I am just off my second Silversea cruise of the year. First was Alaska from Anchorage (Seward) to Vancouver (7 days) aboard the Silver Shadow, and the latest on the Silver Spirit round trip from Fort Lauderdale (11 days).

Silversea run nearly a flawless high end all inclusive cruise experience. I cannot imagine Seabourn, Crystal, Regent or the others in this category being any better. I am hesitant to try them out because Silverseas is so good.

The Silverseas experience starts with embarkation, which is usually a nightmare on bigger cruise lines. They manage the logistics perfectly. A color coded embarkation system is used to insure there are no lines, no waiting and your luggage is in your suite when you arrive. There you are greeted by your butler. Your butler will do stuff for you then, like unpack your clothes, but you really want to do that your self. The only thing to use him for upon arrival is for him to grab you a bottle of champagne to sip on your veranda while you sail out of port. The butler will come in handy later. Read more