussing our water related travel on Seaborne & Regent.

 

Our experiences since then has left us with something of a dilemma.

 

- whilst Silversea food has historically disappointed us they increasingly have modern ships, do expedition cruising better than most, and have - in our opinion - by far the best itineraries.

 

- the food on Seabourn, in our opinion, is no better or worse than Silversea. They have few ships, are relative beginners at expedition cruising, and their itineraries are - to us - pretty limited.

 

- our F&B experiences on Regent have been slightly better than the others -- although only on the newer ships.The new breed of ships are ideal for us (for certain cruises) although the older ones are in our experience not good. The limited itineraries are problematic for us hence we currently have no voyages pending. 

 

So what does all this mean to us ?

 

Well during lockdown we have done a lot of thinking about what we want from our travels going forward and what really matters. We have come to the belated realisation that there isn't a cruise line out there that meets all of our needs. So - if we wish to continue to travel as prolifically as we have done previously we will need to compromise. Otherwise we won't be travelling anywhere !

 

So - we start with the things that are most important to us - the itinerary, then decide if we are happy to accept the product that the cruise line delivers. If the particular itinerary is far and away the most important thing then we go on the cruise with our eyes wide open, accepting that the cruise may not - for example -  deliver an outstanding dining experience.

 

We have a number of cruises booked for the next couple of years, four of which see us returning to Silversea. Like yourself we are booked on Silver Dawn in April as a 'toe in the water' to see how things are. We will be going on this cruise with a different mindset. Rather than looking for 'outstanding' as we probably have done previously, we are likely to be more accepting of 'satisfactory'. That's not to say we accept 'poor' - it's just that we realise and accept that we are unlikely to get 'outstanding' on any cruise line, and we should not allow this to spoil the other enjoyable aspects of cruising, particularly itinerary driven experiences. 

 

But all of this is our (newly found) view of things - other people may of course think differently. You pays your money and makes your choice ! 

 

Maybe see you on Silver Dawn in April  

 

    

 

      

            

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, machotspur said:

So - we start with the things that are most important to us - the itinerary, then decide if we are happy to accept the product that the cruise line delivers. If the particular itinerary is far and away the most important thing then we go on the cruise with our eyes wide open, accepting that the cruise may not - for example -  deliver an outstanding dining experience.

You are not alone. We have done the same analysis.  As long as the cruise line can meet a certain luxury standard as far as ship,  cabin and dining we will give them a try if the itinerary strikes our fancy.