We had a great 4 hour’s in Fort Lauderdale on board SILVERSEAS SPIRIT, the Silverseas flagship. She was launched in 2009 with a capacity of 540 passengers. She has 2 owners Suites, 2 Royal Suites, 4 Grand Suites, 26 Silver Suites, 210 Veranda Suites and 12 Vista Suites. 4 Suites are handicap-enabled and 8 are connecting. The guest/crew ratio is 1.44 guests per crew member.
Our overall impression is that this vessel puts the Silverseas Spirit right at the top of the Luxury Boutique Cruise offerings available on the market. What I mean is that all other things being equal when compared to Sea Dream, Sea Bourne and others, hey, this is a NEW BOAT. She smells new, everything is shiny and clean, the restaurants are trendy and the staterooms impeccable. The decor in the public areas is warm wood with red laquered suite doors giving a very rich and warm feeling. We’ll deal with some things maybe I would have done differently but every ship has her pros and cons, this one probably has fewer cons and more pros than most.
When boarding, the atmosphere is definitely upscale European, undoubtedly reflecting the impeccable taste of the owner, Manfredi Lefebre d’Ovidio. Guests are required to dress for dinner, jackets required for the gents and evening dress is encouraged for the ladies. In fact, this is probably the most formal of the three upscale cruise lines. Sea Bourne is less rigorous and Sea Dream is arguably the most relaxed of the boutique boats.
In the cruise industry, especially at the boutique end of it, there are things that are givens i.e. the service must be impeccable and the food excellent. The Ship has a partnership with Grands Chefs Relais and Chateauex and their influence can be expected in every restaurant or in cabin dining. Then there are the unique aspects of each boat, and lastly the things that one might have done differently.
First, let’s say that the givens are all in place, the ship reeks of class, the food is extraordinary and the service decadent. The ship has all the required features as in upscale shopping, several great restaurants, a magnificent fitness center and spa, library and computer center, a great casino, etc. etc.
The outstanding unique aspect of SILVERSEAS SPIRIT is it’s “newness” and the obvious European elegance that is both offered and demanded. I think the food and service in the main dining room was quite superb. This was not a show or a special menu put on for the benefit of Travel Agents either. We lunched together with the incoming guests with the dining room about half full. There are several other restaurants, La Terazza is a 24/7 buffet and the only one not requiring formalwear for dinner. Seishin is an asian reataurant and La Champagne is an upscale trendy wine-tasting type of environment. Both these last 2 restaurants require reservations and are at extra cost. La Champagne is very intimate and offers menus with wine pairings, however, you can opt out of the wine pairings. The cost is a little high with the wine pairings but is very reasonable without. A great new concept of late night dining is available on the Spirit. A Tapas style bar and restaurant. Substantial enough menu for dinner if required. This restaurant opens at 9 pm and closes at 1 am. Food choices on board are casual or formal; al fresco or intimate.
In the things-I-would-have-done-differently department, let me mention in passing that I would have larger restrooms and perhaps more of them around the 350 person show lounge, I might not have not chosen the double or “love-seat” chairs in the show lounge. I might have re-arranged the design of the verandah suites to give a little more space between the end of the bed and the vanity. But hey, no ship is perfect and it always so easy to second-guess the naval architect and the interior designers. These are not deal breakers merely inconveniences. Some references had been made as to the low ceilings in the dining room, frankly I did not notice it until someone mentioned it, I think it has to do with the lighting.
The Silver suites were my favorites, even better than the Owners and Grands, certainly in my view. This is not to diminish the Owner’s, Royal’s and Grand’s, the Silver’s just seem to be the right size and the right configuration. Unfortunately there are only 26 of them.
Security is tight and I’m not talking land-side here, the ship has it’s own security personnel and there is a walk-through metal detector set up on Deck 5 which is the boarding deck and all guests have to be checked individually and also their documentation and luggage.
In summary, she’s a fine upscale boutique cruise ship. I would feel comfortable putting any of my clients on her anywhere in the world.
Pictures can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/100084452951168290310/SilverSeasSPIRIT#
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