Silver Shadow - services available aboard Silversea Cruises ship

Cruising Like A Millionaire On An Expanded Edition Of Silversea's Upscale Vessels

Dorothy Parker--she of enviable wit and keen observation--once complained that there were three things in life she would never attain: "... envy, content, and sufficient champagne." Pitty she didn't get to cruise on the new Silver Shadow. On an average 14-day sailing, 1,300 bottles of (complimentary) Moet & Chandon champagne are enjoyed by 382 passengers--between mother-of-pearl spoonfuls of about 100 pounds of caviar.

The pampering begins pre-embarkation: four fellow Californians (arriving on my flight) are directed by Silversea Cruises' greet staff to a white limousine that stretches from Miami to Key Biscayne. We 60-something seasoned cruisers get acquainted en route to our pre-cruise luxury hotel, which--along with roundtrip air transportation, airport transfers, gratuities, beverages throughout the ship (including wine, spirits, and bubbly), port charges, and (on selected sailings) a special shoreside event--are all-inclusive in Silversea Cruises' air/sea fares.

On our 17-day voyage--which takes us on a steamy journey to seductive ports in Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina--it is readily apparent that my congenial (not at all snobbish) country-club-type shipmates could be at a first tee, only ours is at sea. They are primarily professionals (many have retired), mature adults (there is not a single child or teen on our sailing), well-traveled ("Been to the Falklands twice"), and accustomed to luxury. So onboard, the Frette linen and terry-cloth robes, Christofle silverware, Bvlgari bath amenities, optional Mandara Spa treatments, and such are likely to be appreciated, yet familiar, accoutrements of privilege. In short, the fact that they can afford Silversea's average per person/per diem of $850 (and upwards) suggests they share Julia Child's philosophy: "Life itself is the proper binge."

Though the ship offers seven Categories of all-suite accommodations--ranging in size from 287 to a staggering 1,435 square feet--most of us opt for one of the 128 veranda suites (345 square feet). Eighty percent of Silver Shadow suites feature tempting teak verandas furnished with comfortable light aluminum furniture--the only plastic you'll likely spot onboard is your credit card. In the living/sitting area, a paneled cherry-wood wall unit houses a satellite TV, videocassette player (coincidentally, the first video I select at The Library is As Good As It Gets), a refrigerator stocked with beverages; and a cocktail bar. Tasteful hues (cantaloupe and royal blue, for example), along with comfortably upholstered sofa and chairs, and abundant lighting invite me to linger longer. A walk-in closet, adjoining the bedroom, provides somewhat modest drawer space, wall shoe racks (a welcome addition), and a personal safe.

In contrast to her smaller (296-passenger/16,800-gross-register-ton) predecessors, Silver Wind and Silver Cloud, the 382-passenger/28,252-grt Silver Shadow's gray-speckled granite/marble bathrooms are both bigger and better. First-time cruisers and seasoned "old salts" all appreciate a double vanity ("his and hers" sinks), a full bathtub, and a separate stall shower.

Beyond the inviting tastefulness and comfort of her suites, the Silver Shadow's appeal is her uncanny ability to masquerade as intimate while offering diversions traditionally found on 2,000-plus passenger megaships. I do my daily laps in a 26-foot-long swimming pool--surfacing only for a terrific cheeseburger and french fries at the Poolside Grille. On a typical sea day there are as many as nine fitness classes offered in the newly separate (bravo!) aerobics room, or in the expanded, yet somehow-still-cramped gym.

There are three language classes (so we can learn to ask, "How much does it cost?" in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian); two classes at the Computer Center (where five Powermate 2000 computers are abuzz round-the-clock with e-mail-compulsive cruisers); a wine tasting with the sommelier (heaven forbid you should miss sampling one of the complimentary 59 reds and whites poured onboard); three "sports" competitions (water volleyball is the most animated and vocal); dance instruction that embraces many styles from line-dancing to the tango; and two lectures. Personally, I'm a disaster at origami and a dunce at napkin folding, but I have found vindication as one of the minutiae mavens who surface at the afternoon feeding frenzy known as "Team Trivia." We all need to get a life.

Cruise director Fernando de Oliveira--for 26 years, perhaps the quintessential cruise director--orchestrates all of these activities with restrained good cheer (this is not really a "gung ho" crowd), assisted by social staffers who don't despair if few appear. Note the absence of: daily bingo, horse races, limbo contests, masquerade parties and, for that matter, hype and hyperactivity. There is neither a shipboard photographer nor a slew of intrusive announcements; indeed, the P.A. system is used only for the captain's midday position briefing, and for notices of impending tour departures in port.

There are 301 crew-members onboard to anticipate whims and respond to requests of 382 passengers. This admirable service ratio may partially account for the fact that I've never enjoyed better (swifter, more accurate) room service than I experienced on the Silver Shadow.

Executive chef Adam Perchtold and maitre d'hotel Gilbert Lanza are congenial collaborators (on some other ships, these positions actually seem adversarial) and create dining experiences in which exceptionally good food is both carefully prepared and beautifully presented. In The Restaurant--where open seating invites passengers to sit where they please and dine when, and with whom, they like--feathered crystal chandeliers sparkle over a motif of rich navy blue and gold as attentive waiters deliver courses in time with the diners' tempo.

The Terrace Cafe--a favorite buffet venue for indoor and alfresco dining at breakfast and lunchtime--is not your grandfather's Lido Cafe: think crystal and silverware (not paper and plastic), and notice gracious waiters who carry your selections directly to table. Transformed, at night, by glowing candlelight and expansive wooden window blinds, the cafe becomes a romantic rendezvous for alternative dining on a reservations-only basis (the first 60 guests to book are accommodated). Here, fusion foods celebrate various regional specialties such as "Flavors of the Orient," "La Cucina Italiana," and "Provence Cafe." The entire alternative dining experience on the Silver Shadow is extended and enhanced by the addition on this ship of Moet & Chandon's Le Champagne--an elegant tasting salon (adjoining the Terrace Cafe) where guests hear the chef review that evening's menu, and enjoy a regional appetizer and cocktail (viola!--on French Night, we'll have Kir Royal and prawns sizzling in Pernod).

After dinner, some of us retreat to the plush-carpeted, rich cocoa leather-upholstered, Japanese scroll lamp-lighted salon called The Humidor By Davidoff to enjoy a postprandial brandy or cognac, along with a cigar. There's the (complimentary) Davidoff Panatella, or we could purchase--from the considerable cigar inventory here--a pricier puff, like the $23 "Anniversario."

The ship's most popular nightclub is The Bar, whose sumptuous garnet "Ultrasuede" walls and faux stone friezes of pleasured ancient Athenians nudges our conversation toward tales of self-indulgence. A stylish septuagenarian extols the virtues of the onboard Mandara Spa (now a feature on all Silversea ships), where the Balinese-inspired treatments are designed "to find the elixir of immortality and eternal youth."

For me--an unashamed fan of musical theater and variety performers--cruise-ship production shows deserve the evening's spotlight if they match, in fine quality, the other shipboard elements of food, service, and accommodations. Luckily, here, the Jean Ann Ryan productions of "Swing Time," "Lights, Camera, Action" and, most particularly, the futuristic fantasy "Ombra!" feature a cast of talented dancers (accomplished in acrobatics and adagio) who are well-rehearsed, beautifully costumed, and musically complemented by the ship's quintet. Given the opportunity to be showcased in the handsome Athenian Lounge, these productions and performers take a well-deserved bow.

Somewhere along the way of this 4,433-nautical-mile voyage, when we are not being seduced by seven sun-drenched days at sea, some South American ports beckon. In turn, many of us become immersed in: the Afro-Brazilian exotica of Salvador da Bahia; gemstone buys and "bargains," the sultry samba, and a truly dazzling vista atop Corcovado in "incomparable Rio"; and the palatial jacaranda-lined promenades, luxurious leather goods, European panache, and delectable charcoaled steaks that give Buenos Aires good reasons to brag.

Bragging rights defer, as well, to the new Silver Shadow. In an era when megaships seem to trumpet that "bigger is better," Silversea Cruises' success proves, perhaps, that "petiter could be sweeter." Like Dorothy Parker, I now know about envy, content, and sufficient champagne; cruising like a millionaire suits me. And, yes Regis, that is my final answer.

Silversea Cruises offers a variety of voyages to South America on its intimate (296-or 382-passenger) boutique ships during both the 2001 and 2002 cruise seasons. For more information contact your travel agent or Silversea Cruises (Cruise Travel Magazine), 110 E. Broward Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301; or on the web at www.silversea cruises.com.

COPYRIGHT 2001 World Publishing, Co. (Illinois)
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group