Does it feel too soon to start thinking about the holidays? What if you could have a totally different experience this year, less stress, more fun, new adventures and friends?

Here’s how two of our long time cruisers, Kevin and Susan felt about their Silversea Holiday and Pacific cruise of 2016/2017.

Why Cruise the Holidays?

Cruising on the Silver Whisper is a great way to spend the holidays. When we boarded in Ft Lauderdale Mark Conroy,  now leading Silversea, greeted the passengers and wished us all bon voyage and bon noel. After all, the ship was beginning to look a lot like Christmas with trees and garlands throughout.

There are some families on board, one with three generations sharing the holiday together. Our family has had two reunions on board ships and we found it is the perfect setting for these get-togethers.

No one has to cook or wash dishes or even make their own beds. It is quality time having fun together with loved ones celebrating holidays or special occasions.

With Christmas and Hanukah coinciding this year, it was a time to revel. It seems that Silversea really knows how to mark these important days without going overboard…so to speak.

• A menorah lighting ceremony
• A midnight church service
• Christmas caroling
• A holiday show
• A special yuletide dinner
• Santa showing up on Christmas Day

To make the day even more special, we transited the Panama Canal on December 25. There were five other cruise ships and numerous cargo vessels in the canal and holiday greetings filled the air between passengers and crew on all the ships in each of the locks.

Why Cruise Repeatedly?

Everyone hears about what life is like on a cruise ship. You know–the food, bingo, bars, dancing, staterooms—but for us one of the most important aspects of cruising is the constant interaction with nature. The oceans, winds, stars and moons, sunrises, sunsets, currents, constellations, towering waves and glass flat water, storms, water spouts, green flashes, glaciers.

And then there is the sea life: whales, dolphins, sharks, manatees, turtles, flying fish, jellyfish, baitfish, penguins, seagulls, frigates, albatross, gulls, terns. All that while at sea and then when going ashore seeing the unique flora and fauna of each country or island visited.

We have been fortunate to see the most exotic animals and birdlife around the globe.

Mountains and rivers, volcanoes and fjords, rice paddies and forests, swamps and deserts all are accessible by ship. Such are the joys of cruising and especially world cruising.

And to add to that richness, guest lecturers are on board to explain all these natural phenomena. We have learned so much from astronomers, oceanographers, botanists, ornithologists, marine biologists, seismologists, climatologists and geographers who are happy to share their knowledge and expertise.

A world cruise is almost like a semester at sea.

Darwin was one of the first to write extensively about the incredible diversity he witnessed as he traveled around the globe. It is still all there to see, just jump on a ship and experience nature in all its magnificence.

This lovely holiday cruise took us from Florida, through the Panama Canal, stopping in several Central American and Mexican ports before visits to San Diego and San Francisco.  After a five day crossing to Hawaii we stopped in Hilo, Maui and Honolulu.  We continued our island hopping in the Pacific Ocean with visits to the exotic isles of Samoa and Tonga.

Coming to the end of our cruise, the Silver Whisper docked in downtown Auckland, New Zealand. The final days of a cruise are always filled with farewell dinners with good friends, packing up and exchanging addresses with new found friends.
This was holiday cruising at its best especially since it was the first two segments of a four month world cruise on the luxurious Silver Whisper.

See all the stops on the 2018 Silversea World Cruise >>

Talk with Cruise Specialists expert, Matt Caplinger, he’s got over 15 years experience creating perfect luxury vacations.