She's sleek and stylish and turns heads wherever she
sails. Silversea Cruises' Silver Whisper is accustomed to attention. Some of the
world's most prestigious organizations have praised her perfection and she
recently passed a routine Vessel Sanitation Program inspection with flying
colors, earning the highest possible score of 100 from the United States Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention.
With accolades such as those, it stood to reason that
when Russian President Vladimir Putin needed presidential-class accommodations
and service to host visiting heads of state for celebrations marking the
tricentennial of the founding of St. Petersburg, he would look to Silversea
Cruises' fleet and hand-pick the Silver Whisper. Docked in Russia's cultural
capital on the Neva River for three days in May 2003, the ultra-luxury,
382-guest ship hosted world leaders from the G8 countries, including British
Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder.
During the St. Petersburg festivities, Silver Whisper
hosted a Russian state dinner for 46 presidents and prime ministers, plus
another 46 ambassadors and ministers, arguably the largest number of heads of
state ever gathered on a cruise ship. Months of preparation preceded the event,
including on-site training of Silversea staff at the Kremlin. Weeks later when I
sailed the Baltic on Silver Whisper, her staff and crew still basked in the
reflected glow of world-wide attention and spoke in hushed tones about the
preparations for the majestic Russian dinner party.
 |
|
Dimitri
Skarga (left) presents the award to Manfredi Lefebvre (right) |
In recognition of the exceptional performance extended
last spring during President Putin's private charter of Silver Whisper,
Silversea Cruises Chairman, Manfredi Lefebvre, and its Chief Executive Officer,
Albert Peter, in addition to 22 other employees, were honored during a special
awards ceremony held aboard Silversea's flagship, Silver Cloud, in Monte Carlo
on April 2nd.
On behalf of President Putin, Dimitry Skarga, President
and Chief Executive of SOVCOMFLOT, the Russian state-owned shipping fleet,
presented Silversea with the prestigious trophies, bearing the Russian state
emblem.
"We are very gratified to receive this special
recognition from President Putin," said Manfredi Lefebvre, Silversea's
Chairman. "We knew that a project of this magnitude would present new
challenges for us, but we also knew our team of outstanding professionals would
ensure its success."
"This is a very special honor for Silversea,"
said Albert Peter, Silversea's Chief Executive Officer. "We are known for
treating our guests like royalty and heads of state, so it was a special
pleasure to actually have an entire ship's guest list comprised of global
dignitaries. I know our staff truly went 'above and beyond' to accommodate the
exceptional needs of President Putin and his distinguished roster of world
leaders, and I'm very proud of their efforts."
It comes as no surprise to any past guest that Silversea
Cruises sets the standard in hospitality by which all other cruise lines are
rated.
Silversea Cruises is recognized as a luxury
cruise innovator, offering guests large-ship amenities aboard four intimate
vessels, Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, and Silver Whisper, all
designed to offer an atmosphere of conviviality and casual elegance. For seven
consecutive years, Silversea Cruises was named best small-ship line in the
readers' survey conducted by Condé Nast Traveler magazine. Plus, Silversea was
selected "Number One" small-ship line in Travel + Leisure 2003
World's Best Awards.
2004 will be an exciting year as Silversea
Cruises celebrates its 10th anniversary. Look for upcoming announcements about
gala events and special programs to celebrate the line's ten years of
excellence. For more information on Silversea Cruises, please contact a travel
agent. For a complimentary brochure, call toll-free (877) 215-9986 or visit
their website at www.silversea.com
Images
Courtesy Silversea Cruises
Cruise Line Profile - Silversea
Cruises
Fun Facts about Silver
Whisper
Silver
Whisper Baltic Cruise Diary
CruiseDiva
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