Many times I write my ship reviews while on the ship or sometimes on the plane flight home. This review was written several weeks after I returned back to the office because I wanted to savor the experience.

When cruising on Silversea's it easy to find out why this cruise line has been rated the best cruise line in the world for six straight years by Conde Naste. On my particular cruise 55% of the passengers were repeats. When speaking with these people, who are very experienced cruisers, they happily tell you they have tried the other luxury brands and Silversea's is the BEST.

The Silversea's fleet of four ships consists of two sister ships carrying 382 passengers and two smaller sister ships carrying 296 guests. Accommodations on any of the four ships are all outside suites. The majority (75%) of suites on any of these newly built ships come with a balcony. The suites vary in size from 240 square feet, the majority are actually around 300 square feet or larger, up to palatial 1,490 square feet Grand Suites. All of the suites are generously appointed and decorated. Suite amenities include marble baths with full size tubs, walk-in closets, plush bath robes and slippers, personalized stationery, Frette linens and Bvlgari toiletries.

Silversea's prices are fully inclusive of port charges, gratuities, fine wines with lunch and dinner, all bar beverages, mini bar, 24 hour room service with full menu selection, laundry and even cigarettes. From your first flute of Moet & Chandon Champagne upon boarding, to the chilled silver bucket with a bottle of Moet & Chandon awaiting you in your suite, you sense everything is going to be first class or beyond on your cruise.

In my opinion, the real hallmark of a Silversea's cruise is the service. The service is not good or excellent it is as "GOOD AS IT GETS". Without exception, service at every level and from every department truly exceeds your expectations. The highly trained European staff continually go out of their way to make each guest feel comfortable and welcome without coming across as stuffy or stand-offish. It, of course, helps to have nearly 300 crew for 388 passengers on the Whisper. Special requests seem to always be taken care of, whether it be in the dining room or with compliments of the concierge.

The Silversea's ships are excellent for charters and groups. All of their ships feature dining rooms that can handle the entire group in one seating as well as the Terrace Cafe for alternative dining. The tiered Show Lounges also hold the entire ship and are excellent for awards presentations and meetings. For groups, each ship offers a variety of smaller rooms that can be used for private functions. When chartering the vessel's Moet & Chandon, Le Champagne wine bar can host a private dinner for up to twelve guests in elegant surroundings.

Dining on the Silver Whisper is not only about superb food and service but also about choice. Dinner menus in The Restaurant feature nightly culinary selections from the Chefs of Relais & Chateaux. An extensive list of complimentary wines, as well as premium wines at an additional charge is offered at lunch and dinner. The Restaurant is also open for breakfast and lunch. The indoor/outdoor Terrace Cafe offers casual a la carte and buffet service for breakfast and lunch. In the evenings the Terrace Cafe transforms itself into an intimate, by reservation only, themed dining room. If you can't be bothered to leave the pool during a day at sea the Poolside Grille is ready to take your order.

No matter where you dine you'll first notice that fine china, crystal and Christofle silver await you. You will find menus that are creative and extremely enticing. The quality and the presentation are on par with any fine European dining establishment. You will be hard pressed to want to miss any meal by dining ashore. For your Gala Night, an orchestra can provide music for listening and dancing in The Restaurant. Again, you will experience service that is outstanding. After dinner enjoy a fine cigar and after dinner drink in Davidoff's The Humidor.

The Whisper offers a total of 6 bars and lounges, a significant number for this size ship. The Bar is a popular spot pre dinner hour hour offering live music and hot and cold canapés. Afternoon teas and late night dancing is available in the Panorama Lounge which holds 162 guests and is a great alternate meeting venue. The upper most deck, The Observation Lounge, is another quiet hideaway, perfect for meetings or private group functions. You will find more than enough space on these ships!

In addition to a very generous sized gym you will find extensive spa treatments and facilities provided by the famous Mandra Spa of Bali. The full scale casino also offers a casino bar. For your golfers, Silverseas offers their Silver Links programs with arrangements at some of the best courses in the world. A golf pro is always on board to arrange individual and group events, as well as lessons.

The double deck, multi-tiered Show Lounge is excellent for ships of this size and lend themselves for most any special performance you wish to have. Normal nightly entertainment is really a cut above most small ships thanks to the efforts of the Jean Ann Ryan Company who provides the shows. Nightly entertainment can be customized for your charters.

The Computer Center is the onboard email and internet access. Silversea's has an arrangement with Bloomberg's to keep in touch with the latest market news. The adjoining library would make a perfect office when you charter.

As mentioned in an earlier "Newsletter" Silversea's is now offering more 7 night options than ever before. They will welcome your groups and charters. Itineraries cover some of the most popular ports of call globally from the Far East to South America to Europe and the Caribbean.

The totally inclusive nature of Silversea's pricing makes these ships surprisingly affordable when compared to an equivalent hotel/land venue. While Silversea's is not the right ship for every group it should certainly be considered for any top performers program.