All inclusive. This truly is an all-in offering. Apart from shore excursion tours, the casino, beauty salon and spa services, and a minimal surcharge at a couple of on-board restaurants, everything on the ship is included in the fee.
From room service, to your minibar being stocked with the premium wine or spirit of your choice (a whole litre-bottle's worth, by the way), all food and alcohol across the ship, shuttle buses into town at the docked ports (where applicable), even gratuities. Gratuities! There are few things more awkward in life than a loitering bell boy making endless small talk until you slip him a note. Not here - joy.
Butler for everyone. What is luxury living if it doesn't involve a butler. Not luxury enough, darling. Which is why on Silversea ships, every guest has a supremely smart tuxedo'd butler at their beck and call, in all suites, in every category. And they're the only cruise line in the world to do that.
Family-run. In a world of multi-national conglomerates, Silversea is owned and operated by one family — the Lefebvres of Rome. This means genuine pride in ownership, that uniquely Italian passion for embracing la dolce vita, and a personal commitment to maintaining the high standards of cruise excellence that have been the cornerstone of the company from the very beginning.
Fine art for sale. Silver Spirit doubles up as the Andrew Weiss art gallery. Every corridor on every deck is lined with exquisite pieces of fine art. There were so many, we were convinced they couldn't be genuine. There also seemed to be no security around them. "Where are the motion-detector laser beams, guards, alarm systems?" I asked a member of staff in earnest. "What if someone steals them!". The response, "Where will they hide? There's only one way off this ship, and no one is getting past with a Picasso." Good point.
Not to mention the price tags seemed pretty reasonable - $35,000 for a genuine Picasso? Bargain (if you have that sort of money)! But real they were, and for sale they were too.
Art Curator Rami Ron was available for walks and talks through the collection, and special guest Alexandre Renoir (mentioned above), was also on board to chat all things creative. It's not every day you walk past pieces by Dali, Rembrandt, Warhol and Renoir, on the short saunter from your bedroom to breakfast.
Cruise ships: for the newly wed, the nearly dead, and the very well fed. Such was the well-worn sea-faring phrase my shipmate Karen from Lavender and Lovage shared with me, in an exercise to point out that second category didn't seem to apply on Silver Spirit. "This ship has a far lower average age than any other I've been on," she divulged.
Whilst the majority are 50+, there were many considerably younger couples, and two or three generations of families enjoying a holiday together. We spotted only one very elderly person confined to a wheelchair (a much more common sight on other ships, Karen told me); everyone else was sprightly and ready to party, whatever their age.
It was quite apparent that some had been on this ship many times before. I spotted a few guests at check-in embracing staff members like an old friend, with arms flung open wide.
Taking that to the extreme, we shared a cocktail with a couple who have spent the best part of the past three years aboard this ship, travelling the whole world in what they call their 'second home'. They keep the same suite, and they will even keep their luggage on board despite an upcoming three week hiatus ashore before it sets sail on a new venture.
Endless days of azure ocean views, being waited on hand and foot, and all the booze and food you can handle. That's no bad way to spend a few bob.
