Log In | Customer Support   
Home Book Travel Destinations Hotels Cruises Air Travel Community Search:  
Search

Search CruisePage

Book a Cruise
 - CruiseServer
 - Search Caribbean
 - Search Alaska
 - Search Europe
 - 888.700.TRIP

Book Online
Cruise
Air
Hotel
Car
Cruising Area:

Departure Date:
Cruise Length:

Price Range:

Cruise Line:

Forums
 >  Cruise Talk
 >  Rail Talk
 >  Air Talk
 >  Destination Talk
 >  Hotel Talk

Buy Stuff

Reviews
 - Ship Reviews
 - Dream Cruise
 - Ship of the Month
 - Reader Reviews
 - Submit a Review
 - Millennium Cruise

Community
 - Photo Gallery
 - Join Cruise Club
 - Cruise News
 - Cruise News Archive
 - Cruise Views
 - Cruise Jobs
 - Special Needs
 - Maritime Q & A
 - Sea Stories

Industry
 - New Ship Guide
 - Former Ships
 - Port Information
 - Inspection Scores
 - Shipyards
 - Ship Cams
 - Freighter Travel
 - Man Overboard List
 - Potpourri

Shopping
 - Shirts & Hats
 - Books
 - Videos
 - Reservations
 - Vacation Specials
 - Web Deals

Contact Us
 - Reservations
 - Mail
 - Feedback
 - Suggest-a-Site
 - About Us


   Cruise Travel - Reader Reviews

Welcome to Your Favorites, where you have the opportunity to share your travel experiences with fellow Internet Travelers around the world.


Silversea Cruises

MV Silver Whisper

Your Rating:Five Stars
Reviewed by: "Limey" Neil Kirby
# previous cruises: 50+
Date of Trip: July 24, 2002
Itinerary: Mediterranean

Overview
I now have a problem. After experiencing Silversea's Silver Whisper for seven nights how can I go better? I have now reached the pinnacle of luxury cruising! I haven't spoken about the ports as this is a review of the ship itself, but ports are a bonus on a Silversea cruise. The ship is the destination itself. You cruise on Silversea to relax and to be utterly spoilt. The beauty of the ship is its elegance, attention to detail, service, food and importantly no constant pestering from the concessions.

Public Areas
Joining the ship in Istanbul the concierge greeted us alongside the Cruise Director, both dressed immaculately in full tails.

Check-in was over quickly and we found ourselves embarking the Silver Whisper to assemble of stewards who immediately took our hand luggage from us and replaced them with a glass of chilled Moet et Chandon champagne. Although this was the first of many a glass of complimentary Moet throughout the cruise, the first glass was special.

The first thing that I noticed is the elegance of the ship. The environment does not jump out and 'wow' you with some flashy atrium or huge show lounge. The ship is simply a class in its own. The small casino has just the three tables and a dozen slots, enough for the few budding gamblers testing lady luck. "Grappa" bar next to the casino offers a quiet retreat with a wonderful collection of Erte paintings overlooking the bar. "The Champagne Bar" boasts an impressive collection of wines and champagne, sponsored again by Moet. The cigar lounge created by "Davidoff" maybe wasn't my scene, but I had to be impressed by the contents of cigars and the best Louis XIII brandies offered. Even the late night shopper was kept busy in the Bvlgari shop drooling over the wonderful jewellery in the display counters.

Food and Service
The highlight of the cruise however had to be the food. I have never eaten finer food in my life. "Salade de Salmon au ble noir", "Stuffed Chicken Breast with Fois Gras and Chilled Celery-Pistachio Sauce", "Curried Clam Soup with Apples" and "Crispy Duck with Candied Turnips and Spiced Plums" to name a few dishes. Silversea are recognised within the "Relais and Chateaux" awards and have collaborated with them to produce some fantastic dishes. The head sommelier always recommends a red or white wine to compliment the cuisine, but there is an extensive wine list of 75 wines (45 of these are complimentary).

The service was equal to the food. A simple raise of the eyebrow is all you need for a waiter to appear next to you! The dining at Silversea is open. No reservations are needed, and not once did I have to wait for a table. Alternatively you could dine in the Terrace Cafi which provided a different themed menu each evening. I chose the Oriental evening and experienced some of the best sushi I have tasted. Its limited to 50 passengers and starts prompt at 7.45 pm and is worth one evenings worth of enjoyment.

Cabins
My veranda suite measured in at a very comfortable 345 sq/ft. Once again a welcoming bottle of Moet on ice invited me in to the sitting area of the suite. Large walk-in closet with enough space for an army of tuxedos. Marble washroom, complete with separate shower and bath, toiletries by Bvlgari. Private veranda, TV/VCR, room safe, robe and slippers, fresh fruit all awaiting my arrival. My Croatian suite steward welcomed me immediately and informed me of all the on board facilities and services.

Entertainment
Thankfully one thing that was missing was the hoards of bulletins and flyers to promote and convince you to run straight to the boutiques, casino or beauty salon and spend, spend, spend..something I welcomed with great relief. In fact, during the whole cruise I never heard any "sales pitching" from any on board concessions, no photographers and thankfully no Art Auctioneer!!

On this ship I was forced to relax, and I didn't complain. Despite the size of the ship we were treated to two full production shows with singers and dancers that would rival the Royal Caribbean and Princess ships of similar size. We enjoyed two cabaret shows, one magician, a piano entertainer and even a fantastic puppet show from the Cruise Director. The show lounge has more seats than passengers on the ship, therefore you are always guaranteed a view for the show.

In the evening of Rhodes we were treated to a top deck barbecue and local Greek dancers. In The Bar we had live music from the Silver Quintet, the Panorama Lounge had late night entertainment with Colin Salter, an Australian entertainer no-one should miss. Nothing was forced on you, and with complimentary drinks flowing I had more fun in the evenings on this ship than many of the larger ships.

Activities
The daytime activities also reflect the atmosphere. Gone are the belly-flop competitions, limbo poles, bingo and horse racing. In place are daily quizzes, shuffleboard, lectures and even Italian lessons.

Who Goes
There is simply no better cruise line if you want to be treated like someone special for a few days and pretend you're royalty. Go on, spoil yourself!!!!!

VACATION & CRUISE SPECIALS
Check out these great deals from CruisePage.com

Royal Caribbean - Bahamas Getaway from $129 per person
Description: Experience the beautiful ports of Nassau and Royal Caribbean's private island - CocoCay on a 3-night Weekend Getaway to the Bahamas. Absorb everything island life has to offer as you snorkel with the stingrays, parasail above the serene blue waters and walk the endless white sand beaches. From Miami.
Carnival - 4-Day Bahamas  from $229 per person
Description: Enjoy a wonderful 3 Day cruise to the fun-loving playground of Nassau, Bahamas. Discover Nassau, the capital city as well as the cultural, commercial and financial heart of the Bahamas. Meet the Atlantic Southern Stingrays, the guardians of Blackbeard's treasure.
NCL - Bermuda - 7 Day from $499 per person
Description: What a charming little chain of islands. Walk on pink sand beaches. Swim and snorkel in turquoise seas. Take in the historical sights. They're stoically British and very quaint. Or explore the coral reefs. You can get to them by boat or propelled by fins. You pick. Freestyle Cruising doesn't tell you where to go or what to do. Sure, you can plan ahead, or decide once onboard. After all, it's your vacation. There are no deadlines or must do's.
Holland America - Eastern Caribbean from From $599 per person
Description: White sand, black sand, talcum soft or shell strewn, the beaches of the Eastern Caribbean invite you to swim, snorkel or simply relax. For shoppers, there's duty-free St. Thomas, the Straw Market in Nassau, French perfume and Dutch chocolates on St. Maarten. For history buffs, the fascinating fusion of Caribbean, Latin and European cultures. For everyone, a day spent on HAL's award winning private island Half Moon Cay.
Celebrity - 7-Night Western Mediterranean  from $549 per person
Description: For centuries people have traveled to Europe to see magnificent ruins, art treasures and natural wonders. And the best way to do so is by cruise ship. Think of it - you pack and unpack only once. No wasted time searching for hotels and negotiating train stations. Instead, you arrive at romantic ports of call relaxed, refreshed and ready to take on the world.
Holland America - Alaska from From $499 per person
Description: Sail between Vancouver and Seward, departing Sundays on the ms Statendam or ms Volendam and enjoy towering mountains, actively calving glaciers and pristine wildlife habitat. Glacier Bay and College Fjord offer two completely different glacier-viewing experiences.