Ship review: With a ship this luxurious, no gimmicks are needed

Silver Muse

• The cruise A 14-day itinerary from Auckland to Sydney, via New Zealand’s east coast and Tasmania’s east and north coasts.
• The ship Silver Muse joined the now 13 vessel-strong Silversea fleet in 2017.
• Passengers 596
• Crew 411
• Decks 11 with eight accessible by passengers
• Length 213 metres

Silver Muse operates a 14-day luxury Auckland to Sydney cruise.

The ship

To understand this ship you need to understand the brand. Silversea, the cruise line to which Silver Muse belongs, was launched in 1994 by the late Italian shipping magnate Antonio Lefebvre d’Ovidio. It was billed as the “world’s first all-inclusive, ultra-luxury global cruise line”, with gratuities, drinks and selected shore excursions absorbed in the overall fare; something which continues to this day. The US-based Royal Caribbean Group, the giant American cruise line known for its even more gigantic ships, bought Silversea outright in July, 2020. Much of Silversea’s Italian heritage has happily survived (contractual obligation?) aboard its ships. But if you’re expecting unbridled Italian exuberance to characterise this ship and crew, you’d be mistaken. Think Milan more than Naples, with the comparatively compact Silver Muse, just like its fleet counterparts, all concerned with the delivery of a restrained, no-nonsense style of luxury.

Boarding

From one harbour city to another on this antipodean itinerary, embarkation is at Princes Wharf, Auckland’s premier cruise port terminal superbly positioned right on Waitemata Harbour opposite the city’s CBD and next to the restaurant and bar-filled waterfront. Thanks to a manageable passenger count of under 600, the boarding process is smooth, friendly and efficient – as you’d expect at this level of luxury and price – with a glass of onboard bubbly in hand before you know it.

The design

Silver Muse in Sydney.

With so many cruise ships being launched with ever-more-fantastic design and facilities, it doesn’t take long at all for existing vessels to feel slightly dated, even with Silver Muse being all of seven years old, for goodness sake. But there are those passengers who remain perfectly content aboard classic vessels such as Silver Muse, spared, as they are, from the excess glitz of many of the new-generation cruise ships. Then again, Silversea’s newest glamour vessels, Silver Nova and the forthcoming Silver Ray, do sound enticing.

The spaces

With a relatively small number of decks, it’s easy to eschew the lifts and take the stairs (do consider all of those carbs from the bottomless Italian pasta and pizza). As you pass through the ship, sans the grandiose shopping mall-like atrium space typical of larger cruise vessels, it’s impossible to ignore the strident contemporary art collection consisting of works chiefly by Italian artists, a contrast to the relatively conservative nature of Silver Muse. One of the most appealing spaces aboard Silver Muse is the expansive Panorama Lounge, open from early morning to late at night. Set atop the highest deck, it’s the perfect eyrie for everything from coffee to cocktails combined with magnificent seascape vistas. The other prime spot is Arts Cafe on deck eight where agreeable Italian Illy-brand espresso flows freely along with a selection of gourmet sandwiches, canapes, parfaits and pastries. It’s also a worthy alternative venue for those who want to eat a lighter, Italian-style, breakfast as opposed to the requisite heaving buffet.

The spa.

The stateroom

Your reviewer’s deluxe verandah category weighs in at a generous-hotel-room sized 36 square metres, including the balcony which is reached via floor-to-ceiling windows. The muted brown and beige tonings throughout the ship extend to the verandah suites. Silver Muse’s expressions of its Italian roots doesn’t end at the beloved brew. As befitting a luxury cruise ship with Italian roots, marble-clad bathrooms, some with tubs, include indulgent Bulgari toiletries, Ortigia Sicilian bath products and signature Etro white bathrobes. After a thorough soaking and scenting, slip into your deliciously comfortable bespoke bed clad in 400-thread-count Egyptian cotton linens supplied exclusively for Silversea by Italian textiles manufacturer Rivolta Carmignani.

Ahead of its time … Silversea launched as the world’s first all-inclusive, luxury cruise line.

The food

If you presume that Italian is the sole variety of food and wine served aboard Silver Muse, fear not, as the no less than eight, intimate specialty restaurants onboard serve everything from relaxed Japanese teppanyaki to formal French cuisine. But you’ll find yourself drawn back to La Terrazza, where fresh pasta, such as excellent pappardelle with duck ragu, is served daily and where you can dine, when conditions allow, al fresco outside the main enclosed dining room, right at Silver Muse’s mid-deck stern. Elsewhere, overlooking the pool deck, you’ll find a gelateria and a pizzeria. Viva Italia.

Of course, there’s a pizzeria … a cruise line that celebrates its national origins.

Wellness

The light-filled Zagara Beauty Spa by Silversea consists of nine treatment rooms as well as an acupuncture suite, relaxation areas and a dedicated outdoor whirlpool. Therapies on offer include facials, body wraps and massages, with separate male and female saunas and steam rooms designed for relaxing before your treatment.

Entertainment

Dolce Vita, continuing the Italian theme, is the central gathering and meeting place aboard Silver Muse where guests can order cocktails, wines and spirits accompanied by a live pianist at selected times of the day. Elsewhere is the Venetian Lounge, a belle-epoque -style cabaret venue for nightly music and theatre performances as well as feature film screenings.

The crew

Surprisingly, for such a devout Catholic nation, the Philippines has only two canonised saints. By the end of your cruise you may want to nominate, like your reviewer, at least one of the Filipino butlers on board. The butlers, decked out in black tails (the Americans love this sort of faux formality) are there for every, and we mean, every whim, including excellent flat whites, should you so desire, served to your stateroom early each morning. Reward them handsomely before you disembark.

The verdict

After a few weeks of cruising aboard Silver Muse you won’t need to spend too long musing on its many obvious virtues and few, if any, vices. This luxurious but appealing understated and gimmick-free cruise ship, complete with restrained Italian flair, is the ideal choice for the well-heeled, thoughtful cruiser with high service expectations.

The details

A 14-day Auckland to Sydney, via Hobart, Port Arthur and Burnie, Tasmania cruise aboard Silver Muse starts from $7350 a passenger. Pre-cruise, book at night or two at The Hotel Britomart which is within walking distance of Princess Wharf. Rooms from $336 a night. See silversea.com; thehotelbritomart.com

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Swell Did we mention the coffee? Australians will appreciate the high-standard brew aboard Silver Muse, especially when compared to other cruise lines that don’t aim much higher than Starbucks.

Not so swell In a tourism-dependent economy, New Zealand’s port authorities could do well to make the wharf access and movement procedures, save for Auckland, more passenger-friendly.

The writer was a guest of Silversea.