Guests on Silversea Cruises' Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper can use their own cellular phones and wireless PDAs while at sea, thanks to the installation of technology provided by SeaMobile supporting the use of PDAs and both GSM and CDMA cell phones. The service will be put in place on the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind in coming months. Rates for at-sea cell usage will depend on the guest's wireless provider; charges will appear as roaming calls. While in port, phones will be switched to the carrier for that geographic area, and roaming rates for that country will apply. The line has kept certain areas of its ships cell phone-free by instituting quiet zones (areas without reception) in such public areas as restaurants, the library and spa. The new connectivity builds on Silversea's outfitting last year of its vessels with Wi-Fi hot spots so guests could access the Internet with their own laptops.
