Now we have had feedback from a number of guests, we find the response to the ship has been overwhelmingly positive, and whilst there has been pushback on the pre-bookable dining options, Silversea have responded quickly with changes to be put in effect from October, which will effectively open up open seating, and remove the controversial different dress codes for different restaurants.
The same week, Silversea and Italian shipyard Fincantieri, which built Silver Muse, signed a contract worth about €310 million for the construction of a sister, due to join the fleet in 2020, and tentatively named 'Silver Moon'. This will expand Silversea's fleet to ten ships, well on the way to Chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio's stated ambition for twelve.
That's not all! In a surprise announcement, Silversea revealed plans to enhance Silver Spirit. An extensive refit in March 2018 will include a small 'stretching' which will increase the capacity of the ship from the current 550 to 608, and there will also be an upgrade of the lounges, a new Zagara spa, additional restaurant options, new suite designs similar to Silver Muse (watch out those of you who love a bathtub, some of the redesigned suites will be shower only), and a larger pool deck with a new outdoor aerobics area and lots of outdoor seating.
Meanwhile Silver Wind and Silver Whisper will undergo some refurbishment during a December refit. For Silver Whisper, some technical improvements will increase guest comfort, and there will be a redesign of public areas, many of which will take inspiration from Silver Muse's décor. Meanwhile Silver Wind will also receive enhancements to the public areas.
We have also recently received details of Silversea's programmes for summer 2019 and beyond, and there are a few you should definitely look out for. Silver Wind boasts a whole series of UK round trips, so if you prefer not to fly, look out to see if one of the many options might suit you. In May and June we see Tower Bridge round trips to include Round Britain (14 nights), Norwegian Fjords (10 nights) and Scandinavia (13 nights).
A 28-day combo departing 22nd June takes you all the way to the North Cape, including the Norwegian Fjords, then into the Baltic including St Petersburg before returning to the UK. In contrast, a 22-day combo departing 20th July takes you to Iceland for a wonderful in-depth northern exploration. In August, an 13-day Ireland cruise is followed by a fantastic 35-day northern route Atlantic crossing from London to New York, the ultimate Viking adventure. (This cruise combines three back-to back-sailings: London to Reykjavik, Reykjavik to Montréal and Montréal to New York).
Alternatively, if Expeditions is your thing, look out for an amazing British Isles in-depth journey on Silver Cloud (13th May for 22 nights - London to Dublin and Dublin to London), some extraordinary Arctic, Iceland and Greenland options, including a 16-night Greenland-focused expedition on 26th August, and then the long journey to Antarctica where she will winter for the 2019/20 season. And last but not least, Silversea's first ever Northeast Passage cruise from Nome to Tromso departing 10th August for 25 nights. The sailing is practically full already, but worth a waitlist for those who have been everywhere!
