Silversea Announces Record 2010 Sailing Schedule

Silversea Cruises has rolled out its schedule for 2010 with a record number of voyages visiting more than 355 ports in 95 countries and island destinations. In total, over 175 itineraries will be offered aboard the company’s ships -- Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and the new Silver Spirit. Reservations open on Jan. 12, at which time the complete itineraries for all ships will be available at www.silversea.com.

“Our fleet expansion presents many opportunities for innovative deployment,” said David Morris, Silversea’s executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. “With the addition of a fifth all-suite ship in 2010, our schedule will offer an exceptionally broad range of travel choices, including Silver Spirit’s exciting 91-day Grand Inaugural Voyage, and the first-ever year-round deployment of Silver Cloud in the Mediterranean.”Among the 2010 highlights are Silver Shadow’s return to Alaska plus nine new Silversea destinations: Le Verdon, France; Rimini, Italy; Ile Rousse, Corsica; Cardiff, Wales; Sendai, Japan; Chan May, Vietnam; Lakshadweep, India; Buzios, Brazil; and Seydisfjordur, Iceland.

Silver Cloud starts the year exploring South America before heading to the Caribbean. After spending May in the Mediterranean, the ship will be positioned in Northern Europe from June through mid-September exploring the British Isles, Iceland, and Norway, plus Baltic voyages with extended stopovers in St. Petersburg. Other highlights include Voyage 1016, offering a first-time visit to Le Verdon, gateway to France’s Medoc vineyards, and Voyage 1025, featuring an inaugural call to Seydisfjordur, Iceland. In autumn, the ship heads south, kicking off its first-ever year-round deployment in the Mediterranean with explorations of Egypt, Israel and Turkey.

For Silver Wind, 2010 begins in South Africa with a series of roundtrips from Capetown, followed by a cruise along the west coast of Africa positioning the ship in the Mediterranean for spring and summer cruises. The Mediterranean season will feature maiden calls to Ile Rousse on Corsica’s northwest coast and Rimini on Italy’s Adriatic coast. Voyage 2016 overnights in Monte Carlo during the Grand Prix. In the fall, the ship heads to the Indian Ocean to make a first-ever call to India’s Lakshadweep archipelago.

Silver Shadow kicks off the year with a series of Caribbean voyages highlighted by three Panama Canal transits. It returns to Alaska for the summer, offering 14 cruises ranging from seven to 12 days, including round-trip or open-jaw departures from San Francisco, Seward and Vancouver. For the first time, the ship will reposition by sailing the Bering Sea from Alaska to the Far East and also make a maiden call in Sendai, Japan. During October and November, the ship will offer cruises focusing on China and Vietnam before heading to the South Pacific to holiday in Australia and New Zealand.

For Silver Whisper, the year opens with Australia, New Zealand and the Far East featured on six itineraries, ranging from nine to 18 days. Highlights include an inaugural call to Chan May, Vietnam, gateway to the former imperial city of Hue. During spring, the Arabian Peninsula is showcased with departures from Dubai. The summer finds Silver Whisper exploring Northern Europe on a series of mostly seven-day voyages, many offering extended stays in St. Petersburg. A trans-Atlantic crossing from Southampton to New York will reposition the ship for fall foliage cruises through Canada and New England before heading to Bermuda, the Caribbean and South America for the balance of the year.

During spring 2010, Silver Spirit will embark on a two-week trans-Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton, highlighted by Silversea’s maiden call in Cardiff, Wales. From May through October, the line’s newest ship will explore the Mediterranean, offering mostly seven-night cruises that can be combined. Silver Spirit wraps up her first year of service back in the Caribbean.

Details on the 2010 schedule for Silversea’s expedition ship, Prince Albert II, will be available in the coming weeks.

Silversea is an elegant Luxury line specializing in personalized experiences ashore, and gracious service aboard. True luxury without compromise. Interested? Drop me an email at amber@cruiseresource.com!

More Luxury in Tahiti

Just as Princess is wrapping up its final season of the Tahitian Princess in French Polynesia/Tahiti, yet another luxury line is announcing plans to sail there. Joining the Regent Paul Gauguin and Star Clippers Star Flyer will be the Silversea HSH Prince Albert II.

As we discussed a few days ago, the HSH Prince Albert II is the new luxury expedition ship for Silversea which is currently undergoing extensive renovation to turn it into a ship worthy of the Silversea name.

I've been asked several times when Princess will be going back to French Polynesia, or if another line will go there instead. Frankly, the French Polynesian government would much prefer to have lines such as Silversea, Star Clippers and Regent there. Princess was there mostly because they agreed to the government's terms in order to purchase the former Renaissance ship, which they then renamed Tahitian Princess. They had a good run there for several years, but were running into issues on airlift capacity and pricing, many times with the air cost being very close to the cruise price, not something generally experienced by typical Princess passengers. I'd be surprised if French Polynesia will be anything more than a stop or two on longer itineraries for lines such as Princess, Celebrity and Holland America for the foreseeable future.

I'm sorry to see a mid-level line leaving this market simply because French Polynesia is one of my favorite place on earth. It doesn't suffer the tourist overload that Hawaii's development over the years has created, maintaining much more of its pristine beauty and low impact tourism. The water there is so incredibly beautiful, and with the lagoons surrounding these ancient islands, it's accessible for a variety of activities, from snorkeling, swimming, great beach days, magnificent sightseeing on the mountains, and of course my passion scuba diving. It's the most romantic place I've ever been.

Obviously, this is not a budget destination. But for a trip which is truly extraordinary for the senses, it's absolutely worth it. Have a special anniversary coming up? Second (or first) honeymoon? A "I've dreamed about it" trip? Contact me for more information. I am a Tahiti Tiare Specialist, so can help you with all your arrangements and match you up with an idyllic trip to this tropical paradise. Believe me, you'll fall in love with it too.

Expedition Adventures in True Luxury

Taking one more step toward offering their new expedition product, Silversea Cruises has announced they will name their new expedition ship HSH Prince Albert II, in tribute to HSH Prince Albert of Monaco. The ship is the former World Discoverer II, and is currently undergoing extensive renovation, both interior and exterior, to bring the ship to Silversea's exacting standards of luxury. But don't be misled - this isn't a ship for soft expedition cruising. They are anticipating full expedition-style landings for sophisticated travelers who want to experience both luxury and pampering onboard, but exploration and adventure ashore.

The Lloyd's Register A1A ice-rated vessel is purpose-built for expedition cruising and is undergoing an extensive multimillion-dollar renovation at the Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy. The refurbishment will include exterior design modifications, technological enhancements and a comprehensive upgrade of all guest accommodations and public spaces. The ship is also being outfitted with a new fleet of eight Zodiac boats with low-emission engines. The HSH Prince Albert II will be equipped with satellite communication systems for bow-to-stern wireless Internet access and cellular phone service with guests' own cell phones. All suites and staterooms will feature flat-screen monitors offering interactive TV and video options. In the ship's lounges, the latest audio-visual equipment, complete with high-definition video screens, will display lectures by the expedition and lecture staff as well as visiting destination experts.

In a related development, the company named Conrad Combrink as Silversea's director of expeditions, with responsibility for developing the ship's itinerary and programs. He will also oversee the recruitment of expedition staff and lecturers. Combrink's career of over 10 years in expedition cruising includes serving as expedition leader on World Discoverer I and II. The Prince Albert II's inaugural season features voyages of 10 to 21 days focusing on polar adventures. Sailing first to the Arctic Circle, Svalbard, Iceland and Greenland for the summer, the ship will reposition to South America and Antarctica for autumn and winter voyages. From mid-August to November, HSH Prince Albert II will journey from the east coast of North America through the Panama Canal to Los Angeles before heading south to Ushuaia. Along this special repositioning route are opportunities to explore the Sea of Cortez (with an extension to Copper Canyon), the Falklands and South Georgia Island. Pricing starts at $3,867 per person, double occupancy, and includes shore excursions as well as Silversea's all-inclusive amenities. After the ship's refit, the ice-class vessel will carry 132 guests in 66 ocean-view accommodations, many featuring private verandas. Staterooms and suites range in size from 180 to over 600 square feet. Eighteen suites will each be more than 400 square feet. Other features include a single-seating main dining room, a library with computers and Internet access, a boutique, a beauty salon, a fitness center, a full-service spa and two Jacuzzi pools. The ship will also have several lounges, including a cigar lounge like the Humidor on the line's other ships.

Staterooms will go on sale on Feb. 29. Interested? So am I! Contact me for more details and to book this remarkable adventure!

And the Surcharges Just Keep Coming...

This afternoon, Silversea becomes the latest line to assess their flavor of fuel surcharge, at the rate of $10/person per day for all 2008 bookings made on or after November 14, 2007.

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