Yachts & Voyages · All seven continents
Silversea
Ultra-luxury, everywhere · ~12 ships incl. Silver Nova & Silver Endeavour
Silversea is the widest brief in ultra-luxury cruising. Twelve ships sail under the name, eight classic and four expedition, and the line's own claim is over 900 destinations across all seven continents. Reach is the whole proposition: a Mediterranean week, a Galápagos week and a crossing to the Antarctic Peninsula all sit inside one operator, one loyalty scheme and one standard of service, which is a wider spread than any rival at this level attempts.
The fleet is all-suite. Every suite faces the ocean, most have a private veranda, and every one comes with a butler, on every ship, not only at the top of the stack. Silversea publishes a ratio of nearly one crew member for every guest. The hulls run from the 392-guest Silver Shadow, built in 2000, to the 728-guest Nova-class pair, Silver Nova and Silver Ray, whose glass-wrapped interiors are the newest thing at this end of the market.
Dining is where the line separates itself. Silversea publishes a portfolio of ten concepts and calls it more dining options than any other small-ship cruise line — Atlantide, La Dame, La Terrazza, Kaiseki, Silver Note, Spaccanapoli — alongside S.A.L.T., short for Sea And Land Taste, a culinary programme with its own kitchen, bar and lab that rewrites the menu port by port. S.A.L.T. is fitted on the Muse-class and Nova-class ships and on Silver Spirit.
The honest comparison is with Regent Seven Seas, whose fare covers shore excursions outright. Silversea's classic voyages instead carry a shore excursion credit on the All-Inclusive Plus fare, and air is arranged separately. What you buy in exchange is range, a butler in every suite, and an expedition arm that no hotel-brand yacht can match: Silver Endeavour at PC6 ice class, and Silver Origin built for the Galápagos and nowhere else.
The ships
Silver Nova
Launched 2023 · 728 guests
The first Nova-class ship and, with Silver Ray, the largest in the fleet at 54,700 tons, with 544 crew. Silversea sells her on glass-wrapped interiors and sweeping views. This is where the fullest S.A.L.T. build-out and an Otium Spa sit. Sailing now.
Silver Ray
Launched 2024 · 728 guests
Silversea's own words: our second Nova-class ship. Identical dimensions to Silver Nova — 54,700 tons, 544 crew — and the same Otium Spa. Sailing now.
Silver Dawn
Launched 2021 · 596 guests
Muse class, 40,700 tons, 411 crew. Carries both S.A.L.T. and an Otium Spa, which makes her the ship to look at if you want the current programmes without Nova-class scale.
Silver Moon
Launched 2020 · 596 guests
The ship S.A.L.T. launched on, and it still carries S.A.L.T. Kitchen. Sister to Silver Dawn at 40,700 tons and 411 crew, but with a Zagara Beauty Spa rather than an Otium Spa.
Silver Muse
Launched 2017 · 632 guests
The class lead, 40,700 tons, 415 crew. She carries S.A.L.T. Kitchen and S.A.L.T. Bar, but the spa is a Zagara Beauty Spa, not an Otium Spa — read the venue list rather than assuming the class shares everything.
Silver Spirit
Launched 2009 · 636 guests
39,519 tons, 415 crew — the largest of the classic ships built before the Muse class, and refitted since. Full veranda-suite range, and S.A.L.T. Kitchen and S.A.L.T. Bar were added in the refit.
Silver Shadow
Launched 2000 · 392 guests
28,258 tons, 302 crew. Silversea describes one of the highest space-to-guest ratios at sea. One of the two smallest classic ships and the reason people who dislike big ships still sail this line.
Silver Whisper
Launched 2001 · 392 guests
Sister to Silver Shadow, same tonnage and crew, refurbished in 2024. She carries the 2029 World Cruise: 125 days, San Diego to Singapore, 19 countries and 61 ports.
Silver Cloud
Launched 1994 · 254 guests
Expedition. Silversea calls her the first crossover ship in our fleet, bringing the remote and remarkable to you in ultra-luxurious comfort. 17,400 tons, 212 crew, and one of the ships working Antarctica.
Silver Wind
Launched 1995 · 274 guests
Expedition. Silversea's page records a strengthened ice-class hull added in a 2021 refurbishment, which is what moved her from classic work to polar. 17,400 tons, 239 crew.
Silver Endeavour
Launched 2021 · 220 guests
The serious polar ship. PC6 ice class, which Silversea calls among the highest in the industry, 20,649 tons, and 207 crew for 220 guests. Antarctica and the high Arctic.
Silver Origin
Launched 2020 · 100 guests
Built for the Galápagos and nothing else — Silversea's first destination-specific ship, 5,800 tons, 90 crew, with a team of Ecuadorian national expert guides and what the line calls the highest crew-to-guest ratio in the Galápagos.
The suites
Classic Veranda Suite
The entry veranda suite, listed on most of the fleet though not on every hull. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors onto a private veranda, marble bathroom, seating area. Silversea publishes no size on the category page and the footprint changes by hull, so we confirm the exact suite on the exact ship before anything is held.
Superior Veranda Suite
The same room a deck higher, sold on the sunset views. Again no published size on the category page — the number varies by class, and we would rather check it than print it.
Silver Suite
Midship, with a separate seating area, larger marble bathroom, big closet and vanity. Silversea calls it a favourite among returning guests and lists it across the fleet, expedition hulls such as Silver Cloud and Silver Origin included.
Signature Suite
700 sq ft (65 sq m), including 172 sq ft (16 sq m) of balcony
Silver Nova, Silver Ray and Silver Endeavour only. A large dining and living room area with a secluded bedroom; the bathroom carries a double vanity, whirlpool bath, walk-in shower and separate restroom.
Otium Suite
1,324 sq ft (123 sq m), including a 431 sq ft (40 sq m) balcony
The top of the fleet, on Silver Nova and Silver Ray alone. Silversea sells it on an unprecedented 270-degree view, with a whirlpool bath on the balcony as well as in the bathroom, a walk-in closet and a separate bedroom. Ask about this one first if you want the best room on a Nova-class ship.
What the fare includes
The question every enquiry opens with. What follows is what the line itself publishes as included — we confirm it against your exact sailing before you commit.
- Butler service in every suite, on every ship in the fleet — not a concierge on call, a butler attached to the room.
- Dining across the ship's restaurants, including the S.A.L.T. venues on the ships that carry them.
- Premium beverages throughout the ship: wines, spirits, beers and soft drinks, poured wherever you happen to be.
- Onboard gratuities — nothing to sign for and no tipping expected.
- Complimentary Wi-Fi and use of the fitness centre. Spa treatments are charged separately.
- On the All-Inclusive Plus fare, a shore excursion credit for classic voyages, scaled by Silversea to the length and region of the sailing rather than a flat allowance.
- On expedition voyages, all landings and shore excursions, plus expedition gear. Silversea states that expedition fares also include charter flights and hotel stay when the itinerary operationally requires them.
- Worth being plain about the gap: on classic voyages the air, transfers, pre- and post-voyage hotel nights and Land Experiences are bought separately, either through Silversea or arranged for you.
On board
S.A.L.T. Kitchen
Sea And Land Taste given its own restaurant — an ever-changing menu drawn from the region the ship is sailing through, rather than a fixed card. Silversea lists it on Silver Muse, Silver Spirit, Silver Moon, Silver Dawn, Silver Nova and Silver Ray, so we check it against your ship.
S.A.L.T. Lab and S.A.L.T. Bar
Hands-on cooking classes by day at the Lab, with nightly showcases at S.A.L.T. Chef's Table on the Nova class. The Bar works the same idea in a glass: regional spirits and local ingredients, changing with the itinerary.
La Dame
The French room, and the fine-dining table that takes a reservation. Silversea names it on the ships we checked — Silver Nova, Silver Moon and Silver Endeavour among them — but venue lists differ by hull, so we confirm it for your ship.
Atlantide
Silversea's own description is refined international cuisine, where elegant dishes and perfectly grilled classics take centre stage. The main room in everything but name on the ships that carry it, and the one that sets the tone of the ship.
Silver Note
A jazz supper club serving small plates. It is a small thing that changes the shape of an evening, and it is the clearest reason Silversea nights read differently from Seabourn's.
Otium Spa
The Roman-inspired Otium wellness idea made physical — treatments, sauna, steam room and relaxation areas. Silversea lists an Otium Spa on Silver Nova, Silver Ray, Silver Dawn and Silver Endeavour. Other hulls list a different spa, so we check which one your ship carries before you commit to it.
Where it sails
Mediterranean and Northern Europe
The core of the classic schedule and the largest block of sailings Silversea publishes, with the Nova-class ships in the heart of it. Northern Europe and the British Isles run alongside, and the expedition ships work that coastline too. Silversea publishes no fixed season window on the destination pages, so the calendar is confirmed voyage by voyage.
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Silver Cloud, Silver Wind and Silver Endeavour work the continent. Two ways in: the traditional Drake Passage crossing, or the Antarctica Fly Cruise, a charter flight to King George Island where the ship is waiting, which skips the Drake entirely. Which of the two suits you is worth deciding before we look at dates, because it changes the ship and the itinerary as much as the crossing.
Galápagos Islands
Silver Origin, year-round, and only Silver Origin — she was built for this archipelago and sails nowhere else, with Ecuadorian national expert guides aboard. Berths on her go earlier than anything else in the fleet, so this is the one to raise first if it is on your list at all.
Arctic, Greenland and the Kimberley
Silversea names both as regions in their own right and puts expedition ships on them — Greenland and the high Arctic in the northern summer, the Kimberley in Australia's north-west in its own short window. Narrow weather windows in each case, which is why the expedition calendar is published and fills further out than the classic one.
What we add · Through 31 Dec 2026
All-inclusive fares + Virtuoso amenities
Choose all-inclusive or all-inclusive-plus fares with door-to-door service, and receive preferred-partner amenities on select hosted sailings.
- All-inclusive, door-to-door
- Amenities on hosted sailings
- Ocean & polar expedition
Booking this line
Book earlier than feels reasonable. Silversea already publishes its 2027, 2028 and 2029 World Cruises, and the expedition calendar fills at a similar distance out. The suites that go first are the Nova-class Otium and Signature Suites, and anything at all on Silver Origin. We hold the suite, weigh All-Inclusive against All-Inclusive Plus for the specific voyage rather than in the abstract, and arrange the air, transfers and hotel nights that a classic fare leaves out, so none of it is bundled sight unseen.
Questions, answered
What does a Silversea fare include?
On the All-Inclusive fare: butler service in every suite on every ship, dining across all the restaurants, premium wines, spirits and beers throughout the ship, onboard gratuities and Wi-Fi. The All-Inclusive Plus fare adds a shore excursion credit on classic voyages, scaled to the length and region of the sailing. Expedition voyages go further — all landings and shore excursions are included along with expedition gear, and Silversea states that charter flights and hotel stay are included when the itinerary operationally requires them. On classic voyages, air, transfers, pre- and post-voyage hotels and Land Experiences are arranged separately.
Which Silversea ship should we choose?
Silver Nova or Silver Ray for the newest ships, the fullest S.A.L.T. build-out and an Otium Spa — 728 guests each, built 2023 and 2024. Silver Shadow or Silver Whisper for the smallest classic ships, 392 guests apiece, if scale is what puts you off cruising. Silver Endeavour for serious polar work, at PC6 ice class with 207 crew to 220 guests. Silver Origin for the Galápagos and only the Galápagos — Silversea built her for that archipelago alone and she sails nowhere else.
How does Silversea differ from Regent Seven Seas or Seabourn?
Reach and dining, mostly. Twelve ships covering over 900 destinations across all seven continents is a wider brief than either rival attempts, and Silversea publishes a portfolio of ten dining concepts, which it calls more dining options than any other small-ship cruise line. Where Regent is stronger is the fare itself: Regent includes shore excursions outright, while Silversea gives a credit on the Plus fare for classic sailings. Against Seabourn, the differences are the butler in every suite across the whole fleet and the size and seriousness of the expedition arm.
When is the best time to book?
Further out than you would book a hotel. Silversea publishes World Cruises roughly three years ahead — 2027, 2028 and 2029 are all on the site now — and the expedition sailings to Antarctica and the Galápagos close first. For a Mediterranean summer, a year ahead is comfortable. For Silver Origin, an Otium Suite or an Antarctica Fly Cruise, longer, and we would rather start the conversation early than chase a waitlist.
Why book Silversea through an advisor?
Silversea works through travel advisors as standard, and there is real work to do around the fare. We read All-Inclusive against All-Inclusive Plus for the itinerary you actually want rather than in the abstract, check which venues and spa the specific hull carries before you commit to a ship, hold the suite while you decide, and arrange the air, transfers and hotel nights a classic fare leaves out. We publish no rates on this page: Silversea's pricing moves by voyage, season and suite, so we quote live against your dates.
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Sail Silversea
Tell us roughly when and which region appeals. We check live availability, secure the suite category worth having, and add the amenities that come with booking through us — at the fare you would pay direct.
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