The Best And Worst Things About Silversea Expedition Cruises

$44,000 Down The Drain? I Put Silversea’s Costly Expedition Cruising To The Test. WORTH IT?

Knowing that the expedition cruise I wanted to do would cost me the same as buying a new luxury car, I needed to make sure that the line I went with would deliver something special and make every dollar worth it. After much deliberating, I decided to entrust Silversea with this huge sum of money as I’ve been on shorter expedition cruises with them before, thought they did a good job, though I was apprehensive as the cost of getting it wrong was so enormous.

On this trip, I discovered just what Silversea Expedition Cruises are doing well, and not so that well these days, as you will hear.

I’m Gary Bembridge and I booked and paid for myself to go on an epic and costly 18-night Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctic Peninsula expedition cruise on Silver Endeavour. The breakdown of the costs I will get into later. But first, let me explain, what Silversea Expedition is.

What is Silversea Expedition Cruises?

Silversea is an ultra-luxury cruise line owned by Royal Caribbean Group. They have a classic fleet doing regular port-based cruising in places like the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Alaska, and so on.

They also have an expedition fleet with, at time of recording, three ships focused on the Polar regions (Silver Endeavour, Silver Cloud, and Silver Wind) and one ship in the Galapagos (Silver Origin). I have now been on all but Silver Wind.

What did I find they do well these days?

What Do Silversea Expedition Cruises Do Well?

I believe many of the things they do well, and a key reason I chose them over others to entrust my money to, was their long experience in expedition, and Antarctica specifically which shows in the first set of things they do well

Itineraries

For example, the range of itinerary options catering to different groups. In Antarctica they have the ultimate intensive itinerary I did (Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica Peninsula) for people like me wanting a deep dive, but they also do shorter 10-night Peninsula only cruises for those wanting just to visit the icy 7th Continent, and even shorter Air bridge trips, where they fly guests onto King George Island within Antarctica avoiding having to travel the unpredictable Drake Passage.

Expedition Team

Silversea Expedition Cruises long experience means they do something I feel is better than other lines I have been on in the last few years, which is the expedition team. They are a key reason I chose to come back to Silversea for this costly trip.

The Expedition Leader was Marieke Egan, who has long experience with Silversea and in Antarctica. It was clear the Captain had huge faith in her judgement, and they worked well together.

There was a 22-person expedition team, plus 3 supports, including ornithologists, marine biologists, geologists, historians, nature guides, and a 3-person kayak team.

The team included 2 Mandarin interpreters/ guides and a Chinese speaking guest lecturer to cater to 19 Chinese travellers on our cruise. I like that had built in resources to cater for this.

One disappointing omission was no photographer and videographer who used to provide quality photos and a video of each Silversea expedition trip. On enquiring, it seems it was cut just before my trip across the fleet. Hopefully they will rethink as it is a big miss. More on that later.

As an aside, there were 183 guests on the trip and 42 nationalities. Only a third were from the USA, so it was a diverse and mixed crowd of people. Age range was broad, but I would say average age was mid-60s.

The expedition team seemed lacking in depth at first, and I was a bit worried on the first day, but they dramatically improved as they got in their stride.

We had great recaps each day with videos, photographs and insights on the things that we’d seen. The daily briefing by Marieke was in-depth and clear, and the enrichment talks were, with maybe 2 exceptions, very strong.

There were at least three talks a day on sea days, and 20 across the whole of the cruise. The expedition team would be out on deck on sea days helping spot birds and whales, and available in the Study to chat.

Flexibility

I also thought Silversea Expedition Cruises handled the weather and ice challenges incredibly well from their knowledge of the region built up over years, which can make or break an expedition cruise.

I know no expedition trip ever goes to plan, especially in Antarctica due to constant changing weather, storms, wind, and ice which means every day must have multiple plans and options. I felt they handled all this incredibly well, better than other expedition lines I have been on.

When nature got in the way and things could not go to plan, I felt Marieke, and the Captain always managed to pull something out of the hat. So, every day we experienced something that felt significant, even if it was not what were due to see or do. Important again considering the money we had all spent!

For example, we were chased by a storm from the Falklands to South Georgia and when we got there, the wind and swell was ferocious making landings impossible. They took the ship to shelter in a bay and when the weather cleared the next day, we discovered they had placed us in an unplanned landing location, Possession Bay which was teeming with wildlife and a glacier-filled landscape, making it one of the most memorable landings of the trip.

They shuffled days around in South Georgia to make sure when the weather calmed, we got land at the iconic and “bucket list” Salisbury Plain and based on sea swell predictions tweaked the route sailing to the Antarctic Peninsula to land at Baily Head on Deception Island which has an over 100,000 Chinstrap Penguin colony and is hardly ever called on due to swell.

So, every day, they would always find a way of us having a magical experience even though it was way off the plan. I also found that they were better than other lines I’ve been on at explaining what was happening and why, and taking everyone with them

For example, when they decided we needed to leave a day early to go across Drake Passage, instead of just announcing it, they called everyone together at lunchtime between landings where Marieke and the Captain explained in detail using weather charts, along with a plan for activities for the day in Puerto Williams.

The next thing they do well is having the Silver Endeavour ship as an option now.

Silver Endeavour

Unlike some of their competition, like Seabourn and Viking with consistent ships, a Silversea downside is they have three very different ships of varying ages and different experiences, with the 220-passenger Silver Endeavour being a real plus and stand out.

It was built for polar expedition cruising by Crystal Cruises and came into service in 2021. Silversea bought it in 2022 when Crystal went bankrupt, and made some changes like removing the helicopters, submersible, and casino but left the décor as it was.

I’ve been on the Silver Cloud, which is a more dated ship, and found Silver Endeavour much better.

Let me give you a quick tour of the ship to show why.

On Deck 10 is the Sun Deck with a walking and running track, and some of the zodiacs and kayaks are stored here.

On Deck 9 is the Observation Lounge with a bar. Overlooking the bow of the ship, it is great when scenic sailing. They also run activities like trivia and evening entertainment in here.

There’s a well-stocked library on this deck, and opposite that is the study where the expedition team are based.

The next public spaces are on Deck 5 where they have a Silversea standard, the Arts Cafe, which is a great venue open from 6:30am until 6pm serving coffees, drinks and snacks relevant to the time of day.

Also, in here is Reception and Future Cruise Sales.

Further down Deck 5 is the Spa, Beauty Salon, and a decent sized fitness centre.

There’s a small boutique selling merchandise, jewellery and souvenirs.

Then at the rear with scenic views is The Pool Grill, the informal dining area. For me this is the only venue that does not really work. There is a pool which can be covered over which it was for our cruise with one brief exception to show us it. But the venue lacks style and atmosphere overall I felt.

The Grill serves buffet breakfast, buffet lunch and in evening it becomes a reservation-required Steakhouse venue, more on that later.

On Deck 4 are some important venues, including the Explorer Lounge, where all the briefings, recaps and talks are held.

There are three dining venues on this deck. The Restaurant, which is the main dining room, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and just before it in the corridor is Il Terrazzino, the reservation-required Italian restaurant.

Tucked away next to a table tennis room is La Dame, their premium added-charge French restaurant.

Also on this deck is the Connoisseurs Corner, the cigar and smoking room.

On Deck 3 is the Mud Room, which is where you store your boots, and board and leave the Zodiacs used for all off-ship activities. The free guest laundry room is here too.

The ship has six different suite grades, but 80% of the cabins are Verandah Suites like I stayed in, with the price based on the location. I booked 717, a Premium Verandah suite which was midship. A good location for the rough seas on this itinerary.

While it’s called a suite, it’s just a good-sized cabin. I liked the modern décor, comfortable bed and seating area, desk and the bathroom with separate toilet.

It has an included minibar and coffee machine.

There were a few odd issues with the suite, like needing elastic bands on the shower door to stop it slamming and crashing around in rough seas, and the sliding doors between the toilet and the bathroom and in the walk-in closet, were rammed permanently open with wedges to stop them slamming and rattling around in the weather.

One thing I did not like was for every two cabins there is a shared door onto the corridor, so instead of interconnecting cabins you could make that the main door to two cabins. As the two cabin doors face each other if you have, as I did, people in the cabin next door that slam doors, you have two sets of loud slamming doors every time they, or in fact crew come and go. Really annoying!

Food

Another thing I rated on Silversea Expedition Cruises highly was the food.

I’ve had hit-and-miss food on most expedition cruises, but I thought this was very good and matched their classic line offering.

The main dining room (The Restaurant) was open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I ate many breakfasts and dinners there, and while the menus were not expansive, they had a good choice and with few exceptions well prepared food.

I also found the food in the two included specialty restaurants, Italian Il Terrazzino and the Steakhouse , The Grill, good.

The Il Terrazzino menu changed every couple of days, and I ate there twice. The Grill evening menu never changed, and I ate there twice too.

The Grill is also a buffet for breakfast and lunch. It is not a huge buffet but good quality, and has items to order, a chef station offering a special dish of the day like fried wok, Indian and so on. They had great sushi every lunchtime which I liked too.

I did not try the only added-charge restaurant La Dame, as felt there was no need to pay to dine on top of the large fare!

Service

I thought the service was another plus. The crew all seemed to know everyone’s name, preferences, were friendly and chatty.

On all Silversea ships, no matter what cabin, you have a Butler who do things like your room service, sort out the minibar, and so on and a Cabin Steward who keeps the cabin clean and tidy. Both were great.

Inclusions and Exclusions

Next, I thought overall they did well with fare inclusions, though there are some issues I will come to.

The expensive fare did cover most things.

Like the food and room service, other than La Dame. Drinks including minibar were included, although some premium wines were extra.

All gratuities, enrichment talks, entertainment like trivia, quizzes and music by the guitarist and pianist, off-ship experiences like zodiac rides, landings and kayaking were included.

We also got a nice parka, water bottle and a great waterproof bag/ rucksack.

On my trip, unlike their Antarctic Bridge voyages, the fare did not include the required waterproof trousers and boots.

I had my own waterproof trousers, and it cost $98 plus $100 dollars deposit to hire boots. It seems crazy to have to hire boots when spending the price of a brand-new luxury car to go on a cruise. Especially when they have them on the ship anyway. Many other lines do not charge for them.

They did include Wi-Fi, but it is very limited despite being Starlink. Recently they restricted it to exclude streaming, social media posting, and audio or video calling. I upgraded to the premium Wi-Fi at $730 for two devices. Considering the fare, I feel it should be included.

The premium Wi-Fi using Starlink in Antarctica was fantastic, and I only had one or two occasions for an hour or two where it didn’t work too well.

If all of those are things Silversea Expeditions gets right these days, what do I think they are not doing so well at?

What Do Silversea Expedition Cruises Do Less Well?

The Fleet

I’ve already mentioned this, but I think it’s worth mentioning again, and it is the inconsistent fleet.

Some of their classic cruise line competitors that have gone into expedition cruising like Seabourn and Viking, have a consistent fleet so you know the facilities, cabins and experience will be the same on all. But not on Silversea.

Having been on Silver Cloud, which I liked but is dated, Silver Endeavour has much better facilities and cabins and personally I would now only choose Silver Endeavour unless the other ships only had the itinerary I wanted.

Costs

It is very costly being an ultra- luxury line. Though prices are broadly in line with their closest competitors.

Silversea at time of recording offer three fare types: door-to-door, port-to-port, and essential.

The door-to-door is basically where they include transfers from home to the airport, flights, pre-stay hotels, cruise, excursions, any required post-stay hotel, flights, and a transfer back home.

Port-to-port is cruise only with excursions included and Essential which are basically last-minute fares and non-refundable.

For an expedition cruise like mine as the trip started and ended in Santiago while the cruise was from Puerto Williams, all fares included one night pre-stay hotel and charter flights to and from the ship, and of course all the off-ship rides and landings.

However, let’s talk specific costs.

I booked my Silversea Expedition Cruises trip door-to-door and if I look at the cost with economy flights, the trip cost US $44,000 or £35,000 That’s $2,400 or £1,900 pounds a day for two people.

But as I couldn’t get a solo deal, it cost me that much just for one, so catering for solos is something they do less well.

They do have limited solo deals with just a 25% surcharge. I searched at the time of making this to see how many there were, and there was only one Antarctica cruise listed within the next two years that had a solo deal on.

Cuts and Exclusions

Another thing Silversea Expedition Cruises do less well is those bizarre cuts and changes I’ve mentioned.

Dropping the photographer and videographer with that sort of fare is a poor decision in my view as most people were just using their iPhone, and you don’t get great shots in Antarctica especially of wildlife that way without a quality zoom camera.

I strongly believe sending people home with a video and great photos to share with family and friends should, as many expedition lines do, be included in the fare and is also a simple marketing tool to entice those friends and family to book the trip.

The same with cutting what was possible on the included Wi-Fi. I was posting a lot on social media, and I lost count of how many people responded saying they were adding this to their bucket list or even booking.

Even friends of mine who have no interest in cruising or the area before based on the posts have asked if I would consider going back as they want to book to come with me.

Imagine if up to 200 people were posting on every trip if Wi-Fi allowed them to.

Was Silversea Expedition Cruises worth it with all these pros and cons?

It was absolutely one of the most magical and memorable experiences of my life, and of my three trips to Antarctica was by far the best, and so it was a great choice despite the huge cost.

I would find it difficult to consider a different expedition line to Silversea based on this experience for my next expedition wherever that is to.

If you want to know why by seeing what I experienced off the ship, join me over in my Antarctica video vlog where I will take you place by place to see the incredible wildlife and scenery. You should not miss this one! Or check out my article on Things Antarctica Expedition Cruise Lines Only Tell You Once On Board.