Silversea's new ship will be ready to sail from October 30, becoming the shipping company's ninth vessel, built at the Fincantieri shipyards in Ancona by the most renowned craftsmen.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 54 – October 2020
Silver Moon is a sister ship to Silver Muse, with a gross tonnage of 40,791. It can accommodate 596 passengers in 298 ocean-view suites, 96% of which have balconies. These passengers will be perfectly attended to by a crew of 414, representing a ratio of one crew member for every 1.44 passengers
These figures already hint at a luxury service, as is tradition in the company, and of course, the ship's interiors are a demonstration of the highest Italian quality and elegance that more than 390 companies have contributed during its construction.
As expected, the Silver Moon will meet the highest environmental standards, complying with the RINA Green Star 3 Design specification. The vessel features LED lighting to reduce energy consumption, an open-cycle exhaust gas cleaning system designed and supplied by Wartsila, and a 6.6kV shore power connection to allow the engines to be shut down while in port.
SALT: Gastronomy Takes Center Stage.
The Silver Moon will introduce a pioneering new culinary program, SALT, unveiling immersive dining experiences for guests, tailored to the region the ship is sailing in. The Silver Moon will be the first Silversea ship to incorporate an entire ecosystem for culinary discovery, designed around the SALT program.
SALT Kitchen will be the third largest restaurant on board, with capacity for 160 guests, featuring a regionally inspired menu to immerse guests in the culinary culture of the destination visited.
SALT Bar, located on deck 4 next to SALT Kitchen, will offer a selection of local cocktails, wines and spirits, served by trained bartenders who will explain the context of each drink.
SALT Lab, designed specifically for culinary explorations, will host workshops, demonstrations, and talks. Guests will be able to learn from local chefs and food experts, discovering local ingredients, before experiencing the local food culture in a unique, immersive land-based experience.
Work on the SALT areas of the Silver Moon took 18 months from the initial commission to completion, with approximately 2,740 worker-hours invested by professionals in London, Miami and various locations in Italy.
It will be Silversea's first ship to incorporate a whole ecosystem for culinary discoveries with the SALT program.
Guests who prefer Silversea's classic gourmet experience can enjoy the cruise line's usual restaurants: Atlantide, with seating for 220 guests—44 more than Silver Muse—is the largest restaurant on board. La Dame, the French-style restaurant, has changed location, décor, and size, now accommodating up to 56 guests on Deck 8. For this restaurant, 15 Lalique artisans worked at the company's historic French factory, creating 11 delicate glass panels with the distinctive contrasts between clear and frosted glass, featuring the themes "Masque de Femme" and "Coutard." Kaiseki is the Japanese option, offering sushi and sashimi during the day and teppanyaki for dinner. There is a fourth option, Silver Note, with a sumptuous, intimate atmosphere for dining and even dancing, featuring small plates of international tapas accompanied by live jazz or blues.
The Silver Moon will have the highest environmental standards, with a gas scrubbing system and electrical grounding.
Improvements to Public Areas:
The remaining public areas on the Silver Moon will be similar to those on the Silver Muse, but with minor improvements based on experience and some changes in location. For example, the pool will have steps in the basin to facilitate entry into the water, the Zagara Beauty Spa will be larger, and the Arts Café will be moved from port to starboard. One of the areas that will undergo a significant change is the Dolce Vita lounge, which will be relocated to the center of the ship and will have two distinct areas: a bar for more formal evenings and a more casual café for daytime. The Connoisseur's Corner will now include a sophisticated outdoor area, a result of the architectural firm GEM's involvement in the ship's design.
596 passengers served by 414 crew members gives an idea of the luxury service that will be offered on board.
Suites with the World's Finest Beds:
The Silver Moon will be one of the most comfortable ships at sea, with ample square footage per guest and personalized butler service in every suite. But in addition, in the ship's 10 largest suites—four Owner's Suites, four Grand Suites, and two Royal Suites—guests will experience an unparalleled level of comfort while sleeping, in 10 bespoke beds created by Savoir, widely considered the world's most prestigious bed maker. These ten beds are handcrafted with horsehair, lambswool, 72 kg of perforated cotton, 72 kg of layered cotton, 30 kg of wool, 32,560 mattress springs, and 720 buttons. The result is a perfect bed and a night's rejuvenating sleep. Each element of the beds (bed frames, mattresses and mattress pads) has been signed with its completion date by the craftsman who created it, symbolizing the ultimate mark of pride in the craftsmanship of each one.
Itineraries:
Guests on luxury cruises not only expect to eat and rest very well on board, but also to visit places around the world that stand out for their historical heritage or natural charm, and these are some of the planned routes of the Silver Moon.
The 10 largest suites will have savoir beds, handmade with horsehair, cotton and sheep's wool.
Winter in South America and the Caribbean. On December 8th, it will begin its journey in Lima, Peru, with a 15-day cruise to Fort Lauderdale, USA, from where it will offer a couple of Caribbean cruises before returning to Lima in January. It will continue offering cruises around South America, embarking in Lima, Buenos Aires, and Rio de Janeiro, until March, when it will cross the Atlantic to arrive in Barcelona on April 1st.
Spring and summer in the Mediterranean. From April 1st to November, the Silver Moon will be offering various Mediterranean cruises departing from Barcelona, Venice, Athens, Civitavecchia, and Lisbon. There are many options without traveling too far, such as cruises between Barcelona and Lisbon, Barcelona and Civitavecchia, and Barcelona and Venice, and vice versa, for those more cautious given the current situation. Two particularly interesting routes are available from Civitavecchia (Rome) to Venice: one departing on August 23rd, a 10-day cruise with stops in Sorrento, Syracuse, Corfu, Kotor, Dubrovnik, and Split; and another departing on October 7th, a 7-day cruise with the same stops but without Kotor.
In spring and summer 2021 there will be many cruises departing from or arriving in Barcelona.
Autumn and winter in Asia. On November 1st, the Silver Moon will depart from Athens bound for Dubai, then continue to Mumbai, and from there to Singapore. On December 10th, it will begin its Asian cruises with itineraries ranging from 11 to 15 days from Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, and Bangkok. On February 14th, 2022, it will begin its return to Europe from Singapore, arriving in Athens at the end of March to begin another Mediterranean season.
The La Dame restaurant will be decorated with 11 handmade Lalique glass panels.
