Public Rooms and Facilities:

Silver Cloud and Silver Wind: The Restaurant, The Terrace Cafe, Saletta, The Panorama Lounge, The Bar, The Show Lounge, Mandara Spa, Fitness Centre, Beauty Salon, pool, pool bar, Internet Point, boutique, jewelry boutique, casino and card room, library, launderette. Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper also have a Davidoff Humidor, poolside grille, Le Champagne, Observation Lounge, and Bvlgari Gallery.

A Specialty Cruise For Everyone! Experience Cultural Feasts, Fine Wines, And Pro Golf Excursions With Class

Culinary Cruises:

Choose a Silversea culinary cruise and experience a cultural feast of lands visited. Each of these selected itineraries features Epicurean artistry of acclaimed chefs of Relais & Châteaux-Relais Gourmands. These rising stars of culinary world will offer entertaining and educational cooking demonstrations and prepare a lavish five-course gourmet meal.

Wine Series Cruises:

On select voyages, explore world's fine wines. Enjoy excursions to vineyards, lectures and tasting guided by top experts and wine makers. Guests will taste exceptional wines on board and ashore.

Silver Links® 365 Golf Series:

On every voyage on Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper, hone your game with personal lessons from a PGA-classed pro utilizing latest V1 video-computer technology. Also, join our pro for escorted excursions to play in most ports.

The Silversea Experience®:

On many itineraries Silversea features a complimentary shoreside excursion designed to increase your understanding and enjoyment of people and places visited.

Personalized Voyages:

Silversea's Personalized Voyages now aboard all ships gives guests flexibility and convenience of creating their own luxury cruise vacation. Guests choose length of their voyage, port of embarkation and disembarkation.

Silversea Reassurance Program:

Guests who cancel their cruise for any reason up to last minute will receive 100% cruise credit on a future cruise.

Past Guest Benefits Silversea Venetian Society®:

From moment you complete your first Silversea cruise, you become part of a special family of friends - Venetian Society - an extraordinary assembly of travellers who enjoy seeing world in luxurious fashion while receiving exclusive members-only benefits and privileges.

Additional Benefits and Complimentary Cruises for Members:

To thank you for returning to Silversea (again and again!) they offer guests who have sailed 100 days or more an additional 5% savings on any future cruise. For 250 days, guests receive 10% savings. Reach prestigious 350-day milestone and Silversea will reward you with a complimentary 7-day cruise. At 500-day milestone, a complimentary 14-day cruise is yours to enjoy! After 500-day milestone, earn a 7-day cruise for every additional 150 days sailed. Benefits are subject to change, so be sure to read Silversea's member updates.

The Silversea Fleet:

Sleek and exquisitely appointed Silver Whisper, Silver Shadow (28,000 tons), Silver Cloud and Silver Wind (17,000 tons), narrow gap between ocean-liner and small ship cruising. Offering all-inclusive convenience, very personal pleasures and ultra-luxurious elegance of a private yacht, amenities of a country club and sumptuous furnishings, fine appointments and service of a premier hotel. Smaller, they are able to venture into a wider range of ports including cozy harbours and remote hideaways never accessible by mega-ships, yet they still provide ample comfort and stability for a cruise on seven seas. All ships proudly execute Silversea's mission to deliver guest comforts and benefits unrivalled in cruise industry. (Silver Cloud and Silver Wind were refurbished in 2003/2004).

About the author: William Lezubski (Accredited Cruise Counsellor (ACC), and Certified Travel Counsellor(CTC) - William is the owner and author of “Discount Caribbean Vacations Web Site” available at www.discount-caribbean-vacations.com A great source for Discounted Caribbean Cruises!

Ladysmith was originally known as Oyster Bay, formed in late 1800s...then came coal mining and logging industries. In 1986 logging industry pulled out, and in 2003 Ladysmith introduced Festival of Lights, which displays thousands of lights, from last Thursday of November till New Year, attracting over 10,000 people in one night and continuing to present day. An official light -up ceremony includes a parade, spaghetti dinner and fireworks.

James Dunsmuir, owner of mines, was laying out his new township of Oyster Harbor in 1900 when he received news that British troops under command of General Buller had broken four month siege of Ladysmith in Natal province, South Africa and decided then that his new town would be named Ladysmith to honor this British victory of Anglo/South African war of 1899 to 1902. Ladysmith was used as a dormitory and recreation complex for miners and their families and as a shipping port for coal from Extension Mines in Nanaimo. It was incorporated in 1904 and town grew rapidly over next few years mostly due to coal industry, but also because of copper excavated from Mount Sicker, which continued 'till 1912. The following year coal miners up and down Island went on strike. Bombs targeted equipment and homes, prevailing for over a year when military was called in and riots were crushed. Ten years later mines were shutting down as demand for coal was dissipating and coal getting harder to find. The areas residents turned to logging and other forms of employment after mines closed in 30s, but in 1933 1000s of trees toppled in a massive windstorm [known as Big Wind] and logging industry was born when Comox Logging & Railway Co used harbor as a shipping port.

Trail Guide: The Holland Creek Loop, The Heart Lake Loop, The Stocking Lake Loop, The Rotary Lookout Trail, The Estuary Trail, The Marine Walk. Developed through collaboration of volunteers, government grants, and staff.

by Margot B,