Cruise ship awash with bubbles

When one of the world's most exclusive cruise ships docked in Auckland, ELEANOR BLACK went on board for a peek at the ocean-going high life.

Luxury cruise ship MV Silver Shadow floats on a sea of champagne. It's Moet & Chandon, dahling, and is replenished constantly, as are the Bulgari toiletries in the bathrooms, the gourmet snacks in each minibar and the premium cigars in the humidor.

For the moneyed cruiser, Silversea Line's Silver Shadow, and her sister ship the Silver Whisper, offer the ultimate in heady indulgence. Everything is top class on the $180 million vessel, designed by award-winning Norwegian architects Petter Vran and Bjorn Storbraaten.

Original art hangs on the walls. Fresh flowers and fruit are delivered to cabins daily. The bathrooms are built almost entirely from Italian marble. The linen is by Frette, the pillows are down, and the snuggly robes and slippers are free.

If you get peckish before dinner, chilled caviar will be delivered to your suite, with a mother-of-pearl spoon for serving. If, after a day of lying by the pool or soaking in one of two jacuzzis, you can't be bothered dressing for dinner, it will be served to you in your cabin, course by course, with Christofle silverware and Schott-Zwiesel crystal.

This non-stop spoiling comes at a price - $1100 to $3700 a person, a night - making Silver Shadow one of the most exclusive floating hotels to glide the deep blue.

Adding to the cachet are the world's only on-board Bulgari boutiques and Mandara spas, where guests can choose from a selection of exotic treatments using honey, milk and hot lava rocks.

Owned by the Lefebvre family from Rome, who ran the classy Sitmar cruise line before it was bought by Princess, the Silversea line is a favourite with the travel industry.

Conde Nast Traveler has named it the world's best small cruise ship line six years in a row. The Telegraph awarded Silversea the best cruise company title in 2000 - the year Silver Shadow was launched - and Fielding's Travel Guide gives the line a six-star rating, the highest possible.

Standing in the Silver Shadow's oval reception area, the sense of indulgence is immediate. The 182m-long ship is only 24.8m wide but it is surprisingly roomy. The corridors are generous (no mincing around other guests to avoid embarrassing hallway tangles), and each room in the ship - from the elegant dining areas to the smallest guest cabin - is bigger than you would expect.

The neutral colour scheme, enhanced by the occasional pillar of amber wood and a series of deco-style mirrors, is as soothing as the knowledge that once on board, no effort is required of you.

There are 295 crew on hand to spoil the 382 passengers, or .77 hosts for each guest. As you move through the ship there is always someone to fill your glass, hand you a towel or find you a handrolled cigar.

Best of all, there is no need to carry money. "We call the ship the wallet-free zone," explains Silversea Australia and New Zealand spokesman, Mark Perry.

With the exception of beauty treatments at the spa and the odd wine and cigar variety, everything is included in the price of the journey - from service charges and meals to use of the on-board gymnasium.

One of the most popular perks is the fountain of Moet & Chandon served at the restaurants and bars and supplied to each cabin. "We joke about the milkman, only the milkman brings Moet & Chandon," says Perry.

But guests who spend a minimum of $13,200 a couple for a six-day cruise from Rome to Nice expect more than great food and wine. The Silver Shadow offers a range of leisure options, including a small casino, a computer centre and library, card room, wine-tasting room, and a glitzy show lounge. For the less adventurous, there are televisions and videos in each cabin.

And for the traveller who has been massaged and fed and watered to the point of exhaustion, there is the simplest entertainment of all - a sunset viewed from your private teak deck.

Silversea