Latest news with #SilverRay
Times
06-07-2025
- Times
I've visited Spain for 30 years — but this cruise showed new sides of it
Spring sunshine was filtering through the branches of an ancient olive tree, insects buzzing lazily, a cat snoozing in a pool of warmth. Eight of us were sitting around a table in the shade, chatting. I took a sip of giro ros, a dry, spicy and fruity white wine, produced from native Mallorcan grapes here on the Oliver Moragues estate, high on Es Pla, Mallorca's central plateau. The wine accompanied arroz meloso, a creamy rice dish prepared for us by the chef Deborah Piña Zitrone, whose mission is to preserve Mallorca's culinary heritage. Everybody else's was flavoured with cuttlefish and sobrasada, the rich, pork-based sausage so beloved of islanders here. My meat-free version was packed with flavours from fennel, using the bulb and the leaves, to artichoke heart, spring onion, peas and cauliflower, all cooked in a rich broth with bomba rice from Valencia. Dreamy excursions like this (£242pp) are part of Silversea's SALT programme, which stands for Sea and Land Taste and aims to immerse food-loving cruise passengers into the local culinary scene of wherever the ship is sailing. Immersion is what I was hoping for on this voyage around Spain on the swish, 728-passenger Silver Ray. I've been coming to Spain for more than 30 years and my family has a house in Andalusia, south of Granada, so we spend as much time there as we can. But sometimes I feel I'd like to play tourist in other regions of Spain. A cruise from Lisbon to Barcelona calling at five Spanish cities with overnights in two, as well as Gibraltar and Tangier seemed the perfect answer. This lunch was an education in itself. Piña Zitrone explained why meat, rather than fish has historically featured so heavily in Mallorca's traditional cuisine. 'People once saw the sea as a source of danger,' she said, while deftly peeling an artichoke. 'Hundreds of years ago, coastal areas were of little value; all you could do was harvest seaweed and wash your horses. People couldn't swim and it was difficult to transport fish inland as there were few roads. Pirates were a threat; they'd take food, water and women.' Later, we toured the biodynamic vineyard with Gabriel Oliver, whose family has farmed this estate since 1511. 'We're moving towards planting only Mallorcan grapes,' he told us. 'Cabernet and merlot don't like our climate.' The native vines are trained to grow up poles, rather than horizontally along a wire in the traditional style, so the grapes are protected from the searing sunlight by the shadow of the leaves. Cultural immersion on board Silver Ray was gentle but David, my husband, and I threw ourselves in. We started with a Spanish lesson as the ship sliced through choppy seas on a day at sea between rain-soaked Lisbon and Cadiz. It was basic but fun — I've stacked up hundreds of days of Duolingo Spanish but little conversation to show for it and I vowed to find a class back home. One night, the Sevilla Flamenco Company performed in the theatre and had the whole audience on their feet. This was no cheesy tourist show; the singing, dancing and guitar were intense, passionate and dramatic. My goal was to eat locally inspired food wherever possible so on the first night, we headed to SALT Kitchen, which has a 'voyage menu', featuring dishes inspired by the region and changing every cruise, and a 'terrain menu' which, ambitiously, changes every day to reflect food from the actual port. We'd just left Lisbon so the day's specials were Portuguese. I kicked off with bolinhas de queijo de cabra — goat cheese fritters with a tangy tomato preserve — and dourada a lagareiro, sea bream with garlic roast potatoes and a lemony sauce with olives and coriander. Delicious. In Cadiz, the ship emptied as everybody cleared off on an excursion to nearby Seville but I was keen to explore western Europe's oldest city, founded in 1100BC by the Phoenicians, who called it Gadir. The hulking cathedral aside, there's a vague Middle Eastern look to the skyline, a panorama of whitewashed buildings, tangled wires and TV aerials and 18th-century watchtowers, all shimmering in the spring light. Chameleon-like Cadiz has also passed for Cuba in films; it was on Playa de la Caleta, the city's beach, that a bikini-clad Halle Berry attracted the attention of Pierce Brosnan's Bond in Die Another Day. At ground level, the city certainly has a tropical feel, elegant squares lined with enormous and venerable strangler figs brought as saplings from the New World some 300 years ago, some so massive their branches are propped up by scaffolding. It was a holiday in Andalusia and locals emerged, bleary eyed, to line up at the churros stands around the market square, leaving with bags of fried, sugared doughnut strings and pots of molten chocolate in which to dunk them. We clambered around the Castillo de Santa Catalina, one of two chunky forts guarding Playa de la Caleta. There's a permanent exhibition here telling the poignant story of the devastating explosion that changed the face of the city in 1947, when a military storage depot blew up leaving at least 150 dead and 5,000 injured. Across the Strait of Gibraltar in Tangier, we joined a tour to Chefchaouen, the Blue City, speeding past green meadows ablaze with yellow gorse and swathes of scarlet poppies (£128pp). Chefchaouen lies in a bowl high in the Rif mountains, sheer limestone cliffs soaring up behind the old medina. All the houses in the centre are an eye-popping cobalt blue, for which there are various theories. One is that Jews who settled here in the 15th century and again when fleeing Spain after the Second World War used the colour blue to connect themselves with the heavens. Another, more prosaic idea is that blue helps to repel mosquitoes. Either way, you can't take a bad photo in the labyrinth of the old city. Cats lounge in the sunshine, colourful Berber rugs are hung from walls and bowls of oranges are artfully displayed against the bright blue. I visit Malaga all the time but am ashamed to say I've done little more here than eat tapas and head to Cortefiel, my favourite Spanish clothes shop. So, having done both, we joined a walking tour (£67pp). We gazed down over the rooftops and the bullring from the chunky walls of the Gibralfaro castle, built by the Moors in the 10th century, and wandered round the cathedral, which resembles a gallery of religious art. I was transfixed by the immense and gruesome Beheading of St Paul by the Valencian artist Enrique Simonet Lombardo; it's one of the most beautiful uses of light in a painting I've ever seen. Back on board, David and I joined a cookery class in the SALT Lab, making pollo en pepitoria, another legacy of the Moors, long before the days when potatoes and tomatoes had arrived in Europe. Almonds, wine, stock, hard-boiled egg yolks and saffron made a deliciously gooey sauce in which the fried chicken was simmered. I was keen for a cookery class every day, because they're included in the price, but others had got there first and the schedule was full. Silver Ray has no shortage of evening venues but my favourite was the alfresco Dusk Bar at the back of the ship, with squashy sofas, 180-degree sea views, and Mariia, a saxophonist, who played haunting sunset melodies as the coastal mountains turned pink in the haze. One night, a pod of dolphins splashed around in a feeding frenzy off the port side. We watched, slightly wistfully, as the snow-capped mountains of Andalusia's Sierra Nevada, which we can see from our house, faded from view. Silver Ray had already docked in Cartagena when we woke the next day, an elegant city with elaborate Gaudí-esque art nouveau buildings between the neoclassical mansions. This was one of the last cities to fall in the Spanish Civil War and a honeycomb of bomb shelters lies under the old city. One is a museum, with vivid displays of life underground, often for days at a time, as the battle raged overhead. But my real goal here was to see the Roman Theatre Museum. It's astonishing to think that a theatre, built in the 1st century BC and seating 6,000, lay here buried under centuries of development, undiscovered until 1988 when the first stones and artefacts were discovered during the restoration of Santa Maria la Vieja Church. Layer after layer was excavated, the archaeologists slowly digging back through time. The complex you see today was designed by the superstar Spanish architect Rafael Moneo and it's really clever. You enter at street level and wander through underground exhibits — statues, pottery, ampoules — and then up a series of escalators, emerging into the sunlight for the full reveal of the magnificent theatre. What's more, I learnt what a vomitorium is: the doorway at the top level through which hoi polloi in the cheap seats would spill. As the cruise progressed, we ate our way round the ship. The Marquee, a pretty space on deck with sunlight filtering through slatted shades, did the best healthy breakfasts — green juice, greek yoghurt with nuts and honey, spinach and mushroom quesadillas. There were elaborate tapas in Silver Note, a sultry supper club with a fantastic jazz duo and a spectacular, 11-course tasting menu at Chef's Kitchen, in the cookery school, SALT Lab, which becomes a restaurant at night (from £90pp). But we kept returning to the SALT Kitchen, especially once I'd discovered the Moroccan platter and shlata chizo, a spectacular Moroccan carrot, cumin and chickpea salad. • 11 of the best western Mediterranean cruises Despite the fact that the world was in financial and political turmoil as we sailed, everybody on board seemed to knock along happily — the multigenerational groups, the retired couples, the Gen X and millennials — although we did, amusingly, conform neatly to our national stereotypes. The Italian family groups, loud and chaotic. David and I, with our nightly gin and tonic habit. The Americans, who would head for dinner at 6.30 on the dot, even when the ship was bathed in the golden glow of magic hour and Mariia was playing sax in the Dusk Bar. As for my Spanish immersion — I'm well aware that a cruise will only ever scratch the surface of a place. But I'd tried new dishes and visited new places. Would we go to Cadiz and Cartagena from our house in Andalusia and would I have discovered the Moroccan salad and visited the exquisite Mallorcan vineyard? Probably not. Now to sort that Spanish conversation class. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue Sue Bryant was a guest of Silversea, which has 11 nights' all-inclusive from £5,050pp, sailing from Lisbon to Barcelona, departing on April 5, 2026 ( Fly to Lisbon
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Travel + Leisure
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
This Luxury Ship Feels Like a Stunning Mediterranean Resort, With a Gorgeous Pool Deck and Top-notch Cuisine
The ship's overall light and airy ambience, which puts the focus on what's happening outdoors. Top-end suites equipped with wraparound balconies and private whirlpools. A culinary program that brings local tastes and libations on board, through menus, cooking classes, and themed cocktails. Sustainability features include the use of cleaner-burning liquefied natural gas, or LNG. With the Spanish city of Cadiz in full view, I was gleefully dancing around an expansive, resort-like pool deck like it was the 1980s. A live British band was playing George Michael, the Eurythmics, Tears for Fears, and even David Bowie. I only wished I had packed bigger shoulder pads. When I took a break, it was for sips of complimentary Champagne because this was no high-end night club but rather a luxury cruise ship—one that offers all its amenities as part of the package. Want your butler to deliver caviar with all the trimmings? You got it. In fact, my butler thoughtfully added a bottle of Champagne. Or you might ask for a trendy cocktail to sip with endless views. Or you could ask for the surf and turf, embellished with foie gras—or get some fantastic vegan cuisine. Whatever your version of excess and decadence might be, odds are good you can find it on the over-the-top Silver Ray , a 364-cabin ship with a crew of 544. Like its sibling vessel, Silver Nova , which debuted in 2023, Silver Ray is one of the largest operated by Silversea, the luxury line. Still, it's comparatively small by cruise standards, with a distinctive design that emphasizes views of the gorgeous coastlines this ship tends to frequent. My take? The Ray is big enough to not feel crowded, with places to get away and pretend you're on your own yacht. There is also beauty at every turn: a stunning pool on one side of the ship, open-air dining areas, plush fabrics that make you mushy with delight. While on board for a four-day preview cruise in Portugal and Spain, I relished in the niceties and appreciated the less-formal atmosphere on board. Opportunities to indulge aside, this ship is a more comfortable approach to luxury cruising. Like DeBarge sang in the 1980s: 'I Like It.' You really can't go wrong: every suite on Silver Ray has a veranda and butler service. Entry-level accommodations start at 301 square feet, large enough to feel like a nice hotel room, with a table and chairs on the veranda, a walk-in closet, and a marble bathroom with either a large glass shower with a sitting bench or a glass shower and separate tub. The minibar is stocked, the Egyptian cotton bedding is from Milan's Rivolta Carmignani, and the pillow menu has several choices, including hypoallergenic options. If money is no object, the best digs are two aft-facing Otium Suites, which clock in at 1,324 square feet, each with a 421-square-foot wraparound veranda with private whirlpool. La Terrazza. Courtesy of Silversea Cruises Food is part of the pampering, and so are free drinks. There are eight restaurants on board, and while many are free, reservations are recommended. I was a fan of the Italian restaurant, La Terrazza, which introduced a new menu of contemporary Italian cuisine while I was on board. The S.A.L.T. Restaurant, named for Silversea's culinary program Sea and Land Taste, has an ever-changing approach that tailors menus to the destinations the ship is visiting. I was impressed by the Cadiz menu on offer when we were visiting that Spanish city. The Marquee is a pergola-topped, open-air casual venue serving things like pizza and salads. For me, one highlight was the S.A.L.T. Chef's Table, a tasting-menu experience that was limited to 18 guests. Mine was 11 courses of exquisite bites such as a confit of piquillo peppers and salt cod topped with burnt onion, accompanied by the stories of João Sá, who has garnered a Michelin star for his Lisbon restaurant, Sála. Though Chef's Table comes at a hefty additional charge, I thought it was well worth it. The S.A.L.T. Chef's Table. Courtesy of Silversea Cruises Also at extra cost are a Japanese restaurant, Kaiseki, and La Dame, which offers both a classic French menu and a new tasting menu by French chef Jean-Luc Rabanel, who is known for vegetable-forward, Michelin-star gastronomy. (I found it odd, then, that the ship-board menu was heavy on meat.) The S.A.L.T. Bar, with indoor and outdoor seating, was serving Spanish gin and other local beverages on our sailing and became my go-to among several lounge choices. The outdoor terrace of the Panorama Lounge is another good option. For a pick-me-up or quick meal, I really enjoyed Arts Café, which has perfectly foamy lattes and vegan tofu breakfast sandwiches, among other selections. Silver Ray is sailing in the Mediterranean for much of 2025, with trips that range from 6 to 16 nights, many of them hitting the big cruise cities of Barcelona, Civitavecchia (near Rome), Lisbon, and Monte Carlo. The ship heads to Fort Lauderdale in mid-November for the 2026 Caribbean season, before returning to Europe in late March. Fares include a shore excursion in every port, though they tend to be straightforward: a visit to a famous palace, a guided stroll through a city center. I opted for a couple of the at-extra-cost offerings that are part of the S.A.L.T. program. One was a tour of the westernmost vineyard in Europe, Casal de Santa Maria, where I found myself sipping wine and slurping oysters with Baron Nicholas von Bruemmer, whose Latvian grandfather founded the place. The Silver Ray pool deck. Courtesy of Silversea Cruises The chic pool deck is a focal point for the whole ship, surrounded by two decks of open space with fabulous views. There's a cushy lounge chair for everyone and, as I mentioned, room to dance too. Elsewhere, at the ship's Roman-inspired Otium Spa, I indulged in a soothing and energizing four-technique massage. In between treatments and dips in the spa's small hydrotherapy pool, you can sip champagne. At a cooking class in the S.A.L.T. Lab, I learned to make Portuguese cream tarts (though not, alas, Lisbon's famous pastéis de nata ). Otium Spa. Courtesy of Silversea Cruises A lively group fills the ship's small casino. Jazz fans head to the supper club for small bites served with a dose of Cole Porter. And those who find shopping for vintage Hermes and Chanel bags a form of entertainment will find that option onboard, too. In the impressive, two-story show lounge, singers and dancers perform and you can also catch a lecture. Silversea says kids are welcome as long as they're older than 6 months, but the vibe on board is pretty adult: there's no kids' pool, no kids' club, no babysitting offered. That being said, the ship has an assortment of connecting suites, including a two-bedroom Master Suite that connects for up to six guests. Silver Ray has four wheelchair accessible Premium Veranda Suites and two, larger wheelchair accessible Silver Suites. Public areas of the ship are accessible, and crew can provide assistance on the rare occasions that ports require stairs (rather than ramps) to disembark. I also noticed braille signage in public rooms, staterooms, and in elevators—which is something not all cruise ships have.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
The 6 best dishes I've eaten on cruise ships, from Japanese fusion to prime rib.
Cruise food has evolved past mediocre buffets and lukewarm hotdogs. Options like teppanyaki, Italian, and Mediterranean restaurants have become on-board staples. I've sailed on eight ships — these are my six favorite onboard restaurants. Have food, will travel — even, or maybe especially, if it's on a cruise. I've sailed on eight ships, which means I've had my fair share of cruise food. Before you throw me a pity party, it's not as bad as it sounds. Gone are the days of lukewarm hot dogs and unseasoned burgers. Nowadays, attractive options like Japanese teppanyaki, Italian, and Mediterranean restaurants have become cruising staples — sometimes at more affordable prices than land-based venues. Some of the best at-sea restaurants I've tried serve grilled octopus, slices of jamón, and prime rib that rival expensive steakhouses. Here are my six favorites, including a surprise pick. This isn't one of those overpriced trendy food halls. Instead, Norwegian's Indulge Food Hall is all-you-can-eat, complimentary, and available on all Prima-class ships. Say goodbye to self-serve, heat lamp-nuked buffet glop. At Indulge, guests can use the digital screens at every table to order individual portions from seven vendors. The pickings are as small as a few jamón slices at the tapas stall to as large as chicken biryani with garlic naan at the Indian kiosk. If the heavy cruise food starts getting to you, opt for salad and soup from The Garden. Otherwise, there are noodles, Latin, Texas barbecue, and rotisserie stands — totalling about 50 main and side options. I spent four complimentary nights on Norwegian Prima in 2022. Despite my limited time, I returned to the food hall several times, drawn to the diverse options, convenient ordering system, and my cravings for the lunchtime chicken korma. If your travel plans revolve around expanding your palette, dine at Silver Ray's SALT Kitchen. Luxury, all-inclusive cruise line Silversea's SALT (sea and land taste) program brings local dishes on board its ships. As such, Silver Ray's SALT restaurant has two menus: one that remains consistent and another that changes almost daily according to the destination. I attended the ship's five-night complimentary test sailing in Portugal and Spain in 2024. In Libson, the appetizers and mains included tender grilled sardines and octopus. For dessert, guests could finish with travesseiros, a popular sweet treat from nearby Sintra, Portugal. It can be difficult to immerse yourself in your cruise's destinations when you're only at port for an afternoon. SALT Kitchen won't replicate a local dining experience, but it'll at least give you a taste. Plus, the sardines were divine. The restaurant is also available on Silver Nova, Dawn, and Moon ships. If you're already on Silver Ray, consider reserving a table at the small-plate, family-style Silver Note. Yes, many trendy and expensive land-based restaurants have turned this dining concept into something to bemoan. However, it's not as common at sea — nor is it always served with a side of live music. Throughout your dinner, a pianist and singer will serenade you with Frank Sinatra and Bill Withers classics, creating a city jazz bar-like atmosphere. The lighting will be dark, the music will be good, and the food will be sufficiently luxurious. Expect fun plating, such as vegetable dumplings in a heated stone-shaped bowl and a triple-chocolate dessert shaped like a swan. Be sure to save room for the perfectly cooked beef tenderloin and the grilled octopus on a bed of carrot planks. The restaurant is also on Silver Dawn, Nova, Muse, Spirit, and Moon. Indulge Food Hall is my favorite dining venue on Norwegian Prima. If you want to treat yourself to a specialty restaurant, consider my second favorite, Onda by Scarpetta. (It's also available on Norwegian Encore, Spirit, and Viva.) I've been to my fair share of lackluster Italian joints. The pappardelle Bolognese proved Onda by Scarpetta isn't one of them. The deeply rich Bolognese was the perfect porky, beefy, and veal-y embrace for the pasta's thick folds. I could smell it from feet away — and so could the table next to me, which quickly asked what I had ordered. If you're not feeling pasta, opt for pizzas (such as Margherita) or meaty entrées (such as veal Milanese). To rev your taste buds, start with appetizers like yellowtail crudo or burrata with prosciutto, arugula, and tomatoes. Be sure to conclude your meal with the superior Italian dessert: tiramisu. If the restaurant sounds familiar, you might have heard of its sister concept, Scarpetta, which has several locations worldwide. The pasta at the New York establishment ranges up to $45 per plate. The entire dinner at Onda by Scarpetta on Norwegian Prima costs $40 per person. Regent Seven Seas is known for its luxury all-inclusive cruises. Emphasis on "luxury" — its Pacific Rim restaurant serves a mix of East and Southeast Asian classics with a high-end flair. For example, chicken and foie gras gyoza, tom kha gai with truffles, and watermelon salad with Peking duck. The siu mai has a whisper of back truffle, while the seafood laksa is a pool party of lobster, shrimp, scallops, and squid. Order the tempura lobster or giant tiger prawns if you're partial to crustaceans. For a humbler dish, opt for a side of the nostalgic Mie Goreng. The restaurant is available on Seven Seas Grandeur (where I spent three complimentary nights in 2023), Splendor, and Explorer. Surprised to see a main dining room on the list? Let me be clear — there's only one reason I'm including it: the prime rib. Complimentary dining rooms are often offered as a dinnertime alternative to the buffet or upcharged specialty restaurants. I've sailed on three Royal Caribbean ships, which means I've had my fair share of MDR meals. Theoretically, they're nothing special — unless you know what to order. Depending on the night's menu, I suggest passing on the signature fried chicken and pork bao buns. However, I highly advise (demand, even) that you order the scrumptiously tender prime rib. I've hated most prime ribs. This is the best I've ever had and the first I've inhaled. I might even venture to say it turned me into a fan. And for that reason, I will defend its spot on this list. Read the original article on Business Insider
CBS News
07-02-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Gastrointestinal outbreak on Royal Caribbean cruise sickens nearly 100 people
Nearly 100 people have been sickened by an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness on a Royal Caribbean cruise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 89 passengers of the 2,164 aboard the Radiance of the Seas cruise have been affected by the stomach bug, which is about 4.1% of the passengers, the CDC said. Only two of the 910 crew members have been affected. The CDC did not specify what type of gastrointestinal illness caused the outbreak, but the victims reported having diarrhea and vomiting. The cruise left Tampa, Florida on Feb. 1, setting out on a seven-day voyage that would see stops in Mexico, Honduras and Belize before returning to the U.S. on Saturday, according to CruiseMapper. The CDC said the outbreak was reported to its Vessel Sanitation Program on Tuesday. The sick passengers and crew members have been isolated from the rest of the people on the ship, the CDC said. The ship has also "Increased cleaning and disinfection procedures" and "collected stool specimens … for testing." CBS News has reached out to Royal Caribbean for more information. Tracking outbreaks on ships The CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program tracks illness outbreaks on cruise ships each year. While it did not specify what caused the latest outbreak, it says norovirus is often the culprit for such outbreaks. "Finding the agent that caused an outbreak (causative agent) can take time," the CDC said. Norovirus, which is sometimes called the "cruise ship virus," causes more than 90% of diarrheal disease outbreaks on cruise ships, according to the CDC. However, norovirus outbreaks can happen anywhere, and outbreaks on cruise ships account for only a small percentage of all reported norovirus outbreaks. There are about 2,500 reported norovirus outbreaks in the U.S. each year. In 2025 so far, the CDC has logged six outbreaks on cruise ships — three of which were attributed to the norovirus. One of the outbreaks this year, on Silversea Cruises' Silver Ray voyage in January, was caused by E. coli, the CDC said. A voyage is included on the CDC's list if it reported more than 3% of its passengers or crew reporting gastrointestinal symptoms. Norovirus outbreaks are usually more common during cooler months, typically happening from November to April in countries above the equator, according to the CDC.
