Silver RAY, initial thoughts

[stan1980]

Are there any CC board members currently on board Silver Ray who want to share their initial thoughts about the new ship?

Curious how much of a copy it is from the Nova, or if for example improvements from Nove have been implemented? 

 

 

 

[dawntrdr]

Cruise Critic has now posted its ship review of the Ray.  Apparently there are no changes from the Nova other than the artwork.

[Stickman1990]

3 hours ago, dawntrdr said:

Cruise Critic has now posted its ship review of the Ray

It ch be found here 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/cruise/silversea/silver-ray

[Host Jazzbeau]

I pulled up the deck plan and went back and forth while reading the review, especially because I have read reviews where people found the asymmetrical layout kept them disoriented throughout a short cruise.  I'm booked at the very aft of deck 6, which will mean a fair walk to the aft elevator/stair and the back on deck 4  to La T or a really long walk forward on deck 4 or 5 to the Venetian Lounge – but I don't see why the asymmetry should throw me off.  Maybe it's something about the elevator lobby that doesn't show clearly where the pointy end is.

 

What's really unclear, based on the deck plan, is how you get to the Observation Lounge.  The forward elevator lobby on deck 10 seems to open on the pool deck.  Do you then walk through the SALT bar to the lounge?  No way to get to the lounge without going outside at some point?

[Stickman1990]

Interesting question - there seems to be stairs going up to it but no corridor on the deck plans. It’s hard to work out where the stairs actually come from for guests 

 

[m'ellen]

The elevator lounge has multiple exits....some that go outside to the deck and one that leads you around inside to the SALT Bar and from there you walk forward to the Observation Lounge - no need to go outside.

 

The ship is large by Silversea standard but it is not a "monster of the seas"  We found it very easy to find our way around the ship.

 

The stairs are adjacent to the elevator lobbies - you can see the elevators from the stairs on the landings.  It's actually a good design.

Edited June 30 by m'ellen

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, m'ellen said:

The elevator lounge has multiple exits....some that go outside to the deck and one that leads you around inside to the SALT Bar and from there you walk forward to the Observation Lounge - no need to go outside.

 

The ship is large by Silversea standard but it is not a "monster of the seas"  We found it very easy to find our way around the ship.

 

The stairs are adjacent to the elevator lobbies - you can see the elevators from the stairs on the landings.  It's actually a good design.

Thanks.  Yes, I like the design in general, but deck 10 seems to have a lot of walls without entry ways.  Hopefully just a failure of the artist to include all the details...

[spinnaker2]

Jazz,

when do you go on the Ray?

hope you’ll post impressions…

[alainciao]

12 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Thanks.  Yes, I like the design in general, but deck 10 seems to have a lot of walls without entry ways.  Hopefully just a failure of the artist to include all the details...

There are doors in the glass walls on deck 10 to go outside on the way to the Observation Lounge.  I started every day in the Observation Lounge.  Small coffee bar.  We were in Alaska so didn't go outside that much but the outside areas are great.

[jollyjones]

I cruised on the Nova in April and had some reservations although they diminished as I became accustomed to how the novel layout worked. But I was still a bit unsure about the Nova or Ray. 
 

I am currently on my way home after, for fairly silly reasons, cruising on the Azamara Onward followed by Southampton to NYC on the QM2. 

All I can say is I am never complaining about Silversea ever again. 
 

[spinnaker2]

JJ:

How about a crossing on the Ray?

[DavyWavey70]

3 hours ago, jollyjones said:

I am currently on my way home after, for fairly silly reasons, cruising on the Azamara Onward followed by Southampton to NYC on the QM2. 

All I can say is I am never complaining about Silversea ever again. 
 

May I ask what you didn't like about Azamara please Jolly? I'm on the Quest in January so curious to hear about your experience. 

[jollyjones]

17 hours ago, DavyWavey70 said:

May I ask what you didn't like about Azamara please Jolly? I'm on the Quest in January so curious to hear about your experience. 

 

Actually there's quite a lot to like about Azamara, it's the ships that let them down. I was on the Onward, there may be some differences on the Quest but it's still an R ship.

I had sailed an R ship before (in my pre-SS days) - the Oceania Regatta, so I thought I knew what to expect and would be more or less OK with it.

But Az are in love with brown decor - dark, dingy, depressing brown.

(See pic below of my brown cabin)

I found the cabin to be annoyingly small, and the microscopic bathroom which was incomprehensibly coloured dark khaki, drove me nuts. The safe was tiny, the drawers stuck and I had to fight to open them, the little table either obstructed the balcony door or the sofa - I had to keep moving it, the lighting was a dull orange except the bedside lights which were very bright white, and on and on. 

They have upgraded the Continent Suites - they looked much nicer when glimpsed through an open door - but at at least four times the price (as a solo) and under the pool deck with the possible noise issues, I'm glad I didn't book one.

The public areas on decks 4 and 5 did have some windows but they were mostly heavily curtained and I found them a bit claustrophobic - I like to see the sea when I'm cruising.

The upper decks 9 and 10 were where I spent my time - the Observation lounge (they call it the Living Room) was very pleasant and had a good selection of books in their 'library'. I enjoyed Aqualina and Prime C.

The food was OK too good and the included wines were OK for me (but I pay very little attention to them). The crew were excellent. The cabin bed was very comfortable.

I can't tell you about the rest of the stuff - spa, gym, excursions, whatever, as I didn't partake. 

One odd thing - Az have taken the 'no announcements' thing to an extreme - I found the daily paper "Insider" not to be very helpful, the TV isn't much help and there isn't any sort of onboard app, so I often felt I didn't know what was happening.

 

[jollyjones]

Oh, I would so much have preferred to be on the Ray with all the lightness and open space - just to rub salt into the wound here is a shot I took of her in Lisbon as I stood on the Azamara Onward ...

[jollyjones]

19 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

JJ:

How about a crossing on the Ray?

 

I have other cruises booked that I'd prefer to do which clash with the crossings this year and next.

I thought about March '26 but went with the Spirit as it is the more southerly route which I hugely prefer even tho' I hate Barbados.

So, sadly, no.

 

And, even tho' I was getting used to the Nova after 23 days on board, the Muse class (incl. the Spirit) remains my favourite.

 

[DavyWavey70]

45 minutes ago, jollyjones said:

 

Actually there's quite a lot to like about Azamara, it's the ships that let them down. I was on the Onward, there may be some differences on the Quest but it's still an R ship.

I had sailed an R ship before (in my pre-SS days) - the Oceania Regatta, so I thought I knew what to expect and would be more or less OK with it.

But Az are in love with brown decor - dark, dingy, depressing brown.

(See pic below of my brown cabin)

I found the cabin to be annoyingly small, and the microscopic bathroom which was incomprehensibly coloured dark khaki, drove me nuts. The safe was tiny, the drawers stuck and I had to fight to open them, the little table either obstructed the balcony door or the sofa - I had to keep moving it, the lighting was a dull orange except the bedside lights which were very bright white, and on and on. 

They have upgraded the Continent Suites - they looked much nicer when glimpsed through an open door - but at at least four times the price (as a solo) and under the pool deck with the possible noise issues, I'm glad I didn't book one.

The public areas on decks 4 and 5 did have some windows but they were mostly heavily curtained and I found them a bit claustrophobic - I like to see the sea when I'm cruising.

The upper decks 9 and 10 were where I spent my time - the Observation lounge (they call it the Living Room) was very pleasant and had a good selection of books in their 'library'. I enjoyed Aqualina and Prime C.

The food was OK too good and the included wines were OK for me (but I pay very little attention to them). The crew were excellent. The cabin bed was very comfortable.

I can't tell you about the rest of the stuff - spa, gym, excursions, whatever, as I didn't partake. 

One odd thing - Az have taken the 'no announcements' thing to an extreme - I found the daily paper "Insider" not to be very helpful, the TV isn't much help and there isn't any sort of onboard app, so I often felt I didn't know what was happening.

 

Many thanks for taking the time to answer Jolly. I Did get the impression from my YouTube research that the interiors were designed by Stag 🙂 . I've not had a great first impression of them since booking but I'm hoping that some of the wrinkles may have come out by January. I've not set my expectations too high so hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised!

[fdnycruiser]

23 hours ago, spinnaker2 said:

JJ:

How about a crossing on the Ray?

 We did a crossing on the Nova in the fall and everything was just great. We had decent weather and although a little breezy at times, we were able to use all the venues .

[Kensington-cruiser]

We have just returned from the inaugural voyage of Silver Ray from Lisbon - Rome. We were wow - ed. The ship is gorgeous - light and airy - beautiful, contemporary design  - and the outside spaces (especially the Dusk Bar) are wonderful for warm climes and evening sail aways. We couldn't fault any aspect of the food, drink, accommodation or service - Silversea did an amazing job.

[tinaincc]

On 6/29/2024 at 5:06 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

What's really unclear, based on the deck plan, is how you get to the Observation Lounge.  The forward elevator lobby on deck 10 seems to open on the pool deck.  Do you then walk through the SALT bar to the lounge?  No way to get to the lounge without going outside at some point?

Yes, that is exactly how you get there.  

[milepig]

On 6/30/2024 at 8:45 AM, alainciao said:

There are doors in the glass walls on deck 10 to go outside on the way to the Observation Lounge.  I started every day in the Observation Lounge.  Small coffee bar.  We were in Alaska so didn't go outside that much but the outside areas are great.

??  If you were in Alaska you weren’t on the Ray.

[guern11]

On 7/1/2024 at 10:22 PM, Kensington-cruiser said:

We have just returned from the inaugural voyage of Silver Ray from Lisbon - Rome. We were wow - ed. The ship is gorgeous - light and airy - beautiful, contemporary design  - and the outside spaces (especially the Dusk Bar) are wonderful for warm climes and evening sail aways. We couldn't fault any aspect of the food, drink, accommodation or service - Silversea did an amazing job.

Thanks so much @Kensington-cruiserfor posting your thoughts on the inaugural Silver Ray cruise. We board in just over three weeks so your post has helped dispelled some of my concerns about sailing on such an “early” cruise.

 

We love Seabourn, mainly for the staff and entertainment. Whilst we’ve two more cruises booked with them, we’re looking forward to a bit of a change and returning to Silversea after a gap of a few years on this brand new ship.

 

Thanks again for sharing your views as I haven’t seen much reaction yet other than the usual travel agents sales pieces.

 

David

[thetravelsofmrsb]

We sail on the Ray in July and my husband and I are both very excited. I have been scouring the internet since the inaugural voyage to read peoples thought and see photos. 

 

This will be our second Silversea cruise and we cant wait to sail on such a new ship. 

[BBGrace273]

6 hours ago, milepig said:

??  If you were in Alaska you weren’t on the Ray.

I believe they were on the Nova... which is the same layout. 

[Kensington-cruiser]

7 hours ago, thetravelsofmrsb said:

We sail on the Ray in July and my husband and I are both very excited. I have been scouring the internet since the inaugural voyage to read peoples thought and see photos. 

 

This will be our second Silversea cruise and we cant wait to sail on such a new ship. 

Here are some photos of the ship for you. Have a wonderful time! And go and see Shiraj in the SALT bar - he'll mix you a great cocktail (or design one for you!)

 

[Kensington-cruiser]

@guern11 Hi David, I'm pleased because we too were a bit anxious beforehand, especially after reading what seems like a lot of negative reviews of Silversea on these boards and people warning about how terrible their inaugural cruises were. I really wanted to post to add some balance and fairness and reassure others. We were just delighted with everything. I've posted some photos too earlier on this thread. Have a wonderful time!