2 Nights South Africa from Durban Cruise

Great ship, busy, but great

My thoughts (trying not to repeat too much of what others already said) - people who say the ship is loud are correct, but there are quiet places to be found, especially at and around the walking track on deck 5 - El Loco Fresh tacos are great, but everyone seemed to discover that as this always had a pretty decent line - for bigger venues, you do not need reservations to get into the headliner shows. Especially toward the end of the trip, there will likely be walk up availability in the Royal Theater and probably the aqua theater. You may not be as lucky with Studio B for the ice skating show. - I utilized the fitness center a good bit on my cruise and it is great. A small miss though - the water fountains are technically not supposed to be used to fill water bottles. It isn’t policed though. - Be prepared for some lines and some crowds where you’d expect them (pool deck on sea days, Sorrento’s after dinner, etc.) but overall traffic flow was good and if you want to avoid crowds, there are places to go all over the ship that aren’t busy. - Utopia has Royal Caribbean’s updated elevator system, and it’s pretty awesome. I definitely felt like wait times for elevators were minimized effectively. Overall, the ship itself rocks. there are things to do for everyone of all ages, staff is friendly, entertainment is pretty good. I’d absolutely recommend Utopia to anyone who wants to spoil themselves with a brand new Oasis class ship.

Exceptional cruise. Challenging logistics at times

Silver Endeavor is in excellent condition overall. Cabin on the 7th deck was well laid out, plenty of storage, walk in closet, separate toilet room from sink & shower, excellent room care and butler. Staff is the most courteous & friendly I've ever experienced over 10 worldwide cruises taken. Pay for restaurants dined at were La Dame and Il Terrazzino. Very nice but I preferred The Grill. Hot & cold buffet, plus chef-cooked dishes as ordered, exceptional variety and everything fresh & delicious. Ambiance is wonderful given the space being mostly glass. Service at The Grill is excellent. Drinks and snacks are included and bartenders all deserve high ranking. Most impressive was Erik from Kenya. Daily excursions were at the mercy of the weather. When doable, the process of exiting and returning to the ship is well orchestrated. Having been on larger ships, I found the scale of the Endeavor very appealing. Everything is close. My single, and this is genuinely the ONE and only fault I found on board: the coffee machine in the library was out of milk one afternoon. Yes, that's it. And I'm quite critical. Now for logistics. This is where the pendulum swings in the opposite direction. Particularly when departing the ship and then departing King George Island. Again, weather controls when things happen. That's understood. In my case, guests were required to exit their cabins at 10 and deboard at 11 am. We did exit our cabins and then waited to deboard the ship at around 5 pm. Now comes the truly dark side of this cruise. Once delivered to King George Island, guests are all guided into converted cargo containers. We sit against the walls on flimsy plastic chairs looking at the green Astroturf on the floor. Large, printed penguins that are poor cut out are likewise poor taped to the walls. Another few hours are spent waiting for our flight in these barely glorified cargo containers. From these containers we're shuttled to the airstrip where we're then told to chose one of the tents to shelter in. Sun is setting and it's increasingly cold. Increasingly windy. Here in the tent I'm in there are the plastic chairs against the perimeter where the first in the tent get to sit. Those who come after get to stand. The tent is packed person to person ala a sardine can. Our flight arrives as the sun has set. It's now more cold. More windy. And we're told to walk toward our STOL jet. Getting near to it, there is no boarding yet. Young & old alike stand outside, looking at our jet, getting more & more uncomfortable in the arctic cold. Finally we get to board with the elderly issued to the front of the line. Going on a high priced cruise, this logistical buffoonery ranks as an atrocity imparted to every guest. Waiting in cargo containers. Could the cruise lines including Silverseas not invest in a group pot to offer guests something a bit better? It's oddball how incredible the ship is and how little regard the company has for guests once departed. Coming, we got off the flight and got straight to the ship. Some thing out of Silverseas control is the final leg guests have to fly from Punta Arenas to King George Island. Weather again comes into play here as the flights to King George only go when the weather permits. It's a small, gravel runway in King George with I gather, no instrument landing capabilities. We lost 2 days of cruise time waiting at the hotel in Punta Arenas. What the guests onboard the Endeavor were doing during this hold up is unknown. Again, nothing to do with Silverseas but to know this can happen offers a reality check on the value of any fly-in arctic cruise. The hotel Silverseas puts guests up in Punta Arenas is, when I was there, was Cabo de Hornos. Nice place. Dining was always hot & cold buffet, and quite good. Large, spacious dining, lounge area on the lobby level. If going here, get a room in Tower 2. This is the new section of the hotel. On arrival here, Silverseas provides a parka, waterproof pants, and tall gummy boots. These were sized when booking the cruise. Don't like your fit? The evening of arrival there is the opportunity to try on different sizes to get the fit that fits. Busses take guests from & to the airport here. Speaking of hotels, Silverseas fly-in has guests arriving at Santiago and staying a night at the Ritz Carlton. Check in for the cruise occurs, flight passes are hand out and questions are answered. In the morning, guests are bussed to the airport for the flight to Punta Arenas. Meals at the Ritz are buffet, hot & cold. Nothing impressive. Drinks and dining at the bar/lounge are not included. In summary, getting to an arctic cruise be it Silverseas or any other line is a long haul for most with the final leg maybe happening and maybe not. The alternative is to sail the Drake Passage. The diabolically depressing departure amenities Silverseas offers in King George, atrocious. And the handling of departing guests on King George, also atrocious. There is absolutely no consciousness on the part of corporate management concerning guest experience on land in King George. The Endeavor by itself: World class. Would I recommend going to Antarctica for a Cruise on the Endeavor. Yes. It's a spectacular place to visit and the Endeavor is a fine place to call home for a short while. It's the getting there and getting home that are challenging.

A true celebration!!!

This was my first time doing a mega cruise ship and Carnival really did a good job with the layout on the ship. Besides the minimal views for the center stage seating, the gateway has beautiful themes with the 820 biscayne area being also a nice area to relax (if you can get a seat). The food was really good with 21 food options on this ship, there was always a place where I was able to go to get a meal like guys, street eats. etc. I had the most fun aboard compared to the other CCL ships I've done and the crew made my time amazing. The ports were really good, but St Thomas wasn't my all time favorite due to stingrays and jellyfish at the beach I was at. Carnival really outdid themselves with the smoking area on this ship as they are more in the aft instead of mid ship lido. The ship smelled clean and looked beautiful while entering. Definitely the best cruise I've been on by far.