Seabourn v Silversea

[calm down dear]

For those who care, I have just completed a trip on SS Dawn comparing to our October trip on SB Encore on the SS board. In short - we like both lines but would not pay a premium for SS for same itinerary. The lessons for SB to me are - improve the wine, open more venues to spread out the passengers, the breakfast and lunch environment on SS were so much better than SB - food much the same but ambiance matters. I think SB very poor on wine constant upsell that was wholly absent on SS.

[SLSD]

24 minutes ago, calm down dear said:

For those who care, I have just completed a trip on SS Dawn comparing to our October trip on SB Encore on the SS board. In short - we like both lines but would not pay a premium for SS for same itinerary. The lessons for SB to me are - improve the wine, open more venues to spread out the passengers, the breakfast and lunch environment on SS were so much better than SB - food much the same but ambiance matters. I think SB very poor on wine constant upsell that was wholly absent on SS.

I totally agree with you that it is important to open up venues at breakfast and lunch on SB to spread passengers out so it is not a cattle call.  

 

I would be most interested to know how you think the Panorama Lounge compares to the Observation Bar.  We sailed on Silversea WAY back in 2005 and I just remember the Panorama Lounge being somewhat soulless and cavernous as compared to the more comfortable forward facing Observation Lounge on all the Seabourn ships.  Maybe things are different on the newer Silversea ships like Dawn?

 

On out June cruise on Ovation, we did not experience any upsell on wine, or maybe we just ordered what we wanted at the outset and there was no opportunity.  

Edited July 11, 2023 by SLSD

[calm down dear]

Here on Dawn there was plenty of options for pre-dinner drinks. The observation bar had good views but was more a lounge and got crowded and no music. The panorama lounge had full bar, seats inside and out and music, it was a good space. The dolce vita was a cavernous space - more like Seabourn square but many had drinks there plus there was live music. The salt bar was much more atmospheric. The arts cafe also had a bar. In short more choice on SS but the SB observation bar much better overall - as salt bar lacked any views and only seated 16.

[nolatravelgirl]

I just got off the SS Muse in Alaska and would pick Seabourn over SS but would sail SS if the itinerary were right. For example, we are planning a trip to The Galapagos and Seabourn does not go there. Here were my main observations with Silversea

 

• Having to make dinner reservations every night made it so chaotic and less spontaneous. Most restaurants were waitlist only so we had to play the waitlist lottery every day in hopes that we got a call. We did get into all the dining venues eventually so it did work out but I hated that it was like playing the lottery every evening.
• Having two upcharge restaurants just cheapens the experience of a luxury line. I can see limiting people to one per sailing till everyone who wants a reservation can get one but nickel and diming just reeks of mass market
• Kaiseki, the upcharge Japanese dinner grill, was chef's kiss yummy. The lobster was probably the best thing I ate on the ship. I think it helped that we had the first seating and were seated at the grill and saw all the food freshly prepared. There were other lobsters just hanging out on the grill. I am sure they got over done as the night wore on. I don't get why they were prepping more lobster than they even had of people currently seated.
• Lunch at Kaiseki was very basic. There was only sushi and no ramen bowls like I had seen on other menus. I asked about getting some edamame knowing that it was on the dinner menu but was told it was only available at dinner. Even the cheap sushi places near me will give edamame. The spicy tuna roll was crazy spicy and the sushi chef did make me a basic tuna roll so that was nice.
• Silver Note was listed as last seating was 11pm. We had a 9pm reservation and were the last people seated. We saw others come up to the host stand asking for availability and were turned away but could come in and listen to the music. If it is just a bar after X hour then list it that way.
• The food in Silver Note was more form over function. It was all very artsy on the plate and ridiculously dark but the food just did not live up to the hype. The poor lobster on my plate died in vain. It was so dry and tough. I feel like it was sitting on some hot line just waiting to be served. We had barely gotten our apps and the main dishes were in front of us.
• The dinner menu only changes every 3 days in Atlantide so if you didn't win the reservation lottery then you were SOL and had the same menu.
• Breakfast pastries were definitely not made fresh on board. My suspicions were confirmed when we checked into the Marriott in downtown Anchorage and had the exact same breakfast pastries that were served every morning in the various venues. The little bear claw was delicious but it got repetitive. 
• Bread selection at lunch and dinner were the same in every venue, even in La Dame. There were some additional bread twists in La Dame and focaccia in La Terrazza at the dinner service  but otherwise nothing special or different.
• Ordered the lamb in La Dame that was supposed to medium rare and it came medium well. There was no pink left. Again an animal died in vain. There were enough courses that I didn’t send it back.
• The lunch/breakfast buffet seemed very disorganized. There was the waffle/egg station but it had a sign to order those items from your waiter. There was never a menu on the breakfast/lunch tables telling you what you could and couldn't order from the secret waiter menu.
• Waiters struggled with English and if you wanted to something that wasn't a click button on their iPad then they struggled with entering it into the computer. Many things came out wrong.
• La Terrazza was LOUD as it has tile floors and granite tables with no tablecloths for breakfast or lunch. I had a headache after sitting in there from all the clanging of dishes.
• Nobody ever addressed us by name in any venue. They would always ask for a suite number so it was clearly in their iPad but all the service seemed impersonal. I don’t think we ever saw the same waiter or bartender twice. The only person I recall seeing multiple times was the lady in the Art’s Café and she never remembered us.
• Waiters and servers were scampering all over in the dining venues but it was never clear what anyone's job was and we struggled with basically who was doing what. Seabourn has very clear roles in dining venues.
•  Nothing seemed cooked to order. While there is nothing wrong with that, it just felt very mass market to me. Seabourn is much more bespoke and cooks to order
• Waiters never seemed to know much about what they were serving. I asked a server what one of the bread selections was and he picked it up with his tongs looked at it and said "walnut" so I took it and then bit into it and it was olive bread. This was in Atlantide for lunch.
• Food was prepped way too early. The buffet restaurant is supposed to turn into this fancy Italian restaurant in the evening, yet when we walked in you could see easily 40 bread baskets and 40 charcuterie trays ready to be plopped down on tables. The bruschetta and tapenade bread was stale and chewy as it had clearly been made hours before service even began.
• I love that Art’s Café has a rotating selection of snacks. They were changing at least one or two options every couple of hours. On the days we were working puzzles for hours we would keep popping over to see what was new in the case. Seabourn could increase the variety in Seabourn Square
• Dolce Vita seemed like a completely cavernous and wasted space. It wasn’t ever clear what it’s purpose was for. We went there for muster drill and for one sea day sing along.
• There were plenty of bars around but none of them felt inviting to sit at. You would have to go up and order your drink and they would come and eventually deliver it. They rarely ever came around to see if you wanted a refill.
• The “you can order room service anywhere” was a comical disaster the one time we tried it in the Panorama Lounge. We ordered caviar and he kept saying it was coming and we waited over an hour. We finally gave up and went back to the suite. There sat the caviar and the ice around the little jar was all melted.
• Hot Rocks is fun and I would do it again. Very good steak and shrimp.
• Drink orders were never remembered. My friend was pretty much only drinking non-alcoholic champagne and every evening they would have to go hunt it down and seemed surprised that she was ordering it. On Seabourn it was always so different.
• The suite and bathroom were lovely and on par with what I would expect for a luxury line. I actually preferred that it had only had one sink as it increased the counter space which is always limited in a cruise bathroom. The two sinks are nice if you are in a larger suite with more room
• The balcony furniture on SS was slightly less comfortable than Seabourn. Seabourn has chairs with adjustable backs on the patio and the table is smaller on which makes it pretty hard to enjoy breakfast on the balcony.
• The convertible dining table in the living room is brilliant. Having a glass oval coffee table is nice as it increases traffic flow but when you order a meal they convert it with this table top thing that doubles the space on the table. Seabourn should take note.
• The robes were warm and thick. They were perfect for the cooler Alaska climate
• There was no deck party or sail away party. I don’t need a belly flop contest but it is fun to have a little initial sail away celebration. It was just such a non-event on SS.
• Included excursions were nice but if you went on one of the “select” excursions you pay nearly full price. It wasn’t like you got some sort of huge discount. For example we could have booked the sea plane excursion on our own for $430 but the cost on board was $399 however one of the “included” excursions had a value of $189 so why didn’t I get a credit of $189 against my select excursion?
• Bundled pricing just doesn’t seem to be that good of a deal. I am sure it is lucrative for them but they make it seem such a good deal but in my opinion the only person who wins is SS. I would rather they unbundle excursions and just charge those separately. It worked out well for Alaska as we were interested in doing many tours but that isn’t always the case in some ports.
• All the excursions were extremely well organized and they had quality excursion vendors. We never felt herded or smushed onto mass transportation.
• There was supposed to be a pillow menu that we never saw. I didn’t need a different pillow but one was never offered.
• Our butler was nice but I didn’t see a big purpose. On the days leading up to Skagway he kept commenting that the buffet would open early at 6am since many excursions would be departing at 7am. Apparently room service (which is handled by the butler) was slammed. Thankfully, we had only ordered cold items and got our breakfast on time. He said a lot people with 6am orders were still waiting on food as the kitchen window for room service was jammed. A little heads up to say continental breakfast would be a better choice would have been nice.

[SLSD]

38 minutes ago, nolatravelgirl said:

I just got off the SS Muse in Alaska and would pick Seabourn over SS but would sail SS if the itinerary were right. For example, we are planning a trip to The Galapagos and Seabourn does not go there. Here were my main observations with Silversea

 

• Having to make dinner reservations every night made it so chaotic and less spontaneous. Most restaurants were waitlist only so we had to play the waitlist lottery every day in hopes that we got a call. We did get into all the dining venues eventually so it did work out but I hated that it was like playing the lottery every evening.
• Having two upcharge restaurants just cheapens the experience of a luxury line. I can see limiting people to one per sailing till everyone who wants a reservation can get one but nickel and diming just reeks of mass market
• Kaiseki, the upcharge Japanese dinner grill, was chef's kiss yummy. The lobster was probably the best thing I ate on the ship. I think it helped that we had the first seating and were seated at the grill and saw all the food freshly prepared. There were other lobsters just hanging out on the grill. I am sure they got over done as the night wore on. I don't get why they were prepping more lobster than they even had of people currently seated.
• Lunch at Kaiseki was very basic. There was only sushi and no ramen bowls like I had seen on other menus. I asked about getting some edamame knowing that it was on the dinner menu but was told it was only available at dinner. Even the cheap sushi places near me will give edamame. The spicy tuna roll was crazy spicy and the sushi chef did make me a basic tuna roll so that was nice.
• Silver Note was listed as last seating was 11pm. We had a 9pm reservation and were the last people seated. We saw others come up to the host stand asking for availability and were turned away but could come in and listen to the music. If it is just a bar after X hour then list it that way.
• The food in Silver Note was more form over function. It was all very artsy on the plate and ridiculously dark but the food just did not live up to the hype. The poor lobster on my plate died in vain. It was so dry and tough. I feel like it was sitting on some hot line just waiting to be served. We had barely gotten our apps and the main dishes were in front of us.
• The dinner menu only changes every 3 days in Atlantide so if you didn't win the reservation lottery then you were SOL and had the same menu.
• Breakfast pastries were definitely not made fresh on board. My suspicions were confirmed when we checked into the Marriott in downtown Anchorage and had the exact same breakfast pastries that were served every morning in the various venues. The little bear claw was delicious but it got repetitive. 
• Bread selection at lunch and dinner were the same in every venue, even in La Dame. There were some additional bread twists in La Dame and focaccia in La Terrazza at the dinner service  but otherwise nothing special or different.
• Ordered the lamb in La Dame that was supposed to medium rare and it came medium well. There was no pink left. Again an animal died in vain. There were enough courses that I didn’t send it back.
• The lunch/breakfast buffet seemed very disorganized. There was the waffle/egg station but it had a sign to order those items from your waiter. There was never a menu on the breakfast/lunch tables telling you what you could and couldn't order from the secret waiter menu.
• Waiters struggled with English and if you wanted to something that wasn't a click button on their iPad then they struggled with entering it into the computer. Many things came out wrong.
• La Terrazza was LOUD as it has tile floors and granite tables with no tablecloths for breakfast or lunch. I had a headache after sitting in there from all the clanging of dishes.
• Nobody ever addressed us by name in any venue. They would always ask for a suite number so it was clearly in their iPad but all the service seemed impersonal. I don’t think we ever saw the same waiter or bartender twice. The only person I recall seeing multiple times was the lady in the Art’s Café and she never remembered us.
• Waiters and servers were scampering all over in the dining venues but it was never clear what anyone's job was and we struggled with basically who was doing what. Seabourn has very clear roles in dining venues.
•  Nothing seemed cooked to order. While there is nothing wrong with that, it just felt very mass market to me. Seabourn is much more bespoke and cooks to order
• Waiters never seemed to know much about what they were serving. I asked a server what one of the bread selections was and he picked it up with his tongs looked at it and said "walnut" so I took it and then bit into it and it was olive bread. This was in Atlantide for lunch.
• Food was prepped way too early. The buffet restaurant is supposed to turn into this fancy Italian restaurant in the evening, yet when we walked in you could see easily 40 bread baskets and 40 charcuterie trays ready to be plopped down on tables. The bruschetta and tapenade bread was stale and chewy as it had clearly been made hours before service even began.
• I love that Art’s Café has a rotating selection of snacks. They were changing at least one or two options every couple of hours. On the days we were working puzzles for hours we would keep popping over to see what was new in the case. Seabourn could increase the variety in Seabourn Square
• Dolce Vita seemed like a completely cavernous and wasted space. It wasn’t ever clear what it’s purpose was for. We went there for muster drill and for one sea day sing along.
• There were plenty of bars around but none of them felt inviting to sit at. You would have to go up and order your drink and they would come and eventually deliver it. They rarely ever came around to see if you wanted a refill.
• The “you can order room service anywhere” was a comical disaster the one time we tried it in the Panorama Lounge. We ordered caviar and he kept saying it was coming and we waited over an hour. We finally gave up and went back to the suite. There sat the caviar and the ice around the little jar was all melted.
• Hot Rocks is fun and I would do it again. Very good steak and shrimp.
• Drink orders were never remembered. My friend was pretty much only drinking non-alcoholic champagne and every evening they would have to go hunt it down and seemed surprised that she was ordering it. On Seabourn it was always so different.
• The suite and bathroom were lovely and on par with what I would expect for a luxury line. I actually preferred that it had only had one sink as it increased the counter space which is always limited in a cruise bathroom. The two sinks are nice if you are in a larger suite with more room
• The balcony furniture on SS was slightly less comfortable than Seabourn. Seabourn has chairs with adjustable backs on the patio and the table is smaller on which makes it pretty hard to enjoy breakfast on the balcony.
• The convertible dining table in the living room is brilliant. Having a glass oval coffee table is nice as it increases traffic flow but when you order a meal they convert it with this table top thing that doubles the space on the table. Seabourn should take note.
• The robes were warm and thick. They were perfect for the cooler Alaska climate
• There was no deck party or sail away party. I don’t need a belly flop contest but it is fun to have a little initial sail away celebration. It was just such a non-event on SS.
• Included excursions were nice but if you went on one of the “select” excursions you pay nearly full price. It wasn’t like you got some sort of huge discount. For example we could have booked the sea plane excursion on our own for $430 but the cost on board was $399 however one of the “included” excursions had a value of $189 so why didn’t I get a credit of $189 against my select excursion?
• Bundled pricing just doesn’t seem to be that good of a deal. I am sure it is lucrative for them but they make it seem such a good deal but in my opinion the only person who wins is SS. I would rather they unbundle excursions and just charge those separately. It worked out well for Alaska as we were interested in doing many tours but that isn’t always the case in some ports.
• All the excursions were extremely well organized and they had quality excursion vendors. We never felt herded or smushed onto mass transportation.
• There was supposed to be a pillow menu that we never saw. I didn’t need a different pillow but one was never offered.
• Our butler was nice but I didn’t see a big purpose. On the days leading up to Skagway he kept commenting that the buffet would open early at 6am since many excursions would be departing at 7am. Apparently room service (which is handled by the butler) was slammed. Thankfully, we had only ordered cold items and got our breakfast on time. He said a lot people with 6am orders were still waiting on food as the kitchen window for room service was jammed. A little heads up to say continental breakfast would be a better choice would have been nice.

Thank you for such a detailed report.  One of the things that has kept me from booking a Silversea cruise has been the restaurant situation and the need to make reservations.  I prefer to take each day as it comes and decide late in the day where to dine.  

[Rothko1]

14 hours ago, SLSD said:

Thank you for such a detailed report.  One of the things that has kept me from booking a Silversea cruise has been the restaurant situation and the need to make reservations.  I prefer to take each day as it comes and decide late in the day where to dine.  

 

The problem with that is that some of the dining locations are so small, and there is high demand, that they have to use a reservation system.  But I wish they had a better system; I usually wind up getting a table eventually at the "upgraded" restaurants once or so per cruise, but that entails talking to the restaurant manager.

[SLSD]

9 minutes ago, Rothko1 said:

 

The problem with that is that some of the dining locations are so small, and there is high demand, that they have to use a reservation system.  But I wish they had a better system; I usually wind up getting a table eventually at the "upgraded" restaurants once or so per cruise, but that entails talking to the restaurant manager.

It seems like a lot of effort to me and even though more choices for dining is appealing, the appeal is lost because of the effort that has to be made and the uncertainty about where you will be dining.  

[Rothko1]

7 minutes ago, SLSD said:

It seems like a lot of effort to me and even though more choices for dining is appealing, the appeal is lost because of the effort that has to be made and the uncertainty about where you will be dining.  

 

I concur.

[markham]

FWIW, we have never waited at all when we visit Atlantide, the “main” restaurant.  Or at the SALT (local specialities) restaurant. There is, in our experience, no need to book at these restaurants. 
 

And about their menus, they offer what their themes suggest, but their menus are deeper in their numbers of choices versus Seabourn- by far. Together these restaurants can serve about 360/595 on the 3 newest SS ships.

 

The other restaurants may call for bookings within certain dining hours but La Dame, Kaiseki, Silver Note, The Grill and La Terrazza. We do this without any issue before we board, and have never waited longer than whatever time it might take to clear a table that was occupied earlier. Of course you can plans these choices with your butler on board or with the various MDs.

 

The bottom line for us is that we get the cuisine we are in the mood for, just as you would on a “la cruise”. And if by chance you change your mind on the day, my advice is to head to the Atlantide. 
 

Simple as that.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

[Mr Luxury]

20 minutes ago, markham said:

FWIW, we have never waited at all when we visit Atlantide, the “main” restaurant.  Or at the SALT (local specialities) restaurant. There is, in our experience, no need to book at these restaurants. 
 

And about their menus, they offer what their themes suggest, but their menus are deeper in their numbers of choices versus Seabourn- by far. Together these restaurants can serve about 360/595 on the 3 newest SS ships.

 

The other restaurants may call for bookings within certain dining hours but La Dame, Kaiseki, Silver Note, The Grill and La Terrazza. We do this without any issue before we board, and have never waited longer than whatever time it might take to clear a table that was occupied earlier. Of course you can plans these choices with your butler on board or with the various MDs.

 

The bottom line for us is that we get the cuisine we are in the mood for, just as you would on a “la cruise”. And if by chance you change your mind on the day, my advice is to head to the Atlantide. 
 

Simple as that.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

Yes,very wise to head for Atlantide.

This restaurant is the most complete restaurant at sea and you will always find a great choice of cuisine to suit all tastes.

I gravitate to Atlantide more than any other restaurant on Silversea.

[SLSD]

46 minutes ago, markham said:

FWIW, we have never waited at all when we visit Atlantide, the “main” restaurant.  Or at the SALT (local specialities) restaurant. There is, in our experience, no need to book at these restaurants. 
 

And about their menus, they offer what their themes suggest, but their menus are deeper in their numbers of choices versus Seabourn- by far. Together these restaurants can serve about 360/595 on the 3 newest SS ships.

 

The other restaurants may call for bookings within certain dining hours but La Dame, Kaiseki, Silver Note, The Grill and La Terrazza. We do this without any issue before we board, and have never waited longer than whatever time it might take to clear a table that was occupied earlier. Of course you can plans these choices with your butler on board or with the various MDs.

 

The bottom line for us is that we get the cuisine we are in the mood for, just as you would on a “la cruise”. And if by chance you change your mind on the day, my advice is to head to the Atlantide. 
 

Simple as that.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

 

You make it sound easy Markham.  

 

What about the bar situation on the newer SS ships?  Is there anything to compare to the Obs Bar on SB?  Where do you hang out in the evening?  Is it a ghost town?  Is the clientele even more elderly than SB?  I remember you saying it is like being a fine hotel.  I'm sure that now that you are a regular you know quite a few people who sail SS.  Has that made a difference in terms of the social atmosphere?

Edited July 12, 2023 by SLSD

[nolatravelgirl]

25 minutes ago, SLSD said:

It seems like a lot of effort to me and even though more choices for dining is appealing, the appeal is lost because of the effort that has to be made and the uncertainty about where you will be dining.  

I agree that it was somewhat stressful and did not make for an enjoyable cruise. Like I said before, we did eventually get in all the places, it just didn't feel relaxing. Secondly, everyone said online "just have your butler handle it" but he was of no use in securing reservations. Perhaps we just had a dud of a butler. Even talking to the maître d, it  did not yield any better results other than "we can add you to the waitlist."  My other issue with the multiple restaurants is I didn't feel like they executed any of them particularly well and they were trying to do too many things and doing them all with fairly mediocre results. I think the multiple specialty restaurants works better on bigger ships but trying to execute 7 different restaurant concepts on one ship was too many. 

[sfvoyage]

I sailed with SS once and was not impressed with their food.  As mentioned above, menus are the same for 3 days at a time and were not extensive.  They were especially (and surprisingly) poor at willingness or ability to cater to guests with special dietary requirements (vegetarian/vegan, for example) when compared to SB.

Edited July 12, 2023 by sfvoyage

[PSahoy]

I just wish SB released its itineraries sooner than it does; its chief competitors release theirs over a year earlier. I’ve never had a problem on SS booking La Terazza last minute but never bothered trying the other rez necessary ones. Interestingly my highest points are with SS but given my most recent experience on SB I’d prefer it if itineraries were comparable: my most important criteria.

[PSahoy]

Oh and with SB specialties they were almost always available when I spoke directly with relevant MD’s and would accept a few days out.

[markham]

Atlantide’s MD is the person to coordinate a special meal for dinner, even when the request was as late as lunch same day. That does not happen on SB, sorry to say. BTW, these meals were no reflection of the deep menus of Atlantide, more for a “special” special meal.

 

About ages of passengers, I don’t generalize or even know, and the demographic looks like Seabourn, but there are certainly fewer needy and grasping people on SS, IMO. When we go on a SS cruise, we have one in early August, we don’t necessarily know anyone, and don’t mind at all. If we want to meet people we do so. That said, we have two Dawn cruises including the 2026 WC with 2 sets of friends we originally met on SB. (Still nothing out on SB past April, 2025 - although that did not drive our joint decisions to book this at all.)

 

About bars, we like the outdoor seating of the Panorama Bar on Dawn/Moon/Muse predinner but will meet up with people indoors at the Dolce Vita. It is calm, quieter and very spacious, something many SS people like with seating arrangements clusters for 4 or 6. As in a very fine hotel. So whatever other people do or don’t do in such an environment means little to us as long as the service is competent and trained which is always the case for us.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[caviarforme]

Our cruising started with SS too many years ago on those wonderful small ships on the privately owned line. Slowly we watched things change and decided to try SB - who turned out at that time to be on a par with SS, We cruised with both for a number of years watching SS decline in so many area's and customer service turning into the "make them wait and they will give up" policy so common nowadays. After a disastrous SS cruise that started with a dirty room, toothpaste in the bathroom water glass and human hairs in the bed when we embarked, we transferred fully to SB and have been happy.

 

A year ago, we decided to do a last minute short SS cruise with a friend we met on SS. Yes SS had changed, but not for the better in our view. Multiple venues to dine, but no style and mediocre food, the style of the MDR had gone. Joining tables and meeting others had gone! The Butler was just a cabin steward in a tail coat. No use whatsoever, knocking once and breezing in without invitation {much to my wife's annoyance} and even had the cheek to leave an empty envelope on the bed on the last night for .... well you can guess.

 

Added to that, they had us booked on a transfer to the airport tour graded as "strenuous" - I walk with an aid - and refused to offer anything else.

 

We were glad to disembark.

[nolatravelgirl]

1 hour ago, caviarforme said:

The Butler was just a cabin steward in a tail coat.

Best description ever.

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, PSahoy said:

I just wish SB released its itineraries sooner than it does; its chief competitors release theirs over a year earlier. I’ve never had a problem on SS booking La Terazza last minute but never bothered trying the other rez necessary ones. Interestingly my highest points are with SS but given my most recent experience on SB I’d prefer it if itineraries were comparable: my most important criteria.

Mr. SLSD and I are still thinking about our great Norwegian itinerary we shared with you.  And I agree--Seabourn is behind the eight ball in not setting its itineraries early.  That is the reason we could not go to Flam --as by the time SB chose it as a port, the maximum number of cruise guests for the day had already been reached.  I applaud towns who limit the number of cruise guests allowed.  A lower number is better for everyone.  Can you explain why you prefer Seabourn over Silversea?

[SLSD]

2 hours ago, markham said:

Atlantide’s MD is the person to coordinate a special meal for dinner, even when the request was as late as lunch same day. That does not happen on SB, sorry to say. BTW, these meals were no reflection of the deep menus of Atlantide, more for a “special” special meal.

 

About ages of passengers, I don’t generalize or even know, and the demographic looks like Seabourn, but there are certainly fewer needy and grasping people on SS, IMO. When we go on a SS cruise, we have one in early August, we don’t necessarily know anyone, and don’t mind at all. If we want to meet people we do so. That said, we have two Dawn cruises including the 2026 WC with 2 sets of friends we originally met on SB. (Still nothing out on SB past April, 2025 - although that did not drive our joint decisions to book this at all.)

 

About bars, we like the outdoor seating of the Panorama Bar on Dawn/Moon/Muse predinner but will meet up with people indoors at the Dolce Vita. It is calm, quieter and very spacious, something many SS people like with seating arrangements clusters for 4 or 6. As in a very fine hotel. So whatever other people do or don’t do in such an environment means little to us as long as the service is competent and trained which is always the case for us.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

Do you think Seabourn's penchant for selling blocks of suites to travel agents has affected the kind of clientele--when you mention needy and grasping.  I'm assuming you are referring to people who try to wring every dollar/pound of value out of each day.  

 

Sooner or later, Mr. SLSD and I need to at least try SS again.  He is resisting this but I am interested in seeing what the new SS ships are like.  

 

 

[PSahoy]

Thanks SLSD. Feelings mutual and hope our voyages intersect again. I particularly like the solo engagement on SB and the superb crew. But honestly I’d continue with SS if the itinerary were better. Everything about SS works well, dining on par with SB, but our cruise had such a friendly vibe that was particularly memorable. That said I took SS on the same itinerary you’re considering on Whisper. Fantastic! If they offer the mid cruise trip to Angkor Wat go for it! All the ports exciting and vibrant and HK and Singapore dining opportunities over the top. Say hi to the Mr.

[SLSD]

7 minutes ago, PSahoy said:

Thanks SLSD. Feelings mutual and hope our voyages intersect again. I particularly like the solo engagement on SB and the superb crew. But honestly I’d continue with SS if the itinerary were better. Everything about SS works well, dining on par with SB, but our cruise had such a friendly vibe that was particularly memorable. That said I took SS on the same itinerary you’re considering on Whisper. Fantastic! If they offer the mid cruise trip to Angkor Wat go for it! All the ports exciting and vibrant and HK and Singapore dining opportunities over the top. Say hi to the Mr.

Mr. SLSD sends his regards.  We were just talking about how we would enjoy cruising with you again.  Keep us updated here on what you are choosing in terms of itineraries.  After 2004, we'll try to keep our autumns and springs more clear for cruising.  

 

If you have restaurant recommendations for Hong Kong and Singapore, please offer them.  

 

And yes, our cruise was quite friendly.  We started out just hoping to stay well and not contract Covid, but soon put that to the side.  Without trying to meet anyone, we did meet people and enjoyed  and that enhanced our cruise.   I'm so glad you spoke up when you suspected who I was.  

Edited July 12, 2023 by SLSD

[PSahoy]

In Hong Kong I relied on the hotel concierge for recos (Peninsula) who was spot on. Singapore was nothing fancy for me; a local dim sum favorite and a hawker food hall which is definitely not your style. Unfortunately didn’t retain info. But there are plenty of high end dining spots with fabulous views. Don’t miss the incredible nightly light show near the Marina Sands Hotel and the indoor botanical gardens. 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, PSahoy said:

In Hong Kong I relied on the hotel concierge for recos (Peninsula) who was spot on. Singapore was nothing fancy for me; a local dim sum favorite and a hawker food hall which is definitely not your style. Unfortunately didn’t retain info. But there are plenty of high end dining spots with fabulous views. Don’t miss the incredible nightly light show near the Marina Sands Hotel and the indoor botanical gardens. 

Dim sum is always fun.  And I have no idea what a hawker food hall is.  It might be noisy?  But fun.  

[Joc123]

Yesterday we boarded Silver Dawn.

 

It has taken us 10 years to return to Silversea after a dreadful cruise (Singapore - Singapore) on Silver Shadow. We said we would never give SS our money again!

Never say never because here we are on the beautiful Dawn.

We booked a Silver Suite thinking it would be similar to SB penthouse.

It’s not!

Its at least twice as big, a true separate bedroom, much larger bathroom with a lovely sized shower and a wardrobe with so much space not even I can fill it!!

We had dinner in La Terrazza last night and it was lovely, La Dame tonight (formal night)

We are still trying to work out where everything is, so many bars, restaurants, sitting areas and at this stage it’s a little confusing. I’m sure we will have it sorted by the end of the day.

After this cruise we board Ovation so we will be able to give an accurate comparison.