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Silver Spirit

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Silver Muse

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Silver Origin

Fabulous Silver Suite, Terrible Denali Extension, Mediocre Food

Just off a 14 Day Silver Muse Cruise from Melbourne AU to Auckland, NZ.  Weather was good (not great) and par for the course, the Tasman gave us a little bit of bad weather thus we missed Bluff NZ, our second port of call. No big deal, as we were being pampered aboard with staff that was so attentive.  No ask was too big or too small. They and they alone are the outstanding element of the trip.  The incredible waiters and dining staff who work a triple everyday, (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) and do it with such grace.  After the service element, things drop off a little.  It had been a number of years since I had been on Silversea and it pains me to report that food quality has suffered.  Quality of meats and fish, selection of wines, the menus in general.  We noticed on the Buffet at Breakfast there are no (Zero) berries while we remember there being huge bowls of various berries previously. Entertainment, the production shows were so bad we walked out of 2 and never attended another one.  the Ice Cream at the Ice Cream Spot and frankly every dining room was so bad that's and that's an easy fix!  

The Showroom is not equipped (Too low of a ceiling) and the shows themselves seemed really low budget.  Drop the production shows altogether and bring on local entertainment or just do specialty acts. Around the ship are various musical acts but none had a "personality".  Most rarely spoke.  Just wasn't any fun.  Same for the trip in the panorama..How many times can you hear "Satin Doll"?  Overall the entertainment was just horrible. 

My biggest issue is the Silversea product just feels super dated, like it's a cruise from the 90's.  A Dress code that no one seemed to like and even I refused to leave the cabin one night so that I didn't have to dress up. Only a couple of Casual nights with most nights a jacket was "Required".  Dress code wasn't the only issue... the activities, the music on board, the shows, the menus' everything seemed "dated".  My concern with Silversea is that if they do not migrate to a more modern offering, they will not survive without having to dramatically drop rates.  It just seemed sort of a mediocre and if it were not for the amazing crew this would get a lower rating.

A cruise product that is in desperate need of updating..There is such incredible potential!

We are in our mid 50s, have done 6 cruises with 5 carriers and this was the worse. Electric wheelchairs, walking frames, everywhere.  The average age group is 70+.  They love not leaving their rooms or the ship for 2 weeks so it suits them.

The ship is too small (550 People) so is limited to going into small destination ports only as it can’t cope with over 1.5mtr (4ft waves) in places like Wellington, Christchurch.  After 1 week everyone got sick with the Flu/COVID.

The all inclusive was appealing but in hindsight all this meant was the alcohol, but you can only drink so much.  The business class flights were the worst Silversea could find.  Virgin Australian domestic and Air New Zealand.  Both terrible.

Their preferred form of communication is your room TV. Service Desks are no help. Phones go unanswered when calling from your room - reception/ Butler/ in room dining don’t pickup the phone. 

We booked the Oyster shucking in Bluff, NZ 3 months prior only to find Oyster season is not December it's Mar-Aug, something Silversea excursions should have known about.  New Zealand destinations were the worse choices and 4 from our 7 were cancelled on the days or the night before.

Silversea use local people to organise passengers and it doesn't work.  Locals don't care, shove you on a bus, through a terminal carpark all with no communication. The Silversea excursion manager, simply does not give a dam when passengers complain.  She's unapproachable 

13 days of 14 non-stop Christmas music and they wouldn’t change it.  Music in general all over the ship was substituted Pilipino or Indonesian versions.  Obviously not paying music royalties to have the real artist’s broadcasting. Pianist, singers, dancers, entertainers were basic and amateur.  No lounge bar, no centre of the ship to listen to music, nothing.  The pianist would play for 30 minutes each night whilst everyone was at dinner.

Having to wear dinner jackets and dressing up for 14 nights after 6pm becomes tiring.

Cleaning is not good considering COVID is still an issue.  We found Level 4 dining area men’s toilet had urine stains on the floor for 2 days.  Level 5 public Ladies toilet not serviced in 24hrs that we had noticed. We knew by the used hand towels left on the bench.

Our room was hit and miss with cleaning. Balcony floor & railings were not cleaned the entire 2 weeks.  We had to ask constantly for toilet paper and creams, shampoo etc.

Food is average. Bread slices are under 3mm thick so it's like eating a piece of card stock. Breakfast & lunch buffet is the same every day, no variety.  You can’t toast your own anything, it’s all table service which is not what you want at breakfast.  Hard boiled eggs are removed from menus on shore excursion days to stop people taking them on shore. 

No dinner buffet, you must book a restaurant. If the 2 walk-ins are full you wait in line or order room service.  Nowhere on board is ready made snack food, every meal, including the pizza bar, you must sit and be waited on hand and foot.  That's ok, but not all the time.  We had a 1pm excursion and you can't just grab a quick sandwich or hot dog, it's all about silver service dining the whole time.

If you miss breakfast there's no food option until lunch restaurants open at noon.  Room service is 24hr which you can have delivered anywhere you are on the boat, but it's not quick (20+ mins) and the menu is limited.

Overall this was not good value for money for a 2 week cruise at $30,000AUD per couple.  

It's definitely cheaper to pay for a cheaper 5 star cruise (Oceania or Princess) and pay for alcohol & excursions as you go.

One Foot In The Grave - BORING

Tampa

Having had to cancel a cruise further out this 15 day cruise from Cairns to Auckland was a great alternative. Having travelled on Silversea ships previously including a recently completed a wonderful Silversea cruise from Darwin to the Kimberley we were pleased to see the ongoing level of service aboard Silver Muse. As a sister ship to Silver Spirit which we had previously sailed upon it was very comfortable surroundings. Our Superior Verandah Suite was a very familiar layout for us and the restaurants were always a pleasure to eat at and the bar area service was first class. In that we were just on this cruise to relax (and the ocean was extremely calm and very very blue) we spent many hours poolside and did not go on many shore excursions apart from the Bay of Islands in New Zealand which is a beautiful area of that country. After arriving in Auckland as our final destination we spent a few day there and found it a really great city just to wander around or occasionally take a ferry to one of the nearby places - Devonport was the standout place to visit via a short ferry ride.

Such a relaxing cruise

Mykonos

I sailed on the silver spirit a few years ago when butlers wore white gloves, the food was excellent in all areas of the ship. A key ring light was beside your bed if you needed it in the dark. Nuts and smarties were replenished in the room as well if you wanted to nibble with a wine. What a disappointment this one was. The small things that made it 5 star were gone.. the food in the buffet was boring to say the least. The shows in the theatre were not that great. The cabin staff I could not fault. But you could see where Silverseas are cutting costs. Would I recommend sailing with them.NO

I know I won’t be ever again. Very disappointing. Our flight home was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. Even when I mentioned to the air team that they did not allow much time between flights. Then they downgraded us from business class to economy to get us home.

Definitely not a 5 star cruise. More 3 star

My wife and I chose this cruise as we had always wanted to try a luxury cruise line, and when we saw a package that would book-end the cruise with a preceding tour of China and a post-cruise tour of India it would cross three things off our bucket list.

So let's start with the positives. Our overall thoughts on this cruise and Silver Muse as a cruise ship are very positive. It is a ship of refined elegance with excellent customer service and attention to detail, provided by friendly yet professional crew members. Our cabin steward and butler were very accommodating when it came to fulfilling our requests. The ratio of crew to passengers was excellent. The food was very good (but see below) and the wine/spirit options were also excellent (but, again, see below). If you wanted to drink champagne all day long, you could. The room service was the best we had ever had on a cruise ship. The guest entertainers were far better than the in-house main entertainers (who were prone to making mistakes and had obviously not rehearsed enough). The enrichment lectures were very interesting and informative, provided by experts in their field. Bulgari bathroom products were top quality. Even though it was a 'smaller' ship it never felt crowded. Silver Muse is definitely suitable if you are very elderly or somewhat infirm.

That all said, several negatives (in our opinion) did come to light over the two weeks on board. Being a smaller ship, it was impacted more by rougher seas which meant more movement was experienced (not that it was ever that bad). The quality of the main in-house entertainment was quite poor, the exception being the duo in Silver Note who were excellent. On board activities were limited. The internet was very intermittent. The buffet service (if you can call it that) was very limited, available only at very restricted times, and there was no buffet service in the evening. Dinner at several restaurants with limited seating needed to be booked, which was not always easy as many passengers were obviously making multiple bookings at their favourite restaurant. (TIP: Speak to the Hotel Director and/or restaurant managers should this happen - it worked each time!) The two speciality restaurants are simply not worth the extra money (100US$ in total per person); the food elsewhere was just as good. The ship ran out of complimentary rose wine on Day 2 of the cruise. The butler service was available only at set times during the day. 

It may be a luxury cruise but is it value for money - not sure!

So would I recommend this cruise ship? If you are very elderly, somewhat infirm, go to bed early, do not suffer from sea-sickness or simply like everything being done for you to a very high standard, then it's a definite YES. If you are younger, more able and independent, prone to sea-sickness, like to have many activities on board or where entertainment is important, it's a definite NO.

Excellent for some but not for all

Background: We've sailed on RCCL 7 times, Celebrity 8 times, Princess once and Seabourn (our most recent) twice.  We've also done river cruises with Scenic.

Our last cruise was with Seabourn; a 24-day Antarctica cruise from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  We booked Seabourn as on our previous (and only), pre-CoVid cruise we had an exceptional time.  Sadly we felt that Seabourn lacked the polish that it had, that service was "good" at best, food wasn't as wonderful as we remembered and, overall, it was just not the experience we were expecting.

We booked Silversea/this cruise to try an alternative to Seabourn, to visit an area that was on our bucket list and to use a credit we had from Silversea we were given from a cruise that was canceled.  We would rate our Silversea experience 5-Star across the board.

Prior to sailing, as I usually do, I read reviews on CC and had great trepidation, expecting a poor experience in all areas of the ship.  My fears were completely unfounded; the service, food, ship, ports and overall experience were outstanding.  Looking back at the bad reviews, which seemed to focus on Alaska sailings, I wonder if there was something going on with Silver Muse for that portion of the ship's schedule.  We missed 2 ports due to weather, due to no fault of Silversea and most if not all guests took it in stride.

Our itinerary took us from Yokohama, around Honshu - Japan's main island - with a stop in Busan, South Korean and Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido, ending back in Yokohama.  Shore excursions were all well planned, guides were knowledgeable and friendly, and tours provided just the right amount of information on the history of Japan and the area we were visiting.  Some excursions were more active than others and some complained that they felt like there was too much walking (even though the tour description clearly outlined the amount of walking to expect) and the guides made adjustments to accommodate these individuals.

Our suite (Superior Verandah Suite): We loved the size and layout of the suite compared to Seabourn.  The bathroom was much more spacious with a large vanity and the shower was 50% larger than that on Seabourn.  The cabin was similar with slight differences that were much appreciated: the television in both the bedroom area and living room area is "hidden"  behind a mirror and only visible when you turn it on.  The verandah was larger than that on Seabourn with space for two chairs, two ottomans and a table.  The best was that Silversea has a tabletop that fits over the oval cocktail table in the room to create a true dining table; perfect for breakfast in the cabin with plenty of space for plates, coffee cups, etc.

Service: Everywhere throughout the ship the service was excellent.  The crew was friendly and welcoming and genuinely made you feel they were happy to have you there and were enjoying their jobs.  Not once did we encounter anyone who was surly or unpleasant.  Our Butler, Joybec, was outstanding!  He introduced himself on the first day and asked us if we needed anything, bringing it promptly when we did.  We LOVE caviar!  Each night Joybec would bring us caviar as we were getting ready for cocktails and made sure our bar was always stocked.  He brought us breakfast on several mornings and everything was hot and fresh.  Ketut, our room steward, kept the suite spotless.  I even marveled at how immaculate the glass in the shower was all the time.  

Service in the dining rooms was fantastic no matter where you had lunch or dinner.  To be honest, service at breakfast in La Terrazza was very inconsistent.  Some days were better than others.  We had cocktails in the Panorama Lounge every night around 7 (thanks to Dan, Ryan and Seth!) and had dinner afterward around 8.  The only place we encountered an issue with seating was at Atlantide, where people seemed to linger a lot longer and so tables didn't turn as quickly.  No matter as there were plenty of other wonderful places to choose from.  Again, this is an improvement over Seabourn where your dining choices are more limited.  We went to La Dame, the ship's French restaurant, once.  While it was very good, we didn't feel it was worth the up charge.  Kaiseki, the Japanese restaurant, on the other hand was amazing and certainly worth the additional fee.  Pizza at Spannapoli was fantastic, burgers (lunch) and steaks (dinner) at The Grill were always perfectly cooked and delicious.  Indochine was wonderful with a pan-Asian menu that had something for everyone.   La Terrazza for dinner was incredible with so many choices it was always hard to decide.  Overall the dining experience on Silversea far exceeded that of Seabourn.

We don't go in for ship's entertainment much, short of whoever is playing in the lounge while we are enjoying pre-dinner cocktails.  We did catch a couple of the ship's production shows and they were very entertaining.  We didn't visit the (small) casino and the late night parties were well attended and a lot of fun.  I used the gym a few times, but since we walked a lot on shore I got my steps in that way.  We did not use the Spa as we felt the prices were exceptionally high for the services, but it seemed like it was busy all the time.

The biggest change we found on Silversea was the makeup of the guests; not from a nationality standpoint but from the standpoint that most people were eager to meet other guests, find out where they were from and generally strike up a conversation with them.  We met some very nice couples that we hope to have the pleasure of traveling with again.

In summary, I will say that our first Silversea experience will certainly not be our last (we booked 2 future cruises).  The ship, the crew, the food, the atmosphere and the overall experience far exceeded our expectations!

Silversea is our new favorite!

We had a wonderful experience with Silversea cruising the Baltic before they were recently bought by Royal Carribean, but our recent experience was absolutely the WORST ever even on lines with fewer stars.  Note that the Royal Carib is now the most profitable of the big cruise lines, and it appears this profit is being extracted by cost cutting and penurry.

 We had looked forward to the "cruise of a lifetime." a month in Asia,  and sprung for a luxury suite, midships.  The ship itself was tired (scheduled for refitting), dirty rugs, rust on balconies, etc. though our suite was generally well laid out with a living room and bedroom and the attendants wonderful.  

However, we were situated directly below the pool deck bar and adjacent to a closet where room service carts were stored.  The resultant noise level was like elephants banging the wall and dancing on the ceiling.   And when there was a band above, the beating on the ceiling made sleep impossible.   While Guest Relations recognized the problem and wished they could fix it, but with a full ship no comparable accommodations. were available.    We asked if we could leave after the first half of the trip and have the last two weeks of the journey refunded or credited against a future cruise. This request was denied, so essentially we were captive in an intolerably noisy cabin.   

While the noise issue was presumably  limited to our cabin, the ship as a whole suffered from internet and tv freezes.  AS many as 6 times a day, we had to call reception to have the screens reset, often having to wait on hold for our call to be answered.   

Other issues:  tiny portions of food in restaurants, very limited provisioning - no berries or any kind for the first two weeks, fresh juice only by special request, menu items (e.g. asparagus) never available, "international cheeses: limited to gouda,  chedder and the like  No sign of a blue, or chevre for the entire month.  Meats typically served dry and overcooked, while fish and shellfish, typically undercooked.   Hardly comparable to the quality or variety that is normal even on more mid-market lines like  Princess or Celebrity, and absolutely inferior to dining on  Crystal, Cunard, or the like - all of which we have sailed before.  The "all inclusive" excursions were often disappointing to the extent that after 2 out of 3 sub-standard experiences, we made our own arrangements out of pocket

Something cruisers should know (and shame on us for not realizing) the ports such as Hanoi, Saigon, and Bangkok were 2 - 3 hours rides from where the ships were docked.  Not the ship's fault, as only smaller vessels could possibly get closer, but something to bearer of.

The President of Silversea was aboard during our ship and we wrote her personally to advise of our issues .  Only after returning did we get any response from some underling who politely acknowledged that the noise was "intolerable."  He then offered a credit of less than 5 percent of what we had paid to be used on some future cruise.  Basically, the response was not to make any real amends, but to try to sell us another cruise at a trivial discount.  We will never sail on Silversea again, and strongly recommend if you are in the market for a high-end cruise, go elsewhere.

SILVERSEA CRUISERS BEWARE - NOT LIKE BEFORE THEY WERE BOUGHT

We boarded in HK and we were two couples, staying in the Silver Suites. The flights out were with Emirates in Business class and all went super smoothly with the pickup, checkin and transfers in HK. The hotel that was provided in HK was also very good and we then set off on the cruise. Boarding was no problem at all, not waiting time and the cabins were perfectly cleaned and so nice. The lovely thing is that everything worked like clock work. The butler service is fabulous and I love that there is no issue with anything you ask, filling the minibar, delivering room service, the service of everyday cleaning of your clothes (though on the normal cabins you have to do this yourself but there are great washing machines on all floors).  Quality of the tours were great and logistically worked very well. I used the gym and spa a lot and really enjoyed that. All restaurants were open and had great service. We had been on the Muse in Alaska earlier in the year and were again very happy with the ship and service. They had not enough people in the arts bar and we commented on that mid cruise, this was swiftly changed and then worked very well. The pool area is great and actually not overcrowded which is nice. Disembarkation in Singapore again worked like clock work. Zero waiting time and just super smooth. What I particularly liked about this cruise was that it was so international. The Alaska experience was that there were a lot of American guests, the international feel made it slightly more interesting.

Superb quality and service, totally met our expectations

Review of Silversea Silver Muse and trip to Japan September/October 2023

We booked a Silver Suite, D2D, with a refund for the air.

We used points, and booked Delta One, with lay flat beds. 

We planned to arrive a couple of days before sailing to account for any travel difficulties.

We prearranged the transfer from the Haneda Tokyo airport to the Westin Yokohama,

The company was recommended by the hotel, the Sanwa Co and they were terrific.

We also arranged for the folding manual wheelchair we purchased on amazon.jp to be delivered to the Westin, and they were very helpful with holding it upon its arrival.

We were so delightfully surprised at the Westin Yokohama.  It was so much nicer than we anticipated.  It is a newer hotel, with great restaurants and amenities.  We reserved a room on the club level, to have access to the club room.  The breakfasts were amazing, both Japanese and Western dishes.  The club also served afternoon treats and cocktail hour with small bites, but enough for a quick meal after a very long flight.

We received a lovely room with a view of Mt Fuji!!! It was modern and stylish.  We were so jet lagged that we did little the next day.  Just a short walk, and wheelchair push around the area, and to a mall to pick up a few items in the drugstore.  We had lunch at the Brasserie du Quai, and dinner at the Iron Bay grill, both hotel restaurants, and very enjoyable.  

This hotel is only a quick 10 minute taxi ride to the pier of Yokohama. Our transfer was easy.  We were fast tracked through embarkation with the wheelchair, and also because we had a SilverSuite.

Before we get into the next section, be assured that we contacted management onboard with all our issues.  This gives them the opportunity to try to correct problems,  and speak with staff.  Better to let them know while onboard, than after you return home.  

Unfortunately, we had received some very erroneous information from our travel agent, Tully travel from Canada.  We seriously thought about cancelling our trip due to my ankle fracture.  We were told by our agent, that our wheelchair would fit through the cabin door, and also that the Silver Suite had only a threshold at the doorway, and also into the bathroom, so access would be fine for us, even without an accessible suite.  The bathroom and shower was extremely large for a ship, and that would be no problem as well.

This was our first problem.  The chair, which was a Japanese model wheelchair, manual, folding, small and narrow, did not fit in the doorway. Luckily the ship had wheelchairs for use on the ship.  Theirs did not fit through the doorway as well.  I could keep theirs outside by the door, and keep mine inside the cabin.  I just needed to transfer chairs each time I wanted to go in and out. An inconvenience, but not insurmountable.

We were told that the couple in the accessible SilverSuite were not disabled, and maybe they would be willing to switch. Management asked, but they were not amenable. This was also okay, and we were willing to try to make the cabin work.

The real problem was the incorrect information about the bathroom.  It had two doors, one by the entrance, and one in the walk in closet, by the bedroom.  Both had a very high step.  I was really nervous about getting in and out. My rock star husband, figured out a way to roll the wheelchair to the door, and then use my walker to step up and use the toilet.  Also, I could use the walker at the other door to get up the step and into the shower, which really was huge, so he could come inside with me and help me.  I was a little shaky, but willing to try.  What choice did we have?  It was a little scary for me, my biggest fear was that I would fracture the ankle again before it even was fully healed. I was nervous especially at night and when it was a little rocky.  We managed!  By the end of the two weeks I was more confident.

The size and layout of the Silver Suite on the Muse was really lovely.  Spacious and comfortable.  The bedroom was private from the sitting area, and as mentioned, a really huge bathroom and shower.  The walk in closet was also large with plenty of space for the heaviest packer.  

What disappointed us, was that it was very worn.  It looked tired.  Things broke, or didn’t work.

For example, the coffee maker just stopped working.  Our butler brought us another one.  The TV remote kept opening up and the batteries falling out.  Our butler tried to fix it a few times, finally he brought us another one, after we complained again.   One of the doors to the veranda didn’t close well, and rattled.  It was a little annoying, finally, we had maintenance come fix it before the storm.  More on that later.  The ceiling in the bedroom had something up there that made constant noise during the night.  We were on deck 11, so no one above us.  Mostly just small annoying things, but the ship is old, and looked it in the other venues as well.  Not the feeling of a 6 star experience. We picked this ship expressly for the itinerary around Japan, not for the ship. 

The two bathrobes in the suite were tiny.  I am only 5’1” and it was small on me.  We asked for 2 larger robes.  The attendant brought my husband a really old ratty robe with a broken belt loop.  What was he thinking?  We had to show them the robe, complain it was very old, worn, and broken loops.  Then we received other robes, after first being told there were none.

The bed was hard, we asked and received a mattress topper.

As I had been “leg up” for two months already, finally out of the casts, and into a boot, we looked forward to a relaxing spa and a couple massage. I booked this as soon as I was able many months before.  On the day of our treatment we were notified about an hour before that we could not have our massage, they were double booked.  The manager was not there or available.  We were offered 2 separate massages.  We try to be amenable, sure we can do that.  Then we were told, and by the way they will not be at the same times.  Also, there is no where to sit and wait for your service. Excuse me?  Where is the relaxing calm waiting room with tea or flavored water?  With soft lighting and soft music?  Nope!  New policy.  You can pay another $340 dollars or so EACH to use the waiting room and a sauna.  Wait, is this an all inclusive ship?  We were flabbergasted.  A 6 star ship?  Again, so so disappointed, and we declined the massages.  We were contacted a few days later after we spoke with guest services and offered a free massage. I do not want anything for free, I am very willing to pay for quality, I just was expecting to get that.  My husband was so turned off by the staff as well, very unprofessional, so he really did not want them to give him a massage.  

We also were willing to pay additional fees for the restaurants, and booked those as well.  Our first dinner at La Dame we ordered rack of lamb, rare please.  Is it possible to do this?  We were assured yes.  No, came medium.  So sorry, we will make them again.  Nope, better, but still not rare.  The staff seemed to be learning, and everything took a very very long time to come out.  I understand you want a leisurely dinner, but that was too too long between courses, and it is a very small restaurant, not that many seats.  Okay, we had booked another evening, and we were willing to try again.  My husband ordered filet rare, and I ordered fish, please make sure not overcooked and dry.  Can this be done? Absolutely.  Nope, steak way not rare, fish very overcooked and dry.  Maybe the long waits between course the food is sitting under lights and still cooking?  Again, such long waits, we were so tired, we did not even want them to cook them again.  We received a refund for that night, and cancelled our third evening at La Dame.  Pretty basic to receive a steak rare.  Not sure of the problem here.

We also had dinner at La Terraza. Our first evening there we ordered pasta. Italian restaurant, correct?  Most basic item on an Italian menu.  So overcooked and just mushy.  That was our first evening onboard, and we were still time shifting and so tired.  We ate a few bites and were done.  We were told come back again, and we promise to make pasta al dente.  

We had lunch by the pool one day.  Again, the staff all seemed to be learning and unsure about the menu, etc.  My meal was brought before my appetizer.  The waitress did not seem to know why this was incorrect or a problem.  She told me not to worry, and took my lunch.  Then brought out the appetizer.  Later brought my main and it was not remade, had been sitting, was rare tuna, not anymore.  

We read so much about people raving about the pizza.  My husband tried it and was really disappointed.  We never ordered it again.  

We went to Kaiseki for dinner.  I thought we were going to have sushi.  That is only for lunch.  It was teppanyaki style.  The lobster tail was prepared perfectly!  Not dry, and slightly undercooked.  The wagyu beef was rare and tasty.  Great miso fish, like at Nobu.  We enjoyed all the dishes we had there.  I did not know it was only teppan style.  I prefer not to have the smell get in my clothes and hair, kind of like if you went to Benihana.  So after that we only went for lunch.  I had checked the menu online before the cruise.  Excited to try things I saw there.  The ship also had problems with their supply chain.  This was ongoing, not only the first day in Yokohama.  No Hamachi ( yellowtail), never came in.  There was tuna and salmon.  I figured we were circumnavigating Japan, and would have amazing choices for sushi.  Pretty basic, and sushi for non sushi eaters with just veggies or California roll.    

We loved Silver Note.  The performers were wonderful.  Our meals here were good as well.  We enjoyed and went back more than once.  The restaurant only opens at 8pm, so the latest venue.  Difficult if an early port and tour the next day.  Wish the performers only sang and piano.  The reverb backup was not needed to sweeten the sound. Would have liked to hear them more!  

We also really enjoyed Indochine.  This menu changed, so also could go back and try new things.  We also went back more than once.  

We did go back for dinner to La Terrazza.  It was okay, but not great.  

Never went to Atlantide for dinner.  

Meals we ordered room service, we received brown lettuce, vegetables like cauliflower with black mold on it, and sliced avocado that was black.  How did this get out of the kitchen?  Very turned off.  We did notify our butler.  

Our cabin was very close to the Observation Lounge.  There were a few meetings there.  Always had coffee and cold drinks there.  Service was from 6-10 pm.  The library in here as well.  We had a class on making origami here.  Very enjoyable.

We mostly ordered breakfast in our cabin brought by our caring butler.  Difficult to get soft eggs, almost always came hard boiled.  Lots of times items were missing.  Not a big thing, but just another example of not a 6 star ship or service.  Maybe many staff were new or being trained.  

My husband found a new cocktail he loved onboard.  The Vesper!  He was always a vodka martini man, and has been making the Vesper at home now too.  We already had the gin and lillet.  

We ordered wine a few times, and if we did not finish the bottle, especially if only I was drinking the wine, it was brought to our next restaurant the following day.  Easy peasy, and appreciated.  

Some good Barolo and Brunello, my favs, and we thought reasonable pricing, and also Sancerre for white.

Unfortunately, due to my injury, we had to cancel all the included excursions.  My mobility is challenged at the moment, and we did not ever want to inconvenience other passengers.  The ship offers Privato, and we arranged for a private car, driver, and English speaking guide at the ports.  This is a great program, and worked so well for us.  The autos had to accommodate my wheelchair in the trunk, and except for one driver that had a huge tank in his trunk, it worked out fine.  All the guides spoke English, and were able to tell us so much information.  I had looked up accessible Japan online, and had a list of where it would be ok to visit, the guides also knew places we could go.  They were very accommodating, and helpful.  Some even offered to push the wheelchair and give my husband a break.  

Getting off and on the ship worked out ok.  Most ports were disembarking on 3.  Only one afternoon coming back had the tide changed so much it was a long almost vertical ramp.  There was an elderly gentleman (and I am 71, so he was older)   that must have been over 6 feet, and over 250 lbs. waiting before me in the hot sun.   Whew, cudos to the staff of 5 or 6 that had to get him up that ramp.  I was nervous, but they got me up ok too.  I guess the staff are prepared for this, and it wasn’t their first rodeo.  

Quite an experience and adventure for someone like me, an able bodied person, to see first hand how life is so different and difficult for a disabled or non-mobile person.  

The staff and passengers were all very helpful, and accommodating everywhere we went.

There is a special place at the back of the theater for wheelchair people to sit.  

We certainly did not have the cruise we expected, but we are very happy we went, and we loved Japan, and all our ports.  I would highly recommend going on a cruise around Japan if you have the opportunity.  

We did have some bad weather, our ship had to try to outrun a storm, and the Japanese coast guard closed two ports.  We made it around the island, and sheltered with minimal bad weather, mostly at night.   Our cabin was 11 forward, so a little rocky.  We took one pill, and were fine.  

We did unfortunately miss those two ports, but extra sea days! 

Again, because of my fractured ankle, we did not get off at all the ports. There were a few that were only a half day, and it was too difficult to get us up and ready to be out at 8 and back by maybe 1or 2 pm. So, we did not disembark at Shimizu, Hiroshima, or the second day at Kanazawa.  We went out in Osaka for a half day afternoon, and also a full day.  Osaka Castle was up a really steep hill on a sunny and very hot day.  There is a jitney to take you up.  Exhibits were just so so in my opinion, and a very small exhibit.  Better to go to museum in Tokyo to see these artifacts.  

We also went to the Kuchu Teien Observatory.  Very interesting building in itself.  Fantastic views all around Osaka, and when good weather can see very far.  We also went to the Fujita Museum, a small beautiful building originally a home, with a collection by the Fujita Denazburo family, active in the Meiji era, with a small garden around the building.  We had lunch in the Dotonbori area, and tried the famous Osaka pancake filled with yummy vegetables and cooked in front of you.  Even if you do not stop for a bite, this area is so much fun to explore, with crazy signs along the street.  Huge Crab, dragon, octopus, samurai, buddha.  There is also a covered market for shopping.  We went to the Shi-Tennoji Buddhist Temple, one of Japan’s oldest temples, founded 593 AD by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.  

Our next port was Busan, South Korea.  We first went to Gamcheon Cultural Village.  Little culture, lots of shopping and uphill, we did not stay long.  We made a stop at Dongbaekseom Park for a lovely walk along the waterway, pretty accessible, named after Camellias, there is a lighthouse, and the Nurimaru APEC house, built for an Asia Pacific summit held in 2005.  The highlight of the day for us was visiting the Jagalchi fish market.  It really was a sight to behold, with tanks full of live fish, which splashed us as we went by, gigantic crabs, eels, and worms.  Many things we could not identify.  With our guide and driver we went across the way to another section of the market with lots of tables and we ordered an exotic late lunch which we all shared.  You can pick what you like, swimming and alive, and have it cooked for you, as fresh as it gets!!!  We tried a few specialities recommended by our guide, and she explained how the South Koreans eat these things.  We did not try the worms.  

Our next port of call was Kanazawa with the famous Kenrokuen garden.  We watched crews of talented gardeners carefully tending to the trees, bushes and plantings.  We saw a TV crew with women dressed in Geisha costumes videoing and interviewing.  This beautiful garden had many lanterns and water features.  We made a stop at the Museum of Traditional Arts and Crafts and saw some lovely items, including handmade paper we purchased for an artist friend.  There is a gold leaf tea house here as well.  We stopped in at Kanazawa Castle for a brief visit, and on to a special sushi lunch.  Afterward we stopped in Higashiyama to see the gold leaf artists at work, and the Geisha area of old wooden buildings.  There were lots of tourists dressed up and taking selfies and perhaps posting on Instagram.  Our next stop was the small museum gallery Ohi, in a traditional wooden home for a private tea ceremony, with old teacups, mine was 98 years old. (almost an antique) .  It was very enjoyable, calm, and serene.  This pottery has been handmade by the family for 350 years.  

After two extra days at sea, missing the two ports, due to a storm, we arrived on Hokkaido, at Hakodate.  We went up the Goryokaku Tower for views of the 5 pointed star fortress below.  Then we visited the fortress, buildings and artifacts.    We drove around the Motomachi district with foreign buildings, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Chinese Memorial Hall.  There are also a Methodist Church, Catholic Church, and the Orthodox Church.  We went up to the top of Mount Hakodate by car, and with some rain in the distance, saw gorgeous full rainbows over the city, and the port.  We could see the Silver Muse below the rainbow.

Japan amazing, Silver Muse not so much 

Trondheim

The SilverSea experience was poor, very poor.

Starting with the booking experience.  The “consultant” provided no guidance, information or value.  Matter of fact, I would have been better off if there was an online booking option.

As an example, we ended up booking a $500 transfer from Anchorage to Seward because we weren’t told about no cost SilverSea transport options.

 Then the MySilverSea and account information was totally botched.  It took months to get the right information connected to the correct guest.

 The bright spot was our luggage was delayed on the way up to Anchorage.  SilverSea Reception desk did a good job of reuniting us with out bags.

The food was a huge disappointment, it was Carnival Cruise quality ($700 cruise) for $5000.  The quality of the raw materials was lowest grade.  The steaks were shoe leather tough.  The sushi I had for my first meal gave me food poisoning.  In general, every meal was kind of sad.  And there was one morning in La Terrazza at breakfast there was a complete breakdown of service and serving staff.  No one got good coffee, all the food orders were late or wrong or never delivered!  We watched one table after another complain.

On departure day, we had an early flight.  On the disembarkation paperwork, we picked the 08:00 to 08:45 disembarkation time window.  We got “Brown” tags for our bags. 

We went to the Reception Desk at 8am on disembarkation day and were told our bags were not unloaded yet and were told to wait.  After some time approached the Reception Desk again and were told our bags were not unloaded because we were “independent travelers” and our bags would be unloaded last. 

At 08:45 we tried to disembark from the boat and were blocked by the SilverSea crew member at the gangway and told we could not leave the boat yet.  We had a disabled person in the party and had to leave.  Finally SilverSea provided the disabled person a wheelchair ride to the cruise ship terminal. 

At the cruise ship terminal, we found our bags waiting for us. 

I still don’t know why the Reception Desk would not tell us the truth or let us off the boat.

I hope this doesn’t happen to every customer and we were the only one’s singled out for mistreatment. 

And to add insult to injury, I sent this feedback to SilverSea guest relations and they never responded.

Much less than luxury 

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