We always choose cruises for the itinerary and this one was no exception as it took us to the far north then through the Norwegian fjords and then over to the Shetlands and the Faroe Islands and then on to Iceland. Since we have sailed most of the Regent ships and only this Silversea ship, I plan to compare it to Navigator which is a similar size and age. Before we left, a friend noted that he likes Regent for traditional cruising and Silversea for expedition cruising. Frankly, we were underwhelmed with SS but very satisfied with our itinerary and the stunning countryside. Whisper has diehard fans and, before we left fans here and on FaceBook reassured us and repeated the SS mantra : “Your wish is my command”. I expected more than what we got.
Embarkation
SS handled our air and we had no issues once in the air after the initial non-communication gauntlet with SS air. We usually handle our own air but since we were embarking in a rather remote region, we opted to go with the SS safety net. We landed in Oslo for an overnight at the Raddison Blu before flying on to Tromso. Check-in was not until 3pm and about 100 jet-lagged souls lolled around the hotel for hours after stashing our bags in a room. There was no hospitality room and no open cafe or bar.