Silver Shadow is a cruise ship that entered service in 2000, and is operated by Silversea Cruises. The passenger capacity is 382 passengers, and there are 295 crew members. Her sister ship is Silver Whisper, and both ships were built by the Mariotti Shipyard in Genoa, Italy. They both have a high space-to-passenger ratio at 74, providing more space per passenger than any other cruise ship. Space ratio is calculated by dividing a vessel's gross tonnage by its passenger capacity. The passenger-to-crew ratio is also high, at 1.31 to 1.

Silversea is an ultra-luxury and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, Silver Cloud. Since July 2020, it has been owned by Royal Caribbean Group.