Just returned from Silversea Whisper

[AtA]

We did a 22 day B2B on the Whisper from NY RT to Quebec City. Below is a link to our review.

What wasn't mentioned in the review was of course how ports had to be missed because of Hurricane Fiona. No one's fault although there is a question as to why on Friday of the first segment as the storm was bearing down on eastern Canada, Silversea decided to try and make a run to the Bay of Funday instead of spending a third day in Boston. We started sailing north and then the decision was made to turn around and sail south and stay in Cape Cod Bay which is obviously south of Boston!

We also wonder why we made an unscheduled stop in Gaspe instead of a port that was scheduled and closer to Quebec City on the first segment and because of that stop, we missed a full day in Quebec City. 

Silver Whisper Review by gwesq

 

[Lois R]

On 10/18/2022 at 1:29 PM, AtA said:

We did a 22 day B2B on the Whisper from NY RT to Quebec City. Below is a link to our review.

What wasn't mentioned in the review was of course how ports had to be missed because of Hurricane Fiona. No one's fault although there is a question as to why on Friday of the first segment as the storm was bearing down on eastern Canada, Silversea decided to try and make a run to the Bay of Funday instead of spending a third day in Boston. We started sailing north and then the decision was made to turn around and sail south and stay in Cape Cod Bay which is obviously south of Boston!

We also wonder why we made an unscheduled stop in Gaspe instead of a port that was scheduled and closer to Quebec City on the first segment and because of that stop, we missed a full day in Quebec City. 

Silver Whisper Review by gwesq

 

I am really sorry you both had so many negative issues throughout your cruise.

[AtA]

Thank you. We went in with high hopes after seeing so many positive reviews 

[ak1004]

Missed ports are part of the game. A 10% discount for a future cruise is actually very generous, we never got any compensation for any missed port.

 

You can never know why certain ports are missed an replaced with other ports - there are dozens of factors impacting those decisions.

[ronrick1943]

Wow, really sorry to hear all that—Thank you for a great review —-one can only hope the Silversea management reads it and does something about.  A Butler not getting back to you, Food that is cold or so-so, —Really Silversea “READ THIS REVIEW”,please……….

[AtA]

10 hours ago, ak1004 said:

Missed ports are part of the game. A 10% discount for a future cruise is actually very generous, we never got any compensation for any missed port.

 

You can never know why certain ports are missed an replaced with other ports - there are dozens of factors impacting those decisions.

Of course missed ports are part of the game but in every other cruise we've done on what is a 6 star line, when a port was missed, we'd be given back the port fees and if we had paid for a tour, that too would be returned. Technically we paid for tours in each port.

 

Agree that there are factors that impact why ports are replaced. However in this case it impacted anyone who was on the first segment because they got to spend a day in a less than stellar port instead of going to Quebec City to spend the day. (Maybe it was missed so SS wouldn't have to pay for all those Quebec tours?)

[Stumblefoot]

11 minutes ago, AtA said:

…in every other cruise we've done on what is a 6 star line, when a port was missed, we'd be given back the port fees and if we had paid for a tour, that too would be returned. Technically we paid for tours in each port.

Wow!  Who does that on their included tours; Regent?  I’ve never heard of such a thing.

 

Before tours were included on SS, if we missed a port and a paid tour we had reserved, of course SS never charged us.  But, we never received whatever port fee there was buried in our fare.  Never even thought to ask about  it either.

 

So, how much do you normally get back for missed included tours and port fees on these other 6* lines and who are they?

[ClefsDor]

I know on Crystal we were always refunded port fees for missed ports. It was never a huge amount of money maybe $30 or so pp but on a. cruise with a few missed ports it did add up and we were always refunded. Excursions were not included in the fare and only charged once the excursion had taken place so not an issue.

[saminina]

SB refunds missed port fees.

[AtA]

And yes, Regent used to refund port fees too. And as mentioned so does SB and so did Crystal. 

The big difference is with SB and Crystal we didn't pay for tours upfront, whereas with Regent and SS you do. If I'm paying for something that I don't use (for example, I don't drink) that's my choice, but if I'm paying for something that I signed up to use and the fares reflect the higher price to include it, then yes I would hope I'd be reimbursed and not with another cruise I have to pay for and take within a year.

[Stumblefoot]

56 minutes ago, AtA said:

And yes, Regent used to refund port fees too.

Thx

[Observer]

I have never known Silversea to refund port fees for missed ports. However, unlike most other luxury lines, Silversea does not charge port fees separately.  Those fees are folded into the advertised fare, just like the cost of fuel and rubbish disposal.   

[AtA]

2 hours ago, Observer said:

I have never known Silversea to refund port fees for missed ports. However, unlike most other luxury lines, Silversea does not charge port fees separately.  Those fees are folded into the advertised fare, just like the cost of fuel and rubbish disposal.   

Yes and SS now folds in the cost of tours too which we didn't get to do either. So if ports are missed, or maybe if less expensive ports such as on my cruise Seven Isles (forgot the French way of saying it) is substituted for a more expensive port like Quebec City, they save a lot too. I'm sure the tours in Quebec City cost SS more than they did in the other city we wound up in.

[JOPA28]

We were on the 9/19 – 9/30 segment so I’ll weigh in. 

 

First, I thought SS did an excellent job of keeping us out of harm’s way with Hurricane Fiona, it would have been nice to hear from the captain more than once.  All other announcements were made by cruise director Adam, who we really liked.   He made Trivia and Name that Tune events we really looked forward to, he’s quite witty.

 

We were very happy with our Silver Suite and our attendant was excellent.  The butler was pleasant and fulfilled our requests: coffee most mornings and a few breakfasts.  Poached eggs arrived perfectly cooked once and with hard yolks twice.  There was very little conversation, and he did not mention any other services he could provide.    We called room service during off-butler hours, left a message, and never received a return call.  It took a few more calls to finally reach someone.

 

Reception personnel did not call with information as promised, it took numerous trips to the front desk.

 

Pastas and desserts ship-wide were excellent, and there were many choices for the vegetarian in our party.    Otherwise, the food was poor to good, we tried lunch at the Grill twice and gave up:  dry fish and the hamburger was pre-seasoned, overcooked and had a strange texture.     We had lunch at La Terrazza most days, the buffet was adequate, but many offerings were repeated.   We did not attend the Seafood Extravaganza when we heard there was a very long line. Daily there were not enough crew members to serve from the various stations. 

 

Servers were trying very hard but were stressed and overworked, we got the impression many were new.    I chuckled at the original posters comment about the butter, very skimpy when requested. 

 

The beverage situation was really shocking.  On day one there were many libations not available:  bourbon, Grand Marnier, Chardonnay, and others.     We ended up in Boston for three days due to the storm, some of these could have been purchased.    I know there are corporate buying policies/contracts, but there was so much not available.     It became comical when we ordered from the cocktail menu: “Sorry we don’t have all the ingredients”, a second would be ordered “Oh we can’t make that either”.     

 

There was no TV/internet service the entire time in Boston and were told there was interference from the airport nearby???

 

We are not fans of “included” excursions on any line and only took one – in Gaspe.   The tour matched the description and was enjoyable.

 

We voiced our issues on the mid-cruise questionnaire and only one was addressed:  the Beverage Manager found us at The Bar and said the missing items would be arriving soon.   The only one we were aware of was bourbon, Jim Beam arrived before the end of the cruise.

 

In summary, there were many aspects of the cruise that did not feel luxurious, and we did not get what we paid for.   We have a cruise booked on the Moon, and certainly hope it’s a better experience, if not, we’re done with Silversea.

[Stumblefoot]

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

 

1 hour ago, JOPA28 said:

…the hamburger was pre-seasoned, overcooked and had a strange texture.

As anyone in the beef industry will tell you, the hamburger on SS is really, really, bad.  Like legendary bad.  
 

I know a gentleman rancher who orders it on each and every cruise, just to see if it has improved.  Never does.  Right @RachelG?

 

1 hour ago, JOPA28 said:

The beverage situation was really shocking.  On day one there were many libations not available:  bourbon, Grand Marnier, Chardonnay, and others.    

I’m sorry, but what a joke.  I understand running out of an ingredient or some esoteric libation, but what you described are the basics.  There just is no excuse for that, especially when in Boston for three days.

 

1 hour ago, JOPA28 said:

In summary, there were many aspects of the cruise that did not feel luxurious, and we did not get what we paid for.

If this were my first time on SS, I guarantee you it be would have been my last, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the hurricane and everything to do with a failure to deliver a luxury experience for which SS promised.

[AtA]

10 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

If this were my first time on SS, I guarantee you it be would have been my last, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the hurricane and everything to do with a failure to deliver a luxury experience for which SS promised.

Exactly!

[JOPA28]

While this was not our first Silversea cruise, it was the first since 2006.   And the Moon cruise has been booked for a while, this Whisper cruise was last minute.     Hoping for the best on the Moon.

[RachelG]

On 10/24/2022 at 11:33 AM, Stumblefoot said:

Thanks for sharing your perspective.

 

As anyone in the beef industry will tell you, the hamburger on SS is really, really, bad.  Like legendary bad.  
 

I know a gentleman rancher who orders it on each and every cruise, just to see if it has improved.  Never does.  Right @RachelG?

 

I’m sorry, but what a joke.  I understand running out of an ingredient or some esoteric libation, but what you described are the basics.  There just is no excuse for that, especially when in Boston for three days.

 

If this were my first time on SS, I guarantee you it be would have been my last, because it has absolutely nothing to do with the hurricane and everything to do with a failure to deliver a luxury experience for which SS promised.

The beef is really bad, particularly ground beef.  

[Catlover54]

1 hour ago, RachelG said:

The beef is really bad, particularly ground beef.  

 

You know a thing or two about ranching, right?  So what the heck do they do to it to make it so bad?

I can buy cheap hamburger and have it in the freezer for months, accidentally not double wrapped so it is freezer-burned, and after thawing, still turn it into something edible. 🤔

[RachelG]

17 hours ago, Catlover54 said:

 

You know a thing or two about ranching, right?  So what the heck do they do to it to make it so bad?

I can buy cheap hamburger and have it in the freezer for months, accidentally not double wrapped so it is freezer-burned, and after thawing, still turn it into something edible. 🤔

George thinks it is old cow, or perhaps not beef at all.  At any rate, it is pooor quality.  He says it is probably an inferior grade of beef rejected by good restaurants and grocery chains.

Edited October 26, 2022 by RachelG

[AtA]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:31 PM, RachelG said:

The beef is really bad, particularly ground beef.  

The veggie burger was no better.

[jollyjones]

8 hours ago, AtA said:

The veggie burger was no better.

 

Each to their own. I quite like the veggie burger.

 

Can't speak about the beef, I'm not vegetarian but I don't eat beef.

 

[flviking]

On 10/24/2022 at 10:42 AM, JOPA28 said:

The beverage situation was really shocking.  On day one there were many libations not available:  bourbon, Grand Marnier, Chardonnay, and others.     We ended up in Boston for three days due to the storm, some of these could have been purchased.    I know there are corporate buying policies/contracts, but there was so much not available.     It became comical when we ordered from the cocktail menu: “Sorry we don’t have all the ingredients”, a second would be ordered “Oh we can’t make that either”.   

Just wow! We are considering booking our first Silversea cruise so I'm reading many threads. We just got off Celebrity Reflection. Our "upper level" suite costs less per day than a Silversea verandah for reference.  My DW wants diet tonic with her gin.  Our butler, and previous butlers, tell us that diet tonic is not a standard item the ship stocks.  When a suite guest requests it in advance someone goes off ship and buys it locally to have it onboard. It is stored in a cabinet it our suite. I believe we are told this to let us know the supply is finite and that they are going to do everything possible to meet our preferences. Fill in your own motivation as you wish.  No bourbon, Chardonnay, etc?  Someone should be "counseled"

[ronrick1943]

WOW is the word, being out of anything today is wrong.  We’re about to cruise Silversea for the first time Jan 5th, 2023—-and we have another cruise booked on Silversea.  If we have a cruise like your we will be canceling the next cruise.  I’m looking for a great cruise, and don’t even want to hear the are out of something…..at this point that is just poor management.

[Lois R]

13 hours ago, ronrick1943 said:

WOW is the word, being out of anything today is wrong.  We’re about to cruise Silversea for the first time Jan 5th, 2023—-and we have another cruise booked on Silversea.  If we have a cruise like your we will be canceling the next cruise.  I’m looking for a great cruise, and don’t even want to hear the are out of something…..at this point that is just poor management.

Hi, are you sailing on The Dawn on 1/5?