Best For People Who Want:
An expedition ship with "best of the best" luxury and class; spacious staterooms for an adventure ship, highly personalized service.
Should Be Avoided By People Who Prefer:
A wealth of entertainment options; large fitness or casino facilities;
an assortment of sports or children's activities.
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Onboard Experience:
Prince Albert II is an ice-class vessel bult to withstand extremely cold conditions such as Arctic and Antarctic waters. Inside, she has been remade into a Silversea ship, especially in the staterooms. Public rooms are also elite and refined, but are inclode proximity to a mud-room for shaking off the penguin dung when arriving back to the ship on one of the 16 onboard Zodiac rubber boats.
The focus is on sightseeing, as well as onboard enrichment. Expect to learn a lot about the places you are visiting with some of the most renowned experts in the field giving lectures and one on one question and answer sessions onboard.
When you are not sightseeing, you are recuperating from the hig activity level shore excursions. The ship features some of the largest staterooms ever built into an expeditionary vessel. All 66 ocean-view accommodations feature luxurious living space and private marble bathrooms with bathtubs. Select suites offer double private French balconies or large private verandas, and additional elite amenities including butler service.
Carrying 8 zodiac boats and other landing craft will allow her guests to visit even the most remote island locations. Providing a full expedition staff including lecturers and leading experts on the nature and culture of the places she visits.
Fitted with all of the most modern navigation, safety and environmental features, she will offer all of the world famous Silversea amenities, cuisine, program inclusions, and highest level of individual service.
Decor:
Elegant but very welcoming, with lovely Italian mosaics, hand-painted
frescos, and paintings, paintings, paintings. The rich maple paneling
in hallways is attractively accented by brass wall sconces.
Public Rooms:
With just five public decks, public rooms are limited to the restaurant, a show/lecture hall, and two lounges. The top deck (seven) is given over to spacious luxury suites with balconies. Deck six features an observation lounge overlooking the bridge and the bow of the ship. Behind it is the spacious lecture hall which is large enough to seat the entire passenger contingent for every lecture. Miships is the small spa area.
Deck five boasts "The Humidor" a lounge for wonderful cigars and excellent spirits. Next to the Humidor is the Panorama Lounge with a small bandstand and dancefloor. On the same deck is the Library is also an Internet cafe, although the entire ship also boasts stem to stern wireless Internet access and cell phone service.
Deck four has The Restaurant. The ship does not have a dedicated buffet area, although breakfast and lunch will both be served in a combination of buffet and table service with menues. This deck also has a small boutique, fitness center and hair salon.
Cuisine:
This may be an adventure vessel, but don't expect anything less in terms of cuisine than what you will get on any other Silversea ship. While the ships' cuisine is almost always delectable, though, it is only sometimes beyond earthly imagination.
The small size of the ship is a bonus when it comes to the ability to deliver food hot from the kitchen. Expect the chef to try local favorites moreso than on the other vessels. The purpose of this expedition ship is to discover the region you are sailing in, and part of that is sampling the local cuisine.
Service:
The almost entirely European staff is as personable as it is
efficient. They'll know your names -- and preferences - almost before
you've gotten to your cabin. Officers and crew seem genuinely to enjoy
getting to know their passengers. Because so many Silversea voyagers
stay aboard for cruise after cruise, there's a rare atmosphere of
conviviality.
This ship has a goal of adaptability in its itineraries. if the captain knows or discovers and unusual happenstance he is free to go anywhere he feels the guests will enjoy. It must be noted that a when a ship that varies its itinerary almost on a per-cruise basis, it is not reasonable to expect the consistency and contingency planning for shore excursions you will find on a ship that has been repeating the same ports for years. Silversea has a glittering reputation for its shore excursions, but glitches can occur, and those on offer are sometimes subject to cancellation due to a lack of passenger interest.
Restaurants:
Just like the larger vessels, expect "The Restaurant" to feature starched white linens, romantic lighting and Christofle flatware.
Entertainment:
This ship will not even try to offer anything like the production shows you will see on other luxury vessels, but do expect to find talented people playing piano and doing their best to get the crowd involved. A small dance band will play standards for folks wishing to cut a rug, but the best entertainment is likely to be in your stateroom on the flat-panel televisions offering music and over 80 different on-demand movies, documentaries, and nature specials all available free of charge.
Cabins:
Those who adore the larger ships vast suites with private butler
service may find these staterooms mildly disappointing. Most of them are standard size for ships, with just six of the massive usual Silversea suites on board. All of them have an ocean view, and some of the larger suites can be connected to adjoining smaller suites. Only 20 of the 66 cabins have a balcony, but there is a good chance you will be in water so cold you won't really care anyway. All of the cabins have a sofa and desk, twin/queen bed configuration, down pillows, and 24-hour room service. The bathrooms have tub/shower, terry cloth robes, hair dryers, and private label toiletries.
Fitness/Spa:
Prince Albbert's small fitness center does not offer classes during the cruise, but it has "self-service" treadmills and other machines to keep your heart pumping. There are also a beauty salon and a spa with massage offerings, but with a minimum staff on duty. There is a sauna and two top-deck whirlpools.
Attire:
You do not have to bring your tux and long sequined gown. The full-time dress code is "resort casual". Nor do you have to bring you rown parka or backpack - those will be provided to you as needed.
Tipping:
Silversea is a true "All-Inclusive" cruise line and Prince Albert II is no exception. All drinks including bottled water, soda, wine, beer, spirits and champagne are provided at dinner and stocked in your stateroom. Gratuities are also included and none are ever expected.
