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THERE WAS a time when you

had to be rich to sail on a liner
first class. Your limousine rolied
up to the dock, your jewels went
into the safety deposit, and your
clothes into the extra cabin
stuffed with racks,

These days it’s hard to tel]
who's wealthy. What with kidnap-
pers and crooks out there wise irav-
ellers do not flash their money
around, Jewels stay at home, and
their owners take comfort in Edgar
Wallace’s observation of the man
who had so much money he could
afford to look poor.

But if the liners are long gone
the rich are not, and a new line.

; Silversea Cruises, has glided on to

the market with two ships, the
Silver Cloud and Silver Wind,
offering exotic itineraries with on-
board pampering, Ultra-luxury, it's
called,

To tind our what you get for
$1,000 a day, your agent selflessty
flew to Copenhagen (the jet lag

vas awful) to check out the Silver
Wind, launched earlier this year in
an Italian yard and owned by the
same people who sold Sitmar Line

to Princess Cruises.

All cruise lines meet people at
the airport, usually with a bus, but
Silversea pops you ina taxi and
sends you to the best hotel in town.
Then to the ship, which has the
sleek lines of a private yacht, It

feels this way inside. It is like step:
ping into the lobby of an exclusive
small hotel.

Robert, the concierge, shows me
my suite. Only the crew has cabins,
the passengers have suites, and
every one on three of the four
decks has a private veranda. Fewer
than 300 passengers will sail on
this 17,000-ton ship, and they will
enjoy more space than on any other
afloat. ' ;

Between the superb bed and the
stability of the ship, 1 slept better
than ever before at sea, and in the
morning there was the pleasure of a
bath, room-service breakfast on the
veranda, and as | ventured out on
deck some useful information from
my cheerful Finnish stewardess.
Such as. “Osto today, sir.”

Although shore excursions were
available, a surprising number of
passengers were happy to go ashore
just for a stroll or hop on a tram to
see Gustav Vigeland’s statutes.
Same at the small towns in the

. fjords,

One reason was that many of
them had been here before and they
just wanted to enjoy the ship. It
was a wonder any got off at all for
Silver Wind was ultra in every way
without being stuffy. For example,
one day lunch was a buffet in

: Which passengers walked through
«the galley and selected their food

assisted by the chefs who had pre-

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pared it. On several evenings the
Italian officers threw dinner parties
in their mess.

As for.the food, exquisite and
served by polished European wait-
ers, you could dine when you want-
ed and with whom you wanted and
the menu was just a suggestion.
Some people had caviar every
night. Good quality wines came

with every meal, all included in the -

cruise price, as were drinks,

Once again, Silversea did not
stint and you could retire to the
show with a five-star or better
cognac. The upper deck bar, staffed
by a chatty young Australian, had a
good selection of malt whiskies.

Shows were good, particularly
the impromptu appearance of Vince
Eager, British rock star of the six-
ties turned cruise director, and
although the dinner dances were a
fine idea, some more late-night
dancing might have been appreciat-

ed, Days were spent on deck taking
in the magnificent scenery of the
fjords and then Scotland, or just
lounging on deck by the lap pool

with a good book.

Full marks to Silversea for
including a generous library with
an excellent selection of hard-
backs.

It was a carefree vacation all the
way, What with no tipping, a gym
complete with personal trainer,
thankfully few announcements, and
a complimentary shore excursion in
the Shetland Islands called the
Silversea Experience.

One man said the all-inclusive
feature was relaxing as he never
hud to worry about paying for any-
thing: “You paid up front, dear”
said his wife. “Oh yeah, I did,” he
said. “That reminds me, did we .
book that limousine to meet us on

'

’ the dock at London?”

Some things never change.

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, Photo submitted

" SILVERSEA CRUISES offers exotic itineraries with on-board
pampering on Its two ships, the Silver Cloud and the Silver.
' Wind, Above: The Silver Wind, foreground, charts the waters
cof a a Norwegian flord. .

Uniglo be Navigators Travel
“at Cooper Bosting Center

Tina Mobius
‘from North Shore Cruise Ship Centers. ‘fh
Awarded Top Agent since 1989. She spent

Il years working on 48 different ships,
that included ewo world cruises, and 54
days cruising Africa and India.

. Cruise Experience, and the assurance
; that you'll get a customized
Cruise Vacation
Your Vacation is my Pleasure :
Join me for the Ultimate Vacation

CRYSTAL

Crystal Symphony -- June 4, 1996:
Barcelona, Sevilie, Lisbon, Oporto,
Bordeaux (overnight), London

Rates from $4334 US funds Incl. Air —-
Call Tina at 985-7447 or Pager 895-9387 evenings

. <= eruisesiilipcenters

1823 Capilano Rd, North North Vancouver v7P 3B5_

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