A Super Yacht a silver muse

In the world of cruising the desire to sample the newest, most up to date vessel afloat comes a close nautical second to owning your own Roman Abramovich-style super yacht.

Competition for suites can be fierce amongst regular cruisers when the line they favour launches a new multi-million pound baby.

And when the new vessel sails under the flag of six star cruise company Silversea - arguably the best in the business - you may have to wait some time to get on board.

So when the $300 million Silver Muse left Monte Carlo on her maiden voyage on April 10 this year all 300 luxury suites were occupied.

For some of the passengers there would be no problem getting their sea legs - as they had transferred directly from the line’s Silver Spirit at the end of its four month world cruise so keen were they to sample the new flagship.

So to get chance just four weeks later to spend a few days on board to check out this new crème de la crème of the line was too good an opportunity to miss and one I seized with both hands.

The Muse is the largest and most glamorous ship in the Silversea fleet, although at just under 41,000 tons she is still relatively small by modern cruise ship standards.

While other companies have ships which will carry more than 6,000 passengers the Silver Muse caters for less than 600, and is all the better for it.

It means a much more intimate atmosphere on board, more one to one service and superb fine dining.

Standing 11 decks high this all-white, all-suite ship boasts eight restaurants each completely different to the others so you can ensure your dining experience changes every night.

Unlike on most cruise ships the idea of a main dining room has been abandoned in a move to offer more variety, and just as with any good restaurant ashore you have to book in advance.

Also abandoned is the traditional dress code associated with cruising where you have certain nights which are formal (black tie), others informal and the rest casual.

On this ship you dress for the particular restaurant you are dining in and, while these follow the same three tier code, at least the choice is yours.

If you don’t want to “go out” to dinner you can simply dine in your suite served by your own butler and watch the world float by.

And yes I did say butler. For every suite comes with a butler who will do his best to cater for your every whim and need, even down to unpacking and pressing your clothes on arrival.

And it’s surprising how much influence they seems to have. Ours, Madhu, even managed to alter times at the various heavily booked eateries when we were running late.

Strolling through the Silver Muse on our first day on board I was struck by the understated elegance. There are no radical glaring colours just subtle shades of grey, cream, white and brown in the corridors and public rooms as well as eye catching pieces of art work at every deck level.

The suites themselves are awash with rich fabrics and drapes while surface is marble. The spacious bathroom too is almost entirely marble and features a full sized bath as well as a double sized shower.

In both the bedroom and sitting room one wall is covered by a vast tinted mirror which morphs into a large screen television when activated by a remote control. And there’s a good choice of channels as well as a vast choice of up to date movies on offer.

All suites have a king sized bed and spacious walk-in closet as well as a good sized balcony to enjoy those days at sea when the sun shines on your side of the ship.

On the days we found ourselves in the shade there was always plenty of space on deck. In fact a lot of thought has gone into creating an abundance of outdoor areas for cruises in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

As well as the large pool and its surrounding area on deck 10 there is open space on decks seven, eight, nine and 11 with a choice of traditional sun beds, luxury double sunbeds and even cabanas for those who want to take the sun in private.

And when you are on deck and feel peckish you have the chance of eating freshly prepared specialities in The Grill near the pool or heading to deck 11 to enjoy la dolce vita by sampling the pizza and pasta at Spaccanapoli - a typical chequered table cloth-style Italian restaurant named after the street that divides the city of Naples in two.

But it’s in the evenings when Silver Muse really excels on the gastronomic front.

On our first evening on board we arrived relatively late so we decided to keep it casual and headed for the Hot Rocks restaurant on deck.

Under the guidance of our waitress Natalia -who coming from Siberia was more used to a temperature of minus 30C rather than the 30C+ we were enjoying - we cooked our own dinner on what else but a hot rock. A lava rock to be precise’ heated to 400c degrees.

The finest fillet steak sizzled away followed by the freshest fish from the Aegean. Washed down with fine wine this al fresco dinner was a great start to our short time on board.

Day two saw a complete contrast for our diner venue as we had booked a table at Atlantide, one of the two formal restaurants on board and demanding a jacket and tie if not a dinner suite.

This elegant bar and grille with a decor which reminded me of the dining rooms of some of the great liners of yesteryear specialises in the best the sea has to offer and serves gourmet food that sets the taste buds tingling just from reading the menu.

With starters like black angus and artichoke carpaccio or king scallops and strawberries followed by main courses like king prawns from Spencer Gulf, Australia or Chilean sea bass from the Kerguelen Islands we were spoiled for choice.

And it’s the variety of dining choice on offer that helps makes this ship so special.

Other nights saw us enjoy Japanese teppanyaki dining at Kaiseki and Asian cuisine in Indochine.

Fortunately for those on longer cruises there is a small but well equipped gym on board to help them keep their weight down should they regularly sample the whole menu.

After dinner guests tended to drift into the Venetian Lounge to catch a show, the Silver Note Jazz Club, the casino or even the up-market shops on board, not to mention the wide choice of bars.

But wherever we went we were always addressed by name, although how staff manage that with nearly 600 passengers is still a mystery to me.

But it’s that polite formality that makes you feel special and helps set Silversea apart from most of its competitors.

FACTBOX

Example cruise: Silversea’s Silver Muse sets sails from Rome on a seven-day voyage to Venice on 29 May 2018. She calls at Sorrento, Taormina, Katakolon, Sarande, Dubrovnik and Split before arriving into Venice. Silver Muse voyages includes gourmet cuisine, the personalised service of a butler, complimentary beverages, wines and spirits, a stocked in-suite fridge, on board gratuities and complimentary Wi-Fi for each guest.

Fares start from £3,900 per person based on double occupancy of the Classic Veranda Suite. Visit

www.silversea.com or call 0844 251 0837 for more information.