Twelve small all-suite ships across seven continents, where the wines, spirits, Wi-Fi and gratuities are already in the fare and a butler comes with every category. The work is picking the right ship and the right fare tier.
Silversea runs twelve ships and none of them is big. Eight classic ships carry between 392 and 728 guests. Four expedition ships carry between 100 and 274. That is the whole proposition: a ship small enough to berth where the 4,000-guest ships anchor offshore, staffed at close to one crew member for every guest.
The classic fleet is Silver Dawn and Silver Moon at 596 guests, Silver Muse at 632, Silver Spirit at 636, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper at 392, and the two Nova class ships, Silver Nova and Silver Ray, at 728. The expedition fleet is Silver Cloud at 254, Silver Wind at 274, Silver Endeavour at 220, and Silver Origin at 100, which sails the Galapagos year round.
Silversea does not sell cabins. Every accommodation is an ocean-facing suite, most with a private veranda, and butler service is standard across the fleet in every category, not just at the top. That is unusual even among luxury lines, and it is the single thing clients notice first.
Silversea sells two fare types and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake I correct.
All-Inclusive covers the onboard experience: dining, unlimited wines and spirits, onboard gratuities, Wi-Fi and your butler-serviced suite. Air, hotels, transfers and shore excursions are added on.
All-Inclusive Plus adds to that, and what it adds depends on the kind of voyage. On a classic cruise you get a shore excursion credit that scales with voyage length and destination, spent from an exclusive catalogue. On an expedition voyage it is far more substantial: pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel nights, all landings and shore excursions rather than a credit, and expedition gear. The Plus deposit is fully refundable, and you can buy air, hotels, transfers and land experiences through Silversea or arrange them yourself.
S.A.L.T., short for Sea and Land Taste, is Silversea's destination culinary program: workshops, lectures and cooking demonstrations built around the food of the region you are sailing through, plus a S.A.L.T. Bar on select ships making cocktails tied to the ports. The S.A.L.T. Lab is on five ships: Silver Nova, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn, Silver Moon and Silver Spirit. Otium is the wellness and spa program.
If S.A.L.T. is what you want, the ship matters more than the itinerary. That is the kind of thing worth asking before you book.
Silversea reaches me on the same daily Royal Caribbean Group interline file as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, so if you are an airline employee, ask. Interline availability on a twelve-ship luxury fleet is thin and it moves daily, which is exactly why it is worth one message rather than a guess. For everyone else this is a retail luxury booking, and what I bring is fare selection, suite category advice and watching the promotion calendar, because Silversea's offers move and the same sailing can swing several thousand dollars between campaigns.
Either way: tell me the region, the month and roughly what you want to spend, and I will come back with two or three sailings and the fare math on each.
Silversea's own site: silversea.com.
| Ship | Guests | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Nova | 728 | Nova class, the newest thinking in the classic fleet. S.A.L.T. Lab on board. |
| Silver Ray | 728 | The second Nova class ship. S.A.L.T. Lab on board. |
| Silver Spirit | 636 | S.A.L.T. Lab on board. |
| Silver Muse | 632 | The ship the Muse class is named for. |
| Silver Dawn | 596 | S.A.L.T. Lab on board. |
| Silver Moon | 596 | S.A.L.T. Lab on board. |
| Silver Shadow | 392 | Small enough for harbours the Nova ships cannot enter. |
| Silver Whisper | 392 | Sister to Silver Shadow, the smallest of the classic ships. |
| Ship | Guests | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Wind | 274 | Ice-strengthened, runs expedition itineraries. |
| Silver Cloud | 254 | The largest of the expedition ships. |
| Silver Endeavour | 220 | The polar ship. Book All-Inclusive Plus so the landings and gear are covered. |
| Silver Origin | 100 | Purpose-built for the Galapagos and sailing there year round. |
Guest counts are double-occupancy capacity. Confirm the S.A.L.T. Lab on your specific sailing before you book on it.
Both Silversea fare types include dining, unlimited wines and spirits, onboard gratuities, Wi-Fi and a butler-serviced suite. All-Inclusive Plus adds a shore excursion credit on classic voyages, and on expedition voyages adds pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel nights, all landings and shore excursions, and expedition gear.
All-Inclusive covers the onboard experience and leaves air, hotels, transfers and excursions as add-ons. All-Inclusive Plus folds in excursion value and, on expedition sailings, hotels and gear, and carries a fully refundable deposit. On expedition voyages Plus is usually the better value. On a classic port-heavy itinerary the base fare often wins. I price both before quoting.
Yes. Butler service is standard across the fleet in every suite category, not only the top suites, and every suite is ocean-facing with most having a private veranda.
Twelve. Eight classic ships from 392 to 728 guests: Silver Whisper and Silver Shadow at 392, Silver Dawn and Silver Moon at 596, Silver Muse at 632, Silver Spirit at 636, and Silver Nova and Silver Ray at 728. Four expedition ships: Silver Origin at 100, Silver Endeavour at 220, Silver Cloud at 254 and Silver Wind at 274.
Silver Nova, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn, Silver Moon and Silver Spirit. If the S.A.L.T. culinary program is the reason you are sailing, pick the ship first and the itinerary second.
Silversea comes to me on the same daily Royal Caribbean Group interline file as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. Availability on a twelve-ship luxury fleet is thin and the numbers move daily, so nothing is published here. Send me a ship and a date and you get the interline fare and the public fare side by side.
Silver Origin sails the Galapagos year round with 100 guests and was purpose-built for it. Silver Endeavour is the polar ship at 220 guests, with Silver Cloud and Silver Wind also running expedition itineraries. On any of these, book the All-Inclusive Plus fare so the landings and gear are covered.
Tell me the dates you are thinking about and who is traveling. I answer within 24 hours with a priced option, not a brochure. Airline employee? Say which carrier and I will check the Royal Caribbean Group interline file for your dates alongside the public fare.