Come Sail Away

Travel in style aboard asymmetrical cruise ships, with guest diversions galore

- Alison de Souza

On the first cruise I took, more than 20 years ago, my cabin was a cramped, windowless cave. You were lucky if you could find a porthole on the lower decks to peer out of.

But cruise-ship design and architecture have come a long way, and Silver Ray - the newest addition to ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea - is redefining what it means to sail in style.

Its asymmetrical layout is a radical departure from the norm in which the left or port side of a cruise ship is a mirror image of the right, or starboard.

This, coupled with a savvy reorganization of communal and private areas, means more open and open-air spaces, higher ceilings, sweeping views and natural light.

The idea is for guests to feel more connected to the destination while enjoying all the creature comforts.

And it works so well that you would sometimes rather spend time on board than ashore.

This was my experience on one of Silver Ray's inaugural voyages in 2024 - from Lisbon, Portugal, to Cadiz, Spain, and back.

Docked at the Port of Lisbon, the ship is a stone's throw from the historic Alfama district. And its sun-soaked 10th-floor pool deck becomes the best rooftop in town, with unmatched views of the neighborhood's charming terracotta roofs and pastel facades.

If you have not gone on a ton of cruises or are not a nautical nerd, the differences between this and other ships might not be apparent at first glance.

But, on a gross tonnage-per-passenger basis, Silver Ray and Silver Nova - its near-identical sister vessel - are among the most spacious cruise ships ever built.

They also carry a maximum of 728 passengers each, compared with the thousands you would see on a typical cruise ship.

Most ships stack their cabins and public areas vertically, with guest accommodations concentrated in the front or fore of the vessel while restaurants, lounges and the like are located aft, or in the back.