PHOTOS BYCHRISTINE CUNANAN.
TRAVEL SILVERSEA
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SILVERSEA
A Whole
NEW WORLD CHRISTINE CUNANAN discovers distant lands onboard the Silver Discoverer exploration ship of Silversea
This 12-day voyage onboard the Silver Discoverer from Hokkaido to Kobe in Japan, with two stops in South Korea, was one of my most enjoyable cruises in a lifetime of relentless cruising.
O
taru is a pretty fishing town in northern Japan that is undeniably past its heyday. It was once the capital for sardines and a bustling home to some of the richest merchants in northern Asia. These days, however, the sardines are gone and an atmosphere of sadness hangs overcast as you stroll past the tourist districts through empty streets and shuttered fish markets and shops. From the deck of the Silver Discoverer as we sailed out of the port one fine autumn afternoon, however, Otaru looked majestic, as I imagine it once had been when it felt like the center of the universe. As the ship made its way out, we’d found a tiny and relatively private terrace on the ship’s top deck with two sunbeds and an unencumbered 180-degree view, you see, and from here the world seemed perfect.
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usual after-dinner Broadway-type shows are non-existent, and champagne is served out of plastic goblets because breakable glasses are impractical in choppier waters.
CUT ABOVE THE REST The Silver Discoverer is a small ship with little room for exploration compared to a traditional cruise ship. Nevertheless, it still is among the most comfortable and luxurious vessels plying the less trodden routes, with relatively spacious staterooms, a proper dinner service in its main restaurant, a spa treatment room, and a full-time butler in formal coat on call. Considering you are sailing in the middle of nowhere on most days, these are significant luxuries that will make most adventure travelers ecstatic. Still, some people may find the necessary adjustments from the traditional and more glamorous Silversea cruise experience initially unnerving. The bathrooms and walk-in closets have generally been downsized, the
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ROOM WITH A VIEW The 25 square-meter Vista suite features two large view windows and a seating area, with either two twin beds or one queen-sized bed with storage draws. It also includes a marbled bathroom with a walk-in shower, a spacious desk and adequate wardrobe cabinets.
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On the Silver Discoverer, the passenger cabins occupy all of three modest decks on a small vessel with a capacity for 120 passengers, with one restaurant or lounge on each floor. Initially unused to such dimensions, I asked the receptionists where the library and gift shops were; they directed me to the fifth floor. where I found several cabinets at the entrance to the casual restaurant filled with exploration gear, souvenir items and books. If something interested me, the receptionist would walk up and unlock these cabinets. It was as simple as that.
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CUSTOM COMFORT
CHANCE ENCOUNTERS
Obviously, this is not a ship or a sailing experience for everyone, but among the passengers I met, the ones who had the most stamps on their passports enjoyed the cruise the most – which says a lot. In fact, many had sailed on this very ship before, albeit to other corners of Asia.
Meeting other travelers was certainly a highlight, as the intimacy of the Silver Discoverer encouraged socializing and lengthy conversations over meals in the formal dining room or the casual restaurant or at the grill and cocktails venue around the pool.
Being on the Silver Discoverer is so cut-and-dried in a refreshing way that I heartily recommend it to travelers willing to literally get out of their box. This 12-day voyage from Hokkaido to Kobe in Japan with two stops in South Korea was one of my most enjoyable cruises in a lifetime of relentless cruising, for the intimacy of the voyage, the adventures of landing on truly exotic shores, and the company of my fellow passengers.
Sharing tables at dinner is not required but we followed the nod of the maitre’d to fill up a table and sit with strangers on most nights. The people we ended up dining with were among the most well-traveled I’d ever met precisely because adventure cruises usually attract those who have already been everywhere in the world – and who understand the limitations of luxury travel experiences that venture past well-trodden destinations.
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ABOUT THE SILVER DISCOVERER The 120-guest Silver Discoverer cruise ship generally sails around Asia, including to the remote archipelagos of the vast Pacific, where one can enjoy scenes from the wild including a breaching whale or a pod of dolphins. The ship’s shallow draft allows for closer navigation, and its fleet of 12 Zodiacs enables guests to land on isolated shores and explore wetlands and ecosystems, up-close and in-depth. Last refurbished in 2014, it has three dining venues and a multipurpose observatory lounge, as well as a pool deck, a beauty salon and a fitness center.
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It was on some of these thoroughly enjoyable evenings that we met an Australian winemaker, an art collector from Florida and a real estate developer from Los Angeles, a South African mining magnate, and a British aristocrat who’d even promised me a private tour of the House of Lords on my next visit to London. And, as this is not a large ship, you do end up becoming real friends with those you discover much in common with. We spent several evenings in the company of a former Australian opera singer in her 70s who danced all night to Elvis Presley and the Beatles and then taught everyone how to line dance.
ISLAND TO REMEMBER Of course, the Silver Discoverer is essentially about exploration and the fine dining and dancing are just fun extras. On this route, for instance, we were onboard the first international cruise ship to dock on the former prison island of Sado, one of the most remote destinations in Japan. The area we visited on Sado Island gave us an idea of how the rest of Japan once was, with wooden houses with graceful upturned tiled roofs neatly lined up along narrow roads facing an empty sea.
Tea ceremony in Pohang, South Korea
Sailing down the river in Kurashiki,
Japan
Taking a rickshaw ride in Moji, Japan
Sake tasting in Sado Island, Japan
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It was so quiet and peaceful that the usual tourist trappings were non-existent; the only significant outlet for retail therapy I found, with great effort, was at a tiny convenience store that offered snacks and sundries.
MEMORABLE LANDING Yet our arrival on the island turned into such a major event that an entire town gathered to welcome us with festivities worthy of an annual parade; and when we eventually sailed out, residents positioned themselves with binoculars, flags and balloons all along the coast until we were out of sight.
I’d long wanted to visit Sado but it is only accessible via sporadic flights from a handful of regional airports across the straits on the mainland, and a three-hour ferry ride to the nearest port. Each day, we awoke to find ourselves in a place like this, surreally distant and yet suddenly accessible on a ship that took us there in comfort and style. The Silver Discoverer was indeed the perfect way to visit such out-of-the-way destinations, living a #Travelife.
This is not a ship or a sailing experience for everyone, but among the passengers I met, the ones who had the most stamps on their passports enjoyed the cruise the most.
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The famous Itsukushima Shrine in Miyajima
Strolling through beautiful Kanazaw
a, Japan
Visiting an ancient tem ple
in Gyeongju, South Kor ea
, Japan