Silver Ray

What Silver Ray is

Launched in 2024, Silver Ray is the second ship in Silversea’s Nova Class — her sister ship is Silver Nova. At 54,700 tonnes she carries 728 guests attended by 544 crew, a ratio that keeps service genuinely attentive. All 364 suites come with 24-hour butler service and champagne on arrival, and the full range of 16 grades is set out on the Silver Ray cabins and deck plans page. Every grade includes complimentary dinner in La Dame, unlimited worldwide calls, and laundry — the category of suite changes the view and the living space, not the level of care.

The design puts the sea front and centre. The Pool Deck spans two levels and holds the fleet’s largest pool with 270-degree ocean views unobstructed by railings; The Cliff Whirlpool is a glass-fronted infinity spa tub that appears to spill into the horizon. The Dusk Bar at the stern gives the same panorama at sunset, and the Observation Lounge at the ship’s highest point is a quiet retreat with the sea on three sides.

Dining on Silver Ray

Silver Ray has ten dining venues, anchored by the S.A.L.T. programme — Sea And Land Taste — which is the most distinctive thing about this ship and worth understanding before you sail.

S.A.L.T. Kitchen is the complimentary centrepiece: menus change port by port, drawing on locally sourced dishes and more than 160 regional wines. S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table takes that idea further — eleven successive courses of regional ingredients and modern interpretations, single seating each evening, with wine and cocktail pairing; a surcharge applies. S.A.L.T. Bar continues the thread with cocktails built from local spirits and ingredients, and S.A.L.T. Lab is a professional teaching kitchen where small-group cooking classes are included in the fare.

Beyond S.A.L.T., the choices are broad. Atlantide is the main dining room, serving refined global cuisine and grilled specialties across breakfast, lunch and dinner. La Terrazza runs as a casual buffet by day and an Italian trattoria in the evening (the evening à la carte carries a supplement). The Marquee is the open-air option — complimentary breakfast, then wood-fired pizza and grilled specialties through the day at an additional charge. The Grill sits poolside for casual lunches and seared cuts after dark, also at an additional charge.

Three specialty restaurants carry a reservation fee: La Dame for French haute cuisine tasting menus, Kaiseki for Japanese precision — sushi and izakaya by day, wagyu and miso halibut by night, with sake and Japanese whisky — and Silver Note, a supper-club pairing live jazz with international small plates. Spaccanapoli rounds things out with Neapolitan pizzas from a custom oven, à la carte.

Bars, lounges and what to do on board

The social spaces are as well considered as the restaurants. Dolce Vita is the Italian cocktail bar at the heart of the ship, with daily piano music and a central bar counter. The Shelter is an elegant lounge connected to the atrium, good before or after dinner. Panorama Lounge runs from morning through to evening with live music ranging from piano to DJ sets. Arts Café is the quieter daytime retreat for coffee and light bites. Connoisseur’s Corner offers premium cigars — Cohibas, Bolívars and others — in an indoor-terrace setting.

Entertainment centres on The Venetian Lounge, an auditorium with cabaret-style seating for theatre, music and film. The Atrium on Deck 4, inspired by Roman architecture with windows spanning two decks, is where the Arts Café, The Shelter and the reception desk all sit — the natural gathering point when the ship is at sea.

Wellness is handled by Otium Spa, with sauna, steam bath and a full menu of massages, facials and beauty therapies (entry is complimentary; treatments carry a charge). The S.A.L.T. Lab cooking classes are also at no extra cost and are worth booking early — they fill quickly.

How fares work on Silversea

Silversea offers three main tariff structures. The All-Inclusive Fare bundles butler-serviced suites, dining, unlimited wines and spirits, Wi-Fi and onboard gratuities into one rate — shore excursions sit outside it. The All-Inclusive Plus Fare adds a shore excursion credit on classic voyages, covering more of what you spend ashore. The Essential Fare is a simpler last-minute rate with no additional packages. For longer sailings, combined voyage and grand voyage variants of the all-inclusive rates apply. CruiseAway’s cruise experts can walk through which tier fits the way you like to travel.

Where Silver Ray sails

Silver Ray runs the Western Mediterranean out of Barcelona and Civitavecchia (Rome), the broader Mediterranean Sea from Venice and Civitavecchia (Rome), the Eastern Mediterranean from Piraeus (Athens), and the Caribbean out of Miami — as well as transatlantic crossings and occasional sailings to Portugal, South America, Central America and the Canary Islands.

Caribbean from Miami — The winter programme is a round-trip from Miami, running 11 or 12 nights and calling at ports including St. John, Anguilla, Gustavia (St. Barth), San Juan, Basseterre and Spanish Town on Virgin Gorda. This is a seasonal programme, departing in December, January and February. See Caribbean cruises 2027 and Caribbean cruises 2028 for sailings on this route. The Caribbean destination page lists everything we sail there year-round, and Miami departures covers all sailings from that port.

Western Mediterranean from Barcelona — A summer programme of 8, 9 and 10-night round-trips out of Barcelona, visiting Valencia, Alcudia, Toulon, Cartagena, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Palamós and Alicante. Running April, May and October. The same port also serves as the starting point for one-way sailings of similar length heading to Lisbon, Rome or Monte Carlo, calling at Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Valletta and Tangiers among others. Find sailings on cruises from Barcelona in 2027, 2026 or 2028. The Barcelona departures page lists all options from that port.

Mediterranean Sea from Venice — Seven-night one-way sailings departing Venice in the summer months (June through September), calling at Sorrento, Split, Kotor and Dubrovnik, arriving into Rome, Monte Carlo or Athens. These run across the Adriatic and down into the Tyrrhenian. See Mediterranean cruises 2027 or 2026 for available dates; the ocean cruises to Europe from Australia page is a useful starting point for planning the wider trip. For departures from Rome see cruises from Civitavecchia, and from Venice see the Venice departures page.

Eastern Mediterranean from Athens — Seven-night round-trips from Piraeus, running in May, July and September, calling at Antiparos, Milos, Naxos, Santorini, Pátmos, Kuşadası, Mykonos and Souda (Crete) — the Greek islands and Turkish coast at their most concentrated. See Greek Island cruises from Athens for available sailings.

Because every Silver Ray sailing departs from ports in Italy, Spain, Greece or the United States, the cruise typically sits in the middle of a longer trip. CruiseAway puts the flights, the hotel either side and the transfers together with the cruise on a single DreamAway Package — one booking, one point of contact.

Well suited to spa and wellness travellers

The combination of Otium Spa — with its sauna, steam bath and full treatment menu — and Spaccanapoli’s wood-fired Neapolitan kitchen (a venue that earns its place in a wellness context simply for the quality of what comes out of it) makes Silver Ray a natural fit for guests who want genuine wellness options without sacrificing the food. The S.A.L.T. Lab cooking classes add an active, hands-on dimension to days at sea.

The Silversea fleet

Silversea currently has eleven ships on sale with CruiseAway, grouped across five classes.

Nova Class

Silver Ray and her sister ship Silver Nova share the same hull — the most recent addition to the Silversea fleet.

Muse Class

Silver Muse, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn form the Muse Class.

Classic Class

The Classic Class comprises Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind.

Endeavour Class

Silver Endeavour is the Endeavour Class.

Origin Class

Silver Origin is the Origin Class.

The full picture of what Silversea offers is on the Silversea Cruises page. For Australian-market itineraries specifically, Australia cruises with Silversea is the place to start.

Why book with CruiseAway

CruiseAway’s cruise experts know the Silversea fare tiers, the cabin grades and how the S.A.L.T. programme changes from one itinerary to the next — which matters when you are choosing between a Barcelona round-trip and a Venice-to-Athens one-way. Our Best Price Guarantee applies site-wide, and because every Silver Ray sailing departs from overseas, we put the whole holiday together — flights, hotels either side, transfers and the cruise — as one DreamAway Package. Whatever you choose, we help you match the cabin grade and fare inclusions to the way you like to travel.

Browse luxury ocean cruise lines if you are still weighing up the line, or go straight to Mediterranean cruises for 2027 and 2028 to see what is on sale.

Alternatives to Silver Ray

If you are open to other lines sailing the same waters, three ships are worth a look.

EXPLORA I (Explora Journeys) sails Italy, France, Spain and the United States — overlapping closely with Silver Ray’s Mediterranean and Caribbean programme. It departs from the same kinds of ports, so no additional flying is involved.

Seabourn Ovation (Seabourn) also covers Italy, France, Spain and the United States, departing from the same ports, and has a large programme of sailings in the same regions.

Viking Sea (Viking Ocean Cruises) similarly calls at Italy, France, Spain and the United States, with departures from the same port cities and no additional flying needed.

Questions about booking Silver Ray

What is included in the Silversea all-inclusive fare?

The All-Inclusive Fare covers butler-serviced suite accommodation, dining across the included restaurants, unlimited wines and spirits throughout the voyage, onboard gratuities and Wi-Fi. Shore excursions are not included at this tier — the All-Inclusive Plus Fare adds a shore excursion credit for classic voyages. The Essential Fare is a simpler last-minute option without additional packages.

Which specialty restaurants carry a surcharge on Silver Ray?

La Dame (French tasting menu), Kaiseki (Japanese), Silver Note (jazz supper club) and S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table all carry a reservation charge per person. La Terrazza’s evening à la carte service and The Marquee’s pizza and grill menu also carry additional charges. S.A.L.T. Kitchen, Atlantide and the complimentary breakfast venues are included in all fares.

Can CruiseAway arrange flights and hotels alongside the cruise?

Yes — because Silver Ray departs from ports in Italy, Spain, Greece and the United States, most Australian guests will want flights, accommodation either side and transfers arranged alongside the cruise. CruiseAway puts all of that on one booking as a DreamAway Package, so there is a single point of contact for the whole holiday.

What is the S.A.L.T. programme?

S.A.L.T. — Sea And Land Taste — is Silversea’s destination-led food and drink concept, unique to the Nova Class. S.A.L.T. Kitchen changes its menu port by port, drawing on local ingredients and regional wines. S.A.L.T. Bar serves cocktails made with local spirits. S.A.L.T. Lab is a professional teaching kitchen where small-group cooking classes, led by expert hosts, are included in the fare. S.A.L.T. Chef’s Table is the premium eleven-course dinner, single seating per night, with wine and cocktail pairing at a surcharge.

How do I choose between Silver Ray’s cabin grades?

All 16 grades are suites with balconies, 24-hour butler service, champagne on arrival, complimentary dinner in La Dame, unlimited worldwide calls and laundry service included. The grades differ in size, position and outlook — including forward suites with 270-degree panoramic views across all living areas. The full breakdown of grades, sizes and deck positions is on the Silver Ray cabins and deck plans page.