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About
Silversea
Cruises...
A little over a decade ago (in April of 1994, to be precise) a
luxurious, all-suite ship -- small by the prevailing standards of the day at
just 16,800 tons -- made its debut in the Mediterranean. It was the
296-passenger Silver Cloud, the first of what has become a fleet of four
Silversea Cruises vessels. Many in the cruise industry wondered at the time
whether a niche company with a publicly stated "Uncompromising Commitment to
Service" could long survive in an increasingly mass-market business. They're not
wondering now.
The Silver Cloud was followed within a year (January 1995)
by a twin, the Silver Wind and the company figured that the smartest thing to do
with their luxury concept was more of the same -- but bigger. The Silver Shadow
(September 2000) and Silver Whisper (June 2001) are essentially enlarged
versions of those two earlier ships, each weighing 7,200 tons more with the
capacity to carry almost an additional 100 passengers. Besides their similar
exterior profile and interior configuration, they have something else in common
with their smaller fleet mates -- the characteristic Silversea commitment to
service and luxury.
Owned by the Lefebvre family of Rome (former owners
of Sitmar Cruises) Silversea has shown clearly that it belongs with the best of
them in the ultra-luxury cruise market. Though it is not an inexpensive product
on paper -- no luxury cruise vacation is -- Silversea's all-inclusive pricing
offers guests value for money. Gratuities, port charges and alcoholic beverages
(including wine at lunch and dinner) are folded into the cost of the cruise. The
company even provides one complimentary shore excursion on many of its voyages.
That outing is called the Silversea Experience and it invariably features
something other than the run-of-the-mill tour ashore. On one such excursion
during a recent Norwegian fjords cruise, the Silversea Experience included a
visit to an ancient castle where a produce fair was in progress and at which the
mayor of the town greeted Silversea passengers in person. Not your basic city
coach tour! There is a charge for other shore options.
Earlier this year,
the Fort Lauderdale-based line introduced a new option for its passengers called
Personalized Voyages. In essence the plan allows cruisers to choose their own
embarkation/disembarkation ports, regardless of the cruise lengths and
itineraries shown in the brochure. Take, as an example, the seven-day sailing of
the Silver Wind between Bonifacio (Corsica) and Valletta (Malta) next June 1.
Guests may tack on days from the following cruise between Valletta and Corfu
(Greece) by disembarking at any port en route. They can get off in, say, Rome --
adding an additional three days to their journey -- or in Sorrento, just one day
later. The extra time onboard is charged at a per-day rate, which could be
anything from $570 to $642 depending on the ports and the stateroom category
chosen.
The same option exists at the start of the cruise. Guests need
not board in Corsica. They can join the cruise in progress in, say, Alexandria
(Egypt) three days later, or in St Tropez (France) the next day. The aim, as the
name of the program implies, is maximum flexibility for guests.
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CRUISECLEVER - SILVERSEA
CRUISES
