Silver Cloud (ship)

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Silver Cloud in Antartica
History
OperatorSilversea Cruises
Port of registryNassau,  Bahamas
Launched6 March 1993
Maiden voyage2 April 1994
Identification
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
TypeCruise ship
Tonnage16,800 GT[2]
Length514 ft (157 m)[1]
Beam71 ft (22 m)
Decks9 total, 6 for passengers
Speed18 knots (33 km/h)
Capacity296 passengers
Crew222

Silver Cloud is a small cruise ship operated by Silversea Cruises, the luxury brand of the Royal Caribbean Group conglomerate of cruise lines. She entered service in 1994 as Silversea's first ship. Her sister ship is the Silver Wind, launched in 1995.[3]

Silver Cloud formerly sailed on European itineraries (both the North Sea and the Mediterranean) in summer. In winter, she cruised in the Caribbean and South America.[3] Since the ship was ice strengthened in 2017, itineraries have concentrated on polar regions, with visits to less common cruise destinations on transfers between the Arctic and Antarctic.

History[edit]

Silver Cloud departing Southampton 2011 in old livery

As of 2008[4] the ship cruises the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean with stops at the Bahamas and in the Caribbean Sea, as well as journeys to the Atlantic coast of South America. Some cruises take passengers through the Mediterranean Sea. She also transits the Suez Canal with cruises through the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf calling at ports along the route that normal tourists seldom visit, such as Jeddah[5][6] in Saudi Arabia.

The Silver Cloud has been home to both the United States men's and women's national basketball teams during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, Brazil.[7]

Silver Cloud moored with HMS Belfast at Tower Bridge
Silver Cloud in original dark hull expedition livery and added zodiacs to upper decks.

In 2017, the ship underwent a comprehensive rebuild to bring her up to ice class, with the addition of a fleet of zodiacs added to the tops decks.[8] The interiors also received a refit, with a reconfigured observation lounge and refurbished public spaces.[9] The hull was repainted a dark blue to distinguish it as part of the expedition fleet. The is livery was later changed to match the grey hull of the rest of Silversea fleet. The ship primarily sails on expedition cruises, including polar regions.

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Ship details Archived 19 July 2012 at archive.today by "Seven Blue Seas Vacations"
  2. ^ Ship details by "Largay Travel"
  3. ^ a b "Silver Cloud". Condé Nast Traveler website. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 10 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2014.
  4. ^ Cruise Plan of the Silver Cloud
  5. ^ Article in the Arab News of 1 April 2008
  6. ^ Article[dead link] in the Saudi Gazette Archived 6 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ For U.S. Basketball Players, the Olympics Are a Cruise, Ship, That Is By ANDREW KEH; 6 August 2016 the New York Times
  8. ^ "Silversea's Silver Cloud: First glimpse as she joins expedition cruise fleet".
  9. ^ "Silversea reveals plans for Silver Cloud interiors". CruiseandFerry.net.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]