Silversea has announced it will transfer the Silver Cloud to its luxury expedition fleet in November 2017. The elite ship that launched the luxury cruise company to fame, with a capacity for 296 passengers and primarily intended for polar waters, will be converted into an icebreaker during an extensive refurbishment scheduled for August 2017.
Upon becoming an expedition ship, the Silver Cloud will have a capacity for 260 passengers, all in suites, and will sail itineraries in non-polar regions. During Arctic and Antarctic itineraries, the passenger limit will be reduced to 200. Silversea is a member of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). It also adheres to the guidelines of each organization to ensure sustainable tourism. These guidelines include measures such as limiting the number of passengers disembarking in certain Arctic areas and allowing expedition ships with fewer than 200 passengers to disembark at a greater number of locations in Antarctica.
“ Silver Explorer ’s polar expedition voyages have proven extremely popular with our guests,” said Enzo Visone, CEO of Silversea. “By converting Silver Cloud into an icebreaker for our expedition fleet, we will be better positioned to meet the growing demand for comfortable adventure tourism, especially for Arctic and Antarctic voyages, where smaller ships with ice-strengthened hulls allow for better exploration.”
The Silver Cloud will be the only luxury expedition icebreaker to offer five dining options: The Dining Room, the Relais & Châteaux® restaurant, La Terrazza, The Grill, and suite service. The ship will boast the most space per person and the highest staff-to-passenger ratio (nearly one to one) among luxury expedition icebreakers. Each expedition team will have an average of one team member as a guide and a maximum of twelve passengers per team. In addition, the ship will feature a fleet of 18 Zodiacs for close-up explorations.
Currently, the luxury expedition company operates three all-suite expedition ships: the Silver Explorer, the Silver Discoverer , and the Silver Galapagos. Together, these ships explore nearly 500 remote destinations, from Africa, Australia's Kimberley Coast, and Russia's Far East, to the Galapagos Islands, the British Isles, and the polar regions.
Passengers enjoy an onboard program of destination lectures, photo presentations, and daily summaries. Exploration excursions are complimentary and led by a team of experts, including marine biologists, ornithologists, geologists, botanists, historians, and anthropologists.
These expedition cruises offer a comfortable, intimate, and enjoyable onboard lifestyle, where passengers can feel right at home while exploring distant lands. Guests enjoy ocean-view suites, gourmet cuisine, personalized butler service, and a wide selection of all-inclusive onboard amenities, including complimentary beverages, wines and spirits, a fully stocked minibar in every suite, and free Wi-Fi for all passengers.
Silversea's program for 2017 will be announced in the coming days.
