Silver Spirit

Silver Spirit entered service for Silversea in December 2009, built by Fincantieri at Ancona, and for eight years carried 540 guests at 36,009 gross tons. What defines it now happened in March 2018, when a Fincantieri yard in Sicily cut the ship in half and inserted a prebuilt midsection reported at 49 feet. The job took two months and cost over 70 million dollars. Length rose from 195.8 to 210.7 metres, tonnage to 39,519, and capacity from 540 to 608 guests. Cruise Critic puts the suite count at 304, up from 270.

Dining shows what the new steel bought. Four restaurants arrived with the stretch: Atlantide, Indochine, Spaccanapoli and Silver Note, a jazz supper club. They join La Terrazza, La Dame, Seishin and The Grill, which cooks on hot rocks poolside. Dolce Vita and the Arts Cafe came too. Tor's Observation Library on Deck 11 and the Connoisseurs Corner cigar lounge on Deck 8 survive from the original ship. Zagara Spa on Deck 6 runs to roughly 8,300 square feet, and every suite carries butler service.

Criticisms are consistent, and matter against a fare Cruise Critic lists as starting near 7,700 dollars per person. Food draws the most, with reviewers calling it inconsistent and one writing that it is not up to par for a five star line. Cruise Critic's listed drawback is that the ship needs a bigger gym, and a reviewer calls the weight room tiny and windowless. Others flag wifi charges on a nominally inclusive line and thin entertainment. The Cruise Critic editorial rating is still 5.0 out of 5.0 across roughly 390 member reviews, so the ceiling is high and the floor uneven.

It suits travellers wanting space, a butler and eight dining rooms among a few hundred guests, valuing destination time over onboard spectacle. It fits poorly for families with children, serious gym users, and anyone for whom the fare only works if every meal lands.

**What this means for choosing a cabin.** The range opens with the Vista Suite, 312 square feet on Deck 4, and the Panorama Suite, 334 square feet on Deck 8, both without verandas. Veranda Suites are the volume category, 312 square feet plus a 64 square foot balcony, graded by position: Classic on Decks 5 and 6 forward, Superior on Decks 7 to 9 forward, Deluxe amidships on Decks 6 to 8. Above sit 32 Silver Suites at 746 square feet, two Royal Suites forward on Deck 7, two Owner's Suites amidships on Deck 8 and four Grand Suites on Decks 8 and 9. The pool, hot tubs and Pool Bar occupy Deck 9 and the jogging track Deck 10, so upper suites sit beneath deck furniture and foot traffic, while Deck 6 suites sit beside the spa and fitness centre. Forward suites take the most motion, and one reviewer warned of a cabin next to a busy crew door.