Silversea expedition ship will ooze luxury

mercedes · March 14, 2008

Built to explore the harshest, most remote regions of the world, from Antarctica to the Bering Strait, expedition ships usually are rustic affairs. But there won't be anything rustic about Silversea's new expedition ship, the Prince Albert II.

In a press conference this week at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami, Silversea CEO Amerigo Perasso painted a picture of a globe-trotting vessel that will be as luxurious as it is hardy.

"It will be unprecedented in this segment of the market," says Perasso of the 132-passenger ship, which will debut on June 3. "We believe there is an untapped market for people who want a (high) level of comfort" even while voyaging to the ends of the Earth.

Among the highlights of the ship, says Perasso, are six spacious luxury suites that he says will be like nothing ever seen before on an expedition ship. Filling up the entire top floor of the vessel, the suites can be booked separately or together to form giant, multi-room mega-suites.

The Prince Albert II also will have an elegant theater (to be used mostly for lectures) and an outdoor deck with whirlpools -- unusual features for expedition ships. Other amenities not often found on expedition ships include a spiffy library and Internet center.

"We're quite positive that this will be a hit," Perasso tells us, noting that the line's wealthy customers are clamoring for the kind of adventures that only expedition ships can do. "We think the demand is there."

Silversea bought the 6,072-ton Price Albert II, which formerly sailed as the World Discoverer, last September, but people who sailed on the ship before will be hard pressed to recognize it. Silversea has spent millions gutting the vessel's interior and rebuilding it from the ground up, in the process reducing the number of cabins to make the ice-rated vessel more spacious and upscale.

The ship will spend its maiden season sailing to Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland, Belize, Costa Rica, the Sea of Cortez, South America and Antarctica. Prices for voyages start at $3,867 per person, based on double occupancy and including shore excursions.