New ship’s unique design means you’ll never want to get off

Sometimes you just don’t want to get off the ship.

Silver Nova is making her inaugural voyage down the Adriatic coast, through Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro, departing from the port of Fusina outside Venice. It’s the height of summer, the temperature hovers around 32 degrees, the water is sparkling, and the beaches are crowded with nut-brown bodies lying on concrete terraces worshipping the sun.

Adriatic beaches from Croatia (pictured) to Italy are swamped.Credit: iStock

There are a lot of people down there. Most of Europe is on holiday, swamping the Adriatic beaches, from Italy to Greece. It’s not the cruise passengers that are the problem, says the driver who takes me on clogged coastal roads to visit a dentist in Kotor, Montenegro (another story.) It’s the Europeans from other countries driving to their beaches and congesting the roads and border crossings.

Above all this, on the 10th deck of Silversea’s newest ship, Silver Nova, it’s like a chilled-out, floating Riviera. The innovative design of the ship means the swimming pool is set to the starboard side, flanked by plush day beds, sun lounges and cabanas, all flowing through to bars, restaurants and terraces that have multiple seating areas to flop with a book, a cocktail or a conversation. The pool bar is doing a brisk trade in spritzes and the soundtrack is sophisticated jazz.

Like a floating Riviera.

Designed for warm weather sailing, with an open plan that doesn’t impede the spectacular views, rather like a large motor yacht, Silver Nova is the destination. I don’t need to set foot on a single shingled beach to feel I’m part of the Adriatic summer scene.

The seven-day cruise offers a rich selection of shore excursions to superstar cities such as Dubrovnik, Split and Ljubljana, but I’m happy to exchange the slow-moving crowds climbing Dubrovnik’s walls or crawling over Split’s Diocletian’s Palace for a modular lounge at the Dusk Bar at the ship’s stern, or a banquette for lunch at Marquee restaurant, under potted blossoming trees, both of which offer bird’s-eye views of the famous scenery without having to get hot and sweaty on the shore.

There are several hundred passengers on this cruise (the capacity is 728 guests and 556 crew), a high percentage of them American and European families, and each day I watch many of them head off with swimsuits and sunscreen on excursions to pretty villages such as Piran, Rovinj and Kotor, where the waterside fish restaurants do look tempting. Or they join the ship’s chefs on culinary forays to local wineries and farms, as part of Silversea’s immersive S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) culinary program.

Dining at Marquee rather than wading through slow-moving Dubrovnik crowds? Yes please.

I join the occasional organised excursion, such as a long day trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia, which is like a sunny Prague, but mostly I prefer to do things at my own pace, visiting the ports alone for a couple of hours, which is just a matter of stepping off the ship when we’re docked or taking the frequent tender services or shuttle buses. Silversea’s fleet of small ships often dock right in a town’s port, making multiple forays off the ship possible during the day.

I’m perfectly content onboard, with my view of city walls, brightly coloured villages, rugged mountains, and yachts and speedboats cutting through the azure water. The ship features 4000 square metres of glass windows, including two banks of glass-sided elevators, so I never feel less than immersed in the destination.

Besides, there are nine restaurants and seven bars to try, each with its own distinct personality and all of them, except the intimate, cosy Japanese-fusion Kaiseki and the supper club Silver Note, either have al fresco areas or large windows over the ocean.

Cooking classes in S.A.L.T Lab, part of Silversea’s food program.

All suites have a private verandah, allowing me to enjoy the scenery in greater privacy, and the rooms are decorated in elegant neutrals, with touches of nautical navy, which don’t compete with the external visuals. They also come with a white-gloved butler, keen to deliver room service, arrange restaurant bookings and do the pressing.

My butler, Sheldon, who is from Goa, tells me I’m his first-ever guest. Silversea’s standards are exacting, and he wants to do well. I sense he’s a bit disappointed that I’m not ordering up breakfast or afternoon canapes, but he finds little treats to amuse me, such as filling my shower with lavender fragrance for a steam experience, and he’s in my suite each day polishing my reading glasses and refilling my snack bar to my tastes.

A Silver Nova verandah suite.

The bathroom (some have full baths) is as spacious as any apartment onshore and there are clever spaces throughout the suite to store things, as well as a large walk-in wardrobe full of robes, thongs, wraps and a beach bag. There’s a king-size bed, compact sitting area and separate dressing table that I turn into a desk.

Staying onboard doesn’t mean I’m lazy. Days are packed with activity. I’m usually one of the first down at the signature Italian restaurant La Terrazza in the mornings. I like its outdoor terrace and healthy eating options, including piles of fresh berries and made-to-order smoothies. The coffee is brilliant, too. I’m usually here for lunch, as well as the fresh sushi/sashimi offering. And the handmade cacio e pepe on the pasta menu is one of the reasons why travelling on a ship with Italian heritage is a good idea.

Despite good intentions, I never make it to any of the morning exercise classes in the swank fitness centre. All the ship’s information is loaded into an iPad, and I never quite work it out, perhaps intentionally when it comes to exercising. But I do make frequent visits to the wellness area behind the Roman-style spa, which has a glass-walled sauna, steam room, vitality pool and a sundeck that is rarely occupied, despite having some of the best views on the ship.

A steam room with a view.Credit: Sauna

Each day, there are multiple micro-decisions to make about where and what to do, eat and drink given Silver Nova has the highest number of included restaurants in the cruise industry. There are two speciality restaurants, Kaiseki and La Dame, a formal French dining room, where farm raised Oscietra caviar, foie gras and lobster medallion salad grace the menu. Guests pay a supplement for these restaurants ($US160/$255 a person for La Dame with wine pairings) but I find the choice of included restaurants so varied, from hot rocks at the Grill and pizzas at Spaccanapoli, both on the pool deck, to the creative tapas at the late-night Supper Club.

By day, there are cooking classes in S.A.L.T. Lab, the beautifully equipped, glass-wrapped demonstration kitchen where guests can learn to whip up local delicacies like baccala (a fish dish) or marinaded sardines. In the evenings the space transforms into a Chef’s Table experience, featuring a creative 11-course menu based around key ingredients such as pumpkin seed oil from Slovenia or black truffle from Croatia.

The beach crush feels miles away from the ship’s vitality pool.

Of all the venues, my favourite is S.A.L.T. Kitchen, which has an ever-changing daily menu of traditional, authentically sourced dishes from the region through which we’re cruising. That means roast goose and red cabbage and sweet dumplings in Piran, Slovenia, and Soparnik, a savoury pie that’s been deemed to be of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Croatian government, when we’re in Split.

I don’t go hungry outside mealtimes, either. The busy Arts Cafe serves premium teas, coffees, cakes and excellent scones throughout the day. I could bar hop the ship from top to bottom, sampling different mocktails or cocktails from the mixologists – a supernova from the Panorama Lounge, a Kavana martini (Kavana is a brand of rum) with a touch of pimento at S.A.L.T. Bar. There’s always fresh lemonade by the pool. If you like the sparkling stuff, there’s plenty of that included too.

When I’m not eating or drinking, I’m in the beautiful, hidden library concealed in the Panorama Lounge, which has a collection of well-chosen novels and non-fiction books that could keep me engrossed for years. Or I’m in the Venetian Lounge, listening to two fascinating lectures given by leading technology futurist Jamie Metzl, who was the lead in the US Congressional hearings about the origins of COVID-19.

The Silver Nova – bright, sunny and a joy to travel with.

The ship is full of music, with pianists, violinists and singing duos scattered throughout the bars and lobbies. Even the simple act of walking up a staircase is like visiting a gallery, with 1766 works of art by emerging and established artists from 25 countries carefully placed throughout the ship. And at night, there’s usually a show from the ship’s troupe of performers. Sometimes there’s a concert or guest performance during the day.

Cruise director and former Broadway performer Vicki Van Tassell (who jokes that her name sounds like a stripper’s – and it does) is the glue who holds the activity side of the cruise together. Like Silver Nova, she’s bright, sunny and a joy to travel with.

Why would I get off the ship?

THE DETAILS

Fly
Emirates operates multiple daily flights out of Australia, connecting with a once daily service from Dubai to Venice. See emirates.com

Cruise
Silversea’s Silver Nova will be in South America, Central America, Alaska in 2024 before she makes her way to Australia in December. Silver Nova’s sister ship, Silver Ray, will sail round-trip from Fusina (Venice) over seven days (July 30–August 6, 2024). From $10,400 a person for the Classic Veranda Suite; Silversea is all-inclusive. See Silversea.com

The writer was a guest of Silversea.