Supplement to Travel Trade
January 2002

Silversea’s Silver Whisper:

Pampering Luxury at Sea

Silversea Cruises has been a powerful player in the ultra-luxury cruise segment of the industry since its first voyage in 1994. The company came on strong with innovations welcomed by travelers looking for seagoing adventures with the type of luxury traditionally found at leading land-based resorts.

Following the 16,900-ton sister ships Silver Cloud and Silver Wind came the Silver Shadow, introduced in 2000, the first 382-passenger, 28,258-ton vessel, and her nearly identical sister, Silver Whisper, inaugurated in the summer of 2001.

All it takes is one cruise to understand the company's success. My recent sailing on Silver Whisper is a good example. Similar in design to the Shadow, the Whisper has a personality of her own that balances the atmosphere of super luxury and elegance without a trace of pretension.

In a yacht-like atmosphere, shipboard lifestyle is dominated by warm and friendly personal service, sumptuous furnishings and appointments, superb cuisine, fine wines and spirits. And, let's not forget that all accommodations are ocean-view suites, most with private verandas. Put it all together, and Silver Whisper, like the entire Silversea fleet, offers a unique standard of ultra-luxury.

Silversea comes very close to being totally all-inclusive. Travel agents should consider the value and costs of all of the extras included in cruise rates when selling luxury products. Add them up and Silversea is an excellent value in the ultra-luxury category.

Passengers never have to reach for their wallets from the time they arrive at the airport or the pier for embarkation. Gratuities, for example, are "not accepted and not expected." On-board charges are limited to spa and hair dressing, some shore excursions (although transfers between downtown areas and ports are complimentary), and special wines which very few order because the complimentary wine list is extensive and includes some excellent vintages. Port charges are also included in the rate.

The company has dedicated its products to making every cruise a memorable and seamless experience. It starts with documentation that arrives in beautiful leather, zippered passport cases that include itineraries, port information, contact sheets, transfer details and airline tickets. Details covering insurance are in layman's language. Even airport meet and greet is personalized and transfers are usually by private cars.

At time of booking, choices are limited to ultra deluxe or deluxe suites with or without a veranda. The only optional charge is trip insurance.

Silver Whisper is a real jewel. Somewhat lighter in interior colors than the Shadow, granite, marble, rich woods and brass are used to their best advantage by Italian craftsmen. The ship was designed by Peter Yran and Bjorn Storbraaten, Oslo-based architects whose credits include designs of the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, as well as most of the boutique luxury-type ships competing in this market segment.

Silversea has associated with some high-end brands, which has led to introduction of unique venues. The Shopping Arcade features the bold jewelry and accessories of Bulgari. The Humidor Cigar Club is by Davidoff, Le Champagne serves wine and champagne by Moet & Chandon, and the superb spa is by Mandara.

In addition to a computer room, every suite has Internet capabilities. In a move to provide guests with a 24-hour global link to the world's most current financial news, the Silver Whisper offers the first Bloomberg Professional® Service terminals at sea. They are complemented by a daily printed market report and 24-hour in-suite Bloomberg Television.

The atmosphere is Mediterranean style European elegance. There's a continuity of subdued colors, brass, marble, etched glass, huge picture windows, textured fabrics, soft leathers with blend-in contemporary and traditionally styled furniture. Artwork reflects the Italian ownership of the company.

Configuration is interesting. Guest accommodations are forward on seven decks with public lounges, bars and restaurants extending from amidships aft. The space ratio of 74 allows for the luxury of lots of elbowroom in a greater variety of public rooms than offered on the smaller vessels in the fleet.

Embarkation is directly into the Reception Foyer on Deck 5 where passengers are greeted by a white-gloved attendant and a flute of Moet & Chandon and escorted to their suites. At first glance, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that they have embarked on an unusual journey on an extraordinary ship. What's not to like? Godiva chocolates are placed on down pillows nightly, and there are Frette Italian linens, plush bath towels, robes and slippers, personalized stationary, fresh flowers, fruit baskets replenished daily, guests' favorite liquors and wines waiting for them in suites, Schott Zeweisel crystal and Christofle silver.

Topszde forward is the Observation Lounge, which spans the bow of the ship and affords a Captain's view of the world. The Lounge cradles guests in broad easy chairs. A map table, current books and magazines provide entertaining diversions while a sparkling wall of glass follows the curve of the ship's bow. When the sun sets, the room becomes a lively bar with music.

The Bar, a carryover on every ship in the fleet, is a magnet for standing room crowds nightly for pre-dinner canapés and socializing and for after dinner drinks and dancing. A sweeping central bar is accented by a burnished metallic front and backed by an abstract wall mural. Colors are deep garnet and emerald with velvets and plush carpeting. Located aft, The Bar leads into the Viennese Show Lounge.

The Pool Deck is focused on a single central swimming pool and dance floor. Forward of the pool is a full service bar and barbecue for grilling noonday meals. The area is detailed in mosaic tiles and circled by contemporary stainless steel and teal leather stools. Two whirlpool tubs are at the rear of the pool, each elevated and topped by a canvas structure. Teak tables and chairs with canvas umbrellas surround the pool's port and starboard sides. Sunbathers appreciate the number of adjustable lounge chairs with attached headrests. A jogging track runs the entire outside edge of the deck above.

There are more public rooms on Silver Whisper than the 388 passengers can fill. Take the Show Lounge, for example. This multi-level music hall is designed to give every guest the "best seat in the house." Seats are fashioned after traditional high-backed, theater-style chairs. Each row is dotted with small tables to hold complimentary cocktails during shows. Brass railings and glass separate each seating area.

Excellent light and sound systems are in place for individual entertainers and full scale Jean Ann Ryan production shows, as well as ballroom dancing, meetings, presentations and lectures.

Other venues worthy of note include:
The Casino and Casino Bar just forward of the Reception Foyer has the classy look of the casino in Monte Carlo and the ambience of a club bar with seating for just 14 guests. Slots and other electronic game machines are in a separate area, which keeps the noise level down.

Le Champagne by Moet & Chandon accommodates only 24 persons and features Moet & Chandon vintages as well as other well-known brands. Stone and wood detailing along with a palette of other colors coordinate with The Humidor right next door. The most impressive use of the room takes place prior to reserved dinner seating in the adjacent Terrace Café when guests are invited to meet and toast each other.

The Humidor by Davidoff is in the style of a traditional English smoking club. It features the club's namesake cigars as well as other hand-rolled smokes. Rich wood floors, Prussian-blue draperies, handsome wool rugs, deep chairs and soft settees entice smokers into what becomes their after dinner room.

Sea days are filled with a full menu of activities listed in daily programs. Join a culinary demonstration and learn some professional secrets from renowned visiting Relais & Chateaux chefs. Meet fellow guests in the card room for a game of bridge. Check out a good book or a stack of videos from The Library and retreat to your suite or ocean watch from a comfortable nook topside in the Panorama Lounge. Attend a presentation by a guest lecturer and learn more about the region in which you're sailing, or shop the designer boutiques. Silver Whisper also offers golf enthusiasts the Silver Links 365 Program, a year-round golf experience featuring onboard golfing cages, onboard professional golf instructors and the chance to play some of the world's most exciting courses.

And there are extras. The Silversea Experience is a surprise event that takes place on selected voyages and is hosted for all passengers on board. It could be a private ballet performance in St. Petersburg, a wedding in Turkey, a reenactment of a Civil War battle in Savannah at a fort outside the city, private wine tasting events in the Bordeaux region of France or a special caviar and vodka black tie event in the Hermitage.

The Restaurant welcomes guests with a view that extends towards the dramatic glasswork art on the far wall. Varying ceiling heights provide depth and grandeur. Located on Deck 4, the room is crowned by three grand chandeliers. High-backed cherry wood chairs and tables nestle together in seating groups in the room's center. Highly polished parquet floors, inlaid with geometric designs of contrasting woods, set the tone. Plush carpeting surrounds the center area. Narrow pillars divide the room for more intimacy and tables are outside of eavesdropping distances.

Dinner, featuring impeccable white glove service, is between 7 and 10 p.m. Menus are so extensive that it was hard for me to think of special requests to test the routine. Six-course productions are prepared to satisfy the connoisseur and the curious epicure. Included daily are specially designed spa and vegetarian choices, as well as caviar and unlimited amounts of excellent wines served with lunch and dinner. Fresh vegetables and fruits are reloaded in ports and there seemed to be someone fishing off the stern because I ordered fish almost every other night and it always tasted freshly caught.

Dining is refined, yet relaxed. "Formal" nights are limited to about two per week, other nights are usually "resort casual." Open seating allows guests to take meals when, where and with whom they choose

Most passengers opt for dinner in The Restaurant and take lunch in The Terrace Café and breakfast in either The Café or en suite. The Terrace Café is best described as a second restaurant. There's nothing to remind you of a Lido area, as we have come to know them. Located aft, a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows brings the outdoors to inside tables but it's the protected outdoor area that is most popular. It is an elegantly casual, self-service restaurant with fine linens and silverware and waiters always in attendance to take the "self" out of the self-service. A pasta chef prepares made-to-order specialties during lunch times; fresh omelets during breakfast.

The café is also used as a dining alternative several nights on every cruise, when specialties of the cruising region are served. Reservations are required on those evenings when only set menus are offered along with special wines of the region.

The all-suite vessel boasts that 80% of its accommodations feature a wall of glass that opens onto a private teak veranda. Beautifully appointed, every suite features a marble bathroom with double vanity, full-sized bathtub and separate shower. In all, there are seven different types of suites. Luxury is found in every detail.

All of the suites are outfitted with vibrant fabrics blended with rich honey-spiced maple cabinetry. Curtains separate the queen-sized bed from the sitting area that includes two chairs and table for in-suite dining plus a sofa and refrigerator. A writing desk and television with satellite reception plus a videocassette player complete the living area. The walk-in closet features a personal safe and all beds can be divided into twins. Vista Suites (without verandas) measure 287-square feet. Veranda Suites are sized at 345-square feet.

There are two Medallion Suites at 521-square feet, 13 Silver Suites at 701-square feet and Owner's, Royal and Grand Suites up to 1,435-square feet. These are the ultimate in luxury with private bars, dining rooms, art and built-in cabinetry. The Silver Whisper and Shadow each have two of the largest and best equipped suites for physically challenged guests and they are in high demand.

With a passenger to crew ratio of almost one to one, and an accommodating mostly Italian crew, guests feel pampered. Dine en suite and your dinner will be served course-by-course in the order and with the timing requested. Ring for breakfast, lunch or a snack, and the waiter magically converts the coffee table to dining height and sets it in style.

Silversea has the most liberal cancellation policy, one that should push reluctant clients up the gangplank. Who are those clients? Everyone who can afford Silversea value. And, apparently there are lots of cruisers in that category. Silversea is enjoying a 30% repeat factor and its Venetian Society of past passengers is growing with each voyage. During 2002, about 50% of the voyages will be geared to Venetian Society members who will receive added value amenities and special price incentives.

Silver Whisper is sailing in South America between Valparaiso, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro until March 5 when she will cruise to Cape Town for a series of 14 day cruises before heading to the Mediterranean for the summer