ABOVE: Living room of Silver Suite 729, with
dining table in the foreground. INSET BELOW: Zuzana, our stewardess.
Staterooms
Silversea refers to its cabins as "suites," and not without
cause: Even the smallest accommodations on the Silver Whisper are the
shipboard equivalents of junior suites in a hotel, with an arch and
curtains providing visual separation of the sleeping and sitting areas.
More
than 80 percent of the Silver Whisper's staterooms have balconies. The
most popular cabins are Veranda Suites, which comprise 128 of the vessel's 194
suites and offer 345 square feet of interior and balcony space. Vista Suites
(the least expensive cabins aboard the Silver Whisper) are identical except for
having picture windows instead of balconies. Bargain-hunters can opt for one of
the nine Vista Suites that open onto a little-trafficked stretch of deck near
the lifeboats. Two of the latter are oversized and specially equipped for
handicapped guests. (By the way, there's no such thing as a bad cabin on the Silver Whisper--all
staterooms overlook the sea, and none has an obstructed view.)
Two Medallion Suites offer slightly more space than the standard
Veranda Suites. The 13 Silver Suites may be the most attractive accommodations
on board. Each has 701 square feet of space and an angled glassed-in bedroom
that faces the living/dining room with its two sets of sliding glass doors. At
the high end of the scale are the Grand, Royal, and Owner's Suites, which range
from 1,208 to 1,435 square feet and are available in one- or two-bedroom
configurations.
All suites, regardless of price, have such amenities as dressing
rooms, multi-sink marble bathrooms with separate showers and tubs,
refrigerators, and bars or liquor cabinets. There's no charge for drinks,
caviar, 24-hour room service, or the fresh fruit that is replenished daily.
A note about housekeeping: Our stewardess, Zuzana
Schwarzbacherova of Slovakia, and her assistant, Cecilia Tijo from the
Philippines, kept our quarters spotless and sparkling throughout the 10-day
cruise. They never intruded on our privacy, yet they were quick to service our
suite when we went to breakfast or dinner. They even remembered our preference
in chocolates when they left treats on the turned-down bed each night.
Next page:
Silver Whisper dining
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