Forget the days when traveling on a ship was the experience. Imagine unlocking bespoke adventures catering to your wildest dreams. Encounter polar bears within metres or watch whales breach next to your Zodiac vessel. How about visiting remote villages and partaking in rituals unknown to any other culture.
Silversea’s newly refurbished Silver Cloud ship docked at Cape Town harbour this week, and an onboard tour unveiled her true luxury and fascinating tales of exploration. The ship sailed off on Wednesday, on a journey planned on one of the most unique itineraries in the industry. She sails from Cape Town via St Helena, on to Accra then Lisbon and all the way up to London.
After a two month dry dock in 2017, she has been transformed into a world-class, spacious, modernised expedition vessel with the ability to explore over 189 destinations which include the Arctic and Artartic, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
Silver Cloud follows the path of of other great explorers in the fleet and this year she will go on expedition into the ice with only 200 guests aboard.
Options on the intimate ship include five dining options, unrivalled service and spacious suites styled in muted taupes and beiges.
Staterooms boast modern furnishings, bedding, carpets and TV’s. The bathrooms have been upgraded with eloquent touches. The unexpected spaciousness in all the rooms is a welcome feature. You could be fooled into believing you are in a luxury hotel on land.
Gamblers beware, this is now an expedition ship, so the casino has been removed. There is enough to keep you entertained though, a theatre, spa, library, fitness centre and photo studio will make your sail unforgettable. But only once you’re on a Zodiac boat, being transported to unchartered destinations, does the real fun begin.
Silver Cloud sets sail with a team of 22 expedition leaders, 16 Zodiac vessels, 12 kayaks and passengers hungry for adventure.
Conrad Combrink, Senior Vice President of Strategic Development Expeditions and Experiences is more excited now than ever about Silver Cloud and her new journey.
“The new buzzword is luxury tour expeditions. Right now there are 25 ships being built right now and they all have that tag on them – luxury. But what is luxury? Walking around the Silver Cloud, you don’t feel like the is an operative luxurious vessel. Our company have never been about that, we are about understated luxury, everything we do makes us a company offering a luxurious experience. From the ship, to the staff we employ, from the laundry to the crew members, to the Captain. The way we interpret destinations, all of that combined is luxury. A ship, as beautiful as it may be is not enough for a luxury experience,” said Combrink.
In June Silverseas celebrates a milestone in the industry, 10 years ago they begun their operations. And now, they cover over 600 destinations with their expedition fleet alone.
“At Silversea we cover nearly 900 destinations on seven continents. We are constantly find ways to introduce new destinations. Last year we became the first cruise line to offer a voyage to Bangladesh. We first spent years exploring it before introducing it, this is a completely immersive and very unique experience,” said Combrink.
And they don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon, on to the next great experience and expedition – always pushing the envelop and creating unforgettable experiences.
Pictures: Nidha Narrandes