Tom Stieghorst
One thing I like about the new Silver Muse is its wide open spaces that give guests plenty of room to get out in the open air.
The pool deck seems expansive on this new Silversea Cruises ship, and the raked aft gives passengers some outdoor lounging space at the rear of the ship on seven decks running continuously from Decks 5 through 11.
The Silver Muse also has two nice opportunities for al fresco dining, the evening transformation of the pool grill into Hot Rocks, in which super-heated stones are used to allow diners to cook at their tables, and the impossibly-named Spaccanapoli, which serves pizza on the pool deck mezzanine.
Both are nice ways to combine dining and being outside, which often means taking in the sea or port vistas.
In a sense, all of the luxury lines I've been on in the last year are ahead of the industry trend of bringing passenger back in touch with the sea again.
You'll recall that several big new ships from lines such as Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises have or will have indoor-outdoor dining areas or spacious open decks that are closer to the waterline than before.
The luxury end of the market (partly because the ships are smaller to begin with) is already delivering on this trend.
The Seabourn Encore, delivered in January, uses its Deck 5 for a partial promenade but also for an aft pool and a pair of hot tubs that really bring passengers up close to the sea. It is a bit larger version of the same deck now on all Seabourn ships.
The Regent Seven Seas Explorer, launched last July, also has its promenade on Deck 5, and has an infinity pool in the aft.
Everyone has their own idea of what delivers luxury in a cruise but to me, being able to be close to the ocean, either in a public area or in a balcony cabin of my own, is high on the list of things worth paying more for.