New Quietvox audio systems are freeing up Silver Spirit's guests to fully enjoy select shore tours in the Mediterranean this summer. The new technology eliminates the need to huddle around the tour guide to hear what's being said.

With a transmission range of up to 1,000 metres ( 3,280 feet) tour participants may now walk about freely, untethered to their guide, to explore some of the world's great attractions -- from museums and cathedrals to vast ancient ruins -- without missing any of the guide's valuable insights.

Wearing a single personal earpiece connected to a small wireless receiver, each guest is able to easily hear the guide's commentary without being distracted by the sounds of other tour groups, resulting in an enhanced shore experience.

Tours offering the new audio system are depicted as "Silver Shore Sotto Voce" options in online and print materials provided to Silver Spirit guests. They are denoted by a small headset-shaped icon in the Silver Shore Journals, the shore excursion booklets guests receive with their cruise documents.

The devices will be available on select tours in all the regions where Silver Spirit sails and eventually will be expanded to other ships in the Silversea fleet.

Photo credit: Aaron Saunders

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We're delighted to announce that Silversea has been named in Luxury Travel Magazine's 2012 Gold List as Best Luxury Cruise Line for the seventh consecutive year. And our beautiful Silver Whisper is again included in the prestigious list as Best Luxury Cruise Ship (Small) for the fourth year in a row.

Luxury Travel Magazine’s Gold List Awards are one of the most comprehensive luxury travel surveys ever undertaken by an Australian magazine and are widely accepted as Australia’s premier travel awards.

The awards are the result of a survey in which tens of thousands of Luxury Travel Magazine’s subscribers and readers are asked to nominate the world’s best hotels, resorts, spas, cruise lines, golf courses, airlines and destinations, over 33 individual categories.

The results are published in the new issue of Luxury Travel Magazine, on stands this month.

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If you're a tea enthusiast, you don't have to read Elizabeth Gilbert's bestselling memoir Eat, Pray, Love to find a way of balancing pleasure and devotion (though it is a wonderful book to curl up with on a lazy afternoon, with a nice cup of tea). And there's no need to travel to Italy, India and Indonesia to follow in Gilbert's footsteps (though that would be an amazing journey, right?). And there's certainly no need to meditate at an ashram, as Gilbert did (though that could be rather enlightening).

No, if you are a devotee of tea, you may simply indulge your passion for the fragrant beverage in the hallowed tradition that is known as afternoon tea, finding balance in its daily regularity, and likely falling in love with the accompanying tray of delicacies.

At Silversea, our custom of serving afternoon tea at 4:00 pm offers guests the perfect respite from an active day usually spent ashore, exploring exotic lands and cultures. In the Panorama Lounge*, with its expansive views of the sea, guests gather to relax, share stories and enjoy the soothing sounds of a live piano performance.

White-gloved waitstaff circulate between tables adorned with crisp linens, fine china and three-tiered trays displaying an assortment of finger sandwiches, miniature pastries, cakes and cookies. They graciously serve pots of steaming hot water, selected teas, and freshly baked scones with clotted cream and a variety of jams. And it's all complimentary.

Silversea's elegant framed tea menu, containing actual tea samples and descriptions, features twelve tempting selections, including blacks, greens, oolongs and whites, all hand-picked teas produced by the famous Frankfurt-based Ronnefeldt tea company. A purveyor of tea since 1823, Ronnefeldt claims a Russian czar among its early customers. To truly appreciate their fine teas, have a look at this video, and learn why tea cultivation is truly an art.

On your next Silversea cruise, be sure to drop in for afternoon tea … and discover its enduring charm.

And if, like Elizabeth Gilbert, you'd like to do some soul-searching travel, we can help with that too. Silversea voyages offer the chance to eat, pray and love in Italy, India, Bali and dozens of other enchanting and romantic destinations. Click here to explore the possibilities … and start planning your next holiday.

*La Terrazza on Silver Spirit.

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We're pleased to report that Silversea has just been voted "Best Small Luxury Cruise Line" by China’s influential "Travel & Leisure" magazine in the publication’s 2011 Tourism Awards.

Our general sales agent in Shanghai, Ms Nicky Lu (third from left in above picture), received the award from Counsellor Glaucio José Nogueira Veloso (far left), representing the Deputy Consul General of Brazil in Shanghai.

The top accolade was awarded in conjunction with sister publication "Travel & Leisure Golf" and website www.travelleisure.com.cn.

The 10th anniversary of the travel awards recognised high-end hotels, domestic and international travel destinations, and tourism-related sectors including airlines, as well as cruise lines.

All of us at Silversea are truly honoured to receive this outstanding award.

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