January 21, 2010 - Worldwide recently had the opportunity to overnight on Silversea’s newest ship the Silver Spirit and attend the official Christening the next morning. While far from a normal cruise it was a great opportunity to see and experience first hand the newest addition to the global fleet of luxury cruise ships.

After ten years of no new luxury ships we final have two new ones.

The Spirit also fills a unique niche in that it has 270 suites, which no other ship does and all with Butler service. The vast majority of the ship is comprised of veranda suites that are a very generous 376 sq ft including the veranda. These suites are great! The beds and bedding are fabulous but even more impressive are the marble and tile baths with separate full size tubs, a shower with pulsating show head or rainfall head and the double sinks. For those who need TVs there are two in each suite built into the mirror opposite the bed and the mirror facing the separate sitting room PLUS you have 200 on demand movies from your remote control and a lot more from the interactive TV system. The desk area has all of the plug-ins for your electronic toys and an IPod docking station, all of the comforts of home. I would rate them as the best standard veranda suite in the luxury market today. To make your VIPs feel at home there are 3 categories of larger suites ranging from 742 sq ft to 1,668 sq ft that are OTT.

The décor throughout the ship is in my mind what a luxury ship should be. There is plenty of wood and brass, but not overly done, with nice burgundy accents. The overall feeling is one of understated elegance that permeates the ship. For a ship it is traditional but at the same time contemporary. It is very easy to feel comfortable in which ever public room you go to and there are many to choose from.

For dining you have numerous options. The elegant main dining room holds 460 with open seating dining. The buffet restaurant turns into an Italian a la carte venue in the evening with outdoor dining available. There are two 24 seat restaurants (Le Champagne & Seichin) at addition charge.

• The Le Champagne is a restaurant done in conjunction with Relais & Chateaux that specializes in wine pairing dinners.

• The 24 seat Seishin is the spot for up market Asian Fusion cuisine.

• The Stars Supper Club is an art deco old fashion Supper Club where you can start the evening with cocktails, enjoy an innovative tasting menu and then stay late for live entertainment, this is a very nice room.

• There of course is the standard pool grill and buffet area and coming in the very near future will be a Steak House Under the Stars called "Hot Rock Grill".

Needless to say plenty of dining options.

The main showroom holds 320 and is nicely done with all of the latest in A/V equipment and effects. About now you might be asking if I have 500 or so people and I need to get them altogether what am I going to do?

The sheltered pool area can hold all 540 passengers for dinner, cocktails and presentations and they even have seat covers to change the look for a dinner or special event. We were able to see this transformation for the reception after the Christening and it works perfectly and elegantly.

The Spa facilities are quite large with 9 treatment rooms offering everything from Botox treatments to the latest from the Far East. Located at the stern of the ship there is a great outdoor area with an oversize jaccuzi just to relax and watch the world go by.

There are 5 bars and lounges, two of which have live evening entertainment. The casino is of a good enough size to make you feel like you are in a real casino versus a room with gaming equipment. Adjoining the casino is a nice cigar bar to celebrate your winnings.

The food and service on a Silversea ship is Legendary and our brief experience was a friendly reminder of why we always feel that Silversea is one of the, if not the best, luxury lines in operation today. With all suites now having Butler service everyone experiences over the top 5 Star service at all levels of their cruise.

All in all this is one great luxury ship! We will not hesitate in recommending the ship for both groups and charters.

For further information, please contact:
 

USA:  Steve Bloss

Worldwide Cruise Associates

Tel:  +1 954 452 8800 x 226

Email: sbloss@cruiseco.com