Cruise Ship: Silver Whisper
Cruise Destination: Mediterranean - Athens to Rome
Cruise Dates: June 6, 2007
Guest Contributor: Dafne
Just Returned From Silver Whisper, and it was fabulous!
My husband and I were on Silver Wind ten years ago and had the trip of our lifetime. I never thought it could be repeated again but it was --another trip of a lifetime on Silversea!
We were on a 9 day cruise in June to the Greek Islands, Sicily and Italy.
Of course the ports were wonderful but I am not going to review the ports since everyone chooses an itinerary based on their own preferences. My objective is to discuss our experience on Silversea.
From the moment we boarded the ship the service was incredible! Every staff person always greeted us and had a big smile on their faces.
We woke up very early every morning, we couldn't wait to start our day on the Silver Whisper and ordered cappuccino delivered to our rooms. Ten minutes later it would arrive and be placed on our balcony with fine linens and china. Twenty four hour room service, you can order anything to eat or drink. Ordered drinks at 2:00 am and experienced the same efficient and quick service.
Then we would go to La Terrazza for a buffet breakfast when it opened. Huge and wonderful assortment of breakfast items, juices, fresh omelet station, fresh fruit station with staff cutting the fruit etc. Glasses for juices were chilled. The attention to this kind of detail was evident in everything they did on the ship. Then you could have pancakes, waffles etc. prepared for you.
I am not a breakfast eater, so ordered Lamb Chops with wild mushrooms and ice tea every morning. I asked for a fresh pineapple slice in my ice tea. By the second day, the waiters knew me and would say, are you ready for your Lamb Chops and your iced tea with fresh pineapple. 10-15 minutes later the Lamb Chops arrived.
The point I am trying to get across is whatever special request you may want, the answer is always yes! The waiters would carry your plates to your table from the buffet. All the waiters had wonderful attitudes and were there to please you in every way. You are made to feel very special.
We had a veranda suite which included a balcony. We loved having the balcony and used it all the time. The room is lovely, with plenty of closet space and more drawers than you can fill up and we had 4 pieces of luggage. Personalized stationary with your name on it. Fresh flowers in your cabin. The bathrooms were fantastic! Double sinks, shower and tub with Bulgari amenities such as soap, shampoo, conditioner etc. Very comfortable bed with fine linens and duvet cover.
The stewardess was fantastic. Always smiling and calling us by our names. The stewardess' work in teams, with two people taking care of your suite. The cabins are cleaned twice a day and the cleaning was immaculate. They even lined up my makeup in a straight row. We kept saying to ourselves, this service is unbelievable! We had to keep asking ourselves how anything can be so perfect like this.
We ate dinner every night in the main dining room and also ate once in the Italian Restaurant. The food was excellent. Many choices and if you don't see what you like on the menu they will bring you what you request. One day I saw an appetizer from lunch that looked interesting and requested it for dinner. Nothing was ever a problem.
The dining room wait staff was so professional, great attitudes and impeccable service. We were greeted by the waiter and wine steward the minute you sat down. Every night it was like eating in a fine restaurant. Presentation of the food on the plates was always beautifully done. The beef dishes were extraordinary, beef melted in our mouths. You will be pampered beyond belief.
Most nights we would stay in the dining room for 3 hours talking to the fellow guests we were dining with at our table. We enjoyed the formal nights as it made for a glamorous evening.
Chef David was accessible to all the guests. He came out to the dining room, greeting everyone and making sure you were happy. One day my husband told the chef, he may prefer something different instead of a fillet of fish. The chef said call me and let me know, he asked if my husband wanted a whole fish, he said he would cook it any way he wanted. Almost on every port before we were ready to sail, there would be a lovely small buffet set up by the pool area before dinner. Chef David was always walking around, getting to know all the guests.
One night we had a Barbecue Dinner on the pool deck. It was fantastic! Forty desserts to choose from, I know because I counted them! The pool deck was set up with fabric covered chairs, linen tablecloths. Great entertainment and dancing into the wee hours. We were talking to a few couples and the Captain came by our table and talk to us for one hour! That is what made our cruise so special, all the staff treated you like family.
Every cruise they do an open kitchen Galley Buffet lunch. What a magnificent presentation! So interesting to see how the kitchen functions.
At the bars they use linen napkins, another attention to fine detail. All the bartenders made great drinks. I like Pina Coladas and had it prepared in Hawaii with vanilla ice cream. I told the bartender and within a few minutes they went down to the kitchen galley and got the ice cream. No request is denied!
When we disembarked at the ports they had cold bottled water to take ashore and on the way back they waited for the tenders to return to the ship, at the ports they had cold punch, water and chilled towels!
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