Silversea Cruises' latest, gorgeous ship is the Silver Ray, named in June in Lisbon, Portugal. The luxurious, all-inclusive Silver Ray is a twin sister to the Silver Nova launched in 2023. The Ray boasts a new and spectacular art collection, and the ship is delightful and beautiful, as are the objets d'art scattered about. It's also a very approachable and charming ship. Some menus have been refreshed, particularly in S.A.L.T. Kitchen and La Terrazza, a perennial favourite. A two-star Michelin Chef is creating an intriguing plant-forward menu in the petite French restaurant La Dame, which offers an exceptional dining experience for an upcharge.

Arts Cafe

All the wonderful, creative and appealing public spaces from the Nova are recreated here, and there's a buzz that this is another sensational ship from Silversea Cruises. The vessel, accommodating 728 guests in ultra-luxury, has been designed with a pioneering asymmetrical, horizontal theme that offers an unexpected openness and creates an unfiltered connection to the outdoors and those magnificent sea views. Plus, there's more airy space, higher ceilings and greater flexibility in design – and the space is glorious. The design establishes "two good sides" of the ship, each being different – and works beautifully.

There are four suite decks – 6 to 9, and most public rooms are gathered on Decks 3, 4 and 5. It is quite a change from the Muse Class ships such as Silver Dawn and Silver Moon – although they are also exquisite. There is an enormous amount of glass letting in light everywhere – with more than 98 percent of the ship offering a view – "Guests can gain a new perspective filled with light," the space-to-guest ratio is truly impressive. There's great appeal on the fantastic Deck 10, which houses the S.A.L.T. Bar – much bigger now but still offering great mixologists and interesting concoctions, the S.A.L.T. Lab for cooking classes and the venue at night, which hosts up to 18 guests for a thoughtfully choreographed Chef's Kitchen menu of small plates highlighting regional dishes and flavours and including cocktails and wines specially chosen to complement the menu. This is one of my favourite spaces, and the Deck offers ample space for sunning and relaxing, reading in the shade, finding a quiet corner, and enjoying a beautiful pool overlooking one side of the ship.

The Marquee

Of course, there's a great pool bar. Further along is The Marquee, a fabulous lunch and dinner spot combining the Hot Rocks Grill, the traditional pizzas from Spaccanapoli (made with a special pizza oven) and a casual dining menu. It's hopping all the time. Heading aft, the Silver Ray's Dusk Bar is another great venue for drinks and sail-away time with never-ending ocean views. The Marquee and Dusk Bar are new additions to Nova Class and have become very popular. Silversea's traditional offerings include S.A.L.T. Kitchen, Kaiseki for Asian cuisine at a surcharge, the intimate Silver Note Supper Club and Atlantide for meals, La Dolce Vita and the Panorama Lounge, Observation Lounge and Library and Arts Café are now on Deck 4 and expanded to the heart of the ship.

Silver Suite

Silver Ray has a wide range of tastefully furnished suite accommodations with lovely in-suite amenities and every comfort imaginable, the O.T.I.U.M. Spa and Fitness Centre, the ever-evolving and fantastic S.A.L.T. program with onboard and ashore offerings, including an extensive array of food-oriented shore excursions.

Written by Vanessa Lee for Cruise and Travel Lifestyles (Fall 2024)