Cruising to Alaska

Medallion Suites are spacious, with separate living and sleeping areas and many luxurious amenities.

Shortly after arriving at Suite #9067, our lovely Medallion Suite accommodations aboard the beautiful Silver Nova, we met Jayson our room attendant who hailed from the Philippines, and Sharad, our butler who was originally from India. Sharad poured us a welcome glass of champagne and pointed out all the features of the suite that was to be our home for the next seven days. These suites offer a generous 527 square feet of interior space and an 86 square foot veranda, which both provided ample room for our enjoyment and relaxation. Sharad next tuned the sitting room TV to the information channel and requested we watch the safety video while we waited for our luggage to be delivered.

Muster stations are important meeting points for safety and accountability aboard cruise ships.

At 4:00 PM we reported to Muster Station “C” at the entrance to La Terrazza Restaurant on Deck 4 as instructed. Often located on decks near lifeboats, muster stations are designated areas on the ship where passengers are to gather in case of an emergency to receive instructions and prepare for evacuation. Normally, the crew are in lifejackets and review the emergency procedures with those assigned to a particular station. The drills are mandatory and all passengers are required to attend. The rules have changed though, at least for Silversea on this particular cruise. While we met a uniformed crew member at our assembly station, she asked if we had watched the safety video.  When we answered in the affirmative, she simply crossed our names off her list and told us we had fulfilled the necessary requirements. Now that was a big improvement!

Silversea's Hot Rocks experience features lava rocks heated in a specialized oven for 14 hours.

We met up with our friends at The Dusk Bar on Deck 10 as we departed Vancouver that evening. This popular open-air sky bar at the stern of the ship offered plenty of space for us to enjoy a pre-dinner drink while taking in the 270-degree panoramic views of the city which was slowly receding from sight. Before too long, we moved further forward to The Marquee, the brand-new outdoor dining venue on the Silver Nova. Here we enjoyed dinner at The Grill, a casual dining venue that transformed from a daytime burger and salad spot to the Hot Rocks dining experience at night. With the help of Monica, our server from Iguazu, Brazil, we cooked on lava rock slabs which were oven heated to a high temperature around 725°F before being brought to the table. We then selected our preferred meat, seafood and vegetables and cooked them to our desired levels of doneness on the hot rock, enjoying the sizzling sounds and aromas. The stones were super hot and the splatter was such that several times Monica returned to wipe down the table and glassware. It wasn’t a late night for us as we returned to our suite following dinner and drifted off to a gentle slumber as the ship made its way north to the 49th state. 

The Observation Lounge, with its floor-to-ceiling windows, is designed for relaxation and reflection.

Friday was a sea day so there was no rush to meet any excursion. Sharad brought our morning coffee right on time and I later enjoyed an à la carte breakfast in the Atlantide Restaurant on Deck 3. The Silver Nova entered the Inside Passage close to the Noon hour as we were touring the Observation Lounge on Deck 10. The weather in Alaska, including the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska, can be unpredictable and the ship began listing from side to side. Luckily we had packed wristbands designed to prevent motion sickness and I returned to our suite to use them. These bands use acupressure to relieve nausea and I can attest to their effectiveness as I suffered no ill effects whatsoever going forward.

Kaiseki is a unique venue focused on meticulously prepared and carefully plated Japanese cuisine. 

A buffet lunch was set up in the Atlantide Restaurant with a highlight being the Salad Bar and the Short Ribs. The afternoon was spent first trying to enter the blackjack tournament, but it was sold out by the time we arrived. We did manage to grab a few seats for the “iPhone Tips and Tricks” briefing in the Dolce Vita Bar on Deck 5. It was conducted by Cruise Staffer Andrea who taught us a number of valuable hacks to better utilize the many built-in additions to the latest editions of Apple iPhones. Bingo and Team Trivia were conducted that afternoon (and those that followed) in the Panorama Lounge on Deck 5. Over the course of the week that followed, we accumulated enough point cards to acquire a Silversea key ring. It was all for fun as we certainly didn’t expect to win any expensive or valuable prizes. All of us later gathered for cocktails at the Dolce Vita Bar prior to a very tasty dinner at Kaiseki, the ship’s premier Asian restaurant located on Deck 4. Our evening concluded with the Captain’s Welcome and the introduction of the ship’s senior officers in the Venetian Lounge on Decks 4 and 5, after which the Silversea singers and dancers presented Limelight, the best of musical theatre from Broadway and London’s West End. Sadly, the singers were so loud we couldn’t enjoy the performance and decided to call it a night after their third number. 

Totem poles inside the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan represent a precious native collection.

We gained an hour overnight as we entered Alaskan waters and woke on Saturday prior to our docking in Ketchikan. “The Salmon Capital of the World” sits at the southern gateway to the Inside Passage and we were anxious for our first excursion, the Ketchikan Cultural Discovery, to begin, although it was raining heavily. After a short bus ride with Mitch, our guide from Alaska Tours, we arrived at the Totem Heritage Center. The center is home to an invaluable collection of Nineteenth Century totem poles retrieved in the 1970s from Tlingit villages on nearby islands.Although many of the poles are severely weathered, much of their original detail survives as testimony to the skill and sophistication of their carvers. Another bus ride for about a half hour took us to a very wet and muddy Potlach Park, featuring authentic tribal houses, cedar totem poles, and a carving center plus, of all things, a car museum. 

The Silver Note required dinner reservations and is known for its elegant and intimate atmosphere.

Later that evening, we met up at The Shelter, one of the newest pre-and pos-dinner cocktail venues on the Silver Nova to enjoy violinist Valeriia in the subdued, atrium-like atmosphere. Dinner that night was at the Silver Note Restaurant on Deck 5. This 1920s-inspired supper club stood out for its enhanced design and layout, including a central stage with an excellent pianist and vocalist who entertained us during a wonderful and memorable dinner. 

There were still four more days of adventure ahead of us on this cruise. I’ll tell you all about them in a future post.

Until next time…safe travels.