Guides
Silver Nova and Silver Ray (Silversea Nova-class): The Ship Guide
Things change (Lite). This free summary was checked on 2026-10-20 against Silversea's own ship pages. Where a fact could not be confirmed we say so and name the page to check. Confirm package contents, itineraries and fees on silversea.com or in your booking before you sail.
At a glance
- What they are: Silver Nova (built 2023) and Silver Ray (built 2024) are Silversea's Nova-class sisters, the 11th and 12th ships in the fleet.
- Size: 54,700 tons, 728 guests, 544 crew per Silversea's ship pages. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
- Suites: 364 suites across 13 categories, per Silversea's own blog on the class. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
- Fare idea: the all-inclusive fare covers drinks, onboard gratuities, port taxes and fees, butler service and more on Classic voyages; shore excursions and air are extra. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
- Best for: travelers who want a small-ship, suite-only, nearly-everything-included cruise and are willing to pay a luxury fare.
- Not for: anyone chasing the lowest price per day, big-ship waterslides, or a casual kids' program.
Who this guide is for
PerkJolt is about high-quality, low-budget travel, and we will be straight with you: Silversea is not a budget line. The reason a guide like this belongs on the site is that an all-inclusive fare changes the math. When drinks, tips, Wi-Fi and a butler are built in, you can compare the total trip to a mainstream cruise with a drinks package, tips and Wi-Fi added, and sometimes the gap narrows. We cannot quote you a price for a specific sailing, and we will not try. What we can do is show you how the two ships are laid out, where to sleep, where to eat, and where your points can help (mostly on flights and hotels, not the fare itself).
Silver Nova and Silver Ray in one minute
The two ships are sisters. Silversea's Silver Ray page calls her "our second Nova-class ship," built 2024; Silver Nova is listed as built 2023. Both carry 728 guests and 544 crew. The line's blog says the Nova class is the largest and most spacious in its fleet, thanks to a horizontal layout, with public rooms on decks with higher ceilings.
The big visible features: a horseshoe-shaped pool area of 1,400 square feet with the largest pool in the fleet, an infinity-style Cliff Whirlpool on Deck 11, an Otium Spa with a Roman-bath-inspired thermal suite, a two-story Venetian Lounge for 370 guests, and more than 1,700 artworks. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
What the fare covers, in plain words
Silversea's all-inclusive fare page (Classic voyages only) lists unlimited champagne, spirits and up to 50 wines from the Silversea Cellar, coffees, teas, sodas and sparkling water, an in-suite bar stocked to your preferences, up to 6 dining options plus 24-hour in-suite dining, onboard gratuities, port taxes and fees, Wi-Fi, butler service in every suite, and city-center transportation where the destination requires it. Shore excursions, air, and pre- and post-cruise hotels and transfers are not included. The booking deposit is non-refundable. (checked Oct 20, 2026) The same page lists three fares (All-Inclusive Plus, All-Inclusive, and Last-Minute Exceptional Savings) but only describes one, so read the fare name on your own booking carefully; confirm in your booking what your fare includes before you sail.
Where they sail
Silversea's destinations page lists regions from the Mediterranean to Alaska to Antarctica and says it serves over 900 destinations, but it does not say where either ship is deployed. (checked Oct 20, 2026) Silver Ray's page markets Mediterranean cruises. Deployments change by season; check the ship page and the "Find a Cruise" search on silversea.com for what is on sale now.
3 free things you can use today
- Pick your seat before you pick your date. Decide which of these matters most: a wake-view stern suite, a larger balcony (Medallion), or the lowest-category veranda. Then search sailings. Ship layout does not change by season; prices do.
- Use your points where they actually work. The cruise fare itself is booked with the line. Your Chase, Amex, Capital One, Citi or Bilt points are most useful for the flights to the embarkation port and a pre-cruise hotel night. For example, Amex points move 1:1 to Delta, ANA, Flying Blue, Aeroplan and others, and Chase points move 1:1 to United, British Airways and others. Confirm current ratios in each issuer's own portal.
- Ask for the deck plan before you book. Silversea has a deck-plan page for each ship. We could not open it on 2026-10-20, so open https://www.silversea.com/ships/silver-nova.html and look for the deck plan link, or ask your agent or the line to send it, and place your suite relative to the Venetian Lounge, Pool Deck and aft venues.
Three honest cautions
Counts differ between pages. Silversea's own pages do not agree on every number. The Silver Nova page says "eight restaurants" in one place and "Nine dining venues" in another, and the line's blog says eight dining venues and ten bars and lounges. The ship pages name only some of those bars. Treat the counts as approximate and the named venues as the real list: Atlantide, La Terrazza, La Dame, Kaiseki, Silver Note, The Marquee, The Grill, Spaccanapoli, Arts Café, S.A.L.T. Kitchen and S.A.L.T. Chef's Table. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
"Included" has edges. The fare page says some services may vary or be unavailable, and that you should check each voyage's details. Wi-Fi is listed as included but the page does not say what speed or data level you get. Specialty experiences such as the S.A.L.T. Chef's Table may carry conditions we could not confirm. (We could not confirm this on the official site when we checked — confirm it there before you book.)
Dates and sailings move. Itineraries and port calls change. Any itinerary you see should be confirmed on silversea.com or in the line's app before you sail.
How to use the two ships' sameness
Because Nova and Ray are sisters, most of what you learn about one carries to the other. Silversea's page notes the Master and Signature Suites as exclusive to Silver Ray, so if you want those categories you need Ray; otherwise choose by itinerary and date, not by ship. (checked Oct 20, 2026)
Want the deck-by-deck?
The Full Guide ($4.99) walks the ship deck by deck, explains which suite types to book or skip, how to approach dining and day one, how to think about points, and gives you a printable one-page plan, packing list and cost sheet.
This is the free lite guide. The full day-by-day guide, with maps, photo stops, rain plans and the points playbook, is part of PerkJolt All-Access.