Silversea Origins

Silversea was founded in Italy in 1994 by Manfredi’s father, Antonio, who envisioned a market-leading cruise line which would voyage around the world while providing an exemplary service where passengers could travel in sumptuous surroundings and have their every whim taken care of. The first two ships, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, purpose-built for the firm, were launched in 1994 and 1995 respectively. With their luxurious ocean-front suites, fine dining offering, appealing sense of intimacy, all-inclusive fare policy, and highly-evolved excursion programmes, they quickly gained an enviable reputation among discerning cruise devotees, many of whom have become regular passengers during the last quarter century, the most loyal of them having accumulated more than seven years of sail days aboard Silversea vessels.

Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper followed in 2000 and 2001 with Silver Spirit joining the fleet in 2009 and, more recently, the company’s flagship Silver Muse took to the seas in 2017. It will be joined by sister ships Silver Moon in 2020 and Silver Dawn in 2021. The vessels are not mammoths, unlike some of the monstrosities that discharge thousands of passengers upon unsuspecting port destinations. Their capacities range from 254 aboard Silver Cloud to the recently renovated Silver Spirit, which was literally cut in half and given a new mid-section, expanding to accommodate 608 passengers. There is a regular programme of refurbishment and refitting with all crafts in the fleet having undergone renewal programmes during the last two years. With lengths of around 160m to 210m and shallow draughts resulting from their flat bottoms – 6m in the case of Silver Spirit – they have the capacity to reach many remote destinations that are not accessible to larger ships.

To truly satisfy the aim of making the entire globe attainable, the company launched a range of fully-equipped expedition ships with strengthened hulls for negotiating the ice of polar travel. These include the Silver Explorer launched in 2008, the Silver Galapagos in 2013 and the Silver Origin coming next summer and described as the most elegant ship to ever explore the Galapagos. Additionally, the Silver Cloud, originally a classic luxury ship, was completely converted in 2017 and, now known as the Silver Cloud Expedition, is the most spacious and comfortable ice-class vessel in expedition cruising. Meanwhile these are smaller, with 100 to 200 passengers in polar waters, the passenger to crew ratio throughout the fleet is fairly close to 1:1 and this is part of the magic of sailing with Silversea: the highly personalised service is impeccable.

The Silversea Experience

Upon embarkation, passengers are served flutes of chilled Champagne, setting the tone for the experience to come. The cabins are actually well-appointed suites, comprising bedroom, sitting room, dressing closet and en suite bathroom in Italian marble with bath and shower, and most have their own private verandahs. A personal butler is appointed to each suite and will appear literally at the touch of a button to help with your every need, be that arranging a dinner reservation, overseeing laundry requirements, stocking and replenishing your quarters with drinks, advising on your pillow selection, etc. There are many onboard amenities to fill your days, including restaurants, lounge bars, a spa and fitness centre, casino, theatre, boutique shop, library, observation lounges and of course the popular pool deck where you can while away the days at sea with sun beds, pool, and Jacuzzis, while receiving supreme service which is always delivered with a smile.

The company operates an all-inclusive policy meaning that no tipping or signing for charges is required, leaving you to just relax, go with the flow and soak up the unrivalled pampering that Silversea is famed for. The only things you will have to pay for are the on-shore excursions, vintage wines & Champagnes, surcharges at the smaller gourmet restaurants, spa treatments, shop purchases, and of course any flutters you may feel inclined to indulge in at the casino. Staff are trained to remember your name and your preferences and are very affable so that chatting comes naturally. You will also find it easy to get on with fellow passengers in an atmosphere of extreme enjoyment. As Fernando de Oliveira, the charismatic Chairman’s Ambassador to the Venetian Society who has been with Silversea during virtually all of its 25 years describes it: “Put simply, it’s a club that travels. We have many guests who come year after year because they feel so at home on board.”

Silversea also offers optional pre and post cruise hotel programmes with private transfers so you can spend some time in your city of embarkation and ensure easy boarding with no possible travel snags en route. Similarly, you can re-acclimatise for several days at the end of a voyage and the company can also provide flight connections to and from your place of residence.

My Silversea Experience

I have been on three Silversea voyages: a taster from Cádiz to Tenerife two decades ago, from Barcelona to Monte Carlo in 2005, and from Athens to Venice in 2012, and can report that they certainly live up to their billing. On the last of these, I encountered Fernando de Oliveira, who is instantly likeable with his gregarious personality. It was an amazing coincidence to present him with a copy of the July 2012 edition of Magazine only for him to later report back that his home in Cascais prominently appeared in the feature article it contained on the Portuguese Riviera. I loved the sense of understated relaxation on board, the supreme service ethic, the marvellous dining occasions and leisurely evenings, and the memorable excursions we undertook ashore.

It is a phenomenal feeling to be able to visit a range of destinations without having to repack and undergo the trying and time consuming business of travelling to them. The ships typically sail between their ports of call during the night so you awake to new surroundings with regularity where you can choose to go ashore under your own devices or to join one of the many excursions available to all passengers. There are also full days at sea, when the distances between points on the itinerary are larger and these are certainly romantic with the added benefit that you are effectively floating in a 5 star hotel. I found my fellow voyagers to be friendly, world-wise, sophisticated, and generally much younger than I had anticipated.

Dining With Flair

Each ship is replete with multiple restaurants enabling passengers to select from a full range of fine dining options. Silver Spirit, for example, has venues such as Indochine offering Asian Fusion cuisine, Atlantide – International, Seishin – Sushi, Sashimi, Teriyaki, La Dame featuring a six course French gourmet menu, La Terrazza which provides buffet breakfast and lunches and transforms into an à la carte Italian diner in the evening, the Arts Café and Deli Bar also with a lovely outdoor terrace, the Silver Note which serves tapas-style dishes in the evening with live Jazz accompaniment and, last but not least, the Pool Bar and Grill, complete with perennially favourite dishes and an in-demand hot stone cooking experience in the evening, and Spaccanapoli, an outdoor pizzeria preparing fresh pizzas throughout the day. These great eateries and the food they specialise in are so good that you will find yourself missing them as soon as you disembark.

Launching also on Silver Moon next August is the Silversea Sea and Land Taste programme, which has been carefully selected by Adam Sachs, the former Editor in Chief of Saveur Magazine. It will offer passengers wonderful gastronomic experiences evoking the destinations being visited, featuring visits to food markets, cooking shows with local guest chefs, and exclusive dinners in the S.A.L.T. restaurant.

Destinations

Incredibly, more than 900 destinations feature in Silversea itineraries, encompassing all seven continents, meaning that wherever you wish to experience, you should find a cruise that covers it. These are grouped by regions such as Mediterranean, Africa & Indian Ocean, Asia, Australia & New Zealand, Transoceanic, Canada & New England, American West Coast, Caribbean & Central America, South America, South Pacific Islands, and each of these categories features numerous cruises with different combinations of dates and ports of call. In addition, passengers can opt for a signature land programme to enable them to prospect the interior of a desirable area in more detail, or an expedition cruise aboard an explorer vessel to Alaska, the Arctic & Greenland, Antartica and the Galapagos Islands. With this volume of possibilities, travellers can visit just about anywhere they have always dreamed of going to and via well-organised, properly equipped, safe, guided tours before returning to the comforts of their ship.

Excursions

The beauty of cruising is never having to repack until your final stop meanwhile visiting many places of interest en route. Even better if you can do this while travelling in sumptuous luxury and the destinations you desire to see are available as day excursions with transport, informative guides, and well-structured schedules. Typically, a number of excursions will be offered for each port of call included in the itinerary, some full day and others shorter, and these offer fun and adventure ashore with a detailed programme of the schedule and its degree of difficulty, if any. In balance and combination with days at sea, selecting some of these is highly recommended as you will visit unmissable landmarks, encounter the local culture, and sample the region’s produce, thus greatly enhancing your travel experience. Naturally these carry a surcharge with the amount being a fair reflection of the experience on offer, although excursions on the Expedition cruises are included as part of the itinerary.

The Future’s Silver

With five new ships set to ride the ocean waves by 2022 the future certainly is bright. Today, travellers can already reserve passages aboard designated cruises up until March 2022 and there are some really special voyages in the pipeline. How about a 140 days world cruise with Silver Whisper leaving Port Lauderdale in Florida next month on 6th January and visiting 62 ports in 32 countries before arriving in Amsterdam on 25th May? Then again, you may prefer to wait until the following year and sign up for their 150 days Finest World Tour Cruise or their first ever Expedition World Cruise, The Uncharted, encompassing 167 days incorporating 107 ports in 30 countries. In addition, you can consider options such as Grand Voyages to the Indian Ocean, The Pacific, Australia, South America among other several weeks-long schedules; combination cruises linking two or more itineraries into one; and enriched voyages, which focus on themed sailings such as Culinary, Wine or Operatic options, among others. According to the their anniversary motto: ‘We’re just getting started’

Silversea Local Sales Agents

Based in Gibraltar, Cruise Connections Ltd were appointed Silversea’s main sales agents 6 months before the company sailed it’s first maiden voyage in April 1994 with Silver Cloud. From then to the present day, Cruise Connections Ltd continue to be Silversea’s sales agents in this part of the world. Peter Conway-Hann, founder and co-owner of Cruise Connections Ltd says: “It was very clear that Silversea was born to dominate the ultra luxury cruise market. The concept, the design of the ships, was revolutionary and there was nothing like it at that time. It was wonderful to be involved in a new dimension blossoming in the cruise industry, and we are still very close to Silversea to this day. We are also very proud to be an important partner of Silversea, and we have many clients still with us after 25 years of cruising. We offer to the public what I consider to be unique in our industry, a totally personalised service for each and every one of our clients.”

WORDS IAIN BLACKWELL PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF SILVERSEA

For more information on Silversea Cruises, brochures, etc., please call Nicky or Peter on (+350) 200 60346 or one of their Spanish mobile phones – (+34) 609 557407 / (+34) 609 557423. cruiseconnect@fastmail.net www.cruiseconnectionseurope.com