Although most recent reviews have been critical , overall I would say we had an enjoyable trip. We usually sail Seabourn , so have expectations of 5 star service and ambiance. The ship is now in drydock for a major refit (introducing their SALT brand dining I think, plus other upgrades) Firstly the the positive. The staff were all excellent : knew our names , and made good eye contact and offered genuine engagement. In all locations , especially Atlantide and Panorama bar it was easy to get responsive , prompt and professional service. The cabin/ suite was fine although I hope they remove the bath... the current configuration is quite cramped. (we were Superior Veranda on 9) Despite the refit , I thought the ship looked immaculate : not a spec of rust... though I suppose the decor could be described as "traditional". We loved the outdoor sofas and space adjacent Panorama lounge (9) and Arts Cafe (8)... Always quiet and sheltered from the wind : A comparable space sadly missing on Seabourn. Atlantide was a lovely warm spacious welcoming main dining room. Another big plus for us was adherence to the dress code. There really were a majority of men in jackets , and pretty much everyone had a "collared shirt". Now the not so good. Entertainment : the singer in Silvernote was poor. Most guests just continued their conversations and ignored her. The "imported" main theatre shows were (in my opinion) poor : a magician and a "celebrity pianist". The ship singers/dancers (3 boys , 3 girls) put on a good basic show on two nights ...the usual motown/ film songs. the overall ethos is fairly quiet, which suited the demographic. Although we had one deck party, which was reasonably lively, I would have liked more outdoor music events/ sailaway parties But the seas were always quite rough, which may be a valid excuse. Now the food. We are both vegetarians. Of course on day 1 the chef promised "everything is possible", and the blurb on the menus makes absurd pretentious promises of "excellence, passion , precision and creativity " . The reality was a far cry from that. To be fair we had a few excellent meals thanks solely to the initiative of the maitre'd ("JP") , who persuaded the chef to make us specials. The offerings on the standard menu were frankly mediocre : mainly pasta/ risotto or one evening a huge chunk of half cooked squash (pumpkin) sitting lonely on a plate. Two attempts at "variants" ended in awful offerings, and should never have been allowed out of the kitchen. We we told the menus were mandated and designed by "Head Office". (To concur with a suggestion from another review , this person really should be sacked.). We had no reply to our complaint to the restaurant manager. We sensed the dead hand of the accountants. For example the bread at breakfast and dinner was sub-supermarket standard. Some of the daily changing wines were fine , others , very "supermarket " level. A tiny detail , but boarding the ship on day one we were offered just half a glass of some "cocktail" in the corridor rather than free pouring champagne.... Would we go on Silversea again? It is tricky Overall we would have preferred more of the party like events with live band and dancing that Seabourn are good at providing, but the service, dress code and space on Silversea are a big plus.

SILVERSEA BARBADOS The Ship, Staff and Restaurants were very good. The Staff were always very helpful and friendly. The Manager of the main restaurant was particularly impressive. Hard working and always friendly and efficient. The Butler service was excellent. The Butler we had in our cabin gave me her WhatsApp number to contact her at any time about any questions or room service we wanted. The Ship was beautiful and was kept immaculately clean. Lots of friendly Cleaners keeping things clean. The pool area was lovely with plenty of sunbeds. Waiters came around every 15 minutes or so with drinks. Plenty of choices for included excursions. The non included excursions were very expensive though! Disappointed that complimentary champagne was unavailable from Day 2 on our recent 7-night voyage on Silver Spirit. This was a key advertised inclusion. Hoping @Silversea can resolve appropriately. I've emailed customer services 3 times but have been ignored!