Reviewed by: Clive Heath – Director, Cruise Express

Sailed: Darwin to Brisbane

Date: 25 November 2019

Cruise line and ship: Silversea – Onboard Silver Muse 

Size of ship: 40,791 GT 

Passenger capacity: 596 passengers maximum (411 crew)

Year built: 2017 

Currency onboard: USD$

Where the ship cruises:  World

Most suited to: Although the average age of a Silversea passenger would be 65+ there were a number of 40-60 age group passengers onboard from all over the world. This cruise commenced in Singapore so most passengers were completing Singapore to Sydney a cruise of 18 days in total.

Apart from the shore excursion Silversea offer daily enrichment lectures, films and talks to interest a variety of tastes. From traditional napkin folding to advanced knot tying, offering nothing too strenuous nevertheless, this cruise has it all.        

Embarkation/de-embarkation process: All the ports we visited were at dock therefore no tenders were required. Embarkation and disembarkation were extremely easy. Guests were always issued with bottled water and towels on departure and arrival to combat the heat and humidity. For final departure your ‘extras’ bill was placed outside your door and as long as you had registered a credit card no further action was required. Our cruise was for 8 nights and our ‘extras’ bill less than $100 USD.

Atmosphere: We were impressed with the level of personal service and recognition offered by the crew. After 48 hours onboard, restaurant, pool and bar staff greeted us by name and remembered our seating and drink preferences. They were warm and friendly without being intrusive. At 5.30pm the butlers would appear in full dress coats in all public areas. This encouraged a generally high general standard of dressing for drinks and dinner. 

Clear advice was given each day on the ‘Chronicle’ as to the required dress for that evening. Formal, (dinner suit), informal (jacket, tie optional) and casual (no jacket required) I would say there was high compliance with jackets in evidence for men on most nights. There was only one formal night per 8-night cruise.

Staterooms: We occupied a superior verandah suite on deck 8. Each stateroom was superbly equipped with state of the art TV’s built into your glass mirrors. Comfortable seating and distinct areas for sleeping sitting and outside balcony. Your personal butler will stock your mini bar to your taste with wine, spirits, soft drink or whatever you wish. Replenished daily.

The bed was comfortable with a pillow menu offered.

The bathroom had both a bath and separate walk-in shower important for those not wanting to climb over the lip of a bath when they shower each day.

Bathroom products were by Bulgari. 

Dining Options & Service: There are six dining options onboard, with breakfast offered in either your suite,  for full service in either the Atlantide or Indochine restaurants, La Terrazza is the buffet option although full table service is also available there. For takeaway coffee, a baguette or light breakfast the Arts cafe was open on at the rear of deck 8.

Non-reservation dining options nightly were Indochine for Asian choices, Atlantide for the more traditional European/Mediterranean fare (including lobster and caviar!) and wonderful steaks, The Terrazza for Italian food. Spaccanapoli for Pizza and pasta or ‘Hot Rock’ experience around the pool

Requiring reservations well in advance were La Dame by Relais and Chateaux for gastronomic french food and Kaiseki for Japanese specialities these required a surcharge of $60 USD per person.

Entertainment: Apart from the daily lectures, films and port briefings Silver Muse offers a variety of low key music and shows. The Panorama Lounge and the atrium offer piano, guitar or small group music options each evening. The voices of Silversea will put on a show some nights with guest entertainers and magicians interspersed. If you were to be picky you could say the formal entertainment was ‘average’ but this was outweighed by so much more the ship had to offer.

Onboard Activities: The main pool is on deck 10 with a ‘hot tub’ at each corner. Table tennis and shuffleboard are also offered but the pool was the focus on sunny days. Deck 11 has a walking track and additional lounges Onboard include music trivia, cooking demonstrations, galley tour and morning yoga classes plus a fully equipped gym and spa.  

Favourite Experiences on the Ship: This is not a ship for big group experiences. Our favourite times were spent on the back deck watching the sunset and chatting with our fellow guests from all over the world. Of the 8 nights that we were onboard we dined with or chatted with our neighbours each evening and made friends we intend to meet up with in the future.

As an exceptional experience hearing that I enjoyed ‘spicy’ food the ship’s Hotel Director arranged a special menu for me in Indochine. That is the level of personal service and attention you can expect on Silversea.

Self-Service Laundry: There is a self-service laundry on each deck but laundry charges are not excessive. You are on holiday! Don’t go there.

Uniqueness: Silversea – Silver Muse is a ship for guests who enjoy meeting people from all over the world, who like exceptional food and wine, enjoy relaxing, reading and a generally slower pace of life. If you want more action, choose another ship.