By
Rebecca Gibson |
Expedition and luxury cruise operator Silversea is set to launch Silver Discoverer, its eighth vessel during a christening ceremony in Singapore on 24 February 2014.
The former Clipper Odyssey will undergo an extensive refurbishment at an Asian shipyard to install a large swimming pool, a gym and beauty salon, restaurant and pool grill, a lecture room and a panoramic lounge. Featuring five suite categories and 64 outside staterooms, the 128-passenger vessel will also join Silver Explorer and Silver Galapagos as the line’s third expedition ship, with 12 Zodiacs and a glass-bottom boat.
“A lot of people see us as a luxury cruise line that offers expeditions, but that isn't the case – we are an expedition cruise line that offers luxury experiences,” said Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s director of expeditions, speaking at a press event in London. “There’s no reason why travellers who want to go on an expedition ship should suffer, share bunks and eat nothing more than boiled potatoes. Passengers on Silver Discoverer can expect the same level of service as on all of our classic and expedition ships including butler service, Bulgari toiletries and all-inclusive shore excursions, food and beverages.”
Led by an 11-strong team of divemasters, marine biologists, historians and geologists, the ship’s expeditions will enable passengers to experience remote Pacific destinations including Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, the Russian Far East, Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
On 1 March 2014, Silver Discoverer will make her inaugural voyage from Benoa, Bali, through the Pacific to Cairns in Australia. Following this journey, the ship will sail to western Australia’s Kimberley region, enabling guests to explore the Montgomery Reef, King George Falls and enjoy an inclusive helicopter ride over the Bungle Bungles.
In June, the vessel will offer a 19-day, Wild Siberia: The Sea of Okhotsk itinerary, which visits the Sakhalin, the western Kamchatk Peninsula and the Kuril Islands in the Russian Far East. In November, guests can embark on an 18-day expedition from Cairns, calling at remote Pacific atolls such as the protected area of Kiribati, Bora Bora, New Caledonia, the Cook Islands, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
“It’s fitting that, in our 20th anniversary year, our newest ship will continue the Silversea tradition of reaching some of the most remote areas of the world,” said Enzo Visone, CEO of Silversea. “Silver Discoverer will bring our guests even closer to dramatic landscapes, historic locations and ecologically important destinations – all in the comfort of one of the finest expedition ships operating today with all the trappings that our guests have come to expect of Silversea.”