NEWS SPECIAL REPORT


Silver Moon in Piraeus, Greece


SILVER MOON IN BRIEF


OTonnage: 40,700 gross tons OLength: 213 metres OPassengers: 596 OCrew: 411 OShipyard: Fincantieri OSuites: 298 ORestaurants: 8 OBars and cafes: 7 OGodmother: Gaia Gaja of Gaja Winery in Italy


Line lauds Silver Moon christening as ‘rebirth of cruising’. Katie McGonagle reports from Greece


Silversea hails ‘symbolic’ naming S


ilversea Cruises bosses described the christening


in Athens of new flagship Silver Moon as a symbol


of “the rebirth of cruising” and of the sector’s “resilience”. The 596-passenger ship is the ninth


in the fleet and the second Muse-class vessel. It features larger public spaces and expanded restaurants, and sees the first rollout of the line’s Salt (Sea and Land Taste) programme, which focuses on food and drink from the regions in which the ship is sailing. Richard Fain, chairman and chief


executive of parent company Royal Caribbean Group, said: “This is, in our case, the first new naming of a ship since the pandemic started, and it serves as a great symbol that cruise has returned for the travelling public. “It symbolises not only the birth


of a new vessel but the rebirth of cruising as a tourism destination. “We can see the world is opening


up and cruising is leading the way.” Fain said the company’s goal


had been to make cruise ships safer than land-based alternatives, and that the group had achieved that.


8 12 AUGUST 2021 Roberto Martinoli, president and


chief executive of Silversea Cruises, said: “This delivery was meant to happen almost at the beginning of the pandemic, but here we are eventually. “We are christening her as a


symbol of our industry’s strength


and resilience. We are very grateful to our travel partners for their efforts in supporting our guests to be with us.” Silver Moon was the line’s first


ship to restart sailing, on June 18, followed by Silver Origin in the Galápagos, Silver Muse in Alaska and


Silver Shadow in Iceland. The line also confirmed Silver Spirit would be sailing from the UK in September, and that there would be “many more ships to come” as part of an


“aggressive” growth plan. i News You Can Use, page 20


‘Over half of bookings for 2022 are Silversea first-timers’


Silversea reported stronger-than-expected demand for 2022 with more than half of bookings coming from new customers “trading up” to the luxury line. Speaking on Silver Moon, UK and Ireland managing


director Peter Shanks said: “It’s no surprise there’s pent-up demand, but it’s stronger than we thought. “For Silversea, the really impressive thing – and


that’s due to the support of our travel agent partners – is that over half of our bookings next year are from first-timers to Silversea. “People are trading up. They’re seeing the benefits


of ultra-luxury – the space and the all-inclusive value – so we’re seeing a lot of first-timers to Silversea but not necessarily first-time to cruising.” Silver Spirit will be sailing from the UK in


September, while Silver Dawn is due to launch on November 12 and will be the first to feature new


wellness programme Otium. Chief commercial officer Barbara Muckermann said: “It’s a new approach to health and fitness. It allows for chocolate, champagne and cream. It’s very indulgent and decadent.” These will be followed by two Evolution-class ships


in 2023 and 2024, each with new environmentally- friendly technology and “slightly bigger” than Silver Moon. Shanks added: “They will be game changers in ultra-luxury and expedition cruising. It’s the next generation of ultra-luxury cruising.”


‘It’s no surprise there’s pent-up demand, but it’s stronger than we thought’: watch Peter Shanks’ interview with T


ravel Weekly at: travelweekly.co.uk/media


travelweekly.co.uk


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