We've spent all of ten hours aboard Silversea Silver Spirit so I can't offer a full report yet, but our first impressions have been very good. The crew is genuine and friendly and many of them already know us by name.We arrived in Venice on Saturday morning and waited just a few minutes for our luggage and for Silversea's private transfer to the ship via minivan. It was a comfortable ride and we arrived at Terminal S. Basilio around 11:30 am.
Luggage Arriving to the Ship Via Water Taxi
Boarding wouldn't commence until noon and there seemed to be some back and forth between Silversea and the security detail as to exactly when passengers would go through the screening process. A few minutes before noon, four Silversea representatives arrived at the terminal and passed out keycards. Everyone was then allowed on board Silver Spirit, where lunch was being served in The Restaurant and La Terrazza. Our room was ready by 2pm and the luggage arrived by 4pm.
Since we didn't sleep much on the plane, so we took the day easy and explored the ship after a buffet lunch at La Terrazza. (The number and variety of desserts offered was astounding!) We were also able to make dining and shore excursion reservations for the rest of the week.
Our butler, Ricardo, greeted us by name in the hallway before we had even met him! Then it was time for an early "hot rock" grilled dinner on the Pool Deck. I'll post more about this later. Dinner was very good and it will be easier to tell you about it once I download the photos of this inventive dining concept.
Now it's time to get some rest before our first full day in Italy begins. We're booked on Silversea's "Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica" tour.More details to follow...
—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com
Photos © Andrea M. Rotondo
