“From the moment I saw Silver Nova in the Meyer Werft shipyard earlier this year, I knew she would be a very rare commodity – a game-changing, ultra-luxury ship.” 

So stated Stefan Shillito, managing director of Sovereign Cruise Club, during a four-night preview cruise aboard Silversea Cruises’ pacesetting new flagship this week, adding: “From her revolutionary layout, to her class-leading greener propulsion system, she represents the future of ultra-luxury cruising.” 

Clare Cruise, sales and operations director at Panache Cruises, has a similar take on this new ship that’s put the ‘nova’ in innovation.

She told TTG Luxury, “I’m a big Silversea fan. They already set the bar pretty high with Silver Dawn, but I think they’ve smashed it with this ship. The key differences for me are the flow of the ship and the size of the public venues. Silver Nova feels very spacious, light and airy. It’s got many unique areas, but my favourite is the Marquee. I’m pleased also that the Salt Bar has increased in size, it’s a great concept and is always busy on Silver Moon and Silver Dawn.”

The statistics underscore these viewpoints. Silver Nova is the first of an all-new class of ships for Silversea. With a capacity of 728 passengers, this 54,700 GRT vessel is around 34% bigger than Silversea’s last three newbuilds, yet only holds 22% more guests.

This is demonstrated in the space-to-guest ratio of 75 GRT-per-passenger, a yardstick of personal space which exceeds the ratio of 59 on the 596-guest Silver Muse, Silver Dawn and Silver Moon. There’s a massive 3,900 sq. m. of open deck space, which makes Silversea Cruises’ 12th vessel more open to the sea than any other luxury ship afloat.

The novel design of Nova 

This sense of open space is achieved by the ship’s novel asymmetrical design for the open decks. This ensures the open decks are oriented toward the ocean, and nowhere is this more evident than the 130 sq. m. horseshoe-shaped swimming pool area on the starboard side of the ship, which is much larger than on previous Silversea ships.

The novel design also comes to the fore in the Marquee, an alfresco dining venue with a St Tropez vibe, that is home to the casual Grill by day and transforms into the Hot Rocks concept at night. Superb pizzas are served at Spaccanapoli. Another venue new to Silver Nova is The Dusk Bar, an open-air social hub with panoramic views at the stern of the ship.

Loyal clients of Silversea will be delighted to learn that Atlantide is even more opulent and the menu brimful of classical, gourmet treats. The elegant French speciality restaurant, La Dame, has been expanded, while the range of Asian cuisine in the intimate Kaiseki has been enhanced. It’s important for agents to also note that the guest reservation fees on Silver Nova have been hiked to $160 for La Dame and $80 in Kaiseki.

The S.A.L.T. Experience (Sea and Land Taste), which made its debut on Silver Moon and Silver Dawn, has been taken to a different level on Nova. Full of culinary theatre, the Chef’s Table offers an 11-course degustation menu. The S.A.L.T. Bar is the perfect venue for mixologists to show their prowess; S.A.L.T Lab offers 24 eager gourmets the chance to learn how to prepare and cook typical local dishes; while S.A.L.T. Kitchen offers a regional menu and a daily-changing speciality menu.

For accommodation, there are 13 categories of suites, seven of which are new to Silversea. These include two Otium Suites at 123 sq. m.; six Master Suites ranging from 67 to 77 sq. m.; four Signature Suites measuring 65 sq. m.; four Junior Grand Suites from 54 to 58 sq. m.; six Premium Medallion Suites at 49 sq. m.; 38 Medallion Suites spanning 49 sq. m.; and 42 Premium Veranda Suites coming in at 33 sq. m.

Ninety percent of the accommodation options are in the 93 Deluxe Veranda Suites which are all unusually large for entry-level accommodation at 33 sq. m., and what distinguishes them is their location. Meanwhile, 22% of Veranda Suites have separate baths and showers, all suites have butler service.

Underscoring the vessel’s green credentials, the duel-fuel engines in Silver Nova use environmentally-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the principal fuel source. There is also a fuel cell system and battery technology. This will contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions of 40%, compared to Silver Muse and Silver Moon.

At the end of the showcase cruise, Francesca Barone, owner of Elite Cruises, said: “The asymmetrical design is a game changer, the feeling of space is revelatory. I believe Silver Nova is much more of a resort-style destination ship than has existed before and may well appeal to a slightly younger audience who are perhaps used to staying in high class hotels such as Ritz-Carlton and Belmond, but who may not have considered a cruise before.”

This summer, Silver Nova will sail on 7-, 8-, 9-, 10- and 11-night Mediterranean itineraries before positioning to the Caribbean for the winter. Silversea’s unique Door-to-Door, all-inclusive fares, cover private airport transfers, economy-class flights, business-class upgrades or air credit, and shore excursions.