Cruising through Christmas
All the good bits of the festive season are present – without the organisational hassle, finds Pamela Wade.
This is a Public Service Announcement. Remember Christmas? Not the warm fuzzies your selective memory is presenting you, but actual Christmas? The planning, the buildup of stress, the crowds, the endless shopping, all that cooking, the forceful diplomacy required when the big family gathered on the day? And then all the clearing up afterwards? Remember how, actually, Boxing Day was much more agreeable in every way?
Well, it could all be like that if you took yourself off on a cruise. Imagine walking away from the whole wearisome process, and experiencing again the carefree fun and the magic that Christmas delivered when you were a child.
You don’t need to go far. You’re not trying to escape Christmas itself, you’re just getting someone else to do it all for you – and few do it better than Silversea. Board its Silver Muse in Auckland a few days before Christmas Eve and, after a leisurely circuit of New Zealand and a couple of Australian ports, step ashore in Sydney a fortnight later knowing what it’s like when it’s you who has been spoiled, and not Christmas. I did it: I breezed aboard into an elegant environment where golden Christmas trees were artfully scattered around the public spaces, architecturally impressive gingerbread houses featured in the lounges and holly garlands wound along the stair rails all the way up. It was Christmas for grown-ups – but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of treats. All the good bits were there: the food, the music, the traditions (including Santa) and, especially, the spirit. Everyone was jolly, the crew despite not being with their families; and the other guests often because of that fact. Many confessed that they were running away from juggling family members and obligations, or relieving their children of the same tiresome duties. Some, though, to make a special memory, had brought their offspring with them, both grown-up and little.
(Silversea makes no specific provisions for young children, but those on board seemed perfectly happy with the facilities.)
Joining a cruise for Christmas also had an understandable attraction for those on their own – and there was a good number of solo passengers on board to enjoy the festivities.
Our route began in Auckland, with calls at Tauranga, Picton, Christchurch and Stewart Island, before cruising through Doubtful and Milford sounds and heading across to Burnie in northern Tasmania, then Melbourne and, finally, Sydney. There’s plenty to enjoy in those places and, at each stop, there were excursions on offer – but some people spurned them all. ‘‘Oh, I haven’t left the ship since we boarded,’’ several fellow guests boasted at the end. ‘‘They’re not why we came on this cruise.’’
‘‘I like it when everyone else goes ashore and I have the ship virtually to myself,’’ another said. ‘‘It’s like my private yacht then.’’
And what a luxury that would be. Silver Muse, while the largest of Silversea’s eight ships – there are three more coming soon – still hosts fewer than 600 guests in nine grades of accommodation, from the comfortable Vista Suite with its big window, all the way up to the vast Owner’s Suite, where the bathroom alone would boggle most minds.
There are eight restaurants, five lounging areas, a theatre, gym and spa, and a pool with adjoining Jacuzzis. There are musicians and singers, almost as many crew as guests, internet connection and – best of all – virtually everything is included. The peace of mind that last feature brings should not be underestimated – and certainly simplifies social mixing with the other guests.
‘‘What drinks would you like in your bar here?’’ asked our white-gloved butler Wendell as he settled us into our Veranda Suite. ‘‘Have you seen the pillow menu? Would you like a fruit plate? What can I do for you?’’ Finding jobs for Wendell was perhaps the hardest part of the whole cruise.
While most of our fellow guests were, unsurprisingly, Australians and Kiwis, there were plenty of winter-escaping Europeans, as well as British and Americans: 25 nationalities in all. That made for a pleasingly cosmopolitan atmosphere around the ship; but, more importantly, it also meant we got two Christmas dinners. It’s the custom in many European countries to have the special meal on Christmas Eve and so we sat down
then to a menu choice that included, with all the usual trimmings, roast goose; followed, on Christmas Day itself, by the more familiar turkey – although the temptation of a tender Chateaubriand left me glad I hadn’t stuck with tradition.
We weren’t entirely enclosed in a bubble of indulgent luxury: the real world did intrude with winds too strong for us to enter the Sounds, to the disappointment of many; and, sailing past East Gippsland, the ship was shrouded in thick bushfire smoke. It was a reminder of our privilege – and we appreciated it all the more.
Having, altogether, seven days at sea on this itinerary gave us plenty of opportunity to establish pleasing routines, such as working through the breakfast options in La Terrazza before a flat white in the Arts Cafe and a stroll around the decks. Then maybe deep-fried camembert at The Grill on the pool deck, a bit of a nap, a lecture about convicts, or Aboriginal culture and a wallow in the Jacuzzi watching braver sorts tackle the swirling mid-Tasman tsunami in the pool itself.
Before a leisurely dinner and the evening show, an unmissable feature was the daily Team Trivia event, which quickly became a boisterous affair. Notable for blatant cheating which initially repelled the more strait-laced of us, by the end we had all suspended our reservations and were giving as good as we got, under the twinkling eye of our quizmaster. It was a lot of fun, and so was the pool deck New Year’s Eve party.
Fun – it’s not something you might expect to experience on a luxury cruise ship, with butlers, fine wines, haute cuisine, original art and elegant decor. It made our Silversea Christmas even more special.