Silversea's 292-passenger Silver Cloud passes
beneath London's Tower Bridge at dusk.
Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises
If you follow this blog, you know we had the opportunity to experience ultra-luxury line Silversea firsthand when we sailed to the Caribbean aboard Silver Spirit for nine glorious days.
And we’re thoroughly hooked - which is why we're taking a closer look at the line's offerings for next year: we can't help ourselves.
Besides representing an obvious step up from mainstream lines in terms of accommodations, service and cuisine, we were also impressed to find all the aspects of big-ship cruising we loved were present, while the things that annoyed us most (like art auctions and onboard photographers) were thankfully missing.
Oooh la la: the separate bedroom in the spacious Silver Suites
aboard Silversea's flagship, Silver Spirit.
Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders
While Silversea may not have a new ship to launch this year, the line is keeping things fresh by offering a remarkable number of diverse itineraries that literally encompass the entire globe. From Asia to the Artic, Northern Europe to the Caribbean, South America to Antarctica, there’s bound to be something for the adventurous traveler in Silversea’s 2011 lineup.
The Restaraunt aboard Silver Shadow:
not a bad place to dine for a month.
Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders
Looking for something out of the ordinary? There’s still space available aboard Silver Shadow’s remarkable, 30-day circumnavigation of Australia on January 19, 2011 – a voyage that takes guests to some of the most fascinating ports of call “down under” and avoids the usual hassles associated with over-land travel. While the $17,638 per guest price tag may initially be off-putting, this is not your usual voyage. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, both on board and ashore. Coming off of our own experience aboard Silver Spirit, a month aboard Silver Shadow sounds heavenly. Can’t quite swing the time or money needed for the full circumnavigation? Why not go part way; a 17-day voyage segment from Sydney to Perth is also on offer for $9,995 per guest.
Silver Spirit tied up in Philipsburg, St. Maarten.
Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders
On the ship side, Silver Whisper just underwent a major refurbishment that saw staterooms and public areas completely revitalized, and sister-ship Silver Shadow is due to undergo her own makeover in March, just before the start of her Alaska season. The line has also been quick to measure the success of new features available aboard the line’s 2009 flagship, Silver Spirit; the new poolside Black Rock Dining feature has been such a huge hit aboard Silver Spirit that it has been implemented aboard Silver Whisper, and plans are in the works to offer it aboard the rest of the fleet.
Expedition cruising in style aboard the intimate explorer,
Prince Albert II.
Photo courtesy of Silversea Cruises
In addition, Silversea also offers five-star expedition cruising aboard Prince Albert II. With just 132 fortunate guests, Prince Albert II is able to travel to some of the farthest reaches of the planet such as Antarctica.
Pull up a chair and settle down to a nice cup of coffee:
it's all included aboard Silversea ships.
Photo © 2010 Aaron Saunders
So what caught our eye for 2011? Well, everything – but in addition to the aforementioned circumnavigation of Australia, here are two of our favourites for the coming year:
Silver Cloud – Voyage 1113, 15 Days – Bridgetown, Barbados to Lisbon, Portugal – May 4, 2011
May 4 – Bridgetown, Barbados – Depart at 11:00pm
May 5 – Castries, St. Lucia – 8:00am to 11:00pm
May 6 – Roseau, Dominica – 8:00am to 6:00pm
May 7 – Gustavia, St. Barts – 8:00am to 6:00pm
May 8 to May 13 – At Sea, Sailing the Atlantic Ocean
May 14 – Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain – 8:00am to 7:00pm
May 15 – Arrecife, Canary Islands, Spain – 8:00am to 1:00pm
May 16 – Agadir, Morocco – 8:00am to 1:00pm
May 17 – Casablanca, Morocco – 6:00am to 11:00pm
May 18 – At Sea
May 19 – Lisbon, Portugal – arrive 7:00am.
Pricing starts at $4,758 per person and includes free round-trip economy class airfare from a number of major US and Canadian gateways.
Prince Albert II – Voyage 7124, 12 Days – Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica to Callao, Peru – October 28, 2011
October 28 – Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica – Depart at 7:00pm
October 29 – Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica – 6:30am to 6:30pm
October 30 – Golfito, Costa Rica – 6:30am to 6:00pm
October 31 – Day at Sea
November 1 – Cocos Island – 7:30am to 5:00pm
November 2 – Day at Sea
November 3 – Isla de la Plata, Ecuador – 1:30pm to 6:00pm
November 4 – Guayaquil, Ecuador – 8:00am to 6:30pm
November 5 – Paita, Peru – 2:00pm to 8:00pm
November 6 – Cruising Isla Lobos del Tierra, Peru – 8:30am to 4:00pm
November 7 – Salaverry, Peru – 6:30am to 4:00pm
November 8 – Callao, Peru – Arrive 4pm
November 9 – Callao, Peru – Disembark AM.
Fares for this unique expedition voyage start at just $3,918 per person.
For more information on these and other Silversea voyages, be sure to visit the Silversea Cruises website. Some 2011 fares are set to increase on January 1st, so check it out sooner rather than later!
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