On the Way to Venice and Silversea Silver Spirit

Where does time go?! I can't believe it's already June 4. We leave tonight to fly to Venice, Italy where we'll board Silversea's new Silver Spirit. This is a ship I've been dying to sail since I watched her christening in Fort Lauderdale via webcam back in January.

My parents, both of whom are 100 percent Italian, are especially happy that I'll be sailing this Italian cruise line! Perhaps we're bias, but we generally love all things Italian...the people, the cuisine, the wine. I wonder if this tendency will cross over to the world of cruising?

The ship has a guest capacity of 540, making it somewhat larger than the m/s Paul Gauguin that we sailed in May (she has a capacity of 332).

What I like about the somewhat larger ships are the variety of public spaces and restaurant choices. For example, Silver Spirit offers five distinct dining establishments—The Restaurant, La Terrazza, Stars, Le Champagne, and Seishin. We hope to give them all a try! I'm also looking forward to spending part of our sea day at the pool!

Snapshot of Silversea Silver Spirit
540 guests
376 officers and crew
270 oceanview suites; 95% with balconies
36,000 tons
642 feet in length; 86 feet wide; 20.3-foot draft
20.3 knots (speed)
8 guest decks
Every suite includes butler service
5 restaurants

Update: My friend Colonel Wes just emailed to remind me that there are actually six restaurants aboard Silver Spirit. Here are the details: "The Spirit actually has six distinct dining venues, including the Pool Grill Under the Stars where you finish cooking your own meat/seafood (veal, steak, prawns). Tip, ask for the surf & turf...also see the Pool Grilll Under the Stars M'd, after you board the Spirit to book a night. The grill is very popular and will book out by day two of your
cruise..more than likely." Thanks, Wes!

Stay tuned all week as we report live from Silversea's Silver Spirit. We embark tomorrow from Venice!

—Andrea M. Rotondo for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

Photo courtesy of Silversea