Silversea vs Seabourn

[bitob]

In standard cabins one

in top suites 2

[nancygp]

56 minutes ago, bitob said:

In standard cabins one

in top suites 2

On SB there are 2 cabin attendants for the standard suites

 

nancy

Edited February 24 by nancygp

[bitob]

9 minutes ago, nancygp said:

On SB there are 2 cabin attendants for the standard suites

 

nancy

Thx for correcting me

it has been a while

[Gourmet Gal]

21 minutes ago, nancygp said:

On SB there are 2 cabin attendants for the standard suites

 

nancy

So does one of them function basically the same or similar to an SS butler?

[nancygp]

8 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

So does one of them function basically the same or similar to an SS butler?

They work as a team.  The suite host is more senior.  Never sailed ss,can’t answer.  I’ve had butlers on old crystal.  Been very pleased with set up on SB.  Guest services can also assist

 

nancy

[bitob]

They do not function as a butler does. It’s not like silversea. 

 

i will say that I tried a ph on seabourn and the 2 attendants I had were fabulous. But it still does not equate to a butler 

[markham]

What butlers do and what cleaners do are entirely different. I have explained in earlier posts that if you like queuing up and explaining your issues to one of the young people who in turn will type it all into their system for actioning by someone else, and if you like returning there to check with someone, likely someone else for the status later, then you are all set with Seabourn. It’s all kinda “family style” stuff. There is no equivalence. Butlers on Silversea are one to one personal and direct contacts, much easier to coordinate with, IMO. And they are a luxury aspect of the finest hotels. Apples and oranges.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

[Gourmet Gal]

Well, on my last 2 SS cruises our butlers were just glorified room attendants.  They seemed so clueless and we even wondered if our last butler on the Moon was medicated he seemed so out of it.

[ak1004]

44 minutes ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Well, on my last 2 SS cruises our butlers were just glorified room attendants.  They seemed so clueless and we even wondered if our last butler on the Moon was medicated he seemed so out of it.

 

We had exactly the same experience on our 2 SS cruises. Furthermore, we sailed with 5 other couples, and their experience was similar. In fact, on couple occasions we asked the butler for dinner reservations and never heard back. He never got us into the Silver Note, and only when we went in person to the venue 3 days before the end of the cruise and complained, they magically had a table to 6.

 

My guess is that they put the more experienced butlers to the upper suites, and butlers on the lower suites are just order takers, and not even always fulfill the orders. Of course there are always exceptions, and it's definitely convenient to have one point of contact who is just one call away - but I don't think that existence of a butler by itself makes one line more "luxury" than another. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

We were just in a lowly Deluxe Veranda on Silver Whisper and our Butler did exactly what a good Butler is supposed to do.  If the more experienced Butlers went to the upper suites, they must have had a sublime experience!  To me, a Butler is like having a Concierge who makes house calls.  A definite bonus.

[Lois R]

I have never sailed Seabourn before but was looking at them. I want to take a spring cruise but SS is not offering anything that I want right now......☹️..........I actually was looking at Oceania and Regent too but I just haven't pulled up the anchor. After sailing with SS for the last 7 years, I almost feel like I am cheating on them LOL...............I was even looking at a cruise to Bermuda on Celebrity but I am having a very hard time deciding if I want to go back on a big ship😧And having a Butler is not part of my decision making.

[QueSeraSera]

4 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

we even wondered if our last butler on the Moon was medicated he seemed so out of it.

that's rough.

We've had consistently positive experiences with our butlers.

Our experience is: treat them as you would like to be treated, and good things happen, believe it or not, they may know a bit more than you do about getting things done on the ship.

[Gourmet Gal]

56 minutes ago, QueSeraSera said:

that's rough.

We've had consistently positive experiences with our butlers.

Our experience is: treat them as you would like to be treated, and good things happen, believe it or not, they may know a bit more than you do about getting things done on the ship.

Certainly and believe me, I know how to treat service people and how to utilize a butler.  Our more recent experience is all the more unsatisfying after years of lovely service on SS.  It seems post-Covid service has not been as polished but is it also due to growing pains with the rapid addition of new ships? There are only so many experienced staff to go around.  I used to compare SS with Four Seasons.  We are frequent guests at FS all over the world and it’s so obvious that they have an incredible training program and a very systematic method for hiring the right people. SS seems to be slipping from their previous stamdards.

[saminina]

IME, SS standards have been slipping since 2006.  I remember meeting a couple Brits in 2002 that told me standards had dropped so much that they will not return.   The new ships have breathed life into a line that we had lost interest in booking.  It's a fresh product, but hardly luxury. 

 

If I cared at all about food, SS and SB would not make the cut.   A potential problem with Seabourn is that you have two interior bars.  A band of transient players on deck 5 reading lyrics and notes from computer screen and hopefully someone that knows how to play the piano in the observation bar.  Normally passable, but when it is not it can be too painful to tolerate.

 

So many good crew have found their way to the new options that compete for this market segment.

It's time for passengers to think beyond.

Edited February 25 by saminina

[caviargal]

We are on Nova in ten days and will be interested in entertainment.  We do not do shows, but we do love music and dancing.  SB excels in that category, and the two house bands on our last SB were outstanding!  Hoping for at least good dancing after dinner to live music.  And also interested to see what Silver Note is actually like.

[ak1004]

10 hours ago, saminina said:

IME, SS standards have been slipping since 2006.  I remember meeting a couple Brits in 2002 that told me standards had dropped so much that they will not return.   The new ships have breathed life into a line that we had lost interest in booking.  It's a fresh product, but hardly luxury. 

 

If I cared at all about food, SS and SB would not make the cut.   A potential problem with Seabourn is that you have two interior bars.  A band of transient players on deck 5 reading lyrics and notes from computer screen and hopefully someone that knows how to play the piano in the observation bar.  Normally passable, but when it is not it can be too painful to tolerate.

 

So many good crew have found their way to the new options that compete for this market segment.

It's time for passengers to think beyond.

 

If SB and SS are not luxury, who is?

[canderson]

On 2/22/2024 at 9:10 AM, southerngoose said:

 I will likely use the room service and apparently will need to call the butler to help with.

For breakfast, you'll leave a card outside your door as is common on many lines.  For other orders, you can talk to your butler or you can call the room service number directly with your order.  Your butler will come to pick up dishes if you call, or if you wait until the butler comes by for regular service, they'll clear them then.

[stan01]

I think one big difference is the variety of top tier suites.  SS has more choices for larger suites than Seabourn especially on newer ships if that is important.

 

For us the ship is a resort, so we enjoy sea days and sometimes even stay on the ship when it is in port.  Inclusive shore excursions like on Regent and some SS fares are not a good value for us. 

 

We do not enjoy competing for dining reservations or planning where we will eat months in advance, so for that we prefer Seabourn.  We often travel in balcony suites so for us a ship where passengers who pay more get preferred access to dining reservations is not to our benefit.  We enjoy the Seabourn ships and are not concerned about the interior decor.

 

We prefer not to go on 7 day cruises, even if back to back to extend.  It's a different experience for us with big changes in the vibe on board and possibly more kids.  Seabourn is doing more of their Caribbean cruises as 7 days based out of Barbados which we do not like; we'd rather board in Miami and go out for 14 days.

We are happy that the tux and gown expectation is mostly just on Cunard now.  We do not wish to travel with many large suitcases.  I do understand that others miss this formality and feel disrespected if others do not dress up to their preference.  I think the tough love answer is "get over it".

 

We've been on both SS and Seabourn, and will go on both again.  Likely will not go on Cunard Queens Grill again.  We also enjoy Seadream even though the ships are now 40 years old it is a fabulous experience for us.  We have not been on Regent yet; they just seem a lot more expensive for us.  We are watching Explora but so far its not clear to us that it is a superior product to Seabourn or SS but they will have a large fleet of ships over the coming years.  Maybe we'll try Ritz Carlton. I think Four Seasons will be out of our budget.

 

[Gourmet Gal]

1 hour ago, ak1004 said:

 

If SB and SS are not luxury, who is?

Ritz Carlton and the upcoming Four Seasons ships but they are so small they will not be a major competitor for a while if ever.  Some might say Crystal but I’ve never considered them as being in the same category as SS or SB.

[CruzinFeraBruzin]

I noticed Seabourn is taking their time releasing the late 2025 and early 2026 sailings for Australia & New Zealand.  While Silversea and Regent have had theirs out for a few months, we are still waiting on what Seabourn has to offer.   

[Gourmet Gal]

24 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

I noticed Seabourn is taking their time releasing the late 2025 and early 2026 sailings for Australia & New Zealand.  While Silversea and Regent have had theirs out for a few months, we are still waiting on what Seabourn has to offer.   

Same here.  Interested in the Japan itineraries for 2026.  So far only the Sojourn World cruise is published.

[stan01]

30 minutes ago, CruzinFeraBruzin said:

I noticed Seabourn is taking their time releasing the late 2025 and early 2026 sailings for Australia & New Zealand.  While Silversea and Regent have had theirs out for a few months, we are still waiting on what Seabourn has to offer.   

 

Yes, the itinerary for Quest has not been released yet.  Ship is in Bali in Nov 2025 so with loss of Odyssey they are not doing South America in 2026.  Ovation is in Caribbean, Encore is in SE Asia (twice per year Red Sea passages planned), Sojourn is on a Rim of Fire world cruise (no Red Sea passage).

Edited February 25 by stan01

[Texas Tillie]

3 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Ritz Carlton and the upcoming Four Seasons ships but they are so small they will not be a major competitor for a while if ever.  Some might say Crystal but I’ve never considered them as being in the same category as SS or SB.

 

Neither do I. The new Crystal is a far better experience than Silversea. You know what they say about opinions! ☺️🙃😁

[saminina]

5 hours ago, stan01 said:

 We are watching Explora but so far its not clear to us that it is a superior product to Seabourn or SS but they will have a large fleet of ships over the coming years. 

We all have opinions and your post hit the mark for likes within four hours.

 

Will be on Explora for three weeks during May.  This will be third three week cruise with the company so I'll say it has been a good value if you enjoy three decent daily meals.   Unlike SS and SB, no marketing about ultra luxury.  A clue they are aware 1998 happened a long time ago.  Just off three weeks on Crystal Serenity, which I do consider luxury.......all things considered.   The main difference being I'd suggest limiting Explora to a 14 day experiment and wishing I did not depart Serenity after three weeks.

 

Soon to do a crossing on SB to see what the product is like after 16 month absence.  They offered an expiring deal that was too good to refuse.  Hopefully, it tuns out as a good deal.

Edited February 25 by saminina

[pavementends]

On 2/23/2024 at 8:38 PM, markham said:

Seabourn is cheaper per day in general.

 

Before booking my most recent SS cruise I had a look at Seabourn and this did not seem to be so. But then I don't get special offers from them, is there a trick to get them?