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Happiness is Silversea ! |
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Reviewed By: Ballantyne, Crieff on 27th Apr 2009
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| Cruise Line: Silversea |
Times cruised before: 6-10 |
| Cruise Ship: Silver Cloud |
Sailed:
April,
2009 |
| Destination: Caribbean |
Age: 56-65 |
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We were greeted by name as we arrived at the poolside and asked where we would like out sun loungers placed and having selected our spot they were covered with fresh fluffy towels and then we were asked if we would like a Pina Colada. Such bliss, but lets go back to the beginning.
Within five minutes of arriving at the pier in San Juan our baggage was taken from us by a smiling porter and we were escorted to the Silver Cloud where we were welcomed on board by a lovely lady, Judie Abbott, the cruise director, offered a glass of French Champagne and taken to the lounge to be given our security cards in a nice leather wallet. Canapes and more Champagne were offered whilst we chatted to our fellow travellers. When we were ready we were escorted to our suite on deck 7 and introduced to our attendants who has already placed our luggage ready for unpacking. They then offered us the choice of Aqua di Parma or Bulgari toiletries, a nice touch that my wife appreciated along with the correct size of bathrobes and slippers.
Unpacking did not take long...........it never does whilst you are sharing a bottle of Champagne ! There was plenty of hanging space in the walk in wardrobe with lots of hangers provided. Drawer space was also excellent and a free to use wall safe was provided. The bathroom was a joy with real Italian marble floor and walls, full sized bath and plenty of mirrored cupboard space.
Dinner that evening in 'The Restaurant' (as Silversea calls it) was as superb and elegant as one would expect a 5 star restaurant to be with an excellent selection of wines to accompany each course beautifully served on china plates. La Terrazza where we usually had breakfast and lunch, if possible on the open terrace, was transform in the evenings to an informal dining alternative which served different Italian regional dishes, again accompanied by an excellent selection of wines although if you had a favourite you only had to ask for it. Although there was no additional charge you had to made a reservation for La Terrazza. If you felt inclined to have a quiet dinner in your suite that was always available with your table perfectly set with linen tablecloth and napkins, bone china plates, nice silverwear and crystal glasses. Each course would be served when you wanted it and some chilled Champagne was always available.
It would be fair to say that Silversea do not place their main emphasis on entertainment but we had an excellent cabaret singer and the resident band provided the right mixture of music that seemed to suit everyone. In fact, on the evening that we had a great barbecue round the pool the singer, who's name I'm afraid I've forgotten, made it a night to remember.
My wife enjoyed the gym facilities and whilst I didn't sample any of the 'treatments' it was very pleasant relaxing on the teak terrace after a sauna whilst watching the sun sink into the deep blue Caribbean sea.
The guests were from Canada, Spain, Mexico, Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong,Switzerland, Italy, France, Denmark, Australia and St Lucia and were addressed by their names by the staff. How they managed this after being on board for only an hour was very impressive ! All 280 of us mixed very well and, believe it or not, I never heard one word of complaint during the whole cruise from anyone.
It was indeed a sad moment when we left the ship in Barbados but it was a great pleasure not to have a bar bill pushed under your door on your last night. If you wanted a cup of tea a 1am it was brought to your suite in a teapot, poured into a china cup with milk and sugar added from silver jugs and, of course, real tea spoons. If you wanted something that was not on the menu or something cooked in a special way this was done with a smile. If you wanted a bottle of French Champagne in a silver ice bucket at the poolside, it was brought to you.
All this for under £170 a day............you would be mad to think of anything else !
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