Richard Cross Samples Silver Muse

Richard Cross recently joined the ultra-luxury all-inclusive world of cruising by sampling a voyage on board the Silver Muse, the flagship of the Silversea Cruises fleet, read on to find out all about his experience..

Launched in spring 2017, the ship carries just under 600 guests in style, comfort and luxury.

Silver Muse is proud to boast all-suite accommodation.  The lead in is a Vista suite which has a large picture window offering ocean views, all other suites offer private verandas.  I was quite impressed with the size of the accommodation, each has their own seating area, spacious desk area and dining table.  Each suite is serviced by a cabin steward every day and your own butler who will even unpack for you if you wish!  In suite dining is complimentary and a full menu is available 24 hours a day, all washed down with a drink from your complimentary mini bar!   There are spacious en-suite bathrooms with a bath and shower and luxury toiletries as standard.  A walk in wardrobe offers plenty of hanging space, drawers and a safe.

A huge part of the cruising experience is the dining, and on board Silver Muse you aren’t short of dining options, there are  8 venues to enjoy a bite to eat around the ship.  Most of the restaurants require a reservation for the evening; this can be done by calling the dining reservations from any phone on board or through your butler.  Indochine offers Asian-scented cuisine, La Dame by Relais & Chateaux offers a bespoke menu from top chefs with the excellence of French dining.  Atlantide is an elegant bar and grill that offers mouth-watering food whilst Kaiseki offers recognisable characteristics of Japanese culture with stunning costumes and the Kaiseki theatre reflects the performance in the show cooking.  Silver Note offers small plate tapas style dishes with live entertainment in the form of jazz and blues.   La Terrazza is open throughout the day and is the more casual restaurant on board with live interactive cooking stations where a selection of hot and cold food is available.

Alfresco there are also more dining options with soft breezes and stunning views at The Grill which offers freshly prepared steaks and light bites and in the evening turns into Hot Rocks where you can cook your own steak – yes you can be chef for the evening!  The final dining venue is Spaccanapoli which reflects Silversea’s Italian heritage and serves the most amazing pizzas out on deck!  A couple of the restaurants have a cover charge. Food is accompanied by free flowing complimentary fine wines, spirts, champagne, cocktails and soft drinks.

Even though Silver Muse is a small vessel, there are still plenty of places to explore around the ship.  The Arts Café at the aft of the ship offering sweeping views out to sea plus a coffee shop with light bites available throughout the day.  The Connoisseur’s Club is rich in luxury and the venue to try a finest cognac or whiskey, ideal for after dinner.   The on board Boutique is the place to visit if you want duty free shopping or to purchase souvenirs.  Just above the Art’s Café is the Panorama Lounge, this venue is a peaceful retreat in the daytime and a social place to meet in the evening with live music followed by the late night disco.

Tor’s Observation Library is set high up and is the quiet space for reading, pick up a book or watch the views arriving into port.   The Venetian Lounge is the place to catch the port talk, the full-scale productions and evening entertainment.  Dolce Vita is a gathering place midship for fellow passengers to become friends.  Here you will find live entertainment in the evening, shore excursions and guest services.  Both the Venetian Lounge and Dolce Vita venues are capable of holding all guests at the same time in comfort.  All around the ship you will find stunning works of art from paintings to unique abstract pieces.

Out on deck is the perfect place to spend a lazy day at sea.  There is a large swimming pool with two Jacuzzi pools.  You can forget about the world as you sit back and sink into one of the comfy, luxurious sunbeds with a cocktail or a book.  You’ll find a jogging track around the top deck if you have over indulged.  The on board Spa offers a range of treatments and massages for a charge.  You will find the gym, sauna and steam room here too and these are complimentary with fresh bottled water, robes and slippers available for you.

You needn’t worry about tipping or paying any gratuities, these are all taken care of in your cruise fare, which really helps when planning and budgeting for your cruise, knowing that everything is included.   On board you will find a high staff to passenger ratio, with nearly one member of staff for every passenger, this equates to some of the highest service on the ocean waves with staff going out of their way to make friends with you whilst you are on holiday.

If you are looking for an all-inclusive ultra-luxury cruise experience, look no further than Silversea Cruises and the Silver Muse.  The ship was really incredible, I didn’t think it would be for me but I had an amazing time on board and definitely looking forward to returning soon, I would recommend it to anyone looking for that step up to the next cruise experience.