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Is Silversea still ultra-luxury? After reading shocking new reviews calling it “shabby” and “not worth the premium,” I boarded Silver Nova to find out the truth.
When I started reading recent reviews of Silversea Cruises, I was shocked. Loyal guests now call it “shabby,” “cut back,” “no longer luxury,” and “not worth the premium.”
Having cruised six times with Silversea and always rated it highly, I had to see if things really had changed. So, I booked myself (and paid full fare) onto Silver Nova, their newest class of ship, to find out what’s really happening onboard.
In this in-depth review, I uncover:
🚢 Whether Silversea ships really are becoming “shabby”
🍽️ How the dining, including the SALT programme, stacks up against rivals
💰 What’s behind the fare changes and claims of “cutbacks”
🎭 Whether Royal Caribbean’s ownership has changed the onboard experience
⚖️ And finally, if Silversea still deserves its ultra-luxury reputation
If you’re considering Silversea, or comparing it with Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, or Crystal, this review reveals what’s really going on—and what to watch out for before you book
Links:
* Silversea reviews: https://www.cruisecritic.com/cruise/silversea/reviews
* Silversea fare types: https://www.silversea.com/best-luxury-cruise-deals.html
For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
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0:00
When I started reading the latest
0:01
reviews of Silver Sea, I was taken
0:03
aback. Longtime guests suggested the
0:05
line has rapidly slipped in the past 18
0:08
months since I'd last cruise on it.
0:10
Comments like shabby, cutbacks, no
0:12
longer luxury, or not worth a premium
0:14
kept cropping up. Now, having cruised on
0:17
Silver Sea six times in recent years,
0:19
and having always rated it highly, I
0:21
wondered if things could have changed
0:23
that much. There was only one way to
0:26
find out. Welcome aboard. I'm Gary
0:28
Benbridge and I booked their newest
0:30
class of ship, Silver Nova, and as
0:33
always paid the going rate farmer travel
0:35
agent to ensure an unbiased review. And
0:38
this is what I discovered. First, a
0:40
quick reminder of what Silver Sea is.
0:42
Silver Sea is a five-star ultra luxury
0:45
cruise line owned by Royal Caribbean.
0:47
Its closest competitors are Seaborn,
0:50
Region 7C's, and Crystal. It's best
0:53
known for having the largest fleet with
0:55
12 ships, eight classic and four
0:58
expedition. This review will focus on
1:00
their classic cruising side. Silver Sea
1:03
are also known for all grades of sweets
1:06
having butlers and recently they've
1:08
become known for their salt program, sea
1:11
and land taste. This is designed to give
1:13
passengers more regional food and drink
1:16
experiences on every single cruise.
1:19
Silver Sea are also known for having the
1:22
most diverse itineraries in the category
1:24
due to the number of ships and the
1:26
different classes of ships that they've
1:27
got. This leads me to the first key
1:30
criticism I saw of Silver Sea with
1:33
critics saying many of the ships are
1:35
increasingly shabby. However, having
1:38
been on some of their older ships like
1:39
Silver Spirit, that's actually not my
1:42
experience. But I do think one issue
1:44
about Silver Seas these days is a lack
1:46
of consistency of the Silver Sea
1:48
experience because they have four
1:50
different classes of ships and the
1:52
experience on Silver Sea does hinge I
1:54
feel based on which ship class you go
1:57
on. They have two 392 passenger ships,
2:00
Whisper and Shadow, which have now been
2:02
in service for 25 years. There's 680
2:05
passenger Silver Spirit which has been
2:07
in service for over 16 years. three 596
2:11
passenger ships, Muse, Moon, and Dawn,
2:14
which first came into service about
2:15
eight years ago. And now there's a 728
2:18
passenger Silver Nova and Silver Ray,
2:20
which came into service in 2023. The
2:22
four classes are rather different with
2:24
the most dramatic difference being the
2:26
new Nova class. You do get a very
2:28
different experience, venues, and
2:31
different decor based on the class of
2:33
ship. The Nova class is unlike anything
2:35
else in the fleet and in fact of any of
2:38
the ultra luxury competitors. It's a
2:40
very spacious ship, has a strikingly
2:42
different lighter and more neutral decor
2:44
to many of their other ships, but also
2:47
has a unique asymmetrical design, which
2:49
means that instead of things being
2:51
centered, some areas like the pool is on
2:53
one side with wide open views to the
2:55
ocean and there's big open spaces
2:57
everywhere. versus their other ships.
3:00
The salt experience and venues are
3:02
bigger and more of a feature. I'll come
3:04
to the salt experience in more detail
3:06
later, but it is a key focus of these
3:08
ships and it's much more integrated than
3:10
their other ships which they are kind of
3:12
retrofitting. The layout and location of
3:14
venues on these ships is not as per the
3:17
other ships and being so different. Some
3:19
long-standing Silver Sea guests
3:20
criticized it even on my sailing as they
3:22
found it jarring and not the familiar
3:24
Silver Sea layout and decor they know
3:26
and love. While it has many of the usual
3:28
Silver Sea venues by name, they all have
3:31
been reimagined and some felt a little
3:33
bit for the worst. Some found the ship
3:36
louder and noisier than the other ships
3:37
because some of those key venues are now
3:40
much more open. For example, the Arts
3:42
Cafe is kind of in a walkway on deck 4.
3:45
It gets very crowded. Dolce Vita, the
3:47
large bar and lounge again is kind of
3:49
part of a walkway on deck 5. The theater
3:52
is dramatically different to other
3:54
ships. It's kind of almost like a
3:55
traditional hall layout. A few venues
3:59
were too small, like the fitness center
4:01
was definitely not large enough for
4:03
today's more active cleantel. And on C
4:05
days, it was challenging, I found, to
4:07
get equipment to use. Personally, I
4:10
really liked this new modern ship and
4:12
the reinvention of cruise ship layout.
4:15
It did probably feel a bit less selfishy
4:17
based on past trips, but with the larger
4:19
cabins, lots of space inside and out, it
4:22
felt very unique and it felt very
4:24
innovative. I do think one issue though
4:26
is the four classes of ships do mean
4:28
some lack of consistency as you move
4:30
around the ships. You get a kind of a
4:32
different experience. I have to say the
4:34
last ship I was on was Silver Spirit 18
4:37
months ago in South Africa and it did
4:39
almost feel like a different line versus
4:41
being on Silver Nova. But all the ships
4:44
I've been on, I found are really
4:46
wellmaintained.
4:48
Another issue I saw critics complain
4:50
about both in the reviews and the thing
4:52
most people I met on that trip spoke
4:55
about was the food. When I think of
4:58
Silver Sea compared to the other ultra
4:59
luxury lines that I've been on, while
5:02
the food is great and suited to the
5:04
category, it's not the standout thing
5:06
for me compared to say Crystal and
5:07
Regent that I do think pip them in this
5:10
area. In my view, they have some
5:12
strengths, some average areas, and some
5:15
perhaps less good things. All of which
5:17
I'd like to talk about. A key strength
5:19
is the salt program. While it's rolling
5:22
out across the fleet on Nova, it was
5:24
well integrated. But what exactly is the
5:26
Salt program? Well, the Salt Restaurant
5:28
is one of the two no reservation main
5:30
dining room options at night alongside
5:32
Atlantide, which is their classic main
5:34
dining room on most ships. In here, the
5:38
menu reflects the region being sailed
5:40
through. It doesn't change every day. It
5:42
kind of evolves every few days. On my
5:44
trip, it was Asian and Japanese
5:46
influenced food because that's where we
5:48
were cruising. Then there's the Salt Bar
5:50
serving regional and local cocktails.
5:53
There's also the Salt Lab kitchen which
5:56
runs regional dish cooking classes. Now,
5:58
these are actually included in the fair.
6:01
In here, by the way, they also offer the
6:03
Salt Chef table for an added charge with
6:06
a tasting menu linked to the region. the
6:09
team running salt cooking demonstrations
6:11
in the theater as well, which I really
6:13
liked because they gave lots of context
6:15
and background to the regional dishes
6:17
they were showing. They didn't just
6:18
didn't make the dishes. They gave you
6:20
lots of background. Finally, in some
6:22
ports, there were salt foodbased
6:24
excursions. I found them a little bit on
6:26
the costly side though. Salt is a big
6:28
plus and gives us a chance more than any
6:31
of the other ultra luxury lines to get
6:33
immersed in regional cuisine and drink.
6:36
Another strength for me is the
6:38
Spackenopoly pizza venue. It's good and
6:41
available. It was open from 11:00 a.m.
6:43
to 11:00 p.m. on Nova. It's part of the
6:45
marquee the grill, which I also rate as
6:47
a strength. Unlike the grill on the pool
6:50
deck on most of the fleet, this is a
6:52
standalone venue. It is on deck 10, but
6:54
it's quite away from the pool area. Open
6:57
for breakfast at lunch for burgers and
6:59
more comfort casual food. And then for
7:01
dinner, they have Silver Seas's
7:02
signature hot rocks in here where you
7:04
can cook your own steak or seafood on
7:07
the hot rock, but they also have a more
7:09
diverse menu as well. It's a great
7:11
alfresco option for warm weather
7:13
sailings. Another key strength for me is
7:16
their signature silver brunch which is
7:18
held once during many cruises with
7:21
unbelievably amount of stations, caviar
7:23
seafood, so much more. So what would I
7:26
see as more average? Well, I think
7:28
Atlantide main dining room remains
7:29
average, but amongst its competitors, it
7:32
has a daily special section, but the
7:34
bulk of the menu is a kind of a classics
7:37
menu doesn't change very much. The food
7:39
is great. It's fine, though I found
7:41
people were quite critical of it. I
7:43
don't find it as elevated as some of the
7:45
competition, but I feel that it's pretty
7:47
good and delivers. Later Buffet is also
7:50
pretty good. It's open for breakfast and
7:52
lunch. At night, it turns into an
7:53
Italian waiter served menu restaurant.
7:57
It's a pretty good menu. It changes very
7:59
little, so it can become a little bit sy
8:01
if you go there a couple of times on a
8:02
cruise. For me, the myth, which is the
8:05
same on other ultra luxury lines, is
8:07
there is no casual dining option for
8:09
dinner other than pizza. I think this is
8:12
out of step with modern cruising,
8:13
especially on an intensive itineraries.
8:15
It'd be great to have a buffet option in
8:17
the evening. Now, for example, we had
8:19
eight ports back to back in Japan.
8:21
Sometimes I just wanted that casual
8:24
night buffet style dinner, but there was
8:26
none available. What did I think was
8:28
less good when it comes to dining on
8:30
Silver Sea? Well, first, unlike the
8:33
competition, there are several added
8:35
charge restaurants, which with the high
8:37
fairs and supposedly all-inclusiveness
8:39
of ultra luxury, I feel is a bit of a
8:41
mess. On Nova, there was Kiaseki, an
8:45
Asian restaurant with an $80 per person
8:47
charge for dinner. Though lunch was
8:49
included in the fair. I like the lunch,
8:50
by the I went a couple of times. I
8:52
enjoyed the sushi. Others were more
8:53
mixed on the quality. Then there was
8:56
Ladam, the French specialtity restaurant
8:58
with a hefty around $160 charge. Now,
9:01
this has been significantly cut back to
9:02
about $100 per person before a wine
9:04
pairing charge. Then there's the Salt
9:06
Kitchen Chef Table I already mentioned
9:08
with that charge. I think the other
9:10
thing I put in the sport category is
9:12
they've dropped daily afternoon tea.
9:14
They used to have years ago. They did
9:16
have one grand afternoon tea event in
9:18
Atlanta during the cruise. But I think
9:20
it's a pity because all of their
9:21
competition have a daily afternoon tea
9:23
which does feel luxurious. So while I do
9:26
not see food as top in the category, I
9:29
don't agree with critics saying it's
9:30
gone downhill or it's not great. Another
9:33
area critics have commented on seeing
9:35
cutbacks, reduction in inclusions, and a
9:38
general sense of more penny pinching. I
9:42
saw and heard many comments that Royal
9:44
Caribbean bean counters have taken
9:46
control and started to slash things that
9:48
made Silver Sea special and luxurious.
9:52
So, let me address the main criticisms I
9:54
saw both before my recent trip and what
9:57
I heard on my trip. The biggest one
10:00
happened just as my trip was ending when
10:03
Silver Sea made a significant change to
10:06
their fairs and the structure of their
10:08
fairs. So they scrapped the highly
10:10
all-inclusive door-to-door fairs which
10:12
had flights, transfers to and from home,
10:14
priest hotels, transfers to and from the
10:16
ship, all excursions, and they also had
10:19
a less inclusive port-to-port fair which
10:21
included excursions. Those have been
10:23
scrapped and they've been replaced with
10:25
effectively cruise fairs that no longer
10:29
include excursions and where items like
10:32
flights, hotels, transfers, and
10:33
excursions are now all add-on charges.
10:37
There are three fair types now.
10:39
All-inclusive plus, which has some
10:42
credit to put against excursions, fully
10:45
refundable deposit, and a fair match
10:47
guarantee. Then they have all-inclusive,
10:50
which has a 75% refundable fair. And
10:53
then they have lastminute fairs
10:55
available from 5 months before sailing
10:57
subject to availability. Now, Silver Sea
11:00
regulars were pretty unhappy because
11:02
they felt the line was no longer the
11:04
all-inclusive one it was with all those
11:06
items stripped out and extra charges.
11:08
And they also didn't like that the fair
11:10
guarantee and fully refundable deposit
11:12
is only for that top tier fair. However,
11:16
in fact, this move brings them more in
11:18
line with Crystal and Seabor, leaving
11:20
region 7C's certainly at the time of
11:22
making this the only line with
11:24
inclusions like excursions in all their
11:26
fairs and some of the region fair
11:28
options still include flights, pre
11:30
hotels and transfers, but their fairs
11:32
are higher than Silvery. Personally, I
11:35
really like the change because I felt
11:36
the excursions were getting weaker
11:37
because they were coming largely just
11:39
walking and bus tours. Many iconic
11:42
things that I wanted to see in a port
11:43
weren't included in those included
11:45
excursions. And on both recent trips to
11:47
South Africa and this one to Japan, I
11:50
ended up paying for the chargeable
11:51
excursions to make sure that I got to
11:54
see and do the best things in every
11:56
port. Now, it's hard to figure out if
11:58
all this is hiding a fair increase
12:00
because as they introduced the new
12:01
fairs, there's been a lot of deals, a
12:03
lot of promotions. But I don't see that
12:05
so far. Perhaps it was actually a way to
12:08
avoid having to raise fairs by keeping
12:10
all those inclusions. A second area many
12:12
critics say has been cut back is the
12:14
included wines. Now, I'm not a wine
12:16
drinker, so I have to rely on those that
12:18
do, and it was pretty mixed and rather
12:20
inconclusive. Many people told me they
12:22
felt the wines were not as good as they
12:24
have been in the past, but in fact, as
12:26
many people said, they enjoyed the
12:27
options that were included. I did feel
12:30
though that there definitely felt like a
12:32
bigger push than I remember on previous
12:34
Silver Sea Cruisers for the Connoisseur
12:36
added charge wines. They were very
12:38
prominently listed on all the menus and
12:40
I often heard the Sumelia suggesting
12:43
those to passengers. I did also notice
12:45
that unlike some of the other ultra
12:46
luxury lines like Crystal where if
12:49
people were not keen on the daily
12:50
recommended wines instead of being
12:52
offered those at a charge, they'd be
12:54
given a long list of wines which were
12:56
kind of included in the fair overall and
12:59
they could choose those rather than pay
13:00
for added charge options. The third
13:03
thing I do find strange is when they
13:04
moved into Starlink, they restricted the
13:06
included Wi-Fi in the fair. So they now
13:09
excluded voice and video calls and
13:11
streaming. So, I had to buy the premium
13:14
streaming package. It seems to squeeze
13:17
too far considering again those high
13:19
fairs. Fourth on this topic, critics
13:21
said they were seeing more push on sales
13:23
items and added charge activities on
13:26
board. Personally, I don't think that's
13:27
changed nor is an issue. They still
13:29
don't have things like photographers,
13:31
sales table outside the shops and so on.
13:35
There were some paid for activities like
13:37
premium wine or whiskey tastings. They
13:39
had always daily spa offers and daily
13:41
shop events and casino tournaments, but
13:44
I don't think there was any more of
13:46
those than there used to be. I think
13:48
though since Royal Caribbean have taken
13:50
over, they've put a lot of money into
13:52
Silver Sea, particularly in the new
13:53
fleet, upgrading older ships, and just
13:56
overall putting much more investment
13:57
into kind of the hardware of the line.
14:00
Which brings me to the next point where
14:03
there theoretically is a Royal Caribbean
14:05
effect, although I'm not sure it's as
14:07
big as expected. and promised. Many
14:10
critics say they find Silver Sea
14:12
Entertainment rather average. The cruise
14:14
director on my trip often spoke about
14:16
how being part of Royal Caribbean Group
14:18
meant they could tap into the expertise
14:20
to invest and do and upgrade the whole
14:24
entertainment. There is a shift though,
14:26
but not dramatic compared to past trips.
14:29
I felt though they did actually launch a
14:31
couple of new shows on my selling, so
14:32
maybe it's still work in progress. It's
14:35
still a small production cast of four
14:37
singers and four dancers with a
14:39
goodsized live band for all shows. The
14:42
shows were though standard cruise line
14:44
song and dance themed shows like
14:46
Limelight which was kind of musicals
14:48
theme dance on fire which is burn the
14:51
floor inspired 35mm blockbuster film
14:53
songs and so on. The singers on my
14:56
sailing were all from South Africa. They
14:57
were very strong but the shows
14:59
themselves didn't to me seem anything
15:01
innovative or particularly elevated. But
15:03
I do have to stress that they went down
15:05
really well with passengers. They were
15:07
always well attended. So I guess perhaps
15:09
they do know their audience and what
15:11
they're looking for. The guest
15:12
entertainers were standard crew staff,
15:14
you know, magicians, country western,
15:16
rock singers, and so on. There was a
15:18
good amount of live music in the evening
15:20
with sets by that band. There was a
15:22
pianist, a violinist, and a saxoponist.
15:25
As with all ultra luxury lines, the
15:27
daily program is pretty light with an
15:29
emphasis on enrichment with four guest
15:31
speakers of varying quality and a bit
15:33
random topic-wise because they don't pay
15:35
speakers. So, I assume the program is
15:37
driven by who they can book at any
15:39
particular sailing. There was an arts
15:40
and crafts person. There were bridge
15:42
teachers, so lots of enrichment. Much of
15:45
the rest of the program was focused on
15:46
group activities where passengers could
15:49
collect points to redeem for merchandise
15:51
at the end. bingo, trivia, shuffle
15:55
board, putting baggo, those kind of
15:57
things. They were though always very
15:59
popular and always packed. So, I didn't
16:02
feel the critics are fair to say
16:03
entertainment is average as it more than
16:06
holds its own versus other ultra luxury
16:09
lines. But where does Silver stack
16:11
versus these other lines? Find out by
16:13
joining me over in this video where I
16:16
put all of the four ultra luxury lines
16:18
head-to-head and discuss what they do
16:20
well, do less well, and who in fact is
16:23
the best of all. See you over there.
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