A Good Cruise But A Poor Itinerary
A good cruise but a poor itinerary |
20 of 21 people found this review informative
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Reviewed By: Kirkpatrick, Wooburn Green, Bucks on 28th Jan 2012
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| Cruise Line: Silversea |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Silver Wind |
Sailed:
January,
2012 |
| Destination:
Africa
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Age: 65+ |
| Cabin: Balcony |
Occasion: Annual/regular holiday |
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This was our third cruise on Silversea, our second on Silver Wind after seven years. We embarked Cape Town for a ten night cruise to Maputo in Mozambique before returning to Cape Town. The itinerary around the coast of South Africa was very poor. Visits to Port Elizabeth, East London and Richards Bay were dire. The shuttle buses provided by Silversea were to deserted or closed shopping malls in the middle of nowhere for those not wanting to go on expensive shore excursions. The excursions to safari reserves through the day in many ports were wasted because the animals are usually asleep and rarely seen at this time of the day. You need to be on safari at daybreak or early evening to see them active. Durban was better as the bus dropped us off at the beach area. The ship was unable to dock in Maputo due to adverse weather. This was no big loss as we had heard the place offered very little for the visitor and was regarded to be unsafe to walk around. A visa costing $25 was being charged for a five hour visit, a bit expensive for a short stay.
There were about 220 passengers on board so not quite full and predominantly made up of British and American guests.
The staff were excellent, soon remembering your name and we found anything asked for was quickly provided. We were upgraded to a Midship Veranda suite after a few days due to the consistent banging coming from the front of the ship. This was caused by the anchor or it's chain moving around in the heavy seas we were experiencing throughout the voyage.
The entertainment on board was excellent, far exceeding what we had expected on a Silversea cruise. Apparently last November the entertainment programme on all Silversea ships was changed and it certainly worked on Silver Wind. There were six singers, a superb violinist and two lecturers. One of the lecturers was Brian Jones, the hot air balloonist who was the first to fly around the world non-stop with his colleague. Another lecturer, a former airline captain, gave behind the scenes information on flying safety, etc.
We have travelled to many places in the world and recommend Cape Town and the Western Cape very highly, as we visit 2 or 3 times a year. Other South African cities don't compare but I do recommend the country for safaris and spectacular scenery.
Crime is something we have not found to be a problem, despite the warnings from the ship's Destinations Consultant. Like anywhere in the world, exercise common sense!
In conclusion, a good cruise and we met some very interesting people but the itinerary was poor.
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| Quality of Food |  |
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| | Shore Excursions | |
| | Staff | |
| Monteza, bar waitress. Very friendly and found time to discuss your daily experiences. She was always smiling. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| | Cabins | |
| | Overall Rating | |
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