Silver Spirit Cruise Review

Photo from Silver Spirit's September sea trials. Still under construction in Ancona, Italy, Silver Spirit begins service end of this year.

Silversea’s newest and largest vessel, the 36,000-ton, 540-guest Silver Spirit is a veritable floating advertisement for refinement and taste. Everything aboard whispers class, from the no-hair-out-of-place design and decor to the exquisite service and cuisine, high-end amenities, and free-flowing champagne.

About 25 percent larger than the largest of her fleetmates, Spirit packs in several new onboard options while retaining the huge passenger-space and passenger-crew ratios that have become a Silversea hallmark.

The ship’s interior designer, Giacomo Mortola, used the larger available space to craft rooms that mix classic old-world elegance with hints of a art deco. Every room seems perfectly designed and proportioned to deliver an exquisite experience. Like all the Silversea ships, Silver Spirit is designed with the vast majority of her public rooms located between midships and the stern, while staterooms and suites occupy the ship’s forward half.

The Bar is a popular meeting spot located right next to the ship’s reception area. Open throughout the day, it serves specialty Italian coffees, tapas and cocktails. Other public rooms include the clubby Connoisseur’s Corner, where you can sink into a cushy red leather chair to enjoy a cognac and cigar; the Panorama Lounge on Deck 9, offering afternoon tea, piano entertainment, views out over the stern, and an open-air patio furnished with two-guest sun-beds; the Observation Lounge on Deck 11, offering a view forward as well as a radar screen, astronomical maps, and binoculars for guests who like to keep track of their course; and the Show Lounge, offering full shows, soloists, and movies.

There’s also the fleet’s largest casino and boutiques; a library stocked with books, magazines, newspapers, and DVD movies; and a card room that’s popular for bridge games and tournaments. The ship’s pool area is the largest in the fleet, as is its massive 8,300-square-foot spa, which offers nine treatment rooms and an extensive treatment menu, indoor/outdoor relaxation areas with a spa whirlpool and bar service, a Thermal Suite furnished with heated tiled lounges, a Turkish bath chamber, men’s and women’s saunas and steam rooms, a gym, and a beauty salon.

Dining is one of the ship’s great highlights, with six restaurants from which to choose. New for Spirit is the intimate Seishin, serving an Asian fusion menu that may include Kobe beef, spider lobster, and a selection of sushi. A second new option, the Stars Supper Club, emulates the great supper clubs of the 1920s and 30s, serving a small-plate menu of regional and seasonal delicacies, served along with music, dancing, and nightclub-style entertainment.

The other four restaurants on board are the standards available across the Silversea Fleet: the Relais & Châteaux–designed Le Champagne for six-course wine-pairing meals in an intimate art deco atmosphere; the Restaurant, an elegant, crystal and candlelight room that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with menu option created under the auspices of Relais & Châteaux; and La Terrazza, an indoor/outdoor space that offers buffets at breakfast and lunch and in the evening serves an Italian menu created on “slow food” principles — locally grown, sustainable, and fresh.

The Pool Bar & Grill also serves casual lunches and dinners, the latter featuring the fun “Black Rock Grill” experience, in which guests can grill their own meat or seafood at their table on a preheated volcanic rock. You can also order lunch and dinner served course by course in your cabin, from the day’s menu at the Restaurant.

Staterooms/suites range from the 312-square-foot Vista Suites (offering not too much of a vista through their picture windows, since they’re all located down on Deck 4) to the 1,292-square-foot Owner’s Suites, expansive luxury apartments with separate living/dining areas and bedrooms (either one or two, the latter by booking and opening up an adjoining standard accommodation), a large teak veranda, and a marble bathroom with separate shower and whirlpool tub.

The vast majority of accommodations aboard are 376-square-foot Veranda Suites, with private teak verandas, a marble bathroom, and a walk-in wardrobe. All accommodations on board come with butler service, a bar setup stocked with your preferences, wifi access, European bath amenities, fine linens and down duvets, a choice of nine types of pillows, and a choice of aromatherapy fragrances created by Italian perfumer Laura Tonatto.

Excerpt from Silver Spirit sea trials:
My initial impressions: Silver Spirit elevates Silversea Cruises into an entirely new league. Though Silversea is already one of the top luxury contenders, Silver Spirit ratchets up the line’s status. With its new ship, Silversea certainly shows innovation, confidence, and above all, spirit. Read more.

Excerpt from ‘Spirited’ Competitor In The Luxury Sector
For those who follow such developments, Silversea’s newest vessel begs the question: How will it compare to the other luxury launch of the year, Seabourn Odyssey? The short answer is “favorably.” For the full explanation, Spirited Competitor In The Luxury Sector.

First Look: On Board Silversea Cruises’ New Silver Spirit

On Silver Spirit’s three-day preview cruise from Monte Carlo to Barcelona, Trudy Redfern, Silversea’s Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing, UK, gives her initial impressions of Silversea’s newest addition to the fleet.

Looking Back: Silver Spirit Sea Trials and Walk-Through