When good friends Amy Felgar and Linda Klippenstein of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, decided to cruise Alaska's Inside Passage together, they both knew what they didn't want—another large-ship "herding experience" that involved impersonal service and endless waiting in lines. Enter Silversea Cruises, and its 382-passenger Silver Shadow—a match made in heaven!

We asked these two friends for the low-down on their trip last summer, and especially the inside scoop on Silversea's legendary on-board experience.

Hideaways International: What was your favorite part of the ship?

Amy Felgar: For starters, our suite was amazing, complete with sofa, desk, an orchid-adorned coffee table, a walk-in closet (!), and enough floor space to perform daily stretching exercises. We had a lovely big soaking tub and a nice selection of luscious bath products. Once out of our room, we found that just walking the hallways was a treat, admiring the original artwork that was everywhere. We also loved afternoon tea in the forward-facing lounge with its panoramic views of icy water, glaciers, and endless green forests. And it seemed as if fresh orchids were blooming on every table top—I wondered if a greenhouse was tucked away somewhere on the ship!

HI: Did you notice advantages to the ship's smaller size?

AF: Definitely. Its more manageable size helped us get acquainted with the deck plan in a short time and start feeling "at home" after just a couple of days. And there were always quiet, pleasant spaces to tuck into for a card game or conversation.

HI: Did you attend any on-board enrichment programs?

Linda Klippenstein: Yes, and they were all very informative. I especially enjoyed the one on the Tlingit people and their culture. Also, the couple doing the Resident Artist program were wonderful and made a great team. Their little "walking talks" on individual paintings and artists represented on board—including Dali, Picasso, and Chagall—were filled with gems of insight, and their amber-carving demonstration was just fascinating. The quality of the on-board art was completely unexpected and greatly enhanced our cruise.

HI: Was the service level as good as everyone says?

AF: Absolutely! We felt pampered and well tended to the entire time. I'd say the staff training is meticulous and extensive across the board. Dining room servers remembered us by name all week, even though we never sat at the same table. And our butler was a delightful young man who was disappointed that we didn't order room service, as he was looking forward to serving us! While we were settling into our suite shortly after boarding, he knocked and asked if we would sit and listen to his presentation on the selection of bath products we could choose from. Since they were so scrumptious, we opted for all of them!

HI: How was the on-board dining experience?

AF: The food was wonderful, with a great selection at each meal. The breakfast buffet had an endless variety of wonderful fresh fruit—a real treat! Our final lunch was served buffet-style, with selections offered through the kitchen and representing world-wide cuisine. It was an unexpected and delicious experience—and we got an interesting tour of the kitchen while selecting our food!

HI: What was your favorite excursion?

LK: By far our favorite was a 10-man rowboat adventure on Mendenhall Lake near Juneau. Our paddle across the lake gave us "up-front-and-close" exposure to the glacier and its associated icebergs—truly awesome! And our guide, Christina, was a hoot! Winding in and out of those icebergs was both thrilling and a bit scary—especially when Christina said rather quietly to herself, "Oh, I've never seen an iceberg moving quite that fast." And we were just yards away from it!

AF: Yes, she steered us through the mist and right up to the icebergs, so we could practically reach out and touch them. It was really quite eerie and totally awesome to be sitting on that icy glacial water next to those massive icebergs that seemed to be moving . . . yikes!

Sitka also was a favorite stop where we explored a nature preserve. Who knew southeastern Alaska is a temperate rain forest? No surprise, then, when it rained every day of our trip. We didn't mind, we just didn't get any photos that look like postcards.

HI: Were there any especially fun bonding moments you two had?

AF: Okay, I'll admit we had a lot of fun shopping together in all the ports—and on the ship! Linda found some Eskimo dolls for her granddaughters, and we were both happy to find hand-painted tiles with a salmon motif by an Alaskan artist. I also brought home some locally packaged smoked salmon to give as gifts . . . sadly, I saved none for myself.

Since I'm a knitter, I was determined to find some local yarn and was happy to discover, at the Sitka Visitor Center, some hand-dyed silk/merino yarn made from local sheep. Further exploration in Sitka turned up a friendly yarn shop and a lovely little skein of pastel wool/angora blend with fur donated by a local bunny!

By far the most exotic of my acquisitions was a skein of natural brown qiviut from the Anchorage Museum. I had only heard of this fabulous fiber spun from the undercoat of the musk ox, which live way north. It is very fine, eight times warmer than wool, and twice as soft as cashmere. So far I've knit myself a pair of fingerless gloves with some of it, and revel in the luxury!

LK: Yes, the shopping was fantastic. I'd say we also really enjoyed sharing our common interest in the Resident Artist program. And we had fun playing Bananagrams in the ship's game room! For me, our last night in Anchorage was a highlight. We just poked our way around the city and shared a wonderful meal of King Crab legs, then woke the next morning—our last—to a spectacular view of Mt. McKinley. It was a wonderful memory to take away with us.

Tempted to sail Alaska this summer? Contact your Hideaways Travel Specialist today (800-843-4433, or email ts@hideaways.com), and you could earn valuable shipboard credits when booking any 2012 Silversea voyage, to spend as you like.