Silversea’s 30th Anniversary: You Share Your Favorite Silversea Moments

What makes a Silversea moment? Above and beyond providing polished service, capacious accommodations, and broadly satisfying cuisine, I think it's those magical happenings that we know might never transpire again. It could be something Silversea crafted behind the scenes and delivered unexpectedly, or it might be a confluence of right time, right place, but they're memories we fondly associate with the cruise line.

For me, it was my first cruise with Silversea, a dozen years ago - a Mediterranean itinerary departing out of Athens aboard the nearly-new Silver Spirit.

Reviewing the ship for a publication that has since moved on to the great Internet beyond, my eyes swooned when risotto flecked with gold leaf landed in front of me one night; the next, my husband and I were serenaded by a jazz duo in an intimate supper club. Bartenders introduced me to the Negroni, served on a linen napkin, which became my favorite drink in the Mediterranean, and I learned what it was like to have a butler who polished my shoes, without so much as asking (they were sorely in need of a shine).

My Silversea moment was discovering a cruise line that delivered much more than I expected, on multiple fronts. For Lennie Nguyen that moment came in Turkey:

A visit to Ephesus on Silver Spirit yielded memorable moments for Lennie Nguyen/photo by Lennie Nguyen

On Friday, July 18, 2014, at dawn the Silver Spirit arrived at Port Kusadasi. We embarked on a four-hour tour to explore Ephesus and the Basilica of St. John. Multiple large cruise ships docked simultaneously, bringing approximately 6,000 visitors to the area. But by 6 p.m. all the other cruise ships left the port - only our ship stayed. Silversea had organized an exclusive concert at Ephesus for the ship's guests, who basically had the whole of Ephesus to themselves that evening. We enjoyed the concert at Ephesus under twilight, creating a unique, awesome and truly unforgettable experience.

Music must be in Silversea's DNA. Benjamin Oshlack, who has sailed with Silversea for more than 350 days, shares:

On October 17th, 2014, we boarded the Silver Spirit for a 38-day cruise from Athens to Fort Lauderdale. A few months before embarking, we heard there would be a 20th anniversary celebration of Silversea's founding, while overnight in Livorno. It was also announced there would be a performance by a special guest, Andrea Bocelli, accompanied by the Silversea orchestra. All the guests were invited and comfortably accommodated in the show lounge. The crowd was so excited, with such a buzz in the air, and what a spectacular performance it was. After the concert, all the passengers were invited to a gala dinner, together with Andrea Bocelli and his family, hosted by the Silversea owners, who brought their own chefs onboard, together with a selection of premium wines from their private cellars. The dinner was one of the most delicious gourmet meals we ever had the privilege to enjoy. The excitement continued throughout the night as well as the remainder of the voyage, the most memorable of the many wonderful times we have enjoyed cruising with Silversea.

How "lagniappe" transforms special moments

There's a French word I like, commonly used in New Orleans - lagniappe. It means "a little something extra," and Silversea has developed a reputation for delivering that extra something that guests don't anticipate. As Stephanie Hanrahan discovered on her first trip with Silversea, a 29-day voyage aboard the Silver Wind in 2011, you might have to be careful what you dream of.

"The first week I had a delicious brownie for dessert. The second week I asked the maître de if the brownie might appear again on the menu. He told me I would definitely see it again. The next night - and every night after that for the rest of the voyage - a brownie appeared every evening in my cabin!"

And as Libby Lawrence shared:

That moment when a bath of rose petals is an enduring memory

"My husband and I traveled on the Silver Spirit from Rome to Barcelona in 2010. After a full day tour in the warm sun we returned to our suite to find a trail of flower petals leading to the bath, which was filled with warm water and flower petals. What a wonderful sight, and an unforgettable moment shared by us both."

It's said that, during its peak touring days in the early 1980s, the rock band Van Halen had a rider in their performance contract that said "no brown M&M's." What may have seemed to many to be an excuse for indulgent rock star behavior was actually a clever way of determining if venue management had read the band's contractual requirements carefully, to reveal if strict safety procedures were being followed. Similarly, Juan De Blas opted to test Silversea's standards when the butler for his suite introduced himself, and…

"We were greeted with a very broad smile, a ceremonious greeting and a request to ask him for anything we desired. I asked him to bring to the room a good whisky and a tray of assorted fruit that necessarily included papaya and custard apple. I thought that, given his nationality, he would not know what those fruits were. Without flinching, he nodded and disappeared.

"A long time passed and the butler did not return and I decided to call him on the phone he had given us. He did not answer, but after five minutes he appeared again and knocked on the door. He was carrying a tray of fruit on a covered silver plate, and also a bottle of my favorite whisky. With a smile he opened the tray and there were the custard apple and papaya together with the largest variety of fruit I had ever seen. He apologized for the delay, which had been caused by someone leaving the ship to buy the missing custard apple and had taken awhile to return because there were none ripe enough until the last store he visited."

Coco Chanel weighs in

Most of the time, however, Coco Chanel's mantra rings purest: "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." Rosemary Vyvyan told us about her most memorable time with Silversea, sailing a transatlantic passage:

Celebrating Silversea's 30th anniversary, Rosemary Vyvyan shares her favorite moment in the Arctic

"We crossed the North Atlantic, eager to retrace the voyages taken by the Norse over 1,000 years ago. En route to Greenland we spotted two ships which we thought looked odd, until we realized the apparitions were actually majestic icebergs. Over the next few days we were awestruck as the steadfast Silver Cloud ploughed through a sea of calved iceberg pieces.

"One day we boarded Zodiacs and meandered through a stunning icefield. The weather was warm, the sea calm, and the sun ablaze. We were summoned to join another Zodiac and, as we approached, we realized it was not occupied by guests but by crew. We crept slowly over and positioned ourselves alongside to be greeted by jolly crew members who passed us glasses of Champagne and plates of chocolates to enjoy. These treats were savored as we floated among the spectacular icebergs each one unique in size, color and contour. All the while our guide captivated us with myriad facts about the area and we listened with the wonder of children. We were filled with gratitude."

Great travel makes for memorable travel. Conversely, not all memorable travel is good in the moment. Although I've personally experienced no hiccups on my various cruises with Silversea, whether it be airline luggage gods, political squabbles or the occasional pandemic, the odds are stacked against perfect travel. The measure of a great travel provider, then, is how they can turn it around - to fashion a silk purse from a sow's ear. As Janis Chayter discovered on a 2017 sailing from Cape Town to Morocco:

"Unfortunately, the itinerary was interrupted in the final stages as the Silver Explorer had to be placed in dry dock in the Canary Islands for repairs. Instead of cruising to Morocco, a charter flight was organized to fly us. My husband and I had recently spent two weeks in Morocco and believed that we had well and truly seen the highlights - how wrong we were!

Janis Chayter found her moment in Casablanca: "Horsemen completed their charge with guns firing, the horses' eyes ablaze, and the Silversea name was highlighted with fireworks."

"With Silversea we visited Agadir, Taroudant, Marrakech and Casablanca. Our accommodation was excellent, and we were blown away by the tours that were organized - it was a whole new experience. In Casablanca, Silversea outdid everyone's expectations, a fabulous dinner was organized with wonderful food and the entertainment was second to none. Horsemen completed their charge with guns firing, the horses' eyes ablaze, and the Silversea name was highlighted with fireworks."

Our butler did it

On Silversea, butlers often create very special moments

Fortunately, sometimes we can just leave it to the butler to resolve. Joan Stein recalls:

"Some years ago, we were on the Silver Spirit. We were at the Hot Rocks for dinner and a waiter spilled an entire glass of red wine all over my husband.

"The first words out of our waiter's mouth were, 'I'm so sorry, I'll call your butler.' The butler got to our suite before my husband. He took complete care of him, changing out his clothes, taking the dirty clothes to be cleaned, cleaning his shoes, and even combing his hair. My husband was back with our group at the restaurant within ten minutes. That's a truly great butler, and that is what Silversea is known for."

Given the opportunity, more often than not it's a team effort that makes the Silversea cruise experience memorable. Bradley Feuer told us how Silversea helped fulfill his father's dream trip - and then some.

"When my father passed away at nearly 94 years of age, just before the pandemic, one of his dreams was to travel to Australia and New Zealand. I booked a cruise on the Silver Muse to the region, in his memory. I brought along his favorite baseball cap and wore it on every excursion.

"As a native New Yorker, my father's favorite song was 'New York, New York,' sung by Frank Sinatra. You can imagine my surprise when, on Christmas Eve, the singer in Silver Note took exception to her set of holiday songs to sing that song. And then the next time we dined in Silver Note, she sang his favorite vacation song, 'Quando, Quando, Quando,' followed by my parents' wedding song, 'Strangers in the Night.' Or when, while dining in The Grill, at the time we toasted to my father, the band set up on the pool deck played 'Tears in Heaven.' On the anniversary of his death, the crew was kind enough to provide me with an electric candle for our suite. Needless to say, this cruise vacation was as meaningful as it was memorable."

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