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The most elegant ship ever to sail the Galapagos. The first destination specific ship built by Silversea, Silver Origin is the height of experiential travel in the Galapagos. Never before have the islands been so superbly presented: a team of Ecuadorian national expert guides, the highest crew-to-guest ratio in the Galapagos, 8 Zodiacs, seamless hybrid spaces that offer an extraordinary voyage – for extraordinary people. All-suite accommodation, Horizon Balconies, butler service, sophisticated interiors, interactive basecamp, Ecuadorian inspired cuisine … no aspect of Silver Origin has been left to chance. The most environmentally conscious ship we have ever built, take a vertical leap and transform your idea of travel with Silver Origin.
What do you get if you combine Italian whispered luxury with amazing expedition experiences? Redefined luxury in the Galapagos aboard Silver Origin. From getting ready in the basecamp for a day of Zodiac exploration to cosying up with friends around the fire pit in the Explorer Lounge at the end of the day, Silver Origin offers destination immersion far beyond excursion. Hungry for more? Silver Origin’s two restaurants offer delicious local, national and international dishes to make your mouth water. And yes, it's all-inclusive.
There were six of us on our May 7, 2022 sailing of the Silversea Origin and we are all in our 60's. We flew into Quito a day earlier than is part of the cruise package. We were very happy we had an extra day in Quito. It allowed us to arrange a private tour on Thursday of the city and on Friday we had the same tour guide take us out in the country side to see the Equator park and then we went to a beautiful hacienda to have lunch. Both days were wonderful. Quito is a beautiful city and the surrounding country side is spectacular. The city is in a bowl surrounded but mountains and volcanos. We really enjoyed staying at the JW Marriott in downtown Quito. It is a very nice hotel and has a nice full breakfast included. We did have an issue with the transfer from the Quito airport to the Marriott. No one showed up to pick us up. It was after midnight we were tired from flying all day. After 20 minutes of looking for the Silversea Rep. or a sign outside of Customs we took taxies at the airport to the Marriott. We did complain to the Silversea desk in the Marriott and left a message for our super duper Travel Agent Julie Garcia. I think heads rolled with the local Silversea team for not showing up at the airport. Within 24 hours we had an apology and an extra $300 per cabin credit for our inconvenience. All the other transfers and flight were very smooth and we had a Silversea rep with us the entire time until we boarded the Silversea Origin. The Silversea Origin is a very nice ship. We had 91 passengers on our cruise. The ship was in excellent shape and the service was 5 star. We had cabin 606 with the enclosed balcony that had the power window. We were thrilled with our cabin. It allowed us the extra interior space and allowed us to lower the window at night while we were cruising between islands. It was such a cool feature. The food was mostly Ecuadorian and was of very good quality, but not over whelming in portions . The wine and cocktails were very good. I would recommend that you have breakfast in your room. We usually ordered breakfast for 6 or 6:30am. The excursions usually start at 7 to 7:30am. We had 2 to two excursions a day. All the excursions were well run and the naturalist that lead the excursions were excellent. Our butler was very attentive and provided excellent service. This is not your normal cruise experience. It is more of an active expedition type of experience. Whoever takes this trip really should be in good physical shape and able to hike up inclines and handle getting on and off zodiacs. The Galapagos Island were so wonderful and unspoiled. It was an experience of the lifetime. I imagine of what the earth must have looked like five thousand years ago. Overall, the trip was five star and exceeded our expectation. I would highly recommend Silversea Origin and this trip.
We sailed with Silversea because we had heard it was a line where we would be "well cared for". The entire trip was extremely well organized with all the staff providing friendly, personable service. The Silver Origin is a wonderful ship filled with friendly helpful staff. We had to take advantage of the medical staff and Dr. Dan was wonderful. Food, cabins, expeditions all top notch. Expeditions were well planned and geared for most levels of ability. Zodiac embarkation and disembarkation were assisted by several staff to ensure safe boarding and off loading. Food while not the variety of a typical cruise was diverse enough. Ecuadorian items were offered with most menus, adding interest and adventure. Civiche, Ecuadorian style was offered frequently, as well as a cooking class on ceviche preparation. This expedition cruise offers diverse options, most exciting was the deep water snorkeling. We snorkeled with colorful fish of all types, viewed a few sharks, rays, penguins and had the excitement of a visit from a group of playful sea lions. This was a trip of a lifetime.
This Galapagos cruise, 10 years in the making, was the 3rd time charm after 2 cancelled cruises. The Silver Origin is a beautiful ship. The cabins are well appointed with a comfy bed, long desk with chair, mini fridge, flat screen tv, bedside tables with storage and lamps. The covered balcony with a chair and love seat was very large and comfortable. The bathroom was large, with a big shower, fresh water faucet, large sink with faucets on each side, 6 shelves and great toiletries, including sunscreen. A lighted walk in style closet had a safe, shelves, drawers, hangers with room for lots of clothes, snorkel gear, etc. Slippers and robes were provided. We had 3 adults in the cabin and another chair was made into a single bed. The public areas were filled bright, comfortable and filled with comfy furniture. The boarding area was well organized. The food was generally good, with a focus on local seafood. However, service was lacking. 3 times dinner service took over 90 minutes and twice the order was wrong, both in the dining room and at Hot Rocks, the specialty restaurant. Other service issues also occurred including my place being cleared while I was geting buffet breakfast. While they apologized profusely for each lapse, the damage was done. Other items needed work too. When getting ready for excursions, early arrivers were told to sit in an area by reception. As others arrived, they lined up in the aisleway and were often loaded on to zodiaks before those waiting in the chairs, frustrating for us eager and on time. The lack of attention to detail continued as canapes were not delivered each day (suspect the cabin next door got ours as I heard them say on the balcony, 'no idea where appetizers came from'). The cabin was always clean and despite hanging up towels to reuse, they were always replaced. Laundry service was prompt and they did a great job. Unfortunately, billing had some issues. Laundry was included for us, yet we received a bill for almost $300! That was a shock. Luckily I had the note saying it was included and they fixed the bill promptly. Not being big drinkers, the bar service seemed prompt and bartenders helpful. We tried many new drinks. The naturalists are the best asset to Silversea. Leading small groups of 8-12, they were knowledgeable, patient and enthusiastic to share their love of the islands. Marco and Greg were 2 of our favorites. The excursions were interesting. However, many demanded walking over very rocky terrain which my ankles would not handle. I was ok with that as we were told upfront what conditions for the excursions. Zodiaks took us to all excursions and we're a challenge to get on and off. But we saw sea lions, blue & red footed & nazca boobys, penguins, golden rays, iguanas, pelicans, albatross, etc. The 2 days in Quito before the cruise at the JW Marriott were good. The room was large and had everything we needed. Breakfast was good. The Silversea process to get ready for the cruise was frustrating as they needed releases to be signed, flight info which we had supplied twice before, and Covid testing. Instead of saying we tested negative, if we didn't hear, we were to assume the covid test was negative. Apparently the Silversea systems don't talk to each other. Would I spend that amount for this ship again? Unlikely. Will I go back to the Galapagos? Also unlikely. It was mesmerizing, amazing and beautiful, but a once in a lifetime trip.
So we have not cruised in almost two years like everyone else, we wanted to go on a small ship so we wouldn’t be too crowded. Since we had previously sailed on Silverseas they were offering some good discounts for this Galapagos voyage. Everything was well organized including our prior Covid testing we did before flying out to the islands. It was nice having everything looked after from hotel to the ship. The ship was in new condition and the biggest improvement over the silver Galapagos was zodiac ramp at the rear of the ship, no gangways to go up or down just an easy jump onto the huge ramp at the stern of the ship. Our cabin was very roomy with a huge veranda. Our butler Jimmy and steward Ivan looked after us and kept the cabin in tiptop shape. Xavier was chief guide and kept all the groups organized for departures to the various landings. This cruise is all about the native animals and it did not disappoint, the zodiac drivers knew how to position their boats so that everyone was able to see. In particular Aldolpho was taking us on a mangrove excursion and found out that a group of penguins were sharing a rocky outcrop outside our planned trip, he told us to hang on for one small side trip. WOW were blown away. The guides were all knowledgeable and went out of their way to educate and allow us to enjoy the moment. Christian was our maitre d for this voyage and made us feel at home and went out of his way to accommodate any requests we had, in addition he is a trained Sommelier who took us through a range of Ecuadorian wines which was quite enjoyable. The food choices were okay but the menu seemed to repeat itself, even for a short voyage. We knew there was going to be prawns featured at every meal. We went for the expedition so this didn’t detract from the cruise. I made good friends with Roberto who was the morning Barista who supplied us with cappuccino every day. The one additional comment I would make is that after disembarking the ship Silverseas looked after us until we boarded our flight to Quito. The shore company who Silversea used transported us to a Covid-19 test site as 6 of us need PCR testing done for our return flights when we got there the laboratory doing the test was typical nonchalant and the company representative had to keep on top of things as there was no sense of urgency even though we only had a couple hours before our flight from Guayaquil to Quito. Overall the cruise was fantastic and Silverseas rightfully deserves its 6 * rating
Silver Origin will feature eight different suite categories to offer guests superlative comfort —the largest of which, the Owner’s Suite, will offer an unprecedented view on the destination. Guests in every suite will enjoy the use of a private balcony, while certain suite categories will feature an innovative Horizon Balcony, which can convert to enclose the balcony with a floor-to-ceiling window for added space and better shelter from the elements.
Plus, a first for Silversea, selected suite categories will incorporate an ocean-view bathtub, as well as an ocean-view shower that is accessible from the balcony for guests’ convenience and comfort.
To connect guests with the soul of the destination, Silver Origin will introduce guests to the Ecuadorian food heritage, with specialty dishes prepared with the freshest ingredients by expert local chefs. Both restaurants will be able to accommodate all guests at full capacity.
Preparation is key to enjoying the archipelago, and we know our guests are hungry for as much information as possible. This is why we ensure all our guides - more per guest than any other ship - are not only experts in their field but are certified by the National Park of the Galápagos. For the same reason, we are also proud to introduce Basecamp. A welcoming and innovative “knowledge lounge”, Basecamp features materials and tools that provide a wealth of inside knowledge. Opening out directly onto the Marina, Basecamp gives easy access to the Zodiac® deck. In fact, with the highest number of Zodiacs® per guest in the region, Silver Origin provides the most personalized on-shore experience possible.
After a busy day of discovery, Silver Origin’s careful and attentive crew is more welcome than ever. Sink back into the unparalleled luxury and industry-leading personalised service that Silversea is famous for. And did you know that Silver Origin is the only ship in the entire Galápagos region to offer butler service in every suite? In fact, with the highest ratio of crew per guest in the area, we are happy to give our guests that personal touch that makes their stay on board as enjoyable as their visit to the islands themselves.
Onboard is a beauty salon, fitness centre and spa.
Please note: Although Silversea accepts guests over the age of six months, there are no special programmes for children on board, and Silversea does not provide for the care, entertainment and supervision of children.
