One of my favorite ships has received a swanky new makeover.

Back in the spring, ultra-luxury line Silversea put its 2009-built Silver Spirit through a multi-million dollar refit that included lengthening the vessel by 49 feet. The amazing feat was accomplished by cutting the ship in half and inserting a new prefabricated midsection at Fincantieri’s Palermo, Italy shipyard.

It is an impressive technological feat, to be sure. Silversea could have rested on its laurels, having expanded the ship’s dining and culinary options – not to mention the addition of more of the line’s lavish suites. Instead, the company took the time to fully refresh Silver Spirit’s interior spaces, redoing all suites and public areas with the newer, lighter colour scheme introduced last year aboard Silversea’s flagship, Silver Muse.

So what has changed throughout the Silver Spirit? Here are the hard facts: the ship’s length has increased to 691 feet, and her overall passenger capacity rises from 540 to 608. That may seem like a lot, but remember: Silver Spirit grew by 49 feet in length over the span of eight passenger decks.

The line also took the time to make some welcomed improvements to this comfortable ship. Additional suites, including the soothing Silver Suites were added to the vessel. This is particularly important for those (like myself) that loved the original Silver Suites. These could (and frequently did) sell out on many itineraries. Now, the ship features more of these 746-square-foot wonders than ever before.

Silversea has done away with The Bar on Deck 5, replacing it with a new and expanded watering hole known as Dolce Vita. This is a huge improvement, as The Bar – cozy as it was – was too small for the ship. If you didn’t time your visit right, it could be hard to find a seat at cocktail hour. Now, that’s a thing of the past.

Also altered is the main restaurant, which has been expanded and reconfigured into two separate dining venues to reflect the style introduced aboard Silver Muse. Rather than having one cavernous main dining room, guests now choose between Atlantide and Indochine, both of which sport their own bars and distinctive menus.

Silversea also reconfigured several public spaces at the stern of Silver Spirit, adding the popular Arts Café that debuted aboard Silver Muse to the area formerly occupied by the ship’s Gift Shops on Deck 8.

Adjacent is Silver Note, which replaces Stars and occupies the space that was formerly the dark and under-utilized casino. The area formerly occupied by Stars now features expanded seating for La Terrazza on Deck 7, while the former Library and Internet Center serves as the new casino.

While we haven’t been onboard yet to form our own impressions, these first images released by Silversea look like good things are in-store for those sailing on Silver Spirit this coming season. After four journeys on this exceptional ship in her former incarnation, I can’t wait to see her in person with her new look, one which will carry her into her next decade of service.

See Silver Spirit’s full sailing schedule by visiting Silversea’s website.

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