Silversea Cruises
Who is it for? - Well-heeled travelers expecting the utmost in luxury and service both at sea and on land.
Where do they go? - Silversea happens to be the only cruise line with 900 destinations on all seven continents, so the odds are very high they're traveling where you'd like to be. Australia, New Zealand & the Pacific Islands, Asia, Alaska & the Russian Far East, Transocean, Caribbean, Central America, Mediterranean, North Europe & the British Isles, Africa, Indian Ocean, Canada & New England, Antarctica, South Pacific, Northeast Passage, The Arctic & Greenland, Galapagos Islands
One-sentence Overview - A butler for every suite, an almost 1:1 guest to crew ratio, and an unbelievable attention to detail.
Give me the details - A butler?! - That's right, a butler. Each suite, from the most basic (but still very luxurious) Adventurer Suite to the over-the-top Owner's Suite, has a personal butler and Silversea is the only cruise line offering this impeccable service to their cruisers. They are not housekeeping with a fancy title, but in fact honest-to-goodness butlers that call to mind the opulent cruise culture of days past. Before you even board the ship, your butler will ensure that the in-suite minibar and refrigerator are stocked to your preferences. Once onboard, they will welcome you personally to your suite, assist with unpacking and hanging clothes if so desired, and even present you with luxurious BVLGARI bathroom amenities and a pillow menu.
However, their services do not stop once your cruise is underway. If you have food preferences, your butler will communicate that to the kitchen to ensure any special dietary restrictions are accommodated. Hoping to snag a reservation at La Dame, the fine dining restaurant on board? Lounge by the pool while your butler does the legwork for you. When your cruise is, regrettably, coming to an end they will even clean out your suitcase and pack it for you to ensure you can get every last moment of enjoyment from your vacation. Incredibly, for those travelers in Royal, Grand, or Owner's Suites, the butler service is at an even higher level. Enlist their help in organizing an in-suite cocktail party, drawing an aromatherapeutic Whirlpool bath, or even the booking of reservations on land - they are on hand to enhance your experience.
Everyone gets a suite, too? - Most of them even have verandas! The Adventurer suites are geared towards the cruiser who is only planning to be in their room for sleeping, but that doesn't mean they skimp on luxury. While they do not have a veranda, they do have two porthole windows to allow natural light into the room as well as glimpses of the sea beyond. Despite being the smallest rooms, they still boast personalized stationery, unlimited WiFi, marble bathrooms and Etro bathrobes - by no means is it a cave-like interior room with scratchy linens and cramped quarters.
Guests in the Owner's suite are in for an almost unbelievably luxurious experience. Enjoy afternoon canapes on your massive private teak veranda after a nap on a handmade Savoir mattress in the bedroom, or host newly-made friends in your living room before heading up to a dinner at the Officer's Table, offered only to those in the upper levels of suites. No matter which suite category you pick, you're guaranteed an incredible time at sea.
Okay, what else? - Each of Silversea's ten ships is smaller than most traditional cruise ships, allowing direct access to many ports that usually can only be reached by anchoring offshore. The Expedition voyages, those that venture to the most remote parts of the ocean like Greenland and the Galapagos, take advantage of this by offering a unique kind of staffing on their excursions. Each Expedition Voyage will have between 11 and 19 specialists onboard ranging from biologists to historians, making sure guests get the full experience of climbing onto a glacier or seeing a Galapagos tortoise up close.
The Couture Collection is a set of 100 different pre- post- and overland programs that run in conjunction with a preexisting cruise itinerary. Instead of shopping tours in a port city or a trip to the closest vineyard, these shoreside excursions are nearly once-in-a-lifetime. Book an overland trip through the Outback in the middle of your cruise around New Zealand, or attach a trip to see Mongolian hunters that use golden eagles to hunt for them across the vast steppes. Each port stop includes at least one complimentary shore excursion, but there is a nearly endless menu of additional excursions to choose from in each of the 900 cities they stop in.
Food and most beverages are included in your cruise fare, so unless you are seeking a hard-to-find vintage wine you will not have to think about an additional cost at the end of your sailing. Dining options ranging from Asian fusion cuisine at Seishin to pizza and traditional Italian food at Spaccanapoli, and with a generous open-seating policy there's no pressure to dine at a certain time - or with certain people. Rounding out the ships are an Elemis spa with full salon services as well as medi-spa treatments like Botox or Restylane, a fitness center with personal trainers available, and a beautiful pool deck ready for you after a long day exploring a new country.
