Silversea Cruises passes a momentous milestone in 2019: 25 years as the industry’s leading ultra-luxury cruise line. Since first setting sail in 1994, Silversea has unlocked the authentic beauty of the world for almost half a million guests on approximately 4,100 voyages. Silversea’s ships have completed an accumulated total of over 47,800 cruise days, while the cruise line’s guests have travelled deeper on a combined total of more than 9.4 million cruise days.
Bringing innovation to the cruise industry with a truly pioneering concept, Silversea was the world’s first all-inclusive ultra-luxury cruise line when it launched in 1994. Purpose-built Silver Cloud – the cruise line’s first ship, which was unique insomuch as almost all suites included a personal balcony – was christened in Monaco on May 30, 1994, in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. Since then, Silversea’s guests have travelled to the world’s most remarkable destinations in unparalleled comfort, enjoying personalised service and an intimate atmosphere on board. Many aspects of the cruise line have evolved in the past 25 years, but these core principles have remained and today make a Silversea cruise unique.
When Silversea was founded by the Lefebvre family 25 years ago, the vision was to launch a cruise line that had a truly global reach, in the sense that guests from across the globe would discover the world’s remotest and most iconic regions in superlative comfort, with a broad spectrum of destination versatility. This vision has been successfully realised, as Silversea today unlocks immersive travel experiences for guests in over 900 destinations, from pole to pole – more than any other cruise line.
From just one ship in 1994, Silversea’s guests today enjoy a fleet of nine ultra-luxury, intimate ships—and an additional five ships are on order. Following the launch of Silver Cloud in 1994, Silver Wind doubled the cruise line’s capacity in 1995. Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper were launched in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Silver Explorer, the cruise line’s first ice-class ship, unlocked expedition experiences around the world for guests from 2008. Silver Spirit joined the fleet in 2009, followed by Silver Galapagos in 2013 and Silver Discoverer in 2014. The cruise line’s flagship, Silver Muse, was launched in 2017 and inspired a fleet-wide ‘Musification’—the systematic refurbishment of Silversea’s ships, which is ongoing. In 2020, Silver Origin – the most elegant ship to ever sail the Galapagos – and Silver Moon will join the fleet, followed by Silver Dawn in 2021 and the first of two Evolution Class ships in 2022.
Fine food from around the world, complimentary drinks throughout the ship, and a butler for each suite are just some of the many luxurious amenities that Silversea’s guests have enjoyed since the launch of the cruise line in 1994. Since Silversea’s acquisition by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2018, these icons of luxury – and many others – have been further enhanced by Project Invictus, a long-term plan to grow and enhance Silversea’s fleet of ships: guests enjoy complimentary, chilled champagne in their suites upon arrival and throughout the ship; complimentary sustainable caviar, available 24 hours per day; an enriched offering of canapes, seafood, berries, and fine steak cuts; and an enhanced wine list, which already comprises the largest complimentary offering at sea.
Silversea Cruises is proud to foster a family-like atmosphere and takes the opportunity of its 25th anniversary to recognize its loyal-most guests and crew—each of whom has made it possible to reach this significant milestone. The most loyal of Silversea’s guests have each accumulated more than 2,300 Venetian Sail days already, which equates to almost seven years spent aboard Silversea’s vessels. At its launch, Silversea began with just 25 land-based employees in Fort Lauderdale; at the end of 2018, there were 2,571 employees—comprising onboard crew and land-based employees in offices around the world.
