Another disappointing review of the Shadow

[ging466]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=57109

 

Any comments?

 

Cheers

ging466

[Wellseasoned]

okay, is this review a joke? Has the reviewer ever been on a ship before? Is she related to the nasty child described on another current thread? The bathtub isn't large enough for two! The food wouldn't even rate one Michelin star! (Does she have a clue as to how difficult it is to get One Michelin star?) Only a queen bed and not a California king. You are on a SHIP! Etc., but read it for yourself. If I were more religious I would pray that I never have to sail with that reviewer.

[Emtbsam]

okay, is this review a joke? Has the reviewer ever been on a ship before? Is she related to the nasty child described on another current thread? The bathtub isn't large enough for two! The food wouldn't even rate one Michelin star! (Does she have a clue as to how difficult it is to get One Michelin star?) Only a queen bed and not a California king. You are on a SHIP! Etc., but read it for yourself. If I were more religious I would pray that I never have to sail with that reviewer.

 

My sentiments exactly. It's a ship - of course there will be noise and occasional motion! I hope the reviewer disliked it so much that he/she will never set foot on a Silversea ship again.

[V8Babe]

My husband and I are really looking forward to our first SS adventure on the Whisper leaving 19/9, reading reviews like this is pretty scarey but as has been previously said, it must be a joke! You are on a boat not in a hotel, if you want to compare to a hotel, stay in a hotel!

 

Love this board - thanks everyone for your great input and helpful info.

 

:)

[cotto22]

A bathtub for two on a ship and a California King Bed? I suspect Bonine might not be the only drug Ms. Annie was using.:D

[ging466]

My husband and I are really looking forward to our first SS adventure on the Whisper leaving 19/9, reading reviews like this is pretty scarey but as has been previously said, it must be a joke! You are on a boat not in a hotel, if you want to compare to a hotel, stay in a hotel! Love this board - thanks everyone for your great input and helpful info. :)

 

Welcome to the board V8Babe. I have only done one SS cruise and that was on the Whisper last December. I had the best time ever and so will you. I can't wait for my next one on the Spirit but I have to wait until October 2010 - it is so far away.

 

Some of these reviews are really getting ridiculous. I don't understand why one would compare a ship to a hotel anyway....and they had a silver suite....they are sooooo beautiful.

 

Cheers

ging466

[SantaAna,CA]

This is not just a bad review, it's a scathing review. Almost like someone had an axe to grind.

 

I also find it interesting, in the last sentence, they didn't even spell the name of the line correctly. It's Silversea, not Silverseas.

[meow!]

We found the basic cabin on the Shadow/Whisper elegant and luxurious, even more wholesome than a standard room in an average five-star hotel on land. It has separate tub and shower, a walk-in closet, a make-up module, even a balcony (in most standard cabins). How many standard rooms in the average five-star hotel on land have all of these features in the same room? Besides, look at the nicely curved desinger pattern veneered furnishings, the wood bordered ceilings, the long-stripped bi-directional heating/air-conditioning vents (for comfortable, diffused air). Which average five-star hotel on land has standard rooms with such attention to details?

 

The marine architect, Yran & Storbraaten of Oslo deserves a prize for such a practical and elegant design. Yes, the standard cabin is smaller than the average luxury hotel room in North America, at 287 sq.ft. interior space (we measured with tape and confirmed that). But this is comparable in size to many luxury hotels in Europe and Asia. We think the writer of that report is simply displaying their ignorance of ships, sorry but true!

[ging466]

We found the basic cabin on the Shadow/Whisper elegant and luxurious, even more wholesome than a standard room in an average five-star hotel on land. It has separate tub and shower, a walk-in closet, a make-up module, even a balcony (in most standard cabins). How many standard rooms in the average five-star hotel on land have all of these features in the same room? Besides, look at the nicely curved desinger pattern veneered furnishings, the wood bordered ceilings, the long-stripped bi-directional heating/air-conditioning vents (for comfortable, diffused air). Which average five-star hotel on land has standard rooms with such attention to details?

 

The marine architect, Yran & Storbraaten of Oslo deserves a prize for such a practical and elegant design. Yes, the standard cabin is smaller than the average luxury hotel room in North America, at 287 sq.ft. interior space (we measured with tape and confirmed that). But this is comparable in size to many luxury hotels in Europe and Asia. We think the writer of that report is simply displaying their ignorance, sorry but true!

 

I agree with you meow! When I saw my Vista suite for the first time, I said Wow! When I saw the other suites (verandah, silver, royal and owners'), the wow kept getting bigger:)

 

I honestly can't understand how anyone could not be happy in a silver suite, even if it doesn't fit 2 people in the bathtub!

 

For all you first time SS cruisers, do NOT be perturbed by these silly reviews.

 

Cheers

ging466

[seagirl2002]

SOme people really seem to have lost their sense of reality. I mean how can you even think of comparing a ship with a hotel. A ship never has the space to equip all suites with kingsize beds or bathtubs for two. I love the suites on Silversea. My mom and myself spent so many days in there. Always in Verandah Suites and sometime up to 45 days in a row and we never felt something would be missing.

I mean I had rooms in 5* star hotels on land which have been a lot worse and we paid a lot of money for.

 

So I agree with the others, this review must be a joke. At least I can't take it serious and I hope it won't scare off people that have never cruised with Silversea before.

[Jade13]

I actually don't think the review is that bad. It's mostly 4 stars out of 5. Ok, the comment about expecting a King bed on a small ship is stupid, as well as expecting a large bathroom.

 

Most of the review mentioned the food and accommodations, and we agree that no ship food compares to many land based 5 star resorts or hotels. We haven't been on this ship but on the PAII and while a large selection (perfect for those who complain that they go on cruises - not SilverSea - and do not have food from the region), the food wasn't any better in our opinion than HAL, a mass market line (but better than food we found on Celebrity). I actually agree that a large differance on the luxury lines, besides smaller passenger ratio, has to do with the all inclusive alcohol policy and not having to sign and pay for soft drinks as well. Our accommodations were really nice but they have been really nice on other ships too.

[Jade13]

This is not just a bad review, it's a scathing review. Almost like someone had an axe to grind.

 

I also find it interesting, in the last sentence, they didn't even spell the name of the line correctly. It's Silversea, not Silverseas.

 

I actually didn't read it as "scathing". I just thought it was from someone who has little cruise experience as you really can't compare a small ship to a 5 star luxury hotel. There just isn't enough space to place large Suites with King beds and large bathrooms. The problem is that their review compared their cruise experience to a land based resort.

[Keith1010]

Interesting that reviewer indicated that they boarded the ship in Vancouver in August. Our saling on 8/1 was from San Francsico and ended in Vancouver. That is the only completed August cruise. None of the July cruises began in Vancouver and all of the July, 2009 cruises were R/T San Francisco. If they boarded the ship in August in Vancouver then they were two days into the sailing at the time the review was written.

 

Anyway, having just been on the ship some of the comments make me feel that we were on two different ships. And I'm not talking about the opinion about the quality of food. Talking about comments from the constant vibration they mentioned, no butter on the table, staff not speaking english and so forth.

 

Keith

[oregon50]

I actually didn't read it as "scathing". I just thought it was from someone who has little cruise experience as you really can't compare a small ship to a 5 star luxury hotel. /quote]

 

Agree. The review better describes the writer than the ship.

[Goldens4]

I really think this is ridiculous. And, Keith verified the time frame of the so-called eviewer and it just couldn't happen. What a crock of utter crap.

[Host Dan]

As Keith said, the review could have been written while on the ship, however the reviewer had unrealistic expectations of a cruise ship. I wonder if the deep discounting on the luxe lines are attracting first time luxe cruisers who don't have a clue?

 

Host Dan

[endosunshine]

I too was curious about the "Vancouver embarkation". As clueless as this poster seems, perhaps she does not know the difference between "embark" and "disembark"??

 

There are always people who can not be pleased, no matter what. I firmly believe that this has more to do with the fact that they are miserable, petty, unhappy people inside than with their surroundings.

While on Shadow I did not hear anyone complain to the extent of this post, but I did overhear a few silly and petty complaints from a few people. DH and I just rolled our eyes at one another. Was every single minute of my time on the ship perfect? No, but big deal.

 

These people who complain about everything need to wake up and smell the coffee - they should be glad they have the financial wherewithal to take "luxury" cruises, that they can wake up and have sight and walk and speak each day, that they don't have to spend their days worrying if a stray bullet will kill them today, etc, etc, etc.!!!

 

We are all very lucky people.

[wripro]

Host Dan,

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. It's all a matter of expectations. Silversea (and all the luxury lines) market themselves as the best of the best. If someone is inexperienced in cruising they might indeed expect the ships to equal the best hotels and restaurants in the world, not realizing that on a ship this is impossible.

[DebbieH103]

The review was written in the present tense, and I don't think they waited till the cruise was over to review, which was not really fair unless they were just presenting live commentary in a thread.

 

Personally, I have things I look for in a land trip and things I look for in a cruise. Many aspects of those two experiences are not the same. One thing I like about the CC review system is the ability for the ratings because had I not seen all those 4s, I would have thought they were rating it more of a 3 from their description.

 

I wonder about all the comments about noise and what the initial expectation of the cruiser was. Often people do set expectations so high that they talk themselves into a mediocre experience. There was no mention of any activities day or night, unless I missed it.

 

I think it is important not to discount a review just because you don't agree with it because a well-rounding of opinions and informations help us all. I just don't think we got the benefit of their entire cruise experience. In addition to no talk about activities, there was no talk of embarkation, handling of requests, etc.

[LaPaloma]

As Keith said, the review could have been written while on the ship, however the reviewer had unrealistic expectations of a cruise ship. I wonder if the deep discounting on the luxe lines are attracting first time luxe cruisers who don't have a clue?

 

Host Dan

Host Dan--The person must be a kook--on our last SS cruise we had a Silver Suite--we have been in many fancy large suites on other cruise ships--none compare to a Silver Suite--this person doesn't have a clue--for sure! Don

[Keith1010]

A few additional comments.

 

1. For those of you who like myself have a different view of the ship and the cruise line take the time to write a review. I say this because I know it was mentioned the other day that some of the reviews of late have been negative yet I know that folks often post on this board how much they enjoyed their cruise.

 

2. Remember that in the end you will never have consensus on any item. Take 100 people on the same cruise and you will not get 100 people to agree on how good the cruise is. There will always be a few that are not pleased with it even if most are. If we all saw things the same way there would only be one cruise line, one color of clothing, one car manufacturer, etc.

 

3. In the end, the most important critic is each of us.

 

For what it is worth, the vast majority of those that we sailed with both seasoned cruisers of Silversea and those sailing on the cruise for the very first time had mostly positive comments to say about the cruise. Many said they will sail on Silversea again. I think the major exceptions were those who implied that this is a once in a lifetime cruise.

 

Speaking for my wife and myself we do try to focus mostly on the positives of a cruise. We remind ourselves that most people in the world will never have the opportunity to take a cruise and of those who do very few will be able to sail on a luxury cruise line. We also remind ourselves that life is short, and not to complain about things. There are people around the world who do not have a place with a roof to sleep under this evening or food for themselves or for their famliies. Those people would not complain about asking about butter or the size of the bed or items that are trivial. As I always say, we're not buying the ship.

 

So, in the end we put all of this in perspective. We do consider ourselves fortunate and lucky to be where we are. Of course, I realize that some will not see it this way but that's how we see it.

 

Keith

[billcrooz]

A few additional comments.

 

1. For those of you who like myself have a different view of the ship and the cruise line take the time to write a review. I say this because I know it was mentioned the other day that some of the reviews of late have been negative yet I know that folks often post on this board how much they enjoyed their cruise.

 

2. Remember that in the end you will never have consensus on any item. Take 100 people on the same cruise and you will not get 100 people to agree on how good the cruise is. There will always be a few that are not pleased with it even if most are. If we all saw things the same way there would only be one cruise line, one color of clothing, one car manufacturer, etc.

 

3. In the end, the most important critic is each of us.

 

For what it is worth, the vast majority of those that we sailed with both seasoned cruisers of Silversea and those sailing on the cruise for the very first time had mostly positive comments to say about the cruise. Many said they will sail on Silversea again. I think the major exceptions were those who implied that this is a once in a lifetime cruise.

 

Speaking for my wife and myself we do try to focus mostly on the positives of a cruise. We remind ourselves that most people in the world will never have the opportunity to take a cruise and of those who do very few will be able to sail on a luxury cruise line. We also remind ourselves that life is short, and not to complain about things. There are people around the world who do not have a place with a roof to sleep under this evening or food for themselves or for their famliies. Those people would not complain about asking about butter or the size of the bed or items that are trivial. As I always say, we're not buying the ship.

 

So, in the end we put all of this in perspective. We do consider ourselves fortunate and lucky to be where we are. Of course, I realize that some will not see it this way but that's how we see it.

 

Keith

I agree with most of what you have written except always to focus positive; if there were no constructive criticism this ship would have descended into mediocrity long ago.........

[Keith1010]

I agree with most of what you have written except always to focus positive; if there were no constructive criticism this ship would have descended into mediocrity long ago.........

 

Bill, yes, i agree with your point.

 

While we focus on many of the positives for the reasons I mentioned, we also take the time to point out items that could be improved. I did this in the review I wrote up. I view this as offering constructive suggestions.

 

For us it's all about balance and being reasonable.

 

Keith

[palamoh]

Expectations on any trip can be spoiled w/a Bad Attitude. Obviously this Cruiser has had the good fortune of being exposed to the best Facilities that the World has to offer. She should have upgraded to a Higher Category and she would have been better served. Her complaints are Petty, there is always something on any cruise that one can get a bit nit picky over. She has taken this to extremes.

 

I read where she "took Bonine prior to departure" and it made her sleepy. I wonder if she had a mix up with her Drugs?

 

"Mitch"

[Susan07470]

I am getting nervous about the trip I booked for 2010. Should I have stuck with Seabourn?