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The M/V Silver Whisper is considered a small ship in today's cruise market, but its tonnage of 28,258 grt makes it comparable to "midsize" ships. Silver Whisper, like its sister ship Silver Shadow, holds slightly more passengers than earlier ships Silver Cloud and Silver Wind. It just feels smaller than vessels of similar dimensions because it carries fewer passengers in the same amount of space. Its rated capacity of 382 is about half that of comparable ships, and its space-to-passenger ratio is the highest in the cruise industry.The decor and ambience of the Silver Whisper are best described as "elegantly restrained." High-quality materials such as hardwoods and marble are used throughout the ship, but you won't find massive atriums, glittering lights, rococo furnishings, or Las Vegas-style glitz in the Silver Whisper's public spaces. Despite (or perhaps because of ) Silversea's wealthy clientele, the ship conveys a feeling of upper-class comfort rather than conspicuous consumption.The Silver Whisper had its inaugural cruise in July, 2001 and has been cruising the globe ever since. From spring through early fall, the ship is usually found in the Mediterranean and the Baltic, with occasional cruises to Spitzbergen, Iceland, the Black Sea, and other destinations that tend to be overlooked by the mass-market cruise lines. Nearly every itinerary is different, making the Silver Whisper and Silversea Cruises popular with repeat guests.
Entertainment:
The Jean Ann Ryan Production Company is a spirited troupe of singers and dancers that put on some very creative production shows in the Viennese Lounge, a large showroom with a proscenium stage. These typically included male and female vocalists, a male gymnast-dancer, the live musicians who perform in the Panorama Lounge and three female dancers. The lead singer, also performed a show of her own late in the cruise. There's usually one or two small production shows, a magician, comedian and occasionally some local entertainers, performances and musicians. It is a smaller theater as ships go but offers a very intimate experience with the entertainers. By sitting in the front rows you feel almost a part of the act and the interaction is wonderful.
The Silver Whisper's legendary cruise director and an all-around entertainer who is best known for his remarkable (and unique) puppet show. An evening with entertainer/songwriter Richard Sherman, who with his brother Robert achieved fame with "Tall Paul" and other pop hits before writing the scores for Disney movies such as Mary Poppins. A violin concert virtuoso who has performed with the Moscow Philharmonic and other major orchestras. The Silver Shadow offers a very compact casino with limited slot machines and gaming tables. A talented lounge duo called "High Society" and the ship's extremely versatile band, the Silver Whisper Quintet. Occasional movies with drinks and popcorn in the Viennese Lounge and "Enrichment lectures" on history, literature, and cinema by three university professors. The cruise line also features a Silver Links golf program that includes onboard lessons from a pro and all arrangements (greens fees, cart, caddie, transfers from the ship) at some of the best courses in the world.
Public Areas:
The Silver Whisper has a unique design that places all the suites in the forward half of the ship. All the public rooms, with the exception of the Observatory Lounge, and Spa are located in the aft portion of the ship. This does afford additional quiet and privacy when utilizing your suite. The Observatory Lounge and Spa are both located on Deck 10 (the highest deck). With its dark blue carpet, white chairs, wood paneling, and floor to ceiling windows, the Observatory Lounge to exude a soothing, pleasant ambiance. A self-service bar provided early morning coffee, juice, and breakfast rolls. A small hall off the Observatory Lounge leads to the Spa, and exercise room. Although the exercise room was very small, and what little equipment there was, made the space feel cramped and totally unappealing, the facility was not very comfortable, or conducive for a serious workout. The only public facilities on Deck 9 were a jogging track, and the golf cage. There was a golf pro onboard providing workshops and private lessons.
Deck 9 also serves as the open deck surrounding the swimming pool, providing additional lounge space for the sun worshippers. The sheltered swimming pool is located on Deck 8 mid-ship. There are a fair amount of very comfortable padded teak lounge chairs surrounding the pool. The nice size pool is flanked by 2 jacuzzis. A small bar, and poolside grill round out this area. The bar and grill provided all the sustenance the afternoon hours.
The Library was filled with videos, both recent releases and old favorites, to use with the VCRs that were standard in all cabins. Also available are hundreds of books from the classics to bestsellers to current travel guides. A complete collection of National Geographic magazines is available on CD-ROM as well. Additionally, guests may select from a wide variety of video movies to “take home” and watch in their suite.
The Panorama Lounge completes the public rooms located on Deck 8. This is the largest of the bar/lounges located on the ship. Its neutral walls, white and green furniture and floor to ceiling windows give it a spacious and open feeling. The rather large parquet dance floor adds to the openness of this space. This lounge was frequently used as the piano bar, as well as the location of Jazz Night.
A card room, conference center, cigar bar and champagne bar are all located on Deck 7. The In the Conference Room, the cabinet also contains audio-visual equipment including a roll-down screen as well as flip- and white-boards for conference use. The champagne bar serves as the location of the pre-dinner presentation at 7:45 each evening when dining in the “by reservation only” Specialty Restaurant adjacent, the Terrace Cafe. The Terrace Cafe also serves as the location of the breakfast and luncheon buffets. In the evening the buffet area is closed off, and the space is transformed into an intimate dining alternative.
The main showroom, the Viennese Lounge, is located on Decks 5 and 6. This is an exceptionally large showroom for a ship with so few passengers. It is reminiscent of “Moulin Rouge”, with its central color scheme of deep red and gold. Although site lines are very good, the seats on both sides of the upper level provide a limited view, and should be avoided if possible.
Immediately forward of the Viennese Lounge, on Deck 5, is “The Bar”. This seemed to be the place for pre and post-dinner spot. A mellow dance band, as well as an outstanding piano player, took turns performing here. It was an extremely comfortable lounge decorated with plush sofas and chairs arranged in many conversational nooks. Tasteful artwork adorned the walls was one of the most inviting public areas. An oval lobby is located on Deck 5, which is where to find the purser, hotel manager, and shore excursion desks. This space is enhanced by an open stair tower, and utilizes earth tones and wood paneling to provide an elegance befitting the size of the ship. Off the lobby is a small shopping area. The Silversea boutique and the Bvlgari store both offer a nice upscale selection. Directly across from the shops lies the casino. The casino is small, but offers sufficient gaming tables and slots to appease those that enjoy this “sport”. Actually, some of my new cruise friends spent quite a bit of time here and left the ship with their coffers full. Directly off the casino is the Grappa Bar, a very intimate space that accommodates 24. Although small, it was the only place to get a cocktail late at night. The small casino Inspired by the grand casino of Monte Carlo, this gaming room is decorated in bold, winning hues. Crimson curtains are draped across a wall of windows, highlighted by crimson drapes, offers 22 slots, two blackjack tables, and roulette. The formal dining room, aptly named “The Restaurant” was on Deck 4. Large windows, wooden floors, and once again those neutral colors, made this area appear much larger than it actually was. Open seating was enjoyed on this cruise, and the restaurant never seemed overcrowded.
The stylish Shopping Arcade features the bold jewelry and elegant accessories of Bvlgari. The epitome of contemporary Italian style, Bvlgari offers some of the world's finest jewelry, accessories, perfumes and body products in trademark boutiques aboard Silversea ships. In fact, the first ever sea-going Bvlgari boutique opened aboard Silver Cloud and is now exclusively featured aboard each ship in Silversea's fleet. Silver Whisper proudly continues the tradition.
Cuisine:
On the Silver Whisper, enjoys open seating, it was very pleasant to eat when, and with whom we pleased each night. The debate is likely to be centered on therelative merits of smoked Norwegian salmon and the whisky-cured Scottish equivalent, or whether to order foie gras or caviar before the grilled sea bass or the herb-encrusted rack of lamb.The Silver Whisper's dining options include:The Restaurant, an elegantly appointed dining room that offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A typical dinner menu will offer a selection of hot and cold appetizers, a salad, two soups, a sorbet, and several entrées, including a pasta, risotto, or other vegetarian dish. A "Cruiselite" menu offers low-cholesterol, low-sodium, and low-fat choices for health-conscious passengers, and alternative selections such as steak, chicken, salmon, and pasta are available for guests who want a break from more elaborate cuisine. Desserts nomally include assorted pastries of the day, ice cream, and at least one low-calorie or "zero-zero" item for dieters and diabetics.The Terrace Café. At breakfast and lunch, this is an elaborate buffet with a cornucopia of hot and cold items. Waiters carry your plate to the table and keep you supplied with beverages. Cooked-to-order items can also be requested (e.g., pancakes or omelettes at breakfast and the pasta of the day at lunch). During the evening, the Terrace Café becomes a reservations-only alternative dining room for 20 to 50 guests, with theme dinners such as "Paris-Nice," "La Cucina Italiana," and "Secrets of the Sea."Pool Grillé. In decent weather, you can order hamburgers, hot dogs, panini, and salads from noon to 4 p.m. Waiters serve you at teak tables near the pool, and drinks are available from the Pool Bar.
Panorama Lounge. Boullion and crackers are served here between 11 a.m. and noon; from 4 to 5 p.m., you can stoke up on finger sandwiches, pastries, and cookies at Afternoon Tea. service. A full room-service menu--including caviar, shown at right--is available 24 hours a day. During lunch and dinner, you can order from The Restaurant's menu and have your meal served course by course. (There's no extra charge for room-service meals or wines, and tipping is not expected.)The Silver Whisper's food is outstanding, and executive chef keeps things interesting by offering local dishes where practical: e.g., fresh fish from the Copenhagen market and haggis during Scottish itineraries. Gabriele Chappini, the head sommelier, livens up the complimentary and connoisseur's winelists by buying directly from local vineyards as the Silver Whisper cruises the world. Silversea new alternative fine-dining restaurant in Le Champagne, an intimate room that is currently being used for winetastings and private dinners. The restaurant serve a maximum of 30 guests at candelit tables of four to six place settings, with special Relais & Chateaux menus by Joachim Koerper of Girasol, a Michelin two-star restaurant in Morarira, Spain.
Service:
The friendly European service crew is highly personalized, attentive, and eager to accommodate virtually any personal request. Service in the restaurants, lounges, suites and throughout the ship is superb - welcoming and highly competent. The staff anticipates your needs and there is extraordinary attention to detail.
Accomodations:
More than 80 percent of the Silver Whisper's staterooms have balconies. The most popular cabins are Veranda Suites, which comprise 128 of the vessel's 194 suites and offer 345 square feet of interior and balcony space. Vista Suites (the least expensive cabins aboard the Silver Whisper) are identical except for having picture windows instead of balconies. Bargain-hunters can opt for one of the nine Vista Suites that open onto a little-trafficked stretch of deck near the lifeboats. Two of the latter are oversized and specially equipped for handicapped guests. (By the way, there's no such thing as a bad cabin on the Silver Whisper - all staterooms overlook the sea, and none has an obstructed view.)
Two Medallion Suites offer slightly more space than the standard Veranda Suites. The 13 Silver Suites may be the most attractive accommodations on board. Each has 701 square feet of space and an angled glassed-in bedroom that faces the living/dining room with its two sets of sliding glass doors. At the high end of the scale are the Grand, Royal, and Owner's Suites, which range from 1,208 to 1,435 square feet and are available in one- or two-bedroom configurations.All suites, regardless of price, have such amenities as dressing rooms, multi-sink marble bathrooms with separate showers and tubs, refrigerators, and bars or liquor cabinets. There's no charge for drinks, caviar, 24-hour room service, or the fresh fruit that is replenished daily.
Spa/Fitness:
Silver Whisper has a small fitness center, a beauty salon and massage facilities. Fitness classes are scheduled during days at sea and there is a fast-walking/jogging track overlooking the sea. fitness center is a small workout area but don’t see how they could have equipped it any better with the space they allocated. There is a small Universal Machine, several treadmills, a couple of step machines and some dumbbells. Not really enough to get a reasonable work out and There is also a small aerobics area adjoining the workout area and while it was used frequently for morning exercises and the Silver Whisper is not interested in working out during the cruise making it a moot point.
The Mandara Spa offers an exotic, south Pacific-influenced menu of treatments. The spa, is now owned by Steiner Ltd. but there's a major difference from the spa operations Steiner/Mandara offer on other cruise lines. In this case, Silversea forbids spa therapists from engaging in their infamously annoying sales product pitches at the end of treatments. Spa treatments range from traditional style facials and massages to more unusual offerings. One note: treatments here are typically priced higher than on other cruise lines but there's a reason: many last nearly twice-as-long as average (80 minutes instead of 50) and, consistent with Silversea's "no tipping expected" policy, gratuities are built into the fee. The spa facility also features steam and sauna, and a full-service beauty salon. Adjacent is an adequate fitness facility (can get a little cramped at peak times) with treadmills and weight machines and an exercise room. A fitness instructor offers a daily menu of classes. The sheltered swimming pool is located on Deck 8 mid-ship. There are a fair amount of very comfortable padded teak lounge chairs surrounding the pool. The nice size pool is flanked by 2 jacuzzis. Other athletic-oriented features include a running/walking track (seven times around equals a mile), shuffleboard, ping-pong and a golf cage.
Gratuities:
Silversea covers virtually every little detail, such as your gratuities and port charges. Beverages including wines, champagnes and spirits are served complimentary. The Silversea even treat you to a complimentary shoreside event on many sailings.
Children's Program:
There are no special arrangements for children although they are welcome. aboard baby sitting help can be provided and if requested in advance, diapers, formula, etc. Silversea is unable to accommodate children under one year of age.
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