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Silversea Silver Whisper March 2006 Panama Canal |
| Reviewed By: Lizmore, London on 15th Feb 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Silversea |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Silver Whisper |
Sailed:
March,
2006 |
| Destination: Panama Canal |
Age: 56-65 |
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We took a Silver Whisper cruise in March 2006 not only because of the interesting itinerary (Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica through the Panama Canal to San Juan, Puerto Rico), but also to compare Silversea with Seabourn (with whom we have sailed three times previously). Both Silversea and Seabourn cater to the same market: well-heeled Americans who prefer smaller ships with an informal atmosphere and a high level of personal service.
Our Silversea suite was very similar to Seabourn in both design and comfort. The amenities on board were also very similar except that Silver Whisper has a larger show lounge and more extensive entertainment than Seabourn’s three much smaller ships. Both cruise lines offer calls at smaller ports and novel shore excursions. The cruise director’s staff on both lines is very professional and give friendly, personal service. Both lines also have complimentary alcoholic drinks and a no tipping policy
However, where Seabourn definitely comes out on top is the cuisine and level of service in the dining room. We have found the food superb on Seabourn’s Spirit & Pride. The quality of ingredients is there on Silverseas’ Silver Whisper, but the food was not prepared with such imagination or served with such flair as on Seabourn. We also found that as English speakers we had a few communication problems with the largely Indonesian dining room staff on Silver Whisper.
After 10 nights at sea, we were also left wondering if the maintenance standard aboard the Silver Whisper was a bit lax. There was a strong smell of sewage in the stairwell on our cabin deck, which I reported to the ship’s crew during the first few days of the cruise, but the smell persisted throughout the voyage. We also detected a faint but persistent smell of sewage in one of the public rooms.
Would we cruise with Silversea again? Probably not, unless it offered an exciting itinerary that was not available on a Seabourn ship.
As for the cruise itinerary itself: Puerto Caldera has no international airport, so to start this cruise we had to fly into San Jose and take a private car about two hours to the Pacific coast. Costa Rica has a lot to offer as a destination itself in terms of ecotourism, so it is well worthwhile planning a pre or post cruise stay in the country.
Where this particular Silversea cruise excelled was in two ports (and I use that term loosely). The first “port” was an anchor point off the San Blas Islands. These tiny islands, barely above sea level, are territorially part of Panama, but are a world unto themselves. The small native population move from island to island in the archipelago by canoes and small boats with outboard motors. They live in grass-roofed huts with dirt floors and generate some income by selling souvenirs (many of which are truly hand-crafted) to the small number of ships that drop anchor nearby during the Caribbean winter cruise season. The people of the main island were very welcoming and we were impressed that they have chosen to live on the islands in their traditional communities rather than move to the Panamanian mainland. The main island is not quite caught in a time-warp, though, as it has electricity provided by diesel generators, a small infirmary and a primary school.
Our second delightful stop of this cruise was Los Roques, a group of islands off the coast of Venezuela. Largely uninhabited, Los Roques has miles of unspoilt sandy beaches. A real paradise, and we were sad to leave at the end of our blissful day there. Sad too, is that both the San Blas Islands and Los Roques are certain to disappear with rising sea levels this century.
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