Right now, we are waiting at the airport to return and I want to write this down as I remember it – also it is quite a long wait for our flight… 😉
Just in case you would have missed all previous posts and updates that you can find on my instagram (Geert Behets) and my facebook page (the roads I travel), we cruised with Silversea on the Silver Moon from Athens to Athens over Limassol, Rhodos, Crete, Nafplion and Santorini.
This was our first Silversea but not our first cruise, after more than a dozen Celebrity cruises, two Azamara cruises and one Seabourn cruise, our expectations were high as we could read everywhere Silversea is top and very comparable to Seabourn that we liked a lot.
Comparing Seabourn and Silversea is like comparing a BMW, Mercedes or Audi to each other – each car has all the luxuries needed and not expected but one always seems to connect slightly better to you. If you are a Mercedes fan, you will not be unhappy in a BMW but it will not feel quite as «at home ».
The same goes for the cruise experience. Purely as a personal preference, Silversea has definitely struck a chord with us.
It is hard to explain why but if you insist it comes down to two main reasons:
– Cuisine
– the understatement of the experience
Cuisine on Silversea
First of all, the diversity of the restaurants: there are more restaurants and diversity than you would expect on a ship this size:
– Atlantide (the « main dining room »)
– La Dame, the very high-end experience (see separate post) and which comes with a nominal fee
– Kaiseki, Japanese with a nominal fee for evening dining but open for lunch without charge
– S.A.L.T. (Sea And Land Taste) with a changing menu according to the destinations – you also have the S.A.L.T. Lab where you can follow cooking classes
– La Terrazza – authentic Italian cuisine with table service in the evening and buffet for breakfast and lunch
– Silver Note for a jazzy dining experience with live music
– The Grill – by the pool for lunch and dinner
– Spaccanapoli for authentic Italian pizza’s outside
– Room service (from breakfast over afternoon caviar service served with Champagne in your suite by your own butler)
– Arts café – although not officially a dining venue, you will always find coffee with food presentations relevant to the time of day; in the morning you will find doughnuts, croissants, hot and cold sandwiches, energy drinks, etc. It is the perfect place to visit often during the day and discover new things
Not only Quality but equally presentation and portions stand out
Is it a more European approach? Clearly the food experience is closer to high-end European restaurants than on other cruise lines we sailed so far
What do we mean with understatement of the experience?
The Silver Moon is delightfully luxurious but not ostentatious. All fixings, public rooms and staterooms/veranda are furnished with high-level furniture but there is very low « bling » factor (for lack of a better description).
From the wonderful pool, over the theatre to the observation lounge, all public rooms are oasis of rest to your eyes and senses.
It also comes with the perfect staff who remember you almost immediately including your preferences (or allergies – as in my case to lactose) that are immediately attended to.
If all goes well, we will sail on the Silver Dawn from Lisbon to Fort Lauderdale in November and on the Silver Moon at the end of January (from Hong Kong to Singapore)
Thank you to all the wonderful people of Silversea who made this an unforgettable experience – we do not want to forget anyone but cannot forget to mention Vicki Van Tassel who was the perfect cruise director!
