The
term "luxury cruising" can be a turn-off for some travelers (even those who can
easily afford the fares), since it has implications of exclusivity, pretension,
and stuffiness. If your experience with butlers is limited to watching
Downton Abbey and you think tuxedos are best worn by waiters or nightclub
performers, a Silversea cruise may not rank high on your bucket list.
But don't be too quick to judge: "Luxury" has a different
meaning in the 21st Century than it did in the 20th, and Silversea--luxurious
though it may be--isn't your grandfather's upscale cruise line.
On our Silver Spirit cruise, we encountered a wide
spectrum of passengers, such as:
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A handful of expensively-dressed women who could have been
heiresses or movie stars.
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Middle-aged Russian men with young wives or female
companions.
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Down-to-earth Australians, including one entertaining lady
who (if she'd been British) could have played the hero's malapropistic
mother in Gavin and
Stacey.
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A small multi-generational group from Japan, including two
women who made origami cranes for us at lunch during a tour to the Alhambra.
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A surprising number of pop-music enthusiasts, ranging from
20-somethings to a lady in her 70s or 80s, who shed their inhibitions while
showing off their dancing skills during the nightly DJ session in Silver
Spirit's panorama lounge.
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A sprinkling of children, including a baby and a toddler.
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Other low-key cruisers (mostly, but not exclusively,
couples) from Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Chile, Curaçao,
Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, the
Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine,
the United States, and Venezuela.
Still,
we wouldn't want to give the impression that Silversea has lost its edge with
the landed gentry or the hedge-fund crowd:
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Some guests charter private jets from
their home cities to the departure port (for a family or small group, a private
jet can be a better value than business class or first class on a transoceanic
flight).
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Other passengers, such as aristocratic types who are used to sleeping apart in
their palazzi or châteaux,
book separate suites instead of sharing. And the fellow with the nautical cap
who's peering through the brass telescope in the Observation Lounge may be
cruising with Silversea because his own yacht is in drydock.
One final thought about luxury: To us, the luxury of a Silversea
cruise isn't about free-flowing Champagne, upscale jewelry in the ship's
boutique, or French chocolates at bedtime. It's about the quality of
accommodations, the lack of crowding, the freedom from nickel-and-diming, and
the unpretentious but attentive service.
Formality on board
Silversea
hasn't abandoned dress codes or "formal nights" (which remain popular with
traditionalists), but the evening ambiance has changed quite a bit since we
first cruised with Silversea in 2002. Back then, you couldn't go anywhere on the
ship after 6 p.m. on a formal night unless you were dressed appropriately. Most
men wore black tie, evening gowns weren't uncommon, and the atmosphere was that
of a charity event at the Waldorf.
Silversea still has a handful of formal nights during
a typical cruise, with "casual" or "informal" (jackets, but no neckties)
prevailing on other days. But nowadays, the formal-night dress code
applies only to the main restaurant and Le Champagne, and "formal" doesn't mean
what it once did. On the two formal nights during our nine-night Silver
Spirit cruise, only a minority of the guests wore tuxedos and gowns.
Cruise fares
Luxury
cruises have become more affordable in recent years, thanks to competition and
higher occupancy rates.
When we first sailed with Silversea in 2002, a
Mediterranean cruise in a standard Veranda suite was priced at nearly US $1,000
per person per day.
Ten years later, the per diem for a comparable Silversea
cruise is in the $400-600 range, and most fares include an onboard spending
credit of $500 to $1,500 per suite that you can use for shore excursions,
Internet-access fees, surcharges in specialty restaurants, premium wines, spa
treatments, or shopping.
We aren't authorities on cruise pricing, but we've been told
that--unlike some cruise lines--Silversea eschews promotional fare-slashing.
You'll probably get a better deal by booking early than by waiting until the
last minute, and you'll certainly have a better choice of staterooms. (To check
fares and special offers, see the cruise listings on the "Destinations" pages of
Silversea's Web site, which we list on our Silver Spirit
Web Links page.)
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Note: Silversea's fares are
"all-inclusive." That term shouldn't be taken literally--you'll be charged
for shore excursions, spa treatments, and Internet access, for example--but
many items that are extras on other cruise lines, such as drinks and crew
tips, are included in the fare.