Shhh! Silversea’s Whisper is wonderful

By Anita Dunham-Potter

Travel columnist

updated 11:49 a.m. ET Dec. 8, 2006

Anita Dunham-Potter Travel columnist • Profile • E-mail

Traveling to the Middle East and Africa can be daunting, especially in times of political instability, and I had been putting off my lifelong dream vacation to Egypt for a long time. Then it hit me: Do it as a cruise, not a land tour. It’s safe and it’s easy — all the intrigue without the hassle. I chose Silversea Cruises, which offers a cruise of the Middle East aboard its luxury ship Silver Whisper. It was a red-carpet experience all the way, and one I will never forget.

Personalized Voyage
I chose Silversea because it offers a “Personalized Voyage” program that allows guests to choose their on and off points on most voyages, provided the cruise portion of the trip lasts at least five days. This flexibility is a wonderful option for people like me who cannot travel for weeks at a time. I decided to take a pre-cruise tour of Cairo then joined the ship in Port Said for a five-day cruise (including a transit of the Suez Canal and port calls in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, and Aqaba, Jordan) before disembarking at Safaga, Egypt, for a two-day post-cruise tour of Luxor — in all, an 11-day customized cruise/tour that was everything I could wish for.

Silversea’s red carpet was rolled out immediately upon my arrival in Cairo. As I stepped off the plane with a group of Silversea passengers, I was greeted by the cruise line’s Egyptian agent, who was ready to assist with visas and transportation into the city. Help was certainly welcome, not only because we’d been on a plane for 16 hours, but because the airport is hectic and is run by the Egyptian military (although not with military precision). The sea of white-uniformed, armed military police was intimidating, but the Silversea guide escorted our group to a special area, where we made our way quickly through immigration. After getting my passport stamped, I looked back at the sea of waiting passengers, thankful I wasn’t one of them.

It was then that I discovered that my luggage had misconnected on my Lufthansa flight. The Silversea guide stepped up again, this time to track down the bag (it was in Frankfurt) and to help me fill out the claim forms, which were all in Arabic. I saw him again 12 hours later, when he personally delivered the suitcase to my hotel.

Luxury of the Middle East
By the time I was done with my tour of Cairo and the Pyramids, I was already feeling like a whirling dervish and was grateful to settle in on the ship. Every cruise line boasts about its service, but Silversea truly takes service to perfection. From the time the stewardess escorted me to my suite, champagne in hand, to the time I left the ship in Safaga, I never once heard the word “no.”

Slide show   Arabian desert delights Click to view pyramids, temples, statues and other wonders around Jordan and Egypt. more photos

Launched in 2001, the Silver Whisper is a ship of clean lines and no glitz; it’s classy and simple. A central staircase leads guests to the main areas of the ship, including the purser’s and shore excursion desks, several lounges, and the bars and dining rooms. Since the ship carries only 382 people, everything is close and guests learn the layout very quickly. The shipboard atmosphere is yacht-like with an elegant Italian style.

Guest accommodations are forward on seven decks; the public areas extend from midship aft. This arrangement allows for a peaceful environment in every suite. All accommodations have ocean views, and most have private verandas. The 180 suites are arranged with separate bedroom and living areas, a generous walk-in closet, and a spacious, marble-tiled bathroom with full-size tub (whirlpool tubs in larger suites) and separate shower. The furnishings are elegant, with detailing in mahogany. Each suite is fully stocked with high-quality bath products, and beds are wrapped in the finest linens topped with fluffy down pillows and duvets. The bar and fruit basket are stocked to your specification and are refilled daily. There are seven stateroom categories ranging from 287 square feet all the way up to a palatial 1,435-square-foot suite.

Silversea cultivates a refined, small-ship atmosphere and does not offer tons of wacky activities, so guests need to be able to entertain themselves much of the time. On the top deck, guests will find a swimming pool, several whirlpools and plenty of space to relax on plush-covered teak loungers. An inviting library with a small reading area was popular among guests who borrowed books, DVDs and board games. A small business center offered Internet access, and the game room was frequented by several guests who played a mean game of chess.

Boutiques offer fine jewelry and a selection of clothes. There is a small casino, and the full-service Mandara Spa offers up amazing Asian-inspired spa treatments; next door, the gym features the latest exercise equipment and offers Pilates, yoga and aerobics classes. The Observation Lounge, with its 180-degree views, was highly popular during port arrivals and also served as the venue for trivia contests and afternoon tea.

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