The Silversea Way

 

Silver Spirit.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises

Sometimes in order to be groundbreaking, a ship doesn't have to contain a waterside.  Or two.  Or a seaside theatre.  In fact, the ship I'm about to describe has no bowling alley, mini-golf course or wrestling ring, and yet is still one of the most exciting newbuilds afloat.. 

Sometimes a ship simply has to be a ship. Novel concept, right?  While the media gorged itself on a delicious buffet of Oasis of the Seas, in December Silversea became the proud owners of their newest ship: Silver Spirit. 

 

Stairwell.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises 

A couple of things combined to make Silver Spirit's launch a real event for Silversea.  First and foremost, it is the first newbuild for them since Silver Whisper debuted in 2001.  Secondly, Silver Spirit is the largest Silversea vessel to date, at 36,000 gross register tons and with a capacity of 540 passengers.

Large doesn't mean crowded though - this is Silversea, after all.  With an almost unheard of passenger space ratio of 67%, finding a section of the ship to call your own won't pose a problem.  To put it in perspective, Holland America's Prinsendam, a mainstream ship of similar size, is considered 'roomy' at 47.86%.  Silversea bests that by an easy 20%. 

What could be better than that?  How about  that the smallest stateroom on this all-suite ship is 312 sq. feet - gargantuan compared to the average 155-185 sq. feet found on most mainstream lines.  The two Owner's Suites measure 1,668 sq. feet and include a 190 sq. foot verandah.

 

Veranda Suite.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises 

With all that space, it would be tempting not to leave your cabin - but then you'd miss out on all the extra amenities Silversea's designers have thoughtfully added to the 642-foot long ship.  Like the 70-seat La Terrazza, an authentic Italian a la carte experience.  Maybe a cigar and cognac in the ship's Connoisseur's Corner is more to your liking before heading off to the 320-guest Show Lounge to take in the evening performance.

After all that delicious food and drink, you might want to head up to the Fitness Centre, complete with treadmills, a rowing machine, stationary bikes, multi-purpose weight machines and a Kinesis Wall.  All this as you cruise across the ocean at twenty knots.

The thoughtfully-arranged Pool Deck.

Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises. 

Silversea has built a reputation on providing a stellar cruise experience for discerning travellers who enjoy the finer things in life - but in a relaxing, unpretentious atmosphere.  Guests are generally down-to-earth people who are well travelled and don't need a rock climbing wall to keep entertained.  What's more, there's never been a better time to try Silversea: they're offering 60% off and free airfare on select 2011 voyages.

Silversea also has a very innovative program  called Personalised Voyages® that is completely unique to them: don't see the voyage you want?  Create your own!  You can choose your embarkation and disembarkation ports, and the system will come up with a price for you based on a standard per diem.  The only catch is that voyages must be at least five days in length, and if starting at a US port, cannot end at a different US port due to restrictions in the Jones Act.  Los Angeles to San Francisco is not allowed, but Los Angeles to Vancouver or Acupulco works just fine.

To learn more about the Silver Spirit, Silversea, or their unique Personalised Voyages® program, visit the Silversea Website.