Silversea Cruises officially named Silver Endeavour, the world’s most luxurious expedition ship, hosting ultra-luxury cruising’s first Antarctica naming ceremony on 19 November 2022, ahead of the inaugural voyage.
(View a video from the shake-down cruise below).
An expedition-style celebration was held in the Lemaire Channel, Antarctica, to inaugurate Silver Endeavour as the 11th ship in its fleet. Executives from Silversea Cruises, the ship’s Godmother Felicity Aston MBE, select members of the cruise line’s extended family, trade partners and media were in attendance as an ice-sculpted champagne magnum smashed against Silver Endeavour’s hull.
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Celebrations began at an intimate blessing ceremony, held at the Cape Horn Sub-Antarctic Center in Puerto Williams, on 15 November. Unable to attend in person, Jason Liberty, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, and Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises, sent a video message to thank the community, the crew, and all employees involved in the milestone achievement, while Barbara Muckermann – Silversea’s Chief Commercial Officer – and Felicity Aston each addressed attendees.
“We are excited to officially welcome Silver Endeavour to the Royal Caribbean Group fleet, bringing our global fleet to 64 ships,” said Liberty. “Silver Endeavour will continue to strengthen Silversea’s position as the leading ultra-luxury and expedition cruise line, allowing us to grow capacity while building upon Royal Caribbean Group’s mission of delivering the best vacations in the world, responsibly.”
“We are incredibly proud to have hosted ultra-luxury cruising’s first Antarctica naming ceremony for Silver Endeavour, our third ship to be named in just nine months,” said Martinoli. “I would like to thank Captain Niklas Peterstam and the ship’s crew, the entire Silversea team, Jason Liberty and all those involved at Royal Caribbean Group for their invaluable support in reaching this momentous milestone.
“Silver Endeavour strengthens our position as the industry’s leading cruise line, broadening our diverse polar offering for our guests’ enjoyment. A source of great inspiration for our guests, we are honoured to name Felicity Aston as the ship’s Godmother. Felicity is the perfect ambassador for Silversea; she shares the same unwavering sense of curiosity and adventure that unites all of our guests.”
Built to PC6 polar class specifications, Silver Endeavour is designed for polar exploration and will extend Silversea’s polar seasons. She carries state-of-the-art amenities, with an industry-leading Zodiac-to-guest ratio; kayaks; and cutting-edge navigation and exploration technology, including a remote gimbal camera system, which can capture high-quality images from 5km, among other amenities. She maintains Silversea’s trademark level of comfort, with a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1 and the cruise line’s hallmarks of luxury, including butler service for every suite and some of the most spacious accommodations in expedition cruising.
Lead image: Silver Endeavour crew member, Godmother Felicity Aston MBE, event emcee Peter Greenberg and Captain Niklas Peterstam.