Alaska was a secret bucket list destination for my wife. I now know why. It exceeded my expectations. We like to taste and sample new things and Silversea delivers. Having everything included means the decision comes down to do I want to try or not.
Some day we will slow down and try room service but with 8 eating venues and 7 days the question is why? Men bring dockers, a jacket, and a couple of shirts and you are gold every night. The women dress up for the gals not the guys. Black is the most common nightly color and looks great. With every passenger making this small effort at meeting the dress code the ship feels sharper and the evening is full song, food, drink, and class.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Had to show multiple documents multiple times. Should have been once for all the documents to get room key and then room key and a photo id at most at all other check points. Temp taken at 3 different points was less annoying but seemed like the process was not thought through.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
This is where silver sea leaves others in the dust. Ate at all 8 restaurants. LaDame worth the upcharge, Kisekei upcharge not to my tastes. Service was excellent. The complimentary wines as well as alternate selections paired well with the meals of the venue and you needed to indicate when to stop topping up the glass. Did not feel the need to buy an upcharge bottle. No lines at the buffet encountered.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Pool and hot tubs were not crowded, ever. Did not stop by the fitness center. Walking track was available whenever I needed it, again no crowds. With all drinks included the passengers at the bar were having a good time and being able to all afford a balcony suite all were in control. This is not a party boat. Sea days were not boring. There were always some activity and the one comment that struck me as odd was with a putting competition and it being crowded with 14 participants.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The enrichment lectures were spot on, relevant, and professionally presented. With a limited cast of 6 entertainers the shows were creative and well executed.
Children's Programs
Did not bring any children. Maybe 5-10 under 18 kids on the entire cruise. Did not encounter any kids on any of the shore excursions we took.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The ship was mothballed for 8 months of cancelled cruises in Asia before the cruise we took and crew was cobbled together from 4 ships so it was like a maiden voyage. It took a couple of days for the wait staff to get the service synchronized. After that service was top notch and what we expected. Room and maid service was top notch the whole cruise.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Muse class ship is well laid out with common areas being spacious. Never felt crowded, always a place to sit. The ship was still providing covid levels of cleaning wiping down services, handles, and surfaces was frequent.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Superior Balcony Suite on the 9th deck forward. Lots of places to store your stuff, a bathroom with both full shower and bathtub. The balcony was designed for sitting on with great views out, perfect for spotting whales.
Ship tip
Mingle with the other passengers as often as you can. Most are interesting and fun.
Spent about 10 minutes here. Took the train from Anchorage (included) and walked straight on the boat after showing my documents and room key one more time. Fog rolled in about 30 minutes after leaving port but there was time to see the snow-covered mountains meeting the sea.
Weather was clear and sunny. The ship had to push through an ice field to get within 3 miles of the glacier. Seals and sea lions on the ice flows. Some of the house sized icebergs scraped paint before bouncing off.
Clear sunny day no wind. Did two shore excursions, horseback riding and helicopter to Meade glacier. Get to the chopper is a lifetime must do. Spotted mountain goats and drank glacier melt. Snow cover mountains for 50 miles in all directions.
By Sitka it became obvious all the stores had the same stuff as all the other ports. Took a wild life boat trip because the weather was raining and the boat was set up so you could just look out the big windows without getting wet. I had rain gear so the observation deck was all mine and I could do a captain Ahabb impression. Saw a young humpback whale, many see otters including one hanging out on a rock (was told this was a rare sighting) and several sea lions.
Took the wildlife beachfront bonfire trip. Was more like straight line boating to the beach campfire where you roast your own hotdog (rain deer tastes like a beef frank) and smores. Then back to the boat.
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