Silversea Cruises (alternatively, but incorrectly, called “Silverseas Cruises,” and occasionally spelled “Silver Sea Cruises” or “Silver Seas Cruises”) has a relatively small fleet consisting of only six vessels. They range in size, although they are all small by cruise-ship standards. Of course, the size of a ship does not correspond to the quality of services it offers, and in any case smaller cruise ships enjoy definite advantages over their larger counterparts. Below we have compiled some information about all the Silversea Cruises cruise ships, including both general information about the fleet and specific information about each ship.
In a world in which huge cruise companies dominate the market – Carnival and Royal Caribbean, with their dozens of ships spread across multiple cruise lines, control over 70 percent of the industry – you might wonder how Silversea competes. The answer is really quite simple: as we explained in a recent overview of Silversea Cruises, the cruise line does not directly compete with the huge cruise lines. Rather, they are focused on the luxury segment of the cruise industry, so they aren’t looking to attract a huge number of passengers so much as they are looking to attract high-paying ones. The Silversea fleet cannot accommodate nearly as many passengers as the major cruise lines – every passenger has more space on board, in addition to there being only six small ships – but it is not a problem because they charge a premium for their high-class services.
Although all Silversea ships are small, they are not equally small. By far the smallest ship, which is used for remote voyages to places like the polar regions, is the Silver Explorer. (The names of all Silversea ships begin with “Silver.”) It weighs a little over 6,000 tons, and it can accommodate only 132 passengers. The Silver Cloud and the Silver Wind are nearly three times this size, weighing 16,800 and 17,400 tons, respectively. Both accommodate 296 passengers and sail all over the world, as do all of the ships in the Sliversea fleet. (Most of the ships have planned itineraries for the next couple of years that take them all over the globe.) The three remaining ships are the Silver Shadow, the Silver Whisper, and the Silver Spirit. The first two weigh the same amount, 28,258 tons, and hold the same number of passengers, 382. The Silver Spirit is the largest of the fleet, weighing 36,000 tons and accommodating 540 guests. To be sure, these aren’t small ships, but they are absolutely dwarfed by some of the enormous ships that have been released over the last several years, including the largest cruise ship in the world.
Again, though, size does not correlate with quality, and the Silversea fleet has much to offer its customers. The rooms on Silversea vessels are among the largest offered by a cruise line, and every cabin has butler service and a view of the ocean (most rooms have private verandas, in fact). At the same time, Silversea ships have many of the same amenities as larger cruise ships, such as on-board casinos and spas. And because of their small size, Silversea vessels are able to access more secluded harbors, opening up travel opportunities unavailable to passengers vacationing with other cruise lines.
So, the Silversea ships have a lot to offer, but, as we mentioned in our last article, they come at a price. Silversea regards itself as a luxury cruise line for a reason. If you can manage to afford one of their cruises, however, and if you want to go to one of the destinations that Silversea sails to, you’ll enjoy ships that blend the advantages of both small and large cruise vessels.