Silver Wind re-fit (conversion)

[crusinbanjo]

On 6/3/2021 at 9:47 AM, Randyk47 said:

The Wind was our first Silversea cruise back in 2012 and we have sailed on her a total of six times since so obviously one of our favorites.  We had wanted to be on her final classic cruise but my wife’s post graduate school break was earlier so we took her January 23 sailing out of Ft Lauderdale.   Had a great 11-day cruise and little did we know her last classic season was going to be cut short in a few weeks.   

The Wind was our first SS cruise as well, back I think in 1996?  She was brand new at the time and the Cloud was the only other SS Ship.  I remember when they announced the first of the new builds and the reaction of the Pax when they said the new ships would carry 500+ pax...... everyone groaned.  Mrs Banjo and I have been in love with the Wind and the Cloud ever since and all but one of our SS cruises have been on one or the other.! 

[brimary]

Agree with your summary re Cloud and Wind.We share similar experiences since starting with SS in 1997 and majority of cruising done on The Two Small and Beautiful ships.In fact we have never sailed on any SS ship other than the first four ,including Whisper and Shadow.Enjoyed every year since starting in late 90s to 2019 when the Pandemic has put a stop to our annual SS adventure.So many happy memories but no appetite for going on the larger ships in the fleet particularly following the RC takeover.Just hope they do not transfer all 4 small ships into Expedition cruise ships which seems to be the trend at the moment.

[Stumblefoot]

On 6/7/2021 at 9:38 AM, brimary said:

In fact we have never sailed on any SS ship other than the first four...

 

...no appetite for going on the larger ships in the fleet particularly following the RC takeover.

As someone who has sailed on the original Cloud, Shadow, and Whisper, I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the Muse Class ships.  Same great crew and feeling of intimacy, yet so much more F & B choice.  And, the RC takeover has been practically nothing but positive.  I hate to think where SS would be now if it was still in private hands.
 

While I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on the original four ships again, I do find myself drawn to the newest ships in the Classic Fleet.

[Randyk47]

6 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

And, the RC takeover has been practically nothing but positive.  I hate to think where SS would be now if it was still in private hands.
 

My take on the RC takeover is positive in the sense that I had feared there might be a degradation of service, food, ship maintenance, etc., as RC implemented their overarching corporate standards.  That hasn’t happened at least yet and we have not perceived any changes either positive or negative.  I do wonder about the last statement.  I remember Silversea was looking for funds to finance its plans for renovation of the existing fleet and the construction of new builds but I don’t remember thinking they were in financial trouble.   

[les37b]

7 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

As someone who has sailed on the original Cloud, Shadow, and Whisper, I think you would be pleasantly surprised by the Muse Class ships.  Same great crew and feeling of intimacy, yet so much more F & B choice.  And, the RC takeover has been practically nothing but positive.  I hate to think where SS would be now if it was still in private hands.
 

While I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on the original four ships again, I do find myself drawn to the newest ships in the Classic Fleet.

 

i can remember seeing the Muse for the first time and thinking it was just too big. After getting off, I know I was happy with the ship and happy to sail again - but still loved the Wind. Funnily, I never got the same attachment to Shadow or Whisper but can openly say its a sentimental thing for the "baby" ships. I'd sail on Wind or Cloud again with no problem or the Muse, Spirit, Moon and Dawn with equal positive anticipation. On that note, I've had Wind, Spirit and 2 Moon covid cancellations and now a Muse and 2 Dawn replacements which kinda proves that point. They do certainly look and feel much bigger, but in reality once on board, I dont think I'd get that feeling the ship was too big... especially after getting off the 6000 Virtuosa yesterday! lol

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, Randyk47 said:

…but I don’t remember thinking they were in financial trouble.   

You’re right, they weren’t in any financial trouble.  But, my comment was directed where they might be in the present environment.  For example, would they have had such ease to raise capital via debt offerings as RCL did?  

[rpramuka]

Anyone interested link to a video of Wind arriving in Gdansk: 

 

[retiredand happy]

The Wind looks kind of lonely in this video, but I know she will be beautiful when they are done. I am looking forward to my 11/20/21 cruise.

[cruiseej]

Interesting that she didn't go immediately into a dry dock. I guess there may be advance work they do before being moved into the dry dock?

 

I hope the shipyard continues to post videos and progress on this renovation as it proceeds. It's a first for them, and the drone video they posted seems to show they want to show off this new work for their yard.

 

If you go to the YouTube version of this video, there's a link for more information. I ran that page through Google Translate and posted it below. It's quite long, and includes a history of the type of work done in the Polish shipyards, and the complete history of Silversea. I've highlighted in bold what it says specifically regarding plans for the Wind renovation -- which is unfortunately just a rehash of what was in previous press releases from Silversea, not any new information about the scope of the work this shipyard has been engaged to do. I'm still hoping for word from Silversea that they are indeed performing all the upgrades they previously promised, and that they have not scaled back the upgrades to cost costs.

 

It would also be very interesting to know why they chose to break with their longtime shipbuilders in Italy and Malta -- including the one which was scheduled to do the Wind renovation, which did the similar Cloud renovation several years ago -- to move to a shipyard in Poland which has never worked on a luxury cruise ship before. Lack of workforce availability in Malta? Aggressive pricing from the Polish shipyard? I'm guessing they will never say and we will never know what led to this change. I just keep hoping it isn't because of a reduction in the scope of the renovation to just the structural and mechanical changes needed, without the promised enhancements to the public/hotel areas of the ship.

 

Here is the Google translated article from the shipyard:

 

The first such cruise ship under modernization and renovation in Poland - Silver Wind at Remontowa SA

 

On Wednesday, June 2 this year, Silver Wind entered Gdańsk Remontowa Shipyard SA, which will undergo a major renovation and modernization. It is the first cruise ship of this class and size of a renowned, even top shipowner, not only in the history of this shipyard, but also of all Polish shipyards.

In Poland, there were occasional cruise ships, for repairs or even modernizations. The Silver Wind is not one of the largest cruise lines currently in operation, but at the same time it is definitely a "top shelf" vessel.

 

Cruise ships, which in the last dozen or so years appeared in individual cases in Polish shipyards (mostly - in Remontowa SA), were not only smaller than Silver Wind, but most of all did not represent such a class and so renowned shipowners did not stand behind them.

 

They were, moreover, usually not "purebred" cruisers, but only adapted to such a role, eg from former passenger and car ferries. In addition, it happened that they did not come to us as "active cruise ships", and their last function before renovation or modernization in Poland was the role of a hotel owner, eg in the offshore wind or offshore oil and gas industry.

 

From the end of June to the first week of August 2010, a thoroughbred, small cruise ship, shipowner not belonging to the "1st league" - Vistamar (IMO No. 8701193), known in Poland as one of the first cruise ships, which returned quite often, was serviced at the Gdańsk Remontowa Shipyard SA to the port of Gdynia.

 

The Ocean Diamond passenger ship (ex Le Diamant; IMO 7325629) was also refreshed at Remontowa SA - it stayed in Gdańsk most of April and the whole of May 2012.

 

A few years ago, the Ocean Atlantic ship was in Gdańsk. It moored at the quay of the Gdańsk Shipyard, and a fairly extensive modernization of the ship's passenger spaces was carried out by the Baltec Marine company. This passenger-car ferry, which was then still a Soviet shipowner, under the name Konstantin Czernienko, was commissioned in 1986 by the Szczecin Shipyard (construction number B492 / 06).

 

This or other, Polish construction, passenger and car ferries, later adapted to the role of cruise ships, but periodically also used as, for example, hotel ships in the offshore industry, were also used in other Polish shipyards, but at least once, at least one of them was also in its time Remontowa SA.

It is worth recalling that Remontowa recorded the first major modernization and reconstruction of the passenger ship at the end of the 1960s. Stefan Batory, after being purchased from the Dutch, went to the Gdańsk Repair Shipyard in two stages (November - April 1969 and December 1969 - March 1970).

 

However, in total, in the history of Polish shipyards, there were very few cases of repairs and modernization of plug-in ships. The ship that has just arrived in Gdańsk is the first order of such market rank for a Polish shipyard in the cruise ship sector.

 

The shipyard has not yet announced the full scope of renovation and modernization. However, already in 2019, the shipowner announced (which was also reported by various industry media) that in the summer of 2020 (as part of the Invictus Project) the ship was to undergo a second modernization, adapting it to the role of an expedition cruise ship for fewer passengers received in more comfortable conditions and for cruises on new routes (including the Arctic regions, but not only, but also for other destinations, to places of natural beauty, inaccessible to larger and more typical cruisers of the more "mass" sector of the market).

 

As you know, due to the pandemic, the start of this modernization has been postponed. As part of it - as announced by the shipowner Silver Wind - the ship's passenger spaces, including cabins, are to be completely renovated. The hull is to be strengthened to ice class 1C (allowing navigation in ice with a thickness of up to 0.4 m), thanks to which the ship will be - as an expeditionary cruiser - adapted to cruises in the polar regions. The navigation equipment is to be modernized.

 

Regardless of what - in detail - the scope of renovation and modernization in Gdańsk, the acquisition of this project - the first of this format in the history of not only the Gdańsk Repair Shipyard, but also Polish shipyards in general - in relation to the "thoroughbred" cruise ship and such a renowned shipowner - is a great success on the very demanding market of units of this type.

 

The shipyard, however, has extensive references and experience, as it is known for the renovation and reconstruction of large passenger and car ferries, which were often modernized on a large scale, including not only power plants and propulsion systems, but also passenger spaces and navigation equipment.

 

Silver Wind belongs to the owner of Silversea Cruises, which is part of the Royal Caribbean Group. It was built in 1995, and in 2018 it underwent a major overhaul to adapt it to the current standards of the Silversea fleet.

 

It can accept 274 guests who have seven decks at their disposal. Silver Wind, similar to other SilverSea ships, provide an extremely high crew numeral coefficient to the number of passengers, a ratio of 0.87. Exquisite dishes are served in restaurants with 24-hour service.

 

Silver Wind has been designed to divide the oceans, and at the same time can be wrapped in small and charming ports. It swims In the area of South America, in the Caribbean and Northern Europe. After modernization, there will also be a cruise expedition vessel. Passengers during cruises will be able to take advantage of free trips run by the team of experts, including Biologists, ornithologists, geologists, historians or botanics, as well as from semi-rigid boats (RIB) type Zodiac allowing exploration of exotic banks.

 

Silversea Cruises was founded in 1994 as a joint venture v-ships (earlier known as Vlasov Group) from Monaco and the Lefebvre family from Rome. The shared owners were previously co-owners of Sitmar Cruises.

 

A new line, as one of the pioneers on the market, introduced all inclusive tariffs, containing tips, drinks, port fees, travel insurance and some free land trips.

 

The first SilverSea ship, Silver Cloud, entered the exploitation in April 1994. He joined him in January 1995 a sister Silver Wind, who was just welcomed in Gdańsk. Built with interior design and interior designed by the Norwegian architectural workshop Yran & Storbraaten, immediately won the recognition of demanding customers and took a high position expected by the shipowner on the cruise cruise market in the luxury segment.

 

In 2000, Silver Shadow joined the fleet, a year later Silver Whisper - enlarged mutations of the first two units, accepting deck after about 100 passengers more. In 2009, SILVERSEA was the foundation of his fleet for the Silver Spirit unit. Ships from this three were deliberately designed for a smaller number of guests, but provided more space and the highest level of service.

 

In 2012, Silversea took over Canodros SA, an Ecuadorian tourist company that operated on the Galapagos Islands, and with her - former Renaissance ship - Galapagos Explorer II (sold in May 2021). It was moved later to Silversea Expeditions along with Silver Explorer. In 2013, Silver Galapagos entered the exploitation. A year later Silversea Expeditions was a ship of Silver Discoverer, previously known as Clipper Odyssey.

 

Ninth ship, Silver Muse from the Fincantieri group, combining the classic elegance of Silversea with modern technology, added to the fleet in 2017. Twin Silver Moon, entered the exploitation in Silversea colors, in 2020. Silver Dawn, another SILVER MUSE sister ship, was already launched and will appear in Silversea fleet at the end of this or next year.

 

In 2018, Royal Caribbean Group purchased a majority shares package in Silversea for about a billion dollars. Shortly thereafter, the shipowner ordered three new ships: two EVOLUTION classes, which will be built by Meyer Werft (with planned deadlines for use in 2022 and 2023) and the Silver Origin Expedition Ship from the De Hoop shipyard in the Netherlands, which gave it in 2020.

 

In July 2020, the Royal Caribbean Group acquired the other SILVERSEA shares from Heritage Cruise Holding in exchange for 5.2 million shares of Royal Caribbean Group. Thus, Silversea Cruises is already entirely among the Royal Caribbean group.

 

Silversea Cruises, based in Monaco, was created to get and strengthen the position in the luxury cruising segment. The founders of the company depended that their vessels meet the highest standards, taking advantage of the spaciousness of a large ship with the intimate atmosphere of smaller units. From the beginning, ships offering exclusive apartments with private balconies have been planned.

 

Many speaks for the classification of Silversea ships in the highest segment of marine trips - including Apartments belonging to the most spacious, private butler watching over the convention of passengers, excellent kitchen, shipowner cooperation with the Relais & Châteaux brand, gathering unique hotels and exclusive restaurants. An important part of Silversea's activities are "Expedition" cruises - for example, on the Galapagos Islands or the sub-area surrounding.

 

Since the beginning of its activity, the Silversea line received numerous and repeated distinctions, such as the title of "the best line in the world" according to Condé Nast Traveler.

[cruiseej]

It looks like Silversea is starting the publicity campaign about the renovation of the Wind. This story (well, press release, really) is just out on CruiseReport.com.

 

For any careful readers of this description of the renovations versus the originally-announced description of the renovations, does it sound to you like perhaps they've scaled back slightly in the renovation of suites and common spaces? Or is this basically the same as the original plan?

 

Here's text from the original announcement in December 2018: "Part of Project Invictus – a long-term plan to grow and improve Silversea’s already luxurious fleet of ships – the second extensive refurbishment of Silver Wind will begin in August 2020. As well as benefitting from a strengthened ice-class hull, new state-of-the-art equipment for cruising in remote regions, a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks for on-water exploration, and an upgraded theatre, the second extensive refurbishment will enhance the ship’s comfort and Silversea’s hallmarks of luxury: all suites will undergo another full upgrade; the Spa & Salon will each be completely refurbished; the Reception/Atrium will be overhauled; and additional improvements will be made to La Dame, La Terrazza, the Main Bar, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, the Pool Bar, public bathrooms, and the Theatre, among other spaces. Accommodating fewer guests (just 254) and retaining her characteristic sense of small-ship intimacy, Silver Wind will offer higher space ratios, a higher crew-to-guest ratio, and more upper suites, among other enhancements."

 

This is text from the new press release: "The re-design includes an ice-strengthened hull for cruising in polar waters and state-of-the-art technology upgrades. Adding to her sustainability credentials, Silver Wind will be outfitted with a new advanced waste water treatment plant, new food waste treatment facilities, and new fuel-saving boilers... The ship will be fitted with a strengthened hull; ice-detector sonars, designed for use on icebreaker vessels; 24 Zodiacs; and 14 kayaks. With a reduced guest capacity of just 274, Silver Wind will deliver one of the most personalised expedition experiences at sea, carrying up to 28 expedition experts. Further enhancing the expedition experience for guests, a Photo Studio (formerly the Casino) with state-of-the-art equipment, a Mudroom, and a special water-heating system in the ship’s swimming pool will highlight Silver Wind’s new amenities. Following the ship’s comprehensive refurbishment in 2018, which saw the enhancement of most public spaces, an array of refreshments will enrich guests’ comfort in the ship’s suites and public areas. Silver Wind’s upper suites will be entirely refurbished, with new furniture and carpets, as well as new walk-in showers to complement the bathtubs. Silver Wind’s Vista and Veranda suites will also be updated, including the installation of new walk-in showers. Many of the ship’s public areas will also be refreshed, with re-painted walls and ceilings in La Dame, La Terrazza, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, and the Reception area. The Gym & Beauty Salon will be refreshed too."

 

So Veranda suites will "be updated, including the installation of new walk-in showers." Is that the same as what was originally planned when it was stated that "all suites will undergo another full upgrade"?

 

The original plan said "the Reception/Atrium will be overhauled; and additional improvements will be made to La Dame, La Terrazza, the Main Bar, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, the Pool Bar, public bathrooms, and the Theatre, among other spaces." The current description says: "Many of the ship’s public areas will also be refreshed, with re-painted walls and ceilings in La Dame, La Terrazza, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, and the Reception area."

 

The original plan said: " the Spa & Salon will each be completely refurbished"; now it says, "the Gym & Beauty Salon will be refreshed."

 

Also interesting is that the original plan was for 254 guests, but now it says it will hold  274 guests. (For Antarctic expeditions, that could have some significance, because it may require one additional group of passengers for zodiac excursions due to Antartica landing capacity limits.)

 

I don't know how significant these differences are; possibly not much at all. My impression is that they've scaled back some of the originally-planned renovations/upgrades. On the other hand, I'm sure they're not putting all this money into renovating the ship without wanting to make her shine. 

 

 

[les37b]

Can't wait to see the departure in her new blue external livery.

 

Here's hoping for a Thames re-union at some point in the future. Seems post covid there is nothing planned yet for 2022 or 23 for the Wind and only one visit for the Cloud on June 18/19 2022.

 

There were usually at least 6 to 8 sailings between them both each year! That's quite a drop. Hope that changes.

[etual324]

4 hours ago, cruiseej said:

It looks like Silversea is starting the publicity campaign about the renovation of the Wind. This story (well, press release, really) is just out on CruiseReport.com.

 

For any careful readers of this description of the renovations versus the originally-announced description of the renovations, does it sound to you like perhaps they've scaled back slightly in the renovation of suites and common spaces? Or is this basically the same as the original plan?

 

Here's text from the original announcement in December 2018: "Part of Project Invictus – a long-term plan to grow and improve Silversea’s already luxurious fleet of ships – the second extensive refurbishment of Silver Wind will begin in August 2020. As well as benefitting from a strengthened ice-class hull, new state-of-the-art equipment for cruising in remote regions, a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks for on-water exploration, and an upgraded theatre, the second extensive refurbishment will enhance the ship’s comfort and Silversea’s hallmarks of luxury: all suites will undergo another full upgrade; the Spa & Salon will each be completely refurbished; the Reception/Atrium will be overhauled; and additional improvements will be made to La Dame, La Terrazza, the Main Bar, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, the Pool Bar, public bathrooms, and the Theatre, among other spaces. Accommodating fewer guests (just 254) and retaining her characteristic sense of small-ship intimacy, Silver Wind will offer higher space ratios, a higher crew-to-guest ratio, and more upper suites, among other enhancements."

 

This is text from the new press release: "The re-design includes an ice-strengthened hull for cruising in polar waters and state-of-the-art technology upgrades. Adding to her sustainability credentials, Silver Wind will be outfitted with a new advanced waste water treatment plant, new food waste treatment facilities, and new fuel-saving boilers... The ship will be fitted with a strengthened hull; ice-detector sonars, designed for use on icebreaker vessels; 24 Zodiacs; and 14 kayaks. With a reduced guest capacity of just 274, Silver Wind will deliver one of the most personalised expedition experiences at sea, carrying up to 28 expedition experts. Further enhancing the expedition experience for guests, a Photo Studio (formerly the Casino) with state-of-the-art equipment, a Mudroom, and a special water-heating system in the ship’s swimming pool will highlight Silver Wind’s new amenities. Following the ship’s comprehensive refurbishment in 2018, which saw the enhancement of most public spaces, an array of refreshments will enrich guests’ comfort in the ship’s suites and public areas. Silver Wind’s upper suites will be entirely refurbished, with new furniture and carpets, as well as new walk-in showers to complement the bathtubs. Silver Wind’s Vista and Veranda suites will also be updated, including the installation of new walk-in showers. Many of the ship’s public areas will also be refreshed, with re-painted walls and ceilings in La Dame, La Terrazza, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, and the Reception area. The Gym & Beauty Salon will be refreshed too."

 

So Veranda suites will "be updated, including the installation of new walk-in showers." Is that the same as what was originally planned when it was stated that "all suites will undergo another full upgrade"?

 

The original plan said "the Reception/Atrium will be overhauled; and additional improvements will be made to La Dame, La Terrazza, the Main Bar, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, the Pool Bar, public bathrooms, and the Theatre, among other spaces." The current description says: "Many of the ship’s public areas will also be refreshed, with re-painted walls and ceilings in La Dame, La Terrazza, the Observation Lounge, the Panorama Lounge, and the Reception area."

 

The original plan said: " the Spa & Salon will each be completely refurbished"; now it says, "the Gym & Beauty Salon will be refreshed."

 

Also interesting is that the original plan was for 254 guests, but now it says it will hold  274 guests. (For Antarctic expeditions, that could have some significance, because it may require one additional group of passengers for zodiac excursions due to Antartica landing capacity limits.)

 

I don't know how significant these differences are; possibly not much at all. My impression is that they've scaled back some of the originally-planned renovations/upgrades. On the other hand, I'm sure they're not putting all this money into renovating the ship without wanting to make her shine. 

 

 

Photo Studio ?

[brimary]

3 hours ago, les37b said:

Can't wait to see the departure in her new blue external livery.

 

Here's hoping for a Thames re-union at some point in the future. Seems post covid there is nothing planned yet for 2022 or 23 for the Wind and only one visit for the Cloud on June 18/19 2022.

 

There were usually at least 6 to 8 sailings between them both each year! That's quite a drop. Hope that changes.

Sorry to learn of the lack of cruises to and from Tower Bridge.These have been the basis of our Silversea cruising due to our desire to cut flying out completely.Hope the situation changes to enable us to continue our 23 rd year  of annual cruising with SS.Its probably a result of SS policy to transfer the small ships to the Expedition fleet for Snow cruises which we are not great fans of!

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, etual324 said:

Photo Studio ?

 

Yes, they had a large one on the Silver Cloud when we were aboard a few years ago; the one on the Wind looks like it will be smaller. It's like a computer lounge, where people can view/edit/print their photos. The photographer conducts classes. There's a fee for most activities offered, so I didn't spend much time there even though I'm an avid photographer.

[philipb]

It is interesting that the re-fit is now being done in Poland, and I suspect this was a decision made on cost grounds. Well, at least it is being done after two (or is it three?) postponements due to the pandemic. I hope that the refurbishment is up to the standards employed when Silver Cloud was re-fitted. We thoroughly enjoyed our three expedition cruises on her in 2018 and 2019. They were unmissable experiences!

[cruiseej]

@philipb There's likely no way we'll find out why Silversea moved the Wind renovation from the shipyard in Malta which had done the similar job on the Cloud to this one in Poland, which has never before worked on a luxury cruise liner. As you say, perhaps it was a simple matter of cost. It could be this shipyard has been trying to get into the luxury ship market and made a great offer. Or perhaps they lost some business during the pandemic and were actively seeking new work, again with a low price. Or perhaps the shipyard in Malta and other shipyards in Italy which have built previous Silversea ships were booked to capacity, with capacity decreased due to Covid impacts on months they missed and their workforce staffing. 

 

We also don't have any clarity on whether Silversea has reduced the scope of this renovation from what was originally planned in order to reduce costs. I wrote above (post #185) about some of the changes in language in their press releases which seem to indicate a somewhat smaller scope of work, but it's no definitive. I suspect that when the Wind renovation is complete and the ship is rolled out, Silversea will put out additional press releases which may give us a greater understanding of what was done to the ship. In any case, it should feel nicely refreshed; it's just a question of whether they curtailed some things which were originally planned.

 

The original dry dock in Malta was scheduled to have taken two months. We don't know when this one is scheduled to be done. The Wind arrived on June 2, so it's already been more than two months. But there seems to be plenty of time available. The first scheduled sailing of the Wind is November 20, from Buenos Aires. Travel time from Gdansk to Buenos Aires is 3 weeks moving at a fast speed of 14 knots, or several days more at a more moderate speed. The ship may have one or more stops along the way to load provisions and staff, but it still seems to have until mid-October -- two months from now, and more than four months after it arrived -- to leave Poland.

 

For those of us booked on a Wind sailing this winter, we just sit and wait with fingers crossed for news about both the ship and the feasibility of travel to South America.

[cruiseej]

Hopefully everyone booked on a Silver Wind trip to Antarctica this winter received the email from Barbara Muckermann that they now have a clear path to operate this cruises - we're going! 😀🎉🤞

 

Instead of Ushuaia, we're now departing from and returning to Punta Arenas. That's a shorter flight from Santiago, and eliminates the need to pass through customers again, as it cuts out Argentina.

 

My biggest question is what affect this has on the itineraries, if any. Sailing to/from Antarctica is longer from Punta Arenas than Ushuaia. I hope they can make up that time at sea and not subtract any of our time on the Antarctic peninsula.

 

P.S. The Wind is still at the shipyard in Poland. Hopefully there will be some news on the completion of the refurbishment within the next month -- although it seems clear Silversea is confident she will make it to South America on time to begin the winter cruises.

[SailinC2C]

We just decided to book the Wind for Antarctica Jan 5 2023. We have never sailed Silversea before and we will be celebrating our 20th anniversary. Our honeymoon was our first cruise in Tahiti and we got hooked on cruising. Quite the temperature change!

[cruiseej]

I assume everyone booked on the Wind this winter has received the very sad news we were sort of expecting: the Wind's 2021-22 Antartica season is officially canceled. We would have switched to the Cloud, but the Cloud isn't visiting South Georgia around the same time. To make it just a tiny bit worse, if we rebook on next year's holiday cruise to South Georgia, it's on the Cloud -- so we don't even get the benefit of the more recently renovated ship. 😉

 

We're going to weigh your options, including moving to Seabourn, since their new expedition ship will finally be n service next year. 

 

Best wishes to all!

[kimanjo]

38 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

I assume everyone booked on the Wind this winter has received the very sad news we were sort of expecting: the Wind's 2021-22 Antartica season is officially canceled. We would have switched to the Cloud, but the Cloud isn't visiting South Georgia around the same time. To make it just a tiny bit worse, if we rebook on next year's holiday cruise to South Georgia, it's on the Cloud -- so we don't even get the benefit of the more recently renovated ship. 😉

 

We're going to weigh your options, including moving to Seabourn, since their new expedition ship will finally be n service next year. 

 

Best wishes to all!

 

Ugh, I know this was not the news everyone was hoping for with the Wind. I hope you can find an alternative.  Do you think the Wind is that far behind schedule, or Silversea doesn't have the bookings for 3 ships, even in Jan, Feb and March. If it were to be completed late.

[cruiseej]

I was thinking that if they had to skip the first cruise, or maybe two, it would still worth it to them to sail the Wind this season. And the fact that they hadn't canceled last month when they announced the deal with Chile to allow sailings led me to think it was probably close enough to being done that they thought they could make it go. So I'm surprised they canceled the whole season at this point. I wish they would be transparent about what went wrong in Poland, and how far behind it is, but I don't expect we'll get any explanation. 

 

Unlike some of the cruises which have been canceled in recent months where most people expected them to be canceled (e.g. Australia and southeast Asia), after they made the big PR splash about the cruises moving forward from Chile last month, I really thought we were going to be able to go. 

 

Trying to sift through various alternatives now... give up South Georgia Island and go this year on the Cloud? Go on next year's holiday cruise? Move to a different cruise line? Ugh... so disappointing!

[fudgbug]

3 hours ago, cruiseej said:

I assume everyone booked on the Wind this winter has received the very sad news we were sort of expecting: the Wind's 2021-22 Antartica season is officially canceled. We would have switched to the Cloud, but the Cloud isn't visiting South Georgia around the same time. To make it just a tiny bit worse, if we rebook on next year's holiday cruise to South Georgia, it's on the Cloud -- so we don't even get the benefit of the more recently renovated ship. 😉

 

We're going to weigh your options, including moving to Seabourn, since their new expedition ship will finally be n service next year. 

 

Best wishes to all!

Wrong assumption.  Not everyone has heard.  SAD for those of us booked on the Wind.

Edited October 7, 2021 by fudgbug

[cruiseej]

1 hour ago, fudgbug said:

Wrong assumption.  Not everyone has heard.  SAD for those of us booked on the Wind.

 

Sorry for the wrong assumption. Travel agents were notified today, and should have passed on the news to their customers. I believe the direct notice from SS to customers follows one day later (tomorrow). Perhaps those passengers booked directly with SS won't get notified until tomorrow? Meanwhile, it's at least been shared in multiple posts on Cruise Critic and on the Silversea Passengers Facebook forum. So in any case, now you know. 😉

 

And yes, very sad indeed for all of us booked on the Wind. Even though they had twice as long at the shipyard in Poland as they would have had at the original shipyard in Malta, they still couldn't;t have gotten it done. In hindsight, one has to wonder why they waited until June to start the work, instead of starting earlier this year to give more of a time cushion. We'll probably never know that, not what parts of the work or materials became critically behind and doomed the project. It's a big miss for SS -- probably more than $30 million in lost revenue for the winter season -- and a big disappointment to the many passengers who had been waiting all year... or two years... or three years... to venture to Antarctica on the newly-renovated ship.

Edited October 7, 2021 by cruiseej

[PINEY10]

We heard yesterday Wind not sailing the April Amazon cruise either. People will be transferred to the Cloud which will take over that cruise.   Personally I like the Cloud but sad about the Wind.  One more covid impact. 

[mspjerry]

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