See above. Upside - we got to Antarctica and enjoyed our 7th continent. down side - LOTS!!! this package is not what Silversea advertises. There are all kinds of variables. One couple had been trying to get on two previous cruises and both got cancelled - and they sat in Punta Arenas. Silversea needs to work on the "package" here. from poor provisioning as we were at the end of nearly 40 days away from port to being WAY OVERPRICED for our room. we thought of this as a trip of a lifetime and for what we spent we could have done a private yacht charter with friend.
gave Silversea a chance to reach out when we got home and got an auto response from their guest relations team. no contact. this is the old Carvinal "once you are off the ship please go home" attitude. no interest once they have you off and got your $$$$
also of the 200 people on our cruise I would estimate 80 to 100 were extremely unhappy. wish I would have seen more reviews when I booked this almost 2 years ago. do your homework, don't spend too much and beware . . ..
Embarkation
1 out of 5
After over 2 days of sitting in hotels (due to weather according to Silversea) we finally departed for Antarctica.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food quality was good but the ship had not been provisioned for 38 days - they were out of many items and could not even fulfill some simple fruit requests due to depletion of provisions. that is a flow of this model . . . you cannot provision for 200 people every 45 days.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Not a lot of activities because you are suppose to be on shore. We missed 3 full days of Antarctica and actually only spent 1.5 HOURS on the antarctic peninsula due to a series of problems, the worst of which was the 2 day delay to get there . . . they have a 50% plus delay or cancellation rate!!!!!!!!
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Had one guitar guy and one pianist. they were both entertaining and were good quality.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
this is where they shine - and the only area. staff were very friendly, took time to do the best for us and they try very hard. everyone from bar staff/waiters/butlers/expedtion team try very hard to make guests happy - it is the only bright spot of this review.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
We were in the Grand Suite - the cabin is very nice - well appointed. this review is due to the HORRIFIC cost versus what you get. it should be $100,000 less than we paid . . . at least.
Ship tip
Know that you will be delayed, cancelled, subject to a host of variables that Silversea does not fully disclose. One couple was on their third ATTEMPT to get on the cruise after 2 aborts.
on the bridge you do not really do the Drake passage - you sail from Antarctic Sound area to South Georgia Island - not really the Drake passage at all - that is of benefit for some.
ok stop but shops and restaurants closed at 1:30pm. many cruisers were glad to get off the ship after 10 days or so and doing commerce is simply not important on this island.
ok stop. hike was advertised as 1.5 miles round trip - it was actually 3 miles and a lot of walking with a 400ft elevation change. birds/penguins were plentiful once you got there . . .
I was a fellow passenger with Cmleedom and echo his review entirely. This fly-over to Antarctica from the tip of South America is unfortunately not a viable way to get there. Not only are you at the mercy of weather given the requirements to land at TNM, you also are dealing with limited ship provisioning which impacts on-board food. I was disappointed that the trip was marketed as Antarctica because we spent a tremendous amount of time doing everything else but going on the continent. I would suggest to anyone looking to actually get on-the-ground time in Antarctica, take a cruise that crosses the Drake Passage and with a company who is focused on expedition experiences. I found the crew to be very enjoyable and the new ship was beautiful, but I would trade a lower guest-to-crew ratio and less luxurious of a ship to experience more of Antarctica.
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