– You know you get your own butler on board as well?
– Narrrrrr? !!! Three journalists – two from Norway and one from Finland – crowded together in small taxi ride from the airport to the cruise port of San Basilio in Venice, is not at all aware of it. We must therefore respond completely negating the question from our Danish PR consultant, who has invited us along on a press. We simply had no idea that we were going to get their own butler.
Will they see the pillow menu?
But it does not take long aboard luxury cruise ship Silver Spirit until we all become well known with our respective butlers. The first meeting takes place just a few minutes after the cabin 914 on deck nine are located. Then the butler Abraham into the 34 square meter cabin with a large tray with soaps and offer us to switch to other types than soap Bvlgari that are deployed in the bathroom.
– Would you like something else Mr. Valderhaug ?
the choice is between possibly switching to such Ferragamo. But, no, Mr. Valderhaug is satisfied with luxury perfumes Bvlgari like soap in the bathroom, he thanks.
– And Mr. Valderhaug watch pillow menu?
Pillow menu ?! No, Mr. Valderhaug is also pleased with the pillows that are there. He does not need an introduction to the nine different types of pillows there are to choose from.
Read up in advance!
That’s when you realize that you are completely amateur travelers a luxury cruise. Mistake no. 1: Not checking out well enough what is expected of one in terms of attire and more. Mistake no. 2: Only bring one suitcase. For going on cruises, so bring plenty of clothes! It is “casual nights” with shirt and trousers, it’s “informal nights” with dress, but how ties are “optional” and it is “formal nights”, where it is expected of the gentlemen that they have retrieved and dusted off tux. Or at least to distress drag wearing a dark suit with a tie. As it says in Silver Seas extensive and close exhausting receive information material: “There is a no jeans policy at our restaurants”.
For a Norwegian, it is also unusual to be faced with 20+ “Good morning Sir, how are you this morning? “from any crew one morning tired meetings heading down to breakfast on the deck 4. Our tentatively tall, clear answers to each crew with” fine thank you, have a nice day you too “is just a murmur gradually . But coming up then eventually down to a tremendously large restaurant, where there before us just sitting two pieces and eat breakfast. Have the rest of the passengers plastered with, they lie asleep yet, what happened?
It turns out that this is yet another newbie mistake. For almost all ordering breakfast to the suite, which they can eat on their porch. And those who do not, sit on one of the ship’s outdoor restaurants in the morning breeze.
Natural with luxury
But the blunder list has several points unchecked before the ship added pier in Venice, then in any case, the learning curve steep. It’s scary how quickly one becomes accustomed to the luxury on board such a ship. How natural it is to say “Yes, please,” when another waiter on deck wondering if we will have a glass of white wine. Free drinks and journalists has also never been a particularly good combination. Nor on board a luxury cruise. But more about that later. Maybe.
… Or on reflection; maybe not.
While it is scary how quickly one becomes accustomed to luxury, it’s hilarious how fast you react to deviations from this luxury. Was it not a strange taste of the water in the shower? Should it take so long between straight three and four six-course dinner at the gourmet restaurant Stars onboard?
Some, however, we never wonder, is why it is only the female single journalists who are offered by their butlers about “body pillow”. Body what-for-anything you might ask ?! “Body pillow” is a ca. 160 cm long pillow offered female guests traveling alone. If they ever need someone to embrace during the night. And the rest of us at first thought was a joke, being duly tested by one of our female colleagues. Who believe it worked! Female guests traveling alone are also offered to have company during the afternoons by a male employee on the boat. This will not be tested.
We are after all in a group, and well there. For there are not many who travel alone on such a cruise. It may soon be a little lonely, despite both a “single club”, offer “body pillow” and dinner party for female guests.
Historic Home?
First night on board can also give a shock to you under 55. the average age among the more than 500 guests at the Silver Spirit is high. Silver Seas glossy brochures are full of pictures of pretty, slender women and men in late 40s. But the reality is probably far more corpulent 60- and 70-year olds.
But after this initial shock persists, so are always someone to hang out with, even on a cruise with 200-500 guests. Man finds his flock. Our troop was party gang: Country-woman and her husband from Oregon, the two former stewardess-girlfriends from California, “husbands WHO have gone to bed alreadytakenusername” and a gay couple from France: this was “the young people” on board, in the age range 40-55, that every night attached and danced with us journalists as if it were the last hours of the Titanic.
there are still nearly festivities such travel will be remembered for. Most likely you will instead bring you lasting memories of food. Tangible because it is so beyond good that you eat far more than you had any idea that you would do.
Take therefore never on cruise without having to workout clothes. With two to four suitcases and everything paid overweight on the flight, so you have room for it. Rather that than an extra jacket or cocktail dress. And use exercise clothes too! The fitness room on a vessel of the Silver Spirit is nowhere near big but has what you need. Alternatively, you can walk or jog on the top deck. Go into your workout with the same conviction about the necessity of it as an astronaut does. They must train every day in space so as not to lose muscle mass. You need to exercise at least every other day on a cruise ship for not sharply reduce muscle mass as a percentage of total body weight!
A certain trim it however also in it to go on field trips. For a Mediterranean cruise is the boat in port all day. The first goes out to sea late in the afternoon or at night and is then docked in the new port before you have time to eat breakfast.
Much in Port
These excursions are however not free. Here drag enough company a great deal of money. How many dog attending them the ship’s guests, and how many are just strolling around the towns of cruise ship visits, we did not answer. But the offerings are in any case many and vary from anything between 40 and $ 3,000 to attend. Most excursions cost dog between 150-200 dollars.
The information about the excursions, and everything else really is extensive. Daily is a brochure with an overview of tomorrow’s program on the ship, information about tomorrow’s city visited and tomorrow’s menu, waiting for one in the cabin. Even a daily newsletter Norwegian with NTB news waited every morning outside cabin door.
In a city like Venice needs hardly map as butler added clearly in the cabin. Where it is not difficult to find the main attractions about going from the ship and into the center. Simply follow the large flow of people. Along the canals, over bridges, around corners and then one on St. Mark’s Square. On the road you can buy with a carnival mask as the city is so famous for. In such “Leondoro” Calle Frezzeria can get beautiful masks with prices from 70 euros for those with journalist salary, and up to 250 euros for those who can afford to pay luxury cruise itself. Prices go obviously up, the quality probably down, the closer you get Mark’s Square.
The gondola is mandatory!
On the easy temperate autumn day, the city is sinking in sea a truly amazing place, though one is surrounded by a million other tourists. In a city completely free of cars becomes another, quieter mood. No rush, but goes quietly queued from bridge to bridge. Strangely is many gondolas quiet with nothing to do. But one is in Venice, so we can not be intimidated by a stiff price of 80 euros for half an hour, or blame it on that one did not get time. The gondola is mandatory! In our gondola we were five adults on an early afternoon who had no personal relationships, including a Dutch couple who we never saw before or after. Nevertheless found everyone in the gondola the half hour trip incredibly romantic! It gave a wonderful peace of mind to sit in the gondola, and slip quietly through the channels. Believe how gondola ride would have been an early night, with only the company of a beautiful woman in my arms? It’s no wonder that free contractions loose in the city.
If you are on a cruise, then you have to be further everything for a little taste of the cities you visit. That’s the catch. It is good to travel from town to town without having to repackage but it is not possible to take an extra day in a city you particularly like. The ship loading pier 17.00 in Venice, and one will also first series of Afternoon Tea at. 16:00. It’s probably a culinary experience with exclusive tea and cookies and biscuits for those who have trampled around a full day in the city.
At such a nine-day cruise is only one of the days the ship all day at sea. Otherwise there is the port cities like Venice, Dubrovnik, Corfu and Athens (Piraeus). And when a cruise is over, the ship sails only on towards new destinations. Taste The pieces we journalists got us was the Croatian cities of Zadar and Dubrovnik.
Wild and beautiful Croatia
Zadar is a pleasant seaside town with 73,000 residents. The city does not all the world to offer compared to cities like Venice or Dubrovnik, but is absolutely charming. The Sea Organ right cruise port which makes music of the waves flowing through it, Roman ruins in the old town of Zadar and medieval churches are the main attractions.
Both of Zadar and later in Dubrovnik one is struck by how clean and clean it is everywhere. The Croats are also incredibly friendly and pleasant little pushy salesmen.
Dubrovnik Old Town has to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. According to a guide from the city who showed us beautiful churches and art, so facing 70 percent of all cruise tourists who sail back Dubrovnik back to the city. And it is not difficult to understand. One day is too small in such a beautiful city.
Everything from going half-hour walk on the city walls, stroll around and find small bars on the cliffs outside the city walls at night, to act cheap quality shoes and clothing in refrigerated stores in the midday heat, make Dubrovnik a total experience.
the Croats are proud that tie originates from them, back from when Croat cavalry use of so-called cravat around his neck was picked up by upper class in Paris in the 1600s. The shop employees even claimed is the world’s most famous tie shop, located on a corner inside the old city right beside the huge cathedral. There you can get buy everything from neckties to 3.500 million as it only made 3-4 pieces, to tie that costs 500 million.
The city was bombed to destruction during the war in the Balkans in the first half of 1990s. But today is the impressively well rebuilt. It is only on the brand new rooftops one can see that the houses have not been left in peace since the Middle Ages.
During the Middle Ages the city was a rival to Venice, as the only free city-state in the eastern Adriatic. The town boasts of having been the first out with a number of advances in Europe, such as prohibiting slavery all in 1416. But first and foremost is Dubrovnik’s Old Town balm for the soul. Stiff shoulders loose, painful knees heal and heavy tanks facility of going around in such a beautiful city, and just enjoy the impressions.
More shipping companies in the luxury class
the company Silversea owned by an Italian family, Lefebvre from Rome, and has a total of eight ships. Silversea is one of three shipping companies in the world that are big on this very special cruise segment in the luxury class. The other major is Seaborn, which is owned by cruise giant Carnival and Seadream, owned by the Norwegian Atle Brynestad. At the latter shipowner should style be more relaxed than at Seaborn and Silversea. Mostly take these cruise ships only between 200-300 passengers. Seadreams two ships will take only 112 guests.
Silver Spirit which was built in 2009, thus differing slightly in that there is room for all 540 passengers. To take care of these 540 has shipped a crew of 376. A typical årsrotasjon is that the ships in the Mediterranean in summer and the Caribbean in the winter. But a shipping company Silversea has so many ships and routes that you basically can go anywhere in the world. Two so-called expedition ship with the 100 passengers offers cruises to places like Antarctica or the Galapagos. On these cruises are usually average age of some lower and one can safely leave the tuxedo hang back at home. Dining experiences, however, shall be the same.
Food, food, food
It is very much about food on board such a cruise such as this. Yes, there are also a number of activities on board, but the time it takes to eat and drink through four to five dinners every night making sure there’s so much more you have time to practice. Maybe sticking one back and watching the evening show in the ship’s show lounge. The two evenings we were with ran the five young Americans who stand for entertainment an ABBA show and a musical with the theme “New York”. How it was? Yes, say it? For we were yes so busy eating that we just missed the last 10 minutes of one show, while we dropped completely the other. Those 10 minutes with ABBA show was not quite Las Vegas quality to speak, but quite ok. Many saw, however, to take a nap after dinner in the deep good seats in the hall.
In almost all restaurants on board is both food and drink included. And both food and vinkvalitet held galore for a non-gourmet who undersigned. And for only $ 30 extra they can more matleie eat at a Japanese fusion restaurant, which shall not be inferior to restaurants with Michelin stars.
But it might as frogs’ legs should taste?
at the restaurant Stars Supper Club, modeled on the famous restaurant Rainbow Room in New York, offered a five course dinner with delicious snacks. Only downer is frogs’ legs that tastes like a bit chewy chicken. But it might as frogs’ legs should taste? The whole evening at the restaurant entertained we also an accomplished jazz singer and pianist ditto. It was actually a little sad that she singer looked really surprised when we started clapping between each song. It did not seem like it was normal. Perhaps one takes as a guest on such a cruise too much for granted too fast? And the staff gets used to it and accept it. It is so, not good.
Possible to spend money
Most of the food, drink and service on board is included. It is expected no tipping. But type washing clothes, spa and internet use costs. And for those who do not drift away into the chairs on show lounge after dinner, there are obviously a small casino. Where reigns the Eastern European ladies. And they can be used fast flea up for some extra money. For Americans who played Blackjack kept not exactly Dustin Hoffman’s “Rain Man ‘quality of gameplay. The ladies from Ukraine and Bulgaria smiles proft whatever amateurs on the other side of the playing board says, and brought only a little disconcerted when country lady from Oregon spill whole mojito’s beyond the green baize at the Blackjack table.
a clothing store on board there as well. There are cheap brands to buy. But as small cruise ships like this, so the selection is very, very limited. It’s not like the stores on board the RCCL giant ship with over 4,000 passengers. An example was the selection of belts. The store had six stylish brown belts, but all was in size 95 cm and up. For large on day two of the cruise, but they probably would obviously matched ultimately if we had been on the cruise every nine days.
With so wealthy guests have someone come on the good idea to set out and try selling art onboard. Among the many exhibits artists on Silver Spirit were also several Norwegian, Vidar Koksvik (glass), Dag Skedsmo (paintings) and Morten Haug (photographs).
A hard life
It’s like you now probably have guessed not a rest home to be on the cruise. Food, drink, excursions and training for not blowing out, it takes on. That’s why it is no wonder that many are as slack around the pool on the sun deck out in the afternoons. Even collapsed we beside an older American couple on day three. A futile attempt to read us up and take some notes for a travel reportage – from luxury cruise actually – just faded in a two hour doze. It is only interrupted by a waiter who sensible enough now not offer more white wine, but says: “More orange juice, Mr. Valderhaug?” While we say, “Yes, please. Thank you very much “, and drops away in drowsy on the sunbed again.
There are people living this life much of the year. Cruise company namely their own club for loyal customers who come again and again and again. Some are also four months circumnavigation. Price? Well, a sum of $ 68,250, or 400,000 more than NOK. person, for the cheapest cabin with a private veranda. And private veranda should after all have one should sail around in 113 days! When visited 54 ports in 29 countries. For the most popular suites must be out with $ 109,250 per. person if there are two in the cabin. If you travel alone, plusses that at least 50 percent of the price. If somebody happens to find it, then you would be getting paid up to one million crowns to travel alone around the world on a cruise ship. For such expenses the most need company of a “body pillow” at night …
As a secret brotherhood
The journey we are with a few days on costs 4,500 euros, about 36,000 kroner. person in a twin cabin with veranda of the kind we journalists live. More than 70,000 million words for a couple traveling together, before expenses to fly to and from, and excursions.
If we’d gone on such a cruise again? Purely hypothetical therefore we rather live by a journalist salary tomorrow was stiff with money? Ehh. Hardly. We would probably rather visited some of these cities on their own and stayed in great hotels. But what if tomorrow we suddenly both were stiff with money and 20 years older than 46 years? Hmm. Maybe. Yes. Would probably it, then. Clearly.
there was undeniably something fascinating throughout. A bit like getting access to a secret brotherhood, join this brotherhood for a few days, and then, unfortunately, having to leave it again.
Sail away.
This article was previously published by capital Tourism, Nr. 2, 2013.
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