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16-02-2023

SILVERSEA CRUISES

It’s been a while since I have enjoyed a luxury cruise and this week, I am loving sailing up the Australian coast on the delightful Silver Muse. For all that we are familiar with our coastline it was fabulous to sail down Sydney Harbour and through the Heads. Our first port of call was Newcastle – a surprisingly interesting city to explore and our excursion also took us to delightful Morpeth and fascinating Maitland Gaol. Originally a convict prison, this facility was used until 1997, housing the likes of Ivan Milat. My first and hopefully last visit to such a confronting place. As I write we are heading up the Queensland Coast, where we will eventually disembark in Cairns.

With a maximum of 600 passengers on board, the Silver Muse is spacious and comfortable. Our cabin has a veranda to relax on, a sitting room which is the perfect spot to enjoy our pre-dinner canapés and champagne delivered by our butler. After a day exploring ashore or relaxing by the pool it is great to stretch out in a full-sized bath and rinse the day away.
We can choose from any of the eight restaurants on board – last night saw us enjoying the teppanyaki Japanese restaurant, tonight we are off to Silver Note, a late night jazz club and tomorrow La Dame, the intimate French restaurant on board. There is a poolside Hot Rock restaurant, a pizza casual spot, fine dining in Atlantide, Asian fusion in Indochine, and delicious Italian at La Terrazza.
Fellow passengers are fun to chat to… There is a mixture of mainly Australians, Kiwis, North Americans, and Brits. We are on board for a week but many are on board for several weeks. I was chatting in the pool with a lovely couple from Sydney who are onboard for 56 nights, hopping off in Osaka after exploring Japan during Cherry Blossom season. Similarly, an American couple on board are here to explore New Zealand, Australia, Asia and ending in Japan – this is their retirement trip that has been delayed since 2020.
We all had to test negative before boarding, but that is about the extent of the health checks. There is hand sanitiser at the entrance to each restaurant. The ship is spacious enough that everyone naturally distances themselves. Some passengers are wearing masks, but there is no requirement to. It is as though everyone is delighted to be out and about, exploring the world again.
Most shore excursions are included in the tariff – you can opt for more exclusive trips, for example helicopter flights over the Great Barrier Reef at additional cost.
The crew are wonderful – there is almost one crew member for each guest. Whether you have a week or longer, just to escape to a change of scenery and a different routine is marvellous. Every detail of the trip has been thought through and it makes our holiday relaxed and us feel pampered. I guess that’s what holidays are all about… Do yourself a favour and explore the world on a wonderful Silversea cruise!
Contact Travelling Places  PH: 07 5545 1600 E: travel@travellingplaces.com.au