Three Nights Onboard Silver Spirit

Join Emily Straw, Bolsover Cruise Club’s Luxury Marketing Specialist as she relives her British Isles experience aboard Silver Spirit.

I joined Silver Spirit in Dundee after high winds prevented the ship from pulling into the port of Leith, Edinburgh. After a quick train journey through the beautiful Scottish countryside, I found myself at the quayside where Silversea’s largest ship stood grandly awaiting my arrival. The swift change in travel plans had clearly altered the embarkation and Covid-19 testing process as this then had to happen at the foot of the gangway. 15 minutes later and I had received my negative result – it was time to head on board!

This was my first time sailing with Silversea and I had been looking forward to exploring Silver Spirit and all the luxuries she had to offer. The long journey had left me eager to find my accommodation for the next 3 nights which I soon located in deck 11 at the forward of the ship – the sumptuous Silver Suite. Heading down its very own corridor and I found myself in a spacious and comfortable living area, complete with a dining table, desk, mini bar, and seating area fit with a welcoming bottle of champagne. Tucked behind grand sliding doors awaited a large master bedroom, leading through to a walk-in closet and duplex bathroom featuring a his and hers sink, shower and generously sized jacuzzi bath. My personal butler Albert made his introductions not long after I had arrived, showing me around my suite, explaining how he would take my daily temperature check in line with Covid-19 protocols along with the usual Muster Station process I was expected to attend later that afternoon.

Due to government guidelines, Silver Spirit is currently operating at a reduced capacity and during my stay, I cruised alongside only 170 other passengers, compared to the usual 608 that this vessel is able to carry. Admittedly, this meant that at times Silver Spirit felt quite empty especially since she is among the largest in the fleet. Public spaces were much more open than I had anticipated, made all the more vast at this quieter time – you’ll never find yourself reserving a sunbed with Silversea and you certainly wouldn’t need to now.

Within my role, I often end up with a grumbling tummy after writing about the epicurean delights that can be found onboard a Silversea ship, so I was very excited to try the food during my stay. My mornings would be spent either in the main restaurant Atlantide, admiring the views and eating a freshly made omelette from my window positioned table or in La Terrazza – the ships ‘buffet’ style dining room located at the ship’s aft offering far more choice than I could imagine.

For lunch, I dined by the poolside in both The Grill and later savouring the pizzas in Spaccanapoli. By evening, I ate my way through 3 of the ships 8 restaurants, my favourite of all being Indochine – where Asian-accented dishes burst with flavours and textures so spectacular I requested for the chef to divulge his secret to a delicious chicken noodle soup, later finding the recipe on the table in my cabin.

Attentive touches from the crew could be found across the ship and the 5-star service certainly meeting all my expectations. Each crew member seemed to know my name and favourite drink order, even across different bars.

The fact I was travelling alongside fewer passengers than usual felt especially obvious in the evenings. After my meal, I would retreat to the Panorama Bar to enjoy the sounds of a live band, but this seemed to lack the buzzing atmosphere I can imagine could be found here when operating in ‘normal’ times. During a day at sea, I located my favourite spot onboard Silver Spirit – The Art’s Café. This was the perfect place to wrap up with a cappuccino and sit out on the terrace with one of the Café’s beautiful art books. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who loved this area of the ship, as small birds flew overhead, occasionally landing on deck to sneak a crumb from my croissant and reminding me that I was never far from shore on my English Coastal Adventure.