Silversea Cruises is to dispense with formal nights in a trial it hopes will break the mould of the traditional cruise and appeal to a younger, first-time market.
If successful, the Privileged Passage programme will form a selection of cruises within Silversea’s main 2007 programme and could result in a dedicated brochure in future.
Silversea UK sales and marketing vice-president Trudy Redfern said the radical departure from the traditional formal cruise experience reflects the fact that the cruiseline sees itself as competing against on-land luxury resorts.
“We want to associate Silversea with the luxury element, not just as a cruiseline. Our research shows that potential new cruisers want increased flexibility. While we do have a high repeat factor we want to increase new business,” she said.
Other elements to the Privileged Passage programme will include early embarkation and late disembarkation at no additional cost – currently Silversea charges $100 – complimentary tours and a more casual-style of entertainment including jazz bands and disc jockeys from around the world.
The cruise selected for the trial is a 10-day Classic Reflections trip on Silver Whisper, departing Alexandria on 9 April.
It will call at Rhodes, Patmos, and Mykanos in Greece, Antalya and Kusadasi in Turkey and Tartous and Syria in Cyprus.
Silversea chief executive Albert Peter said: “In order to attract more first-time and non-traditional cruisers, we want to completely break the mould of the conventional cruise holiday and change travellers’ perceptions about the rigidity and formality often associated with cruising.”
Guests who have already booked on the Classic Reflections cruise have been informed about the changes.