Cruise Line: Silversea Cruises
Cruise Ship: Silver Whisper
Cruise Destination: Caribbean
Cruise Dates: March 28 - April 1, 2006
Guest Contributor: E.F. Schlenk
Let's be honest. One of the pleasures of cruising is the "fantasy factor". You know what I mean -- for a few days each year one is made to feel rich and famous, from spacious suites with attentive service to haute cuisine with fine wine.
Mainstream cruise lines offer a degree of luxury with their upper echelon suites and surcharged restaurants, but the kind of pervasive luxury and personal attention that I am talking about here is the raison d'etre of such cruise lines as Silversea, Regent (formerly Radisson) Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Crystal.
These ships range from about 200 passengers on the older Seabourn "yachts" to about 1,000 passengers on the newest Crystal ship.
Perhaps because the smaller luxury ships carry fewer passengers on less common itineraries, or perhaps because wealthy passengers are not as interested in cruise review web sites as the rest of us, there are relatively few recent reviews of ships like the Silver Whisper.
Background:
What follows is a review of our experience on a four night March, 2006, Caribbean cruise on Silversea's all-suite ship Silver Whisper. I am semi-retired, in my late 50's, and not in the travel business. My wife and I have taken 17 cruises on a variety of cruise lines. When on vacation I prefer not dealing with lines or crowds, and tend to travel independently rather than with tour groups.
I shall begin this review with a discussion of luxury cruising in general; follow with a discussion of our Silver Whisper cruise in particular; then give suggestions for independent sightseeing at our ports of call (St.
Barts, Antigua, and Tortola) with a gentle warning about an Antiguan "incident"; and conclude with a discussion of whether luxury cruising is worth the price.
Before I begin, please understand the facts that:
This was an enjoyable cruise on a highly regarded small cruise ship calling at three of the less crowded Caribbean ports.
Pros of Cruising on the Silver Whisper:
The spacious cabins with double bathrooms (all cabins are outsides, most with balconies), the understated elegance of the extensive public areas; the absence of noise and crowds; the absence of sales pitches (no art auctions, no photographers, no bingo games), the talented musicians and entertainers (who were presented at reasonable decibel levels), the well traveled, well educated, and articulate passengers; and the inclusive pricing (drinks and gratuities).
Cons of Cruising on the Silver Whisper:
Minor lapses in service; minor lapses in food preparation; inadequate exercise facilities; excessive off-line and internet computer fees; and a tendency of the ship to roll in good weather during mild to moderate seas.
Silversea Cruises Background:
Silversea is a privately owned Italian cruise line with four luxury ships. The officers are predominantly Italian, and the staff is international. The Silver Cloud and Silver Wind were built in 1994/5 for 295 passengers each. The Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper were built in 2000/1 for 382 passengers each. All cabins are outsides, and most have balconies. Silversea prefers to call them suites rather than cabins, although most are a single room with a dividing curtain between the sitting and sleeping areas. Silver Shadow's and Silver Whisper's cabin size (345/287 square feet with/without balcony), space ratio (74 tons per passenger), and staff-to-passenger ratio (1.3 to 1) are almost twice those of mainstream cruise ships, and are significantly better than most other cruise ships in the luxury category.
Page 2 > > Silver Whisper Caribbean Cruise Review > >
Cruise Ship: Silver Whisper
Cruise Destination: Caribbean
Cruise Dates: March 28 - April 1, 2006
Guest Contributor: E.F. Schlenk
Let's be honest. One of the pleasures of cruising is the "fantasy factor". You know what I mean -- for a few days each year one is made to feel rich and famous, from spacious suites with attentive service to haute cuisine with fine wine.
Mainstream cruise lines offer a degree of luxury with their upper echelon suites and surcharged restaurants, but the kind of pervasive luxury and personal attention that I am talking about here is the raison d'etre of such cruise lines as Silversea, Regent (formerly Radisson) Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Crystal.
These ships range from about 200 passengers on the older Seabourn "yachts" to about 1,000 passengers on the newest Crystal ship.
Perhaps because the smaller luxury ships carry fewer passengers on less common itineraries, or perhaps because wealthy passengers are not as interested in cruise review web sites as the rest of us, there are relatively few recent reviews of ships like the Silver Whisper.
Background:
What follows is a review of our experience on a four night March, 2006, Caribbean cruise on Silversea's all-suite ship Silver Whisper. I am semi-retired, in my late 50's, and not in the travel business. My wife and I have taken 17 cruises on a variety of cruise lines. When on vacation I prefer not dealing with lines or crowds, and tend to travel independently rather than with tour groups.
I shall begin this review with a discussion of luxury cruising in general; follow with a discussion of our Silver Whisper cruise in particular; then give suggestions for independent sightseeing at our ports of call (St.
Barts, Antigua, and Tortola) with a gentle warning about an Antiguan "incident"; and conclude with a discussion of whether luxury cruising is worth the price.
Before I begin, please understand the facts that:
- First, I have a value-oriented approach to travel. Those of you who have read my previous reviews (e.g. Star Princess in the Baltic, Constellation in the Southern Caribbean, Galaxy in the Eastern Mediterranean, Zuiderdam in the Eastern Caribbean, Tahitian Princess in Polynesia) are used to my personal viewpoint.
- Second, I am not an experienced luxury cruiser. Most of my previous 17 cruises have been on the cruise lines listed above. This may make me a less biased observer, or it may make me blind to some of the perks of luxury cruising.
- Third, this was a relatively short, heavily discounted itinerary from a U.S. port (San Juan), and as such may not be representative of the usual Silversea cruises, which average about ten days in duration and $5,000 per person for the least expensive cabins.
- Finally, cruise ships change with time, and what I say here may not apply when you read this. Also, I apologize for any errors and omissions I have made, and suggest you supplement this review with other information from other reviewers. That being said, let's begin the review with the bottom line.
This was an enjoyable cruise on a highly regarded small cruise ship calling at three of the less crowded Caribbean ports.
Pros of Cruising on the Silver Whisper:
The spacious cabins with double bathrooms (all cabins are outsides, most with balconies), the understated elegance of the extensive public areas; the absence of noise and crowds; the absence of sales pitches (no art auctions, no photographers, no bingo games), the talented musicians and entertainers (who were presented at reasonable decibel levels), the well traveled, well educated, and articulate passengers; and the inclusive pricing (drinks and gratuities).
Cons of Cruising on the Silver Whisper:
Minor lapses in service; minor lapses in food preparation; inadequate exercise facilities; excessive off-line and internet computer fees; and a tendency of the ship to roll in good weather during mild to moderate seas.
Silversea Cruises Background:
Silversea is a privately owned Italian cruise line with four luxury ships. The officers are predominantly Italian, and the staff is international. The Silver Cloud and Silver Wind were built in 1994/5 for 295 passengers each. The Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper were built in 2000/1 for 382 passengers each. All cabins are outsides, and most have balconies. Silversea prefers to call them suites rather than cabins, although most are a single room with a dividing curtain between the sitting and sleeping areas. Silver Shadow's and Silver Whisper's cabin size (345/287 square feet with/without balcony), space ratio (74 tons per passenger), and staff-to-passenger ratio (1.3 to 1) are almost twice those of mainstream cruise ships, and are significantly better than most other cruise ships in the luxury category.
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