Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cruises
83
Silversea Gourmet Tours
Exploring the Exotic
Silversea Cruises
Italian flair is evident everywhere on
the cruise ships of Silversea—in the taste-
fully appointed all-suite cabins, most of
which have oceanview balconies; in the
charming service provided by an Italian-
officered crew; in the excellent wine cellar;
in the small alternative dining room that
features special wine pairings; in the Relais
& Châteaux-approved chefs in the kitchen.
Even the specialty restaurants on board
feature an Italian menu. And because
these sleek white vessels carry only 300 to
400 passengers, the service on board is
highly individualized. You'll still have your
casino, your show lounge, your spa, your
on-deck pool, and your state-of-the-art
gym, but they'll be a little more intimate in
scale.
Silversea's interest in gourmet travel
doesn't stop at getting the basic food and
beverages right. Several itineraries on
their schedule are earmarked for special
interests, including wine cruises (lectures
by wine experts, shore excursions to visit
vineyards) and gourmet cruises (lectures
and excursions to dine at various top res-
taurants onshore). Other special cruises
offer Viking Cooking School activities—
cooking demos by Relais & Châteaux
chefs, market tours on shore, an
Iron
Chef
-style cook-off between several of the
ships' sous chefs, and special lunches that
may focus on wine pairing or on regional
cuisine.
What really makes these cruises special
is often the destinations they visit en
route. Smaller ships like the
Silver Cloud,
Silver Wind, Silver Shadow,
and
Silver
Whisper
can visit a wider variety of exotic
ports around the globe that larger ships
can't visit—places like Phuket, Grenada,
Dakar, Saõ Tomé, the Cape Verde Islands,
the Whitsunday Islands. Cruising through
Polynesia, the Panama Canal, the Indian
Ocean, the Atlantic islands of Europe, or
along the African coast exposes gourmets
to interesting new foods, and Silversea's
chefs play into that by featuring regional
specialties in the ship restaurants.
These are great trips for experienced
cruise travelers who have already covered
the Caribbean and Mediterranean routes
and want to broaden their horizons. These
aren't budget cruises by any means—with
their ultraluxurious amenities covered by
an all-inclusive pricing plan. On the other
hand, you won't get hit up with extra fees
every time you order a glass of wine or
take advantage of an activity. For the afflu-
ent, older, sophisticated passengers who
tend to cruise with Silversea, a chef's tast-
ing menu is preferable to a la carte fare—
and worth the price.
Silversea Cruises, 110 East Broward
Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (
&
800/
722-9955,
844/770-9030 in the U.K., or
61/2/9255-0600 in Australia; www.silver
sea.com).
