I loved this ship so much, I booked again before I got off

A part of me secretly wondered what it would be like to return to a more upmarket ship – to be fussed over rather than being the one doing all the fussing.

The opportunity comes on a five-night cruise from Adelaide to Sydney on Silver Nova, a leg of the luxurious Silversea ship’s first voyage in Australian waters. I’m curious to see how luxury cruising has changed in a quarter of a century, and whether it is as good as I’d remembered.

Before boarding the ship we meet up with a group doing a shore experience at Adelaide’s Botanic Gardens, where chef Tom Tilbury is leading a foraging tour of the gardens before serving a four-course lunch of local produce and wines. Over yellow fin whiting and an Adelaide Hills chardonnay, ship guests Chris and Karl from Seattle rave to us about Silver Nova: “Be prepared to be impressed… the food is fantastic, the service is over the moon. We’ve already signed up for two more cruises”.

It’s easy to be impressed when you are on holidays, but Chris and Karl are spot on. At barely one year old, Silver Nova still looks and feels like a new ship – one designed to make the most of the light and ocean views.

We are in an entry-level Veranda suite, 33 square metres including a queen-sized bed and walk-in wardrobe. Best of all, the bathroom is more hotel-sized than ship-sized and includes a bath and double vanity.

Every suite is assigned a butler, shared with a handful of other guests. Fernando can’t do enough to make us feel pampered, from constantly stocking the fridge with our choice of champagne, wine, beer and soft drinks, to offering a menu of pillows and arranging an aromatherapy shower experience complete with classical music and macarons. He also makes restaurant reservations and one night serves dinner in our suite with the full white tablecloth experience. Where at home I’m the fairy invisibly tidying up after everyone, for once this is someone else’s responsibility. Each time we return to the suite we notice something else that Fernando has organised or cleaned, from shoes to sunglasses and even winding up pesky iPhone cords.

While you can have three meals plus endless snacks and coffee delivered to your suite 24 hours a day, there are too many restaurants to explore. Silver Nova has eight restaurants and cafes, plus eight bars. The fine weather means we favour the al fresco Marquee on Deck 10, opting for lighter breakfast options of Greek yoghurt, fruit and nuts, avocado on toast, and for lunch poke bowls, calamari and a glass of wine. Close second for lunch is sushi and ramen at the 40-seat Japanese restaurant Kaiseki, and for dinner SALT Kitchen which focuses on produce from local ports.

A few of the restaurants have an additional charge for dinner, such as La Dame, overseen by a Michelin star chef , and the SALT Chef’s Table which costs $US180 ($284) a person. These are good experiences, but you could eat (and drink) very well in all the other restaurants and bars without spending any extra. If you’re into cocktails, don’t miss the signature cocktail called Celestial Nova – a champagne, gin and elderflower creation served with a puffy cloud on top.

Our short cruise has a few port days. We opt for a sealife-spotting cruise off Kangaroo Island followed by a walk beyond Penneshaw Beach, and in Eden a tour of the Killer Whale Museum. But there’s nothing like a sea day to really get to know a ship and the many ways you can be entertained or unwind, from ballroom dancing or cocktail-making classes, to touring the high-tech bridge, going to the gym or sauna, contributing to the communal jigsaw puzzle.

So, is luxury cruising as good as I remembered? It’s even better – or maybe I just appreciate it more at this stage of life. The butler is a fun indulgence, the food is unwaveringly good, the staff all friendly and helpful.

Not surprisingly, guests on a ship such as Silver Nova skew slightly older, predominantly fit retirees and only the occasional walking stick or walker. It is easy to make new friends talking about travel adventures past and future (also a good way to snag an invitation to check out the really fancy suites, some with separate living and bedrooms, baths with ocean views, wraparound balconies).

By day two we are enjoying ourselves so much that we book another cruise on board Silver Nova later this year, taking advantage of a spectacular Black Friday sale and an itinerary with loads of sea days. It feels like a wild and impulsive thing to do, inspired by our new friends Chris and Karl – until Jane at the Future Cruises desk points out that 40 per cent of passengers on each sailing do exactly the same.

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I might have started cruising backwards, but I know which way I’m going from now on.

The details

Cruise
Silver Nova returns to Australia for her second season this year, with a 12-day voyage from Melbourne to Cairns departing on November 30. Ports include Eden, Sydney, Brisbane, and Mooloolaba, as well as the Whitsunday Islands, K’gari, Townsville, Cooktown and Port Douglas. From $14,500 a person. See silversea.com

The writer travelled as a guest of Silversea.