Mark Rumbarger is the engaging hotel director on board the Silver Whisper. He hails from Texas where hegraduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts & Science degree in Broadcast Communications and Spanish.Rumbarger has spent 19 years in the cruise industry. Prior to joining Silversea Cruises in 2002 as a Food & Beverage Manager, Rumbarger held positions of varying importance with Admiral Cruises, American Hawaii Cruises, US Lines, and was a Project Manager in hotel operations  for Royal Caribbean. His vacation time is balanced between a good deal of adventure travel and work as a licensed Financial Advisor (NASD) in Texas and Florida.

Rumbarger likens his management of a team ofprofessionals to that of a symphony conductor:  you trust the skills of the professionals, but occasionally you tweak a few strings and more often than not you train like an Olympian, which results in beautiful music and a gold medal.
Recently ShipsandCruises’ PW Mooney met with Rumbarger during an autumn cruise on the Silver Whisper. Excerpts from their conversation:

How long have you been on the Silver Whisper

I joined Silver Whisper as Hotel Director in 2004.

What areas do you supervise?

I supervise a crew of 280, of which 230 work in the hotel area. Housekeeping, the spa and fitness center, food and beverages, restaurants and the entertainment presented on board are the major areas I supervise.

How trained are the cabin crew?

To be a stateroom steward, you must be experienced. If staff come on board inexperienced, they are usually trained in one or two cruise trips before becoming a steward. One requirement is that they speak English well in addition to a second language.

What about the dining staff?

The dining staff are hired out of hotel schools or from major hotels where they were employed. They must have experience. Bartenders must be trained prior to working on the Silver Whisper and must have a certificate from bar-tending schools.

What are the furnishings in the suites such as the bedding?

The brand Frette is used for the bedding.

And the restaurants?

In the dining rooms, Riedel glassware, Eschenbach china and Christofle silverware are used.

What is the makeup of the passengers on board?

Silversea markets primarily to Americans which constitute about 60 percent of the passengers. About 20 percent are British and the balance other nationalities. Thirty nationalities have been represented on the Whisper.

Cruising on a Silversea vessel is not cheap? What attracts passengers?

Silversea is a good deal as a cruise averages out to about $500 per night—in the same league price wise as say a Four Seasons hotel. The cruise package includes air transportation, all table beverages, wines, champagne, liquor and gratuities.

Whisper is truly an inclusive ship with the highest space ratio in the industry for her guests. And she has a family feel to her cruises.

What is the percentage of repeat cruisers?

Fifty percent of the passengers on each cruise are repeaters. Some guests book cruises back to back. For example, in the winter season after the holidays, repeaters book several cruises together to escape the wintry cold.

What are some of the new innovations* on Silver Whisper?

We are setting up a cooking school where guests will be involved in the culinary lessons. All suites are being wired for Wi Fi and new high-speed computers have been installed in our Internet Café. DVD players are also being installed in all the suites. Guests will soon be able to receive news from one or two newspapers of their choice in the country of their residence. There is a new television system which allows guests to receive news channels around the world whether the ship is in Europe or Asia or the Caribbean. This is accomplished through the ship’s satellite.

(* Note: The above innovations were installed since the interview, except for the cooking school, which will be in operation this summer.)

How are the ship’s land excursions planned?

Innovative excursions are constantly being planned for Whisper’s discerning passengers. in our Ft Lauderdale home office. The ship’s tour director gives his feedback [or suggestions] and the team in Florida fashions a cruise land tour. Exciting excursions are being planned for Whisper’s first visit to Asia in 2006 for Burma and Vietnam. Guests, on board, get a full description of the planned excursions on the ship’s TV channel.