Silver Muse sets new direction for Silversea
Ship given an entirely new look and feel as it prepares for eastern seaboard journey
I was in Quebec City a few weeks ago to hop aboard Silversea’s new Silver Muse (cruise.center/silversea) for the day. The 596-guest luxury ship was making its inaugural call on Quebec before heading to Montreal at the end of its maiden transatlantic crossing — and prior to embarking on a voyage through the Canadian Maritimes and down the eastern seaboard of the United States.
I last saw Silver Muse on its “shakedown cruise” — a short, post-delivery voyage from the shipyard in Genoa to Barcelona. Particularly when ships are first delivered, I always like to come back on board after a few months of operation to see what changes, if any, have been made. Boarding Silver Muse in Quebec for a few hours, I was happy to see that Silver Muse is sparkling.
Minor adjustments have been made throughout, from simplifying the dining dress code for the ship’s nine different dining venues (which all follow the recommended daily dress code; previously, each restaurant had its own independent dress requirements) to adding additional pieces of artwork around the ship.
Silver Muse ushered in an entirely new look and feel for Silversea. Gone is the dark colour palette that used to dominate the line’s interior decor, replaced instead with a fresh, modern look filled with hues of nautical blues and greens, coupled with blond woods that give the ship an elegant appeal.
This is perhaps best reflected in the decor for the ship’s Panorama Lounge: a sun-filled room with 180-degree wraparound windows located all the way aft on Deck 9.
Bright and airy by day, this is the perfect place for a cocktail and some scenic cruising — especially when travelling up the St. Lawrence. I managed to enjoy a relaxing drink here before disembarking Silver Muse and getting caught in a wicked thunderstorm; Mother Nature’s way of saying I should have cruised on to Montreal.
On the accommodations front, Silver Muse hits a home run: suites (there are no such thing as staterooms on board a Silversea ship) are more spacious than those aboard previous vessels, with an entry-level room starting at 334 square feet (31 square metres), complete with walk-in closet, marble-clad bathroom, a sitting area, and a luxurious bed draped with Pratesi linens.
Silver Muse will be getting a sister in a few years. Silversea recently announced that a new ship, Silver Moon, will join its fleet in 2020. The line also just revealed that it will put the 296-guest Silver Wind and its larger fleetmate, Silver Whisper, through a refurbishment program this winter that will “Muse-ize” these two popular ships, adding decor touches that better reflect the new interior design that Silversea debuted aboard Silver Muse.
Finally, Silversea just announced a massive refit project is coming next year for the popular 540-guest Silver Spirit. I have a soft spot for this ship, which was launched in 2009.
It’s a great blend of both past and present Silversea, with comfortable public areas, loads of open deck space, and spacious suites.
Now, Silversea is going to be adding even more of those features by lengthening the Silver Spirit next spring.
Here’s how this works: At the Fincantieri yard in Palermo, Silver Spirit will be cut in half (literally) and a new, prefabricated 49-footlong (14.9-metre) midsection will be inserted and welded together. It’s been done a handful of times before (longtime cruisers will remember the “stretched” Norwegian Dream and Norwegian Wind in the late 1990s), but the process will be a first for Silversea.
Contained in this new midsection are six brand new Silver Suites (my personal favourite for their ridiculous level of spaciousness), along with 26 Veranda Suites and two Panorama Suites. The Silver Spirit will also undergo a host of behind-the-scenes technical improvements, and its decor will be redesigned to better reflect the style debuted aboard Silver Muse.
Back in Quebec, I was pleased to see Silver Muse in actual operation. The brand-new Arts Café was full of guests relaxing over a book and a cup of coffee, and I finally saw a guest take advantage of Silversea’s All-Around Dining, which allows you to call from any house phone on the ship and have food delivered to your exact location.
That’s luxury.
Happy cruising.