Northeast Passage expedition marks a Silversea first
There is almost too much cruise news to talk about this week. That’s good for me and probably bad for my overworked editor. Following are three of my favourite cruise news stories of the week.
THE NORTHEAST PASSAGE
If you’re looking for a truly bucket-list cruise, you could hardly go wrong with Silversea’s (cruise.center/silversea) full transit of the Northeast Passage aboard its intimate luxury expedition ship, Silver Explorer.
It’s the first time that Silversea has done this tremendous voyage — created in part to mark the 10th anniversary of Silversea’s luxurious Silversea Expeditions brand.
On Aug. 10, 2019, the 144-guest ship will make the extremely rare voyage of 5,019 nautical miles (9,295 kilometres) on a 25-day journey from Nome, Alaska, to Tromsø, Norway. Sailing high above the Arctic Circle, this extreme cruise follows a route that few have travelled.
Even more exclusive than transiting the Northwest Passage that runs above the Arctic coasts of Canada, the Northeast Passage takes guests through the most remote reaches of Siberia and Russia before reaching Norway.
“In this special anniversary year, which marks Silversea’s decade of ultra-luxury expedition cruising, we’re particularly thrilled to announce our inaugural crossing of the Northeast Passage,” says Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s senior vice-president of strategic development for expeditions and experiences. “Continuing our legacy of exploration, this epic Arctic passage will take guests across the top of Asia and Europe to discover extraordinary landscapes, unique cultures and rare animal species, while enjoying the comfort of Silversea’s ultra-luxury Silver Explorer.”
This is the part where I always encourage people to book early for trips like this, but this one will sell out quick.
Even if it does, don’t be afraid to put your name on a cancellation wait list — last-minute spots sometimes crop up before final payment is due.
FROM TRIUMPH TO SUNRISE
Carnival Cruise Line (cruise. center/carnival) recently announced that it intends to massively refit its 1999-built Carnival Triumph next year.
The two-month long dry dock will cost more than US$200 million and will be so extensive that when Carnival Triumph emerges, it will be given a new name: Carnival Sunrise.
Carnival says it is redoing the ship from stem to stern in order to keep it in the fleet longer and to ensure the ship stays relevant.
To that end, it will be gutting the majority of the vessel’s public rooms and all staterooms and suites, refreshing them from the ground up with new decor, wall treatments and furnishings.
As well, Carnival will be adding its latest FunShip features and amenities, including an expanded adults-only deck and the new Guy’s Pig & Anchor Bar-B-Que Smokehouse venue that was introduced this spring aboard Carnival Horizon.
This sweeping stem-to-stern refresh comes on the heels of the conversion of Carnival Destiny into Carnival Sunshine a few years ago, and the sweeping revitalizations of Carnival’s two youngest Fantasy Class ships, Carnival Elation and Carnival Paradise.
When it enters service on April 29, 2019, Carnival Sunrise will offer cruises to the Caribbean from Norfolk, Va. Then on May 23, Carnival Sunrise will reposition to New York for its summer 2019 schedule to sail to Bermuda, the Caribbean and Canada and New England before arriving in October at its new winter home port of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to sail cruises to the Bahamas and Cuba.
A NIEUW DAY
Finally, Holland America Line (cruise.center/ holland) continues to tease details of its forthcoming Nieuw Statendam, which will set sail this December.
“Like its sister ship Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam is all about fine details and thoughtful touches throughout the ship that create an ambience of both elegance and style,” said Orlando Ashford, president of Holland America Line. “From the public areas to the staterooms, Nieuw Statendam is going to be stunning and very popular with our guests.”
In addition to sporting a redesigned top-of-the-line Pinnacle Suite and additional staterooms, Nieuw (pronounced “new”) Statendam will feature a three-storey-high atrium with a musically inspired centrepiece and a skylight that will serve as a high-definition projection screen. The ship will boast a more contemporary look and feel than Koningsdam did, along with all of the trademark features that Holland America is known for.
Unlike other behemoths setting sail this year, Nieuw Statendam carries just 2,600 guests.
Happy cruising.
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