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Silversea’s Millennium Class luxury cruise ships Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper offer you freedom and space to design your day. Silver Shadow retains Silversea’s essence – spacious suites and superior service – paired with a lively cosmopolitan atmosphere and enhanced amenities. Energise body and mind in the upgraded spa and fitness centre. Savour fine wines and French gastronomy in La Dame and enjoy authentic Italian cuisine in La Terrazza, endless ocean views from The Grill and internationally-inspired The Restaurant. From delectable dining to relaxation in ultra-luxury, cruising has never felt so good.
My Silversea voyage from San Pedro, California, to Papeete, Tahiti, was my first experience with a small-ship luxury cruise. While I’ve taken numerous adventure cruises—ranging from 12-passenger sailboats to ships carrying up to 130 passengers—those voyages focused on getting off the ship as often as possible for hiking, kayaking, and visiting remote cultural sites. The entertainment on such trips typically consists of lectures on local geology, flora, and fauna, and the atmosphere is casual, with passengers arriving at dinner in sweatpants and sweaters. So when I signed on for a Silversea journey to French Polynesia, I knew it would be a different experience from any voyage I had taken before. My Venetian Society friends had given me a good idea of what to expect: butler service, comfortable accommodations, enrichment lectures, high-quality entertainment, and excellent food. For dress-up nights, I packed formal and semi-formal attire, while my husband brought a dinner jacket and tie. I had a fantastic time on Silversea and want to offer a comparison to my previous adventure travels. Accommodations The accommodations on the Silver Shadow were exceptional. I initially booked a deluxe veranda suite but later discovered an auction where passengers could bid for upgrades. I placed a strong bid (green on the bid-o-meter) for the next category up and a lower-probability bid (yellow on the bid-o-meter) for an even higher category. Much to my surprise, we won the bid for a one-bedroom suite. Located in the bow of the ship on the deck just below the bridge, it featured a king-size bed, two bathrooms—ideal if we had brought a third person—a living room with a convertible sofa bed, a dining table for four, a large-screen TV, a Nespresso coffee station, and a fully stocked liquor bar. The outdoor veranda was twice the size of the standard suites, though part of it was covered by the ship’s steel structure. For me, this was ideal, as it provided shade and protection from the wind. The bedroom included a walk-in closet larger than a room I once lived in as an undergraduate. It also had a television, though neither my husband nor I ever turned on any of the TVs in the suite. Instead, I enjoyed using the Bose stereo system in the living room. Housekeeping was excellent, with a dedicated attendant keeping our suite spotless. We also had a butler, but his service was underwhelming. In past experiences, butlers have been proactive, anticipating preferences and adding thoughtful touches. This one, however, responded only to explicit requests and lacked initiative. For example, when I informed him that the provided snacks contained peanuts, which could cause my husband to go into anaphylactic shock, he simply placed them in a drawer without offering substitutes. Enrichment & Entertainment The enrichment lectures were a highlight. With more than 50 options over the course of the trip, I had to focus on specific themes. Site-specific lectures covered topics such as the geology of French Polynesia and the works of writers like Jack London and Herman Melville, while broader series explored subjects like marketing and artificial intelligence. The lecturers were outstanding. For those with creative inclinations, the art workshop series provided an enjoyable outlet. The boutique also hosted almost daily lectures on gems and pearls—an excellent way to learn about jewelry and how to evaluate quality pieces. As with most cruises, there were bridge tournaments, blackjack games, bingo, trivia, and more. The entertainment was fantastic, featuring solo acts such as an Italian tenor, a world-class magician, a flutist, a comedy guitarist, and a dance duo, alongside performances by the Silver Shadow’s singers and band. The dancers even offered daily dance lessons. Our cruise also had gentleman hosts available to dance with solo women, a thoughtful touch for those who enjoy ballroom dancing. Excursions Silversea provided a variety of excursions catering to all levels of mobility and adventure. Passengers were free to explore ports on their own, provided they returned to the ship before sail time. While I didn’t participate in every excursion, I found the variety and quality impressive and enjoyed each one I selected. Dining The food was my biggest disappointment. While I had plenty to eat—and gained a few pounds—the quality did not match that of the adventure cruises I’ve taken. Silversea offers several dining venues, but aside from La Dame, which requires a surcharge of at least $60 per person, the options were not significantly different from one another. At La Dame, one can order caviar or foie gras as an appetizer and enjoy other French specialties. While I’m not a foie gras fan, I did enjoy the caviar, which was excellent. Silversea excels at beef, with well-prepared steaks, and the lunchtime sushi was also outstanding. However, I found other offerings uninspired. Those who prioritize gourmet dining may find Silversea lacking in culinary adventure. Final Thoughts I enjoyed my Silversea experience so much that I am already planning another trip with them. The staff was excellent, the entertainment offerings impressive, the public spaces inviting, and the cabins supremely comfortable. After 21 days of having my room cleaned, laundry done, and meals prepared, I felt thoroughly spoiled. It’s easy to see why so many Silversea travelers book back-to-back voyages.
Sailing with the Silver Shadow was the most wonderful and amazing experience. With all the newer ships, I was reluctant, the Shadow was one of the original Silversea ships. I reached out to fellow Silversea passengers on our Facebook page. Everyone said it was their favorite ship. Now I know why! The Shadow is classy, beautiful and more intimate than I could have imagined. It was also totally updated. I love love the size of the ship with only 365 passengers on the 12/03/2024 sailing. The guest passengers were as a group, very friendly. It was easy talking to most people. The suites had been renovated. Our Silver Suite was a great choice. Perfect size, plenty of closet space, great closet and bathroom. Our butler was terrific and so was the guy who cleaned our suite twice a day. We had breakfast in our suite all 14 days. The food was excellent. Every evening the main restaurant’s ‘special selections’ menu was new and exciting! La Dame, their Michelin 5 star restaurant is awesome for a special evening. My husband loved La Terraza, the Italian restaurant. The crew on all Silversea ships are always the best crew ever. Loved our ports as well. I can’t find a single thing to complain about, lol. It was that good! We had the best two weeks. Already signed up for future cruises.
This was our 20th cruise, the other most recent on Seabourne and Windstar. We did extensive research prior to choosing this cruise and with a couple of exceptions most cruise lines had many negative recent reviews. They typically cited service cutbacks, staffing shortages and inexperienced staff, as the cruise lines continue to recover from the impact of Covid. I am pleased to report that our cruise was excellent. The cruise staff could not have been more pleasant or helpful. Our butler was over the top in looking for every possible opportunity to enhance our cruise. We had nothing but smiling faces delivering exceptional service. You could tell that this was a happy ship with all of the staff taking great pride in being a part of the Silver Shadow team. As many have noted, it is an older ship but it is a lovely ship in impeccable condition. We were very pleased with our veranda suite which was tastefully decorated and spacious and had a walk in closet as well as a bath. The entertainment was excellent, especially considering that this is a small ship. The entertainers had been working together for six months and the shows were very well rehearsed. The dancers were exceptional and we also enjoyed the guest entertainers. We found the included excursions good but opted for two paid beach and snorkelling excursions, which should perhaps be added to the included excursions considering we were in the Caribbean. The one area for improvement could be the dining. The breakfasts and lunches were good but we found the dinners a little hit and miss. The wine service was quite good with a reasonable selection. One night we paid for Le Dame and we thought it was well worth the premium. The food was not the same and the service was exceptional. Overall we loved our cruise on the Silver Shadow.
Embarkation: We left our hotel via Uber and we’re dropped off at the port where we had our luggage tagged to go onto the ship. We checked in to an area where we showed our identification, had our picture taken and were given a key card and small folio, a pocket folio in order to board the ship. We boarded the ship and immediately went to our room, arriving to a bottle of chilled champagne. Eventually, all of the luggage arrived, and we were introduced to our butler. We unpacked and got ready for our trip. As we were leaving the port, we had a reservation at La Terraza. This was a treat as the restaurant is in the rear of the ship and we left the port, proceeded down the Hudson with a beautiful view of the New York skyline. We booked a Vista suite which is the same size as most of the suites are on the ship. It has a large picture window, but no balcony like the veranda suites. The actual suite itself is identical to all of the veranda suites on the ship. These suites are quite large. There was plenty of room to move around. The bed was seemingly larger than the queen that was advertised. The bathroom was also quite large and had plenty of room to move around and included a separate shower and tub with Bulgari toiletries. The walk in closet was generous, and we were able to get all of our luggage emptied into the storage areas of the suite. The condition of the suite was immaculate. The carpet looks brand new. The furniture and bathroom were in excellent condition and all of the features in the suite were also in excellent condition. When walking through the ship, the condition of all of the areas of the ship looked brand new. Although there were many unflattering reviews and comments online regarding the ship looking tired, even though it was refurbished in 2019, there was very little evidence of any wear and tear as the ship seemed to be looking almost brand new. It was also brought to our attention that in November 2024, the ship is going to be dry docked and refurbished for any items that need to be taken care of so it will be brand new again for 2025. Food: Let’s talk about food. We are seasoned travelers, we have traveled on several high-end cruises, including Silversea, Seadream and Ama Waterways. We are true foodies who seek out fine gourmet food experiences in all of our travels, regardless whether we are on a ship, traveling to a city or staying in the countryside. That being said, the food on Silversea Silver Shadow was a first class experience. Most of our breakfasts we had delivered in room by our butler. Every item that we ever ordered, including the coffee and the tea (hot) were delicious and finely presented. I was even able to substitute smoked salmon for Canadian bacon anytime I had eggs Benedict. There are many other breakfast options which we were able to choose, like omelette made to order and fine pastries. We did choose to go to the buffet at La Terraza on one occasion. There is a wide selection of food, both cooked, cold, including breads, fruit, meats, and cheeses, as well as hot cooked items. The choices were good and the food was tasty. Our lunches were relatively mixed as on two different excursions, we decided to have delicious lobster rolls off of the ship as we walked through the towns of our port destinations. In the atrium in the middle of the ship, they also have different sandwiches to choose from as well as pastries and drinks around lunchtime. On several occasions, we chose to have a tuna wrap and smoked salmon sandwich. It was actually quite a good selection in that area as well for lunch. Lunchtime we always seemed to be on the go. Around 4 o’clock every day, they had tea in the atrium area and had typical finger foods that you would find in a high tea service, including finger sandwiches and scones just to name a few. All of the choices were excellent both in taste and presentation from the service staff. Every day at 5 o’clock, our Butler arranged to have two plates of caviar in our room where after the first night of having it with all the trimmings including champagne to go along with this treat, or we would have a cocktail and enjoy the caviar with all it’s accompaniments. We managed to eat dinner at all of the four venues. The food and service was excellent at each of those restaurants. You could order off the menu, and if there wasn’t something available on that menu, you could ask and they would make it happen. Out of the 10 days on the cruise, I think I had Maine lobster tails on 5 occasions. It was on the menu every night. They even had a seafood lunch with lobster and crab one day at La Terazza. I had fresh wild caught fish prepared in a variety of ways, pasta and risotto to name a few. The pasta dishes were excellent. My wife had lamb chops and fillet mignon that were also excellent. The wine that they poured at dinner at all of the locations were good. They weren’t top shelf wines, but they were drinkable. You could opt to upgrade for a price if you wanted to buy a nicer and more expensive bottle of wine. The spirits that they were pouring were all top shelf spirits. You would have to pay a small premium if you wanted to upgrade, for example, from a VS cognac to an XO cognac. The up charge was very reasonable. The bottom line here is that there were no complaints at all regarding the quality and variety of food and drink offered on this cruise ship. This is a relatively small ship and on our cruise from New York to Quebec City, we had 327 passengers. There were many activities that were offered to the passengers. These activities gave the passengers a chance to mingle and get to know one another. We created many friendships and had a wonderful time interacting with many passengers on board. There is a midsize theater on the ship, and there was entertainment just about every night. The singers, dancers and musicians were all terrific performers, and everyone enjoyed all of the shows. These are small productions, but they all packed a lot of punch. We even had a Broadway Star guest artist come in and sing two nights. What a show. There were many options for excursions on this trip, both included in the price of the cruise as well as some extra excursions that required an additional fee. Choosing an excursion is a very subjective and personal choice, depending on your interests. Some of the excursions we took were good and some were marginal. One excursion that we took to the Saguenay Fijord via zodiac carried a surcharge, but was well worth it and our favorite excursion of the trip. The carriage ride in Charlottetown, included as an excursion, was also excellent and one of our favorites. We loved this trip so much and had such a good time that we booked another 12 day cruise on Silversea in the Mediterranean for October 2025 and we are very much looking forward to that trip, even though it is on a slightly larger ship with a little under 600 passengers. After speaking to so many repeat Silversea passengers who have had experience on a variety of their ships, we are confident that any destination on any ship will be a 5 star first class experience.
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler.
For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bulgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and spirits. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
With the importance of food in Italian culture, you would expect dining to be a high priority at Silversea. And it most assuredly is. No matter where you dine, you will find the great diversity and presentation of culinary selections on board your all inclusive cruise.
The main dining room aboard every Silversea luxury cruise ship, The Restaurant, is always open seating so you can arrive at your leisure and dine with the friends you invite to join your table. And with the worldly crowd of international guests who sail on Silversea ships, socialising is yet another great advantage of the Silversea experience.
Select voyages go the extra mile with enrichment programmes that will invigorate mind, body and soul, so from the tips of your taste buds to the depths of your soul, be prepared for a sensory rollercoaster of discovery while not only aboard but also ashore. Silversea's travel experience is a second to none and after 23 years in the business, travelling from pole to pole, Silversea has carefully sourced some of the world’s most renowned artists, experts and guest speakers who will travel on select voyages in order to offer culturally immersive experiences from a unique perspective. These carefully curated parties and performances have been designed to engage, enlighten and enrich your voyage, so that whatever your passion, you can indulge it on board.
The ocean views and soothing sound of the surf can be quite intoxicating at sea, so it’s not surprising that daydreaming on deck is one of the most popular pastimes. However, every Silversea all inclusive cruise also includes a considerable number of more active pursuits — some for the body, some for the mind … and some just for fun.
While on your luxury cruise, embark on a personal journey of wellness to complement your global adventures. Work out in the well-equipped Fitness Centre, take a class in circuit training or Pilates in the aerobics room, and let the sauna and steam rooms work their magic to soothe every muscle.
Silversea offers seminars ranging from aromatherapy and nutrition to how to burn fat. A holistic approach to wellness fully integrates exercise, fitness and spa therapies with health lectures and nutritious dining to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle, even while away from home.
Please note: Although Silversea accepts guests over the age of six months, there are no special programmes for children on board, and Silversea does not provide for the care, entertainment and supervision of children.
