Passengers on the Tale of Tales World Cruise 2022 round-the-world cruise from the luxury cruise line Silversea Cruises were able to enjoy a very special evening last Thursday at the Cartuja Center in Seville.
Cruisesnews attended the event along with Giorgio Costa, Sales Development Manager for Southern and Eastern Europe and Russia for the company, where we were able to interview and spend time with Jannie Cloette, Director of Events and Experiences at Silversea.
The event began at 6 p.m. with a welcome cocktail reception where Silver Whisper passengers sampled local gourmet products in a personalized space decorated to evoke Andalusian country life and served by hostesses in traditional dress. Afterward, they moved to the auditorium where a gala dinner was served at tables adorned with exquisite Manila shawls and a spherical centerpiece made of carnations.
Soon the show “Carmen Returns Home” would begin, an exact recreation of Carmen Suite, a one-act ballet created in 1967 by Cuban choreographer Alberto Alonso with music by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin for his wife, prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. The premiere took place on April 20, 1967, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and this was the first and only performance in Seville, the city where the work is set.
These exclusive events in various cities around the world are included in the price of Silversea Cruises' World Cruises, a luxury cruise line that places special emphasis on immersing passengers in the culture and cuisine of the 
destinations they visit. Travelers on the 2022 Tale of Tales World Cruise have enjoyed the company of distinguished guests, several renowned creatives who accompany them on each segment of the voyage and enhance the guest experience with talks and encounters throughout their stay. Well-known names such as renowned photographer Steve McCurry, essayist and novelist Pablo Iyer, and archaeologist Dr. Monica Hanna, among others, in addition to participating in the daily life of the Silver Whisper, will contribute to the Tale of Tales anthology at the end of the voyage. This anthology will commemorate their experiences alongside those of the guests, providing a beautiful and lasting memory.
The Silver Whisper was waiting to welcome back its passengers after such a special evening at the Muelle de las Delicias in Seville, which it reached after sailing up the Guadalquivir River, another of the privileges that can only be experienced on small ships like those of Silversea Cruises.
Interview with Jannie Cloete – Director of Events and
Silversea Experiences
You are the director of events and experiences for the company. Tell us exactly what your role is and what kind of experiences Silversea offers its guests. Give us some examples.
If you look at Silversea's brochures, we hardly have any photos of the ships themselves; we have photos of the places we visit and what there is to see there. Our guests want very personal experiences, so we make sure to create something memorable and special, like tonight, in just one night.
On our world cruises, where we hold our big events, for example, in South Africa we staged an opera in a quarry. It was a classical opera, but we performed it with an African rhythm. Next year in Zanzibar we'll be doing a tribute concert to Freddie Mercury because he was born there. And, for example, tonight, which has been wonderful, is the first time this work has been performed in Spain and in Seville.
In all cases, it is very important that the food and wines are local so that our guests can delve deeper into the local culinary culture.
How complicated is it to organize onshore experiences that match the level of luxury and quality onboard? What are the main difficulties encountered?
I wouldn't say it's difficult, although it is. You have to work in a foreign country, respecting religion, like in Cappadocia, where it was Ramadan and I had to find a restaurant in a specific tourist area that could serve alcohol, and dealing with language barriers, like when I was in Dakar, Senegal. The most important thing is finding the right local partners because, for example, I've only been here once, and the whole event is really in my head. For me, if 99% of the passengers are happy, I'm happy, because every detail you see at this table has been planned, from the lighting to the background music.
It adds difficulty because on one trip we can have five events and they have to be completely different, but I love what I do and I have a passion for events like dancers have for dancing.
I suppose there are many things to consider, such as the age and nationality of the guests.
Yes, I have to remember that Americans like things one way and the British another, and I take that into account. But what we do is taste everything with our experts at headquarters in Monaco. Every wine or dish is tasted, and we decide, trying to please all palates. However, we have to do something different in each place we visit, thinking locally: exploring and delving deeper into the local culture is very important to us.
You've been with Silversea for five years, but you've worked in the cruise industry your whole life. You've been Cruise Director for Renaissance, Royal Caribbean, and others. How have cruises changed? And the customers?
The truth is, I'm very lucky and I've moved from one company to another, and Silversea Cruises was no different. I spent 15 years working for Abercrombie & Kent on expedition cruises, which were similar to this, but on a smaller scale.
Paying attention to the details is my mission. Tonight's experience really began on the boat, with the invitation where we told the story. On the buses, we took a short tour visiting the important places in Carmen's history.
Things have changed a lot in the cruise industry, and passengers are different, but when it comes to Silversea passengers, they appreciate quality and attention to detail. Although ships are getting bigger, Silversea still operates on smaller ships, which is wonderful, but I think we really set ourselves apart with our events. No one else does events like these for guests, I have to say.
How different is Silversea from the companies you've worked for previously?
Silversea is, for me, like a floating country club. Passengers return because they have friends, the crew is friendlier and better than on any other company, and they return because they have their favorite crew member, their favorite butler, their favorite captain, their favorite ship. Of all the guests tonight, 20% had previously sailed a World Cruise. The 2023 World Cruise is completely sold out, as is the 2024 one, and we're already working on the 2025 events. This is what sets us apart: we offer real experiences when we go ashore. I think we set the bar very high, but it's very exciting, and these experiences are going to become increasingly important for Silversea because they're what differentiates us from the rest.
Finally, describe the event or experience that you haven't organized yet but would like to organize someday.
In these five years, I think I've had the most fabulous job in the world because each time it's a blank canvas, and I have all the colors and can do whatever I want. So I'm living my dreams through the events.
Next year we'll be having dinner in a cave in Ha Long Bay, New Zealand. We're working with the winery of one of my favorite wines and we'll be holding the event there, so I'm doing everything I want to do through the events I organize.
My dream event would be to do something with a symphony orchestra, but I'm already working on it for 2025… I love my job and if I can dream it, I can do it.
