This was published 6 years ago
Silversea's Silver Muse launches in Monte Carlo
Silver Muse's pool deck, around which bar staff glide bearing colourful concoctions.
When you're sitting snug in a high-backed armchair in the Arts Cafe on Silver Muse with an Illy macchiato just the way you want it, accompanied by a trio of chocolate truffles and a fireball sun sinking into the Mediterranean beyond the windows, you're in a good place. Candles, albeit electric ones, shine in multi-coloured glass holders, adding a splash of colour to the cafe's muted elegance. Curious glass sculptures invite closer study, and paintings supply a colour splatter on the walls.
A fellow passenger arrives and asks for a chardonnay, and a minute later a waiter has a chilled glass on the table, just as the last of the sun glimmers in a purple horizon. Silver Muse glides towards Sicily with a barely perceptible vibration. It's day five of the ship's inaugural voyage, and the ship is smooth sailing personified.
If Silver Muse were actually a person, I'd imagine an old-time Italiam movie star from Fellini days: not flashy or loud, but with all the curves in the right place, and an air of seductive promise. Silversea is Italian and family-owned, with a fair number of Italian staff on board, under the charge of Italian-Australian captain Alessandro Zanello. It has that undefinable European, slightly aristocratic air that sets it apart from the mostly American world of cruising.
Silver Muse at sea.
Silver Muse was christened on April 19 in Monte Carlo, as it floated beneath hillsides of millionaire's apartments and the illuminated bulk of the palace. Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the festivities. It seemed a fitting setting for the largest and latest ship from Silversea Cruises, whose vessels sail in and out of Monaco's harbour on a regular basis. This is the company's first new ship since 2009, and its largest, and stands as a bold statement of intent when it comes to the future of luxury cruising.
Silver Muse carries 596 passengers. The increase in size over the rest of the Silversea fleet is modest; the company's small-size ships have a reputation for intimacy and attentive service that it doesn't want to lose. The increased space allows not for jamming in more passengers but for more high-end suites, more interconnecting suites and more choice of cabin types than on any other Silversea ship. The public areas too are very generous. I'm always finding interesting new places to ensconce myself: in the romantic pods for two that stare over the sea; in the slinky white recliners outside the spa; on loungers by the turquoise-tiled pool, its water sloshing me into a pleasant, sun-warmed doze.
There's quiet for those who want it and abundant space everywhere, except perhaps in La Terrazza during the pre-excursion rush for breakfast, or in posh French restaurant La Dame – though only because this is a deliberately intimate venue, and always in demand. There are lounge areas everywhere on Silver Muse, and I'd guess more outdoor deck space than on many other ships. The decor is understated, which adds to the sense of space. There isn't much clutter, and colours schemes are subdued.
Good times can be had with a little planning.Credit: Michel Verdure
As for cabins, they're so large you could limber up with morning stretches without bumping into any furniture, never mind the walls. I'm not in a high-end suite but rather a lowly deluxe verandah suite (number 660). The term "deluxe" provides a more central location on the ship, but classic and superior verandah suites are otherwise identical. The word "lowly" is relative, of course. Silver Muse is an all-suite ship, and mine is enormous compared to most cabins afloat. I have my own lounge area, walk-in wardrobe, bathroom with space for both shower and bath, and a verandah on which to soak up the Mediterranean sun.
I have most of the perks and luxuries of any other cabin category. Two flat-screen TVs and an interactive media library suit those puzzling travelling types who'd rather watch a movie than enjoy the cruise. The fabrics are from posh Venetian textile company Rubelli, the bed linen from suppliers to megastars and monarchs Pratelli, the bathrobes from Milanese fashion house Etro. The bathroom amenities are Bulgari, but when I declare them too perfumed, my butler whisks them away and replaces them with a hypo-allergenic alternative.
After space, service is the second of Silver Muse's extravagances. I have just the same butler service as in any other suite. My butler Oscar shimmies in shortly after I arrive to ask if I need help unpacking and whether I'm satisfied with my pillows (there are nine options). Throughout the cruise he produces an umbrella, afternoon snacks and personalised writing paper, with all the deft flair of a magician. I can dial up dishes from many of the restaurant venues around the clock. The idea of apricot-and-mango Eton mess with champagne at midnight is tempting, but my Presbyterian upbringing thinks this might be one step too far down the road of indulgence.
Veranda Suite onboard Silver Muse.
Indulgence is chief characteristic of this lovely ship, however. The spa is expansive, with nine treatment rooms, steam rooms and saunas, an acupuncture suite, an outdoor whirlpool and a men's barber shop. If life on the ocean isn't quiet relaxing enough, there's also a Mood Room where you can set your own lighting and music and let your cares slip away – though frankly, what your cares might be on a cruise ship like this is difficult to imagine. You can always kick back on the pool deck too, around which bar staff glide, bearing colourful concoctions in ice-tinkling glasses.
If all this gives the impression of a ship suited to couples with a liking for intimate dining, relaxing spaces and a somewhat sedate atmosphere then you'd be right for the most part. Although the dress code is quite casual during the daytime, the ship veers towards smart-casual later in the evenings, with several (but far from all) restaurants requiring formal attire. Yet Silver Muse does have its convivial, frivolous side too, with a casino and a good choice of bars: the rather chatty Dolce Vita for cocktails as a pianist plays; the leathery, whisky-imbibing, cigar-chomping Connoisseurs Corner for putting the world to rights; and the Arts Cafe for canapes and evening chatter. There's also nightly entertainment in the Venetian Lounge theatre, and a sociable cards-and-games room.
It's hard to tell from an opening cruise who the clientele will be, but Silversea tends towards a good assortment of Americans, British, Australians and various Europeans. The proportions morph depending on destination and season, but what's striking is the number of repeat passengers. Silver Muse will certainly satisfy Silversea aficionados. It supplies all the hallmarks of other Silversea ships with subtle improvements, bringing yet more dolce vita to the high seas.
Silver Note is one of eight restaurants.
A DIVERSITY OF DINING
Silver Muse ups the luxury ante, and nowhere more so than in its eight restaurants, a count which doesn't include the Arts Cafe. It's an impressive range of choices for a smallish ship, and indulgent food is offered: veal tartare with white Alba truffles; scallop and enoki mushroom broth; lobster-tail salad with caviar and zucchini; caesar salad with smoked duck and aged parmesan; snow crab with pickled ginger.
Habitues of Silversea will be pleased to find restaurants common to its other ships, such as its Relais & Chateaux-branded French fine-dining venue and La Terrazza, an Italian restaurant whose buffet lunches include salami, seafood and mozzarella stations. A la carte dinners run through antipasti, pasta, soups and main courses such as sea bass with pesto sauce, and beef fillet with forest mushrooms. There's also a return of Hot Rocks on the pool deck, an informal favourite in which guests can cook their own fish or steaks on a lava stone.
Silver Muse isn't just a copy of earlier ships writ slightly larger, however. It has addressed current trends in on-board dining by doing away with a main restaurant and supplying smaller, upmarket dining choices. Several are exclusive to the ship, including Asian-fusion restaurant Indochine and seafood-and-grill restaurant Atlantide, where passengers have to make a cruel choice between lobster, Baltic salmon and king scallops, or prime steaks and New Zealand lamb – or else return another night.
Japanese venue Kaiseki is also unique to Silver Muse. It serves sushi and sashimi for lunch and teppanyaki for dinner – with a menu that runs to Alaskan black cod, Maine lobster and Australian wagyu beef, around which you can contour seaweed salad, endamame beans and pickles. The dessert is a rather peculiar tempura ice-cream served with spiced chocolate sauce.
Another shipboard trend has seen the emergence of more informal dining spaces. Silver Muse addresses this both with Hot Rocks and with its unique venue Spaccanapoli, named for a famous street that runs through Naples. This outdoor eatery overlooking the pool deck is devoted to Neapolitan-style pizzas, cooked with crispy burnt edges and a sparse scattering of ingredients.
TRIP NOTES
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CRUISE
Silver Muse calls at 130 ports in 34 countries this year. The ship spends the northern summer in the Mediterranean followed by a trans-Atlantic crossing to Canada and the US before transitting the Panama Canal to reach South America towards year's end. An example itinerary is the nine-day Barcelona to Civitavecchia (Rome) cruise departing on May 20, 2018, from $8865. Phone 1300 306 872, see silversea.com.
Brian Johnston travelled as a guest of Silversea.
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