I recently had the opportunity to sail with Silversea on the Silver Whisper roundtrip Fort Lauderdale in the Eastern Caribbean.
10 days on the high seas ( literally, at the outset of our trip ) making stops at Grand Turk, San Juan, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Key West.
When you board the ship you walk on board, present your documents and identification , are handed a room key and directed
to your cabin. The entire check-in process. Later, they remind you, very discreetly, of the necessity of settling your financial
affairs before you disembark. The bottom line is you simply walk on board.
The Silver Whisper has to be the nicest ship I have ever seen. The decor is extremely understated and much more
like staying at a fine hotel. Copy's of tasteful fine art prints and antique ceramics fill hallway frames and showcases.
On display outside the Library on Deck 8, I was surprised to discover, one of the first folio's printed of Shakespeare's plays with it's title pages
mounted for viewing to the left and right of the original tapestry case. Something you'd honestly expect to find in
a museum, not a cruise ship. Excellent library, by the way. The video library had a preponderance of films starring
Isabella Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman.
My cabin, a Mid-Ship Veranda on Deck 9, was generously proportioned and well appointed. The bathroom had a full tub as well as a stall shower with hand held shower heads in both.
One of my sinks ran slow and luckily I had another right next to it. Towels were some of the best I've had in any hotel and the bathrobe provided fit me. (which never happens ).
After I checked in, my cabin steward, the lovely Natalya from the Ukraine, presented herself at my door with a silver charger laden with
a battery of bath products of my choosing. They are, for the record, Aqua di Parma, Bulgari and Neutrogena. Bulgari, thank you, just like at home.
I had needlessly brought along my wee-tiny binoculars to enjoy scanning the ocean for sealife.
Silversea provides an enormous pair of field glasses in your cabin just for that purpose. Bedding is relentlessly
goosedown - mattress top, duvet and pillows. Foam pillows were graciously provided at my request. I'm still sneezing.
The aluminum deck furniture is the most sensible, and the nicest I've seen.
Ports of call were a mixed bag. The Grand Turk port is an odd Disney-ish duty-free shopping village with a Margaretville (hardly the native experience I was looking forward to ) on a very lovely beach with a large pool and hundreds of beach chair recliners awaiting eager sun bathers. It drizzled on and off that afternoon which made the whole ghost-town atmosphere rather macabre.
The ship docs in Puerto Rico in old San Juan and you enter the port going right around the El Morro Fortress. Very romantic You step off the ship into the Old Town and it's an easy walk in any direction. We had to strike La Romana in the Dominican Republic from our itinerary because Hurricane Noel struck their first and decimated the port. An extra night in San Juan...hooray!
In Ocho Rios, Jamaica, myself and all the Brits aboard the ship piled aboard two buses and traveled up a winding mountain road 30 miles and 1,200 feet above sea level to the home of 'The Master' Noel Coward. For theatre buffs or Anglophiles this is, literally, hallowed ground. He wrote a good number of his most popular plays and songs here and hosted almost every famous person in theater, film, royalty & nobility. Almost anyone you could name from the 1940's through the 70's. The home is part of the Heritage Society of Jamaica and is well kept with many of Coward's personal belongings and photo's of his visitors. He's buried at the spot were he enjoyed his cocktail every evening. The site was originally a pirate look-out and the views are stunning in every direction. I'd say it was the highlight of my whole trip except I have yet to mention the food on board.
The cuisine aboard Silversea brings the experience up to a whole other level. Breakfast and lunch, buffet or sit-down, all on the lavish scale you'd expect on any cruise ship and battalions of staff standing at the ready for special requests of any kind. On a few of the sea days I laid by the pool and was treated like royalty. Bloody Mary's, shrimp cocktail served in a martini glass and the world's best guacamole served under a layer of crab meat. Meals in the dining room are leisurely and each evenings menu offered 3 or 4 choices for each course as well as more casual fare like a sirloin steak or Isabella Rossellini's special pasta. Each course always had a health conscious option, with calories and carbs and all those completely meaningless numbers and details listed next to it.
Also, sugar free deserts, most of which I had and, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. We dined in La Terrazza on two evenings and reservations are required as they really only fill the space to half to provide a more quiet atmosphere than the main restaurant. We dined in Le Champagne on our last night at sea and that was truly extraordinary.My first pigeon ( ' what did the waiter say this is ?' ) and foie gras all served with magnificent wines and a 3-course desert.
The staff was really extraordinary lead by the Cruise Director Fernando (who is evidently a legend in the business ). He was greeting all of us by name on the 3rd day, to our collective astonishment. Interesting lectures in the afternoon and a great cooking demonstration by the Chef (who was missing a finger - occupational hazard ?) and his second in command in charge of deserts.
As most of you know I've been in this business, directly and indirectly for a long time now. So the question is, " Does it get any better than this ? ". I can safely answer " no ".
For information on Silversea Cruises contact Patrick at 800-300-4567 or visit www.all-travel.com/silverseacruises
