The food on a $675-a-day, ultra-luxury cruise ship is what you’d probably envision: caviar, lobster, and filet mignon.
What you might not expect, however, is the cook-it-yourself restaurant, lunchtime sushi buffet, and a $180 tasting menu.
In mid-June, ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea launched its 12th ship, Silver Ray. At 801 feet long and 54,700 gross tons, the new 728-guest vessel is unmistakably larger than most of the brand’s previous vessels.
And with all this space comes room for plenty of dining options — eight restaurants, to be exact.
The new ship is popular, with a handful of its 2024 sailings now fully booked.
Of the sailings still available, an eight-day cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Cartagena, Colombia, in late December is the cheapest at $5,400 per person.
That’s $675 per person and day, not including dinner at the French, Japanese, and Chef’s Table restaurants.
In the evening, Kaiseki serves high-end Japanese dishes.
But if you don’t want to cough up $80 per person, head to Kaiseki for lunch.
It’s complimentary during the afternoon, serving options like sushi, sashimi, bao buns, and ramen.
If you’re indecisive, order the sushi and sashimi combo, which comes with one of each roll.
Consider sitting at the sushi bar to watch the chefs prepare the raw fish. Feel free to order a glass of sake or Japanese beer while you’re there — alcohol is included in Silversea’s fare, of course.
The French restaurant La Dame is also upcharged at $160 per person.
But with this fee comes several courses of traditional French cuisine, including foie gras.
Or, opt for the restaurant’s new plant-forward menu, designed to be “contemporary, lighter, and greener,” Andrea Tonet, Silversea’s vice president of product strategy, told reporters during a June media panel.
Silver Ray’s most expensive restaurant, SALT Chef’s Table, costs $180 per person.
But it’s also the most interactive and coveted dining venue, with only 18 seats surrounding an open kitchen where guests can watch their food being plated.
Silversea’s prized culinary program SALT — an acronym for “sea and land taste” — puts cuisines local to the itinerary’s region at the forefront of the cruise. As such, SALT Chef’s Table has an 11-course menu that showcases “macro-regional” dishes and ingredients.
For example, during my complimentary five-night Portugal cruise, the tasting menu-style restaurant served Mediterranean fare with dishes from Spain, Portugal, and France.
SALT Chef’s Table is as much a high-end dinner as it is a social gathering.
The cooks start preparing the dinner hours before seating, guests get new cutlery before every course, and the ice cream dessert comes in pre-chilled bowls.
Diners are also encouraged to interact with the kitchen and ask questions throughout the two-hour meal. But if you don’t know where to start, the mic’d-up chef will spend some time explaining every course, including explaining the history of specific specialty ingredients.
SALT Kitchen is the complimentary cousin of Chef’s Table.
The modern and airy SALT Kitchen has two menus, one that stays the same throughout the cruise and another that changes almost daily depending on the destination.
In Lisbon, the rotating menu’s starters included grilled sardines, while mains options ranged from grilled octopus to roasted pork loin.
It’s no Sicilian red prawn crudo from SALT Chef’s Table, but it’s a great complimentary pick for guests who might not have had time to visit any of the restaurants at port.
Traditionalists can instead dine at Atlantide.
The sophisticated red-accented restaurant, a common fixture on many of Silversea’s ships, offers traditional upscale cruise fare like beef tartare, lobster bisque, and black cod.
It’s also open for breakfast, where guests can start their day with a warm quinoa bowl. Or, for lunch, dine at Atlantide for plates like chicken skewers and trout.
Silver Ray’s alfresco dining room is also open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
In the morning, it’s great for travelers craving a healthy breakfast.
In the afternoon, the menu switches up to include pizzas and beachfront restaurant-like options like grilled fish, burgers, and poke bowls.
At night, it becomes the Grill, one of the most casual restaurants onboard Silver Ray.
If SALT Chef’s Table wasn’t interactive enough for you, head to the Grill. There, you can munch on a blooming onion and Ceasar salad while using a tabletop hot rock to cook your own steaks, lamb chops, and shrimp.
La Terraza, another casual option, is also open for three meals of the day. But by nightfall, the restaurant might look unrecognizable.
La Terraza is home to the ship’s breakfast and lunch buffet.
Guests can start their day by gorging on classic American breakfast items, a custom smoothie, a selection of tropical fruit, and even congee.
Opt for one of the outdoor tables if you want to sip your morning cappuccino while watching the passing waves.
In the afternoon, the congee is replaced by platters of Kaiseki-quality sashimi.
And instead of a pile of bacon, guests can pick at the mound of poached seafood and freshly carved meats.
And the buffet transforms into the ship’s go-to à la carte Italian restaurant in the evening.
La Terraza’s dinner menu has two sections: one “classic” and another “adventure.” (Have you noticed the dual menu trend yet?)
Purists could opt for the likes of stuffed calamari and pasta alla norma (pasta with eggplants).
But for those keen on the adventure menu — which, according to Tonet, was designed to showcase contemporary Italian food — the restaurant also has selections like whipped mortadella with pecorino chips and grilled seabass with stuffed cabbage and an anchovy-Processo sauce.
If you’d prefer a dinner and a show, head to Silver Note.
There, travelers are serenaded by a jazz pianist and singer while they dine on small, refined plates.
Food options are as casual as vegetable dumplings served in a hot stone-like dish and as whimsical as a triple-chocolate dessert in the shape of a swan.
As for music options, that depends on the performers. But expect to hear classics from recognizable figures like Frank Sinatra and Bill Withers.
The Arts Cafe isn’t technically a restaurant, but it’s a great place to grab a quick and light bite.
Espresso and tea take center stage at the daytime café. But if you’re feeling peckish before dinner or craving a do-it-yourself afternoon tea, Arts Cafe is where you’ll want to go for cucumber sandwiches and slices of cake.
The same goes for room service — if you count caviar as a ‘light bite.’
Are the late-night munchies coming on? Call room service to order cruise ship classics like hamburgers and hot dogs.
Or, if you’re feeling particularly fancy, you could have foie gras or caviar delivered to your door.
Yes, room service caviar is complimentary and served with classic accouterments like sour cream and bellinis.
It wasn’t the best caviar I’ve ever had (it’s one of Calvisius’ cheapest options). But if you woke from your mid-afternoon nap craving a small snack, the salty little fish eggs certainly hit the spot.
It’s over-the-top, fun, and just a tad bit pretentious — much like Silver Ray itself.
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