"* Afternoon Tea Time (at La Terrazza)
* Operating in an environment like Antarctica is not easy; things change very rapidly and the team onboard really worked very hard to make things go as smoothly (itinerary-wise) as possible
What We Liked
* Deluxe Verandah Suite - it is not a true suite (just part of the sensationalized jargon Silversea uses), it is comfortable and relatively spacious for a cruise ship stateroom; bathroom seemed a bit small with limited storage
* The food was generally very good; there were some really great meals, but there were some real misses - inconsistencies that should not occur at this level of purported luxury
* Interestingly, no chicken dishes were ever shown on the menu (but you could order "off menu" if you chose to)
* Buffets for breakfast/lunch were good, but not outstanding
* The Grill - outside dining (and yes, it is open in cold weather operations) - the food was good, but they need more heat lamps and wind barriers; at dinner the cook your-own- food (on a hot stone) concept is fun, but they served the sides when they deliver your food that you cook, so by the time your food is cooked, the sides are cold; service was too slow
* Expedition Team was very good, but there were a few that could not capture an audience's attention (they may be brilliant scientists, but if they cannot present to a general audience, that is a problem).What We Did Not Like
* Food portions were small
* Could not get a cup of *hot* coffee
* La Terrazza (specialty Italian Restaurant) - food/service were mediocre
* Ship was too big for Antarctica (we had 209 passengers on our departure) - it was not originally built for the polar regions but was ice-strengthened several years ago; there are now a lot of newer and more sophisticated ships in the polar regions at similar price-points
* The "Mud Room" where you put on/take-off your boots and other gear was way too small, so it got very crowded
* Chaotic zodiac operations at times - again, due to too many people
* There were times where I felt there were too many zodiacs surrounding (too closely it seemed) some of the wildlife
* Silversea touts the fact that their crew remembers remember their guests' names; only about five or six of the crew remembered our names
* Pre-Trip Documentation (E-documents) - not comprehensive; not updated from previous year; not professional looking
Land Arrangements in Santiago - W Hotel
* Silversea changed the hotel from the Mandarin Oriental to the W Hotel; not sure the reason, but something tells me it was to save money...."
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