Silversea Vs Seabourn Comparison Recent Experience

[galeforce9]

Hi.  I’m not far off Diamond on Seabourn but have seen a Silver Spirit/ Hotel package for this Autumn that I quite fancy (Middle East).  
 

I really value service and top class food and drink offerings on Seabourn, although in a couple of cruises before Covid (late 2018/late 2019) I found this lacking in some areas. 
 

I would be very interested to know how some of the Seabourn regulars on here rate Silversea, particularly in this regard.   On the face of it, the Japanese and northern Italian restaurants on Silver Spirit  look to be our cup of tea.  I like the look of the refit    
 

I wondered what champagne is served as house champagne and whether caviar is always available, as on Seabourn.  

What is better/worse iyo.  
 

Thanks

Edited June 9, 2022 by galeforce9
Got the ship name wrong!!

[cruiseej]

The first thing I'd note is that the Silver Wind is now an expedition ship. So that means less entertainment, and less formality, than a "classic" Silversea cruise. That may be a plus to some and a minus other others. The refit didn't really change the look of the ship much, except the addition of zodiac storage and launching hardware.

 

Caviar is always available on Silversea ships, like Seabourn. The house champagne is Pommery, with Blue Top Monopole also available on request, I believe. 

 

We were on the Silver Cloud, the sister ship to the Wind, for an expedition trip to Greenland prior to Covid. We found the crew excellent and enjoyed our cruise. I think we felt the food was a touch below Seabourn, but food is subjective and can vary over time and which chef is aboard. We enjoyed the expedition environment, but missed the band and singers we get on Seabourn. We were happy enough with that Silversea experience to book an Antarctica trip which has been canceled the past two Decembers; with luck, the third try will be the charm and we'll be going in about 6 months. (That's a long way of saying I can't provide a recent, post-Covid report comparing SS to Seabourn.)

 

We consider Seabourn our first choice for cruising, but will choose other lines base don itineraries. (And cost… I really wanted to book the Seabourn Venture for Antarctica, but the cost of the comparable trip including South Georgia Island was so much more expensive on Seabourn that my wife and our friends voted to go withSilversea. 😉 )

[galeforce9]

11 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

The first thing I'd note is that the Silver Wind is now an expedition ship. So that means less entertainment, and less formality, than a "classic" Silversea cruise. That may be a plus to some and a minus other others. The refit didn't really change the look of the ship much, except the addition of zodiac storage and launching hardware.

 

Caviar is always available on Silversea ships, like Seabourn. The house champagne is Pommery, with Blue Top Monopole also available on request, I believe. 

 

We were on the Silver Cloud, the sister ship to the Wind, for an expedition trip to Greenland prior to Covid. We found the crew excellent and enjoyed our cruise. I think we felt the food was a touch below Seabourn, but food is subjective and can vary over time and which chef is aboard. We enjoyed the expedition environment, but missed the band and singers we get on Seabourn. We were happy enough with that Silversea experience to book an Antarctica trip which has been canceled the past two Decembers; with luck, the third try will be the charm and we'll be going in about 6 months. (That's a long way of saying I can't provide a recent, post-Covid report comparing SS to Seabourn.)

 

We consider Seabourn our first choice for cruising, but will choose other lines base don itineraries. (And cost… I really wanted to book the Seabourn Venture for Antarctica, but the cost of the comparable trip including South Georgia Island was so much more expensive on Seabourn that my wife and our friends voted to go withSilversea. 😉 )

Thanks cruiseej.   That’s very helpful.  Unfortunately I got the name of the ship wrong and my edit was probably too late for your reply.  It’s silver spirit, which I believe has had an extra segment added in the middle with additional cabins.  Your comments on the food and drink are very interesting thank you. 

[SLSD]

37 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

Hi.  I’m not far off Diamond on Seabourn but have seen a Silver Spirit/ Hotel package for this Autumn that I quite fancy (Middle East).  
 

I really value service and top class food and drink offerings on Seabourn, although in a couple of cruises before Covid (late 2018/late 2019) I found this lacking in some areas. 
 

I would be very interested to know how some of the Seabourn regulars on here rate Silversea, particularly in this regard.   On the face of it, the Japanese and northern Italian restaurants on Silver Spirit  look to be our cup of tea.  I like the look of the refit    
 

I wondered what champagne is served as house champagne and whether caviar is always available, as on Seabourn.  

What is better/worse iyo.  
 

Thanks

We haven't cruised on Silversea in some years---so I am very interested in the replies you get here.  I do remember reading Markham's comparison of Silversea to Seabourn within the last year--so you might do a search for that as I know it is on this forum.  

[galeforce9]

6 minutes ago, SLSD said:

We haven't cruised on Silversea in some years---so I am very interested in the replies you get here.  I do remember reading Markham's comparison of Silversea to Seabourn within the last year--so you might do a search for that as I know it is on this forum.  

Thanks SLSD.  I too remember that which did give me some cause for concern and more than a little caution!!   

[markham]

I have to admit that I do not know much about the Spirit. I disliked the old OLD Whisper which is not a patch on the Ody class ships for facilities. And I would add that the social vibe on the Silversea ships- I have been on Whisper, Cloud, Moon and Muse - is lower velocity ie less spontaneous than that of Seabourn ships. For one thing, the entertainment and CD roles are just lower in size/quality/delivery, and "Seabourn people" expect more. "Silversea people" apparently not. A boisterous event like Caviar in the Surf or Pool? Not gonna happen.

 

All that said, and you will want to research Spirit for the facts, Silversea is known for its fine food. My tip is to join the Muse, Moon or Dawn to experience the best of that line.

 

Anyway, life is short so why not try Spirit, and then let us know.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, galeforce9 said:

Unfortunately I got the name of the ship wrong and my edit was probably too late for your reply.  It’s silver spirit…

 

Ah, got it. So that ship is more on a par with the Seabourn ships, although it's about one-third more people than the smaller Seabourn triplets. I think most would agree Silversea is a bit (but not too much) more formal in terms of dress codes and Seabourn has somewhat better entertainment (live band accompanying shows versus pre-recorded soundtracks). People rave about the crew on both cruise lines; (I wish I had a dollar for all the posts which say "only on Silversea" and "only on Seabourn" while describing similar lovely interactions with staff. 😉 )

 

Food is highly subjective, even among fans of one cruise line. For example, skim this forum for people who love the La Dame restaurant on SS and those who find it overrated or not worth it, and the people who absolutely love the Thomas Keller Grill on Seabourn and others who say it's not their thing.

We've been on two highly enjoyable Seabourn cruises in the past year, but none on Silversea since the resumption of cruising, so I can't offer a direct assessment of the quality of food and drink. 

 

My two cents: if you're cruising for the itinerary, you probably won't go wrong on either line. If you're primarily focused on the onboard experience, the two lines aim to deliver comparable experiences, but there are ups and downs on both due to staffing levels and onboard leadership/management.  Most people come off most cruises on both lines with very positive feelings, but you'll find some complaints/misses on both as well. 

[saminina]

Spirit was the first of the new SS ships.    Meaning it was the fifth of what is now eight (?) non expedition ships.  Haven't been on since it was stretched.   Agree that the three new ships is where you will have best experience.   Said because I have exactly one recent experience on Moon.   One next month on Muse with high hopes based upon time on Moon.   Couldn't believe it was part of the Silversea I had come to expect.   I have about zero interest in entertainment other than appreciating a talented person on piano while drinking a bottle of scotch.   That has been extremely difficult to find on SS, and is very random on SB.  Problem solved with S.A.L.T bar on the new SS ships.  Meanwhile, recent piano player in Observation Bar on SB had the Crystal crowd revved up as though he was playing the Avenue Saloon.  

 

I think SB has taken a dive over past few years and my recent time on Odyssey puts it in the deep dive category.   Opinion based on a changing crew that has many trying to serve without training.   After years of very good caviar, a change in suppliers to whatever Keller is selling them is not close in quality..   SS, for their effort in the free for all caviar is a total disappointment.   A waste by both lines.

 

Years after SS purging their mostly EU based service crew, they have implemented a reverse course .

SB too, has implemented a reverse course in hiring new service crew.

 

I'm still in awe of the time spent on Moon, still reeling from the overall Odyssey.

[highplanesdrifters]

We are cross cruisers, but have spent most of our time on Seabourn sister ships. We have found that in general Seabourn has a bit of an edge food wise. We were on Silversea Muse last fall. We don't usually travel on the larger ships but were excited to have more restaurant options. I was not impressed with the food at all. More options seemed to equal less flavor.  Of course on both cruise lines you can always order something special with 24 hours notice.  We are currently on Silversea Cloud, a smaller expedition ship. We have been eating in the MDR and the food has been quite good to excellent, even without ordering special meals. 

[texanaust]

We will be traveling on the Moon in late July preceded by two weeks on the Sojourn in late June.  It will be interesting to compare.  We have not sailed on Silversea in almost 20 years. 

 

As others have said, the food on SB just isn't the same as it used to be.  The twice baked goat cheese souffle is just one example-it tastes different.  Ice cream lolipops not the same, no candles in the dining room, no table side flambees...I could go on.  Lunches in the main dining room basically require daily special orders if you really want to eat well.  There are lots of changes if you look back to the experience of the original triplets.  

Edited June 10, 2022 by texanaust
.

[brittany12]

Picking up on Saminina comment above about SB caviar in the age of Keller influence. Yes, I could not agree more, it once was really good, Uruguay-sourced back in the old days when Meadows ran it but then he switched to the Keller brand once Keller-culture took over a few years before pre-covid. Way inferior. As is their choice of Monopole champagne if that is still the one SB switched to a few years back and still being poured on board.  I'll  soon find out when I sail for first time years.Try to find it on sale at wine shops anywhere or spoken about by serious champagne drinkers. Pommery SB used to serve is so much better. Which is it now?

 

No flambées any more or candles in DR, ice cream lollipops, and the quality of twice baked goat cheese souflees tell me nothing about the taste, diversity, service, and quality of dinner time dishes coming-out of the kitchen.  

[MWillow]

Monopole was not being poured onboard the Odyssey from Miami to Vancouver.  For the first 3 weeks it was something called Champagne Germain which retails for $16.  After Los Angeles it was replaced with something called Champagne Vollerreaux.

[texanaust]

30 minutes ago, brittany12 said:

No flambées any more or candles in DR, ice cream lollipops, and the quality of twice baked goat cheese souflees tell me nothing about the taste, diversity, service, and quality of dinner time dishes coming-out of the kitchen.  

No flambees=No a la minute dishes=more banquet tasting dishes.  

Twice baked goat cheese souffle doesn't taste as good anymore (IMHO) because the quality has been lowered.

Candles create a dining mood which can enhance the food experience.  Bright lights, no candles and often no flowers=a more institutionalized experience.  (Which is why we dine in TK a lot more now).

 

Essentially TK with its service, tableside prep, etc is what the main restaurant used to be like.  Unfortunately one can only eat so many steaks;)

 

 

[hamasgirl]

Currently on Whisper and only our 2nd Silversea cruise.  We are long time Regent and Seabourn cruisers and have always had a wonderful time on both lines.  Our first Silversea cruise was on the Muse.  The ship and facilities are wonderful but we really didn't like the lack of a central dining room.  Granted there are 8 different dining venues but we found that the menus in all 8 barely if ever changed.  Given that experience we wanted to try SS one more time with a more traditional Restaurant approach.  Thus the choice of Whisper.

 

As our first cruise back after Covid we didn't know what to expect but the cruise has been wonderful.  The ship and facilities are in tip-top shape and we love the fact that there are a smaller number of passengers than we are used to.  We love the fact that the Restaurant has a special set of dishes every day (lunch and dinner) that reflect the ports we are visiting.  And there are also 'standard offerings' every day if you prefer the tried and true dishes.  Flavors have been wonderful.  The staff have been doing everything they can to make the trip a wonderful experience.  And their Covid measures have been well done.

 

Given this experience we will be including SS in our choice of cruises in the future but not their larger ships.

[rkacruiser]

No lighted candles in the DR, no flambes, etc.?  Is this due to a change in the policy of a cruise line?  Or, is this due to USCG fire regulations?  

 

Changes are sometimes made in the cruising experience, not so much because a company wants to do so, but, because they are required to do so.  

[Isklaar]

30 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

No lighted candles in the DR, no flambes, etc.?  Is this due to a change in the policy of a cruise line?  Or, is this due to USCG fire regulations?  

 

Changes are sometimes made in the cruising experience, not so much because a company wants to do so, but, because they are required to do so.  

 

I have sailed with SB since 2012 and never seen actual candles or flambé dishes in the MDR. I know that flambé was a thing on the triplets but I never  sailed on them. So  my experience is a decade of O class ships. I always appreciated the imitation candles, and I'm a person who doesn't usually care for 'faux' anything. 😀

Edited June 10, 2022 by Isklaar

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

No lighted candles in the DR, no flambes, etc.?  Is this due to a change in the policy of a cruise line?  Or, is this due to USCG fire regulations?  

 

Changes are sometimes made in the cruising experience, not so much because a company wants to do so, but, because they are required to do so.  

They haven't done flambes for years. I think even before the small triplets were sold but can't be sure. I did hear from a friend there was an incidence on one of the Odyssey class, a flambe presentation set of the sprinkler system on the area involved. That and safety concerns is why it was stopped. I was a little sad but it has been so long I am quite used to it now. 

 

I am one who doesn't care about a candle as I just think it is more clutter on the table. The single vase with a flower is enough decor. They did try and get rid of the linen table cloths because Mr Keller didn't like them in the MDR but feedback indicated most guests preferred to have them otherwise it looked very stark and inhospitable. So they came back.
 

[frantic36]

10 hours ago, MWillow said:

Monopole was not being poured onboard the Odyssey from Miami to Vancouver.  For the first 3 weeks it was something called Champagne Germain which retails for $16.  After Los Angeles it was replaced with something called Champagne Vollerreaux.

 

 

Interesting the change in Champagne on your sailing though Seabourn prior to Covid started serving Montaudon Champagne. I thought from friends that have sailed in the last year it was still served. Maybe there was a supply issue.

 

Monopole and Pommery is what Silversea serves onboard. 

11 hours ago, brittany12 said:

Pommery SB used to serve is so much better. 

It was Nicolas Feuilatte they used to serve, never Pommery, since when I started sailing with them in 2010.

[marazul]

Montaudon is served on Ovation.

[texanaust]

9 hours ago, frantic36 said:

I did hear from a friend there was an incidence on one of the Odyssey class, a flambe presentation set of the sprinkler system on the area involved. That and safety concerns is why it was stopped

Yes, but it continues on other cruise lines, so not solely a safety issue.  MSC YC just did crepes suzette last week for us.  

[Mr Luxury]

I remember having flambé dishes on Pride,Legend and Spirit when they were Seabourn.

Steak Diane,crepe suzzette,cherries jubilee,strawberries Madagascar.

Those were the days.

I also remember the sprinkler going off on our table of eight one evening and we got a little damp.

Flambé dishes did continue on the Odyssey when it was first launched but without a gas flame.

The trolley was plugged in and was an electric eduction hob which was OK but after a short while it was deemed too dangerous as guests could potentially trip over the cable.

Good old days.

 

[Mr Luxury]

8 hours ago, texanaust said:

Yes, but it continues on other cruise lines, so not solely a safety issue.  MSC YC just did crepes suzette last week for us.  

Was it an induction hob or a gas flame trolley at your table

[rkacruiser]

12 hours ago, texanaust said:

Yes, but it continues on other cruise lines, so not solely a safety issue.  MSC YC just did crepes suzette last week for us.  

 

That surprises me!  There were flames coming from the skillet with the Crepes?  

 

3 hours ago, Mr Luxury said:

Was it an induction hob or a gas flame trolley at your table

 

I would like to know that as well.  

 

 

[BasandSyb]

On one of our cruises a passenger’s hair caught fire from a lit candle. It’s a safety issue.

 

Thanks for the comparison info. We are Diamond SB and have about 60 days booked later this year on Odyssey (also found the most recent Odyssey reviews a little alarming). We booked with trepidation, hoping post pandemic the contract with Keller would have expired as we find the offerings pedestrian and to the detriment of the other eating venues - sucking the life out of the line - a perfect partner for HAL. Would prefer the Exec chef had free reign and was able to show case talented staff.

 

We might book a shorter SB cruise as a tester and then revisit our decision. We too have seen some good deals on SS and were wondering.

 

[brittany12]

Yes agree about the Keller experience. His domination very harmful to the SB brand. Long term contract a big mistake. Prior management bought into his charms.