ABOVE: Bread and roll arrangement at
Silversea's traditional Galley Brunch, where passengers raid the kitchen on a
day at sea.
Overall experience
Cruising on the Silver Whisper (or, presumably, on any
Silversea ship) is hard to summarize in a few words. The atmosphere is luxurious
without being pretentious or stuffy, service is attentive but not fawning, and
the crew's attention to detail leaves the guest with little to worry about
except whether to order the sea bass or Beef Wellington for dinner and whether
to use the bathtub or shower before retiring. (It comes as a jolt when, upon
checking in at the airport after the cruise, you have to stand in line and lift
your own suitcase onto the luggage belt.)
Should you consider a Silversea cruise? That depends on your
budget and what you're looking for in a cruise. A Silversea cruise is expensive,
with published fares starting at around $700 per day per person. However,
some itineraries are less costly than others, and discounts for early booking
and repeat cruises often bring the price down considerably. Some "Silver
Sailings" have cruise-only fares that start at $350 per day.
It's also worth
remembering that Silversea's "all-inclusive" fares cover all drinks and
gratuities. (After you've spent a week or two cruising with Silversea, you'll
find hotel minibars and resort drink chits appallingly tacky!)
The passenger makeup is also something you'll want to consider.
Like other luxury cruise lines, Silversea's demographic is skewed toward
middle-aged and older travelers who are more likely to spend their time in
country clubs than in hip-hop clubs. Still, not everyone is old enough to be
your uncle, grandmother, or sugar daddy; on our "Scotland's Tattoo" cruise, we
dined with two charming young women of 23 and 14 one evening; and on our
previous
Silver Whisper Mediterranean cruise, the passenger list included a
surprising number of teenagers and children from Italy, the U.S., and other
countries.
Finally, if you don't speak English (as you almost certainly do,
if you're reading this article), Silversea may not be the best cruise line for
you. Silversea's clientele is split roughly 60-40 between Americans and
passengers from other countries, and English is the lingua franca used by
Silversea's multinational crew and guests.
For more
information on the Silver Whisper and Silversea Cruises, see the Web
links on the next page.
Next page:
Silver Whisper Web links
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