Gallery: Silver Spirit lengthening
Silversea’s Silver Spirit ship has been split into two parts as part of a complex $70m project to extend it by 49 feet.
The 560-passenger capacity vessel, which first launched nine years ago, will come back into service on May 6 after being lengthened at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy.
Extensive refurbishments on board will attempt to mirror the design of Silver Muse – Silversea’s latest ship.
Barbara Muckerman, Silversea’s chief marketing officer, said Silver Spirit would join “the new generation” of Silversea ships – Silver Muse and the yet-to-be-delivered Silver Moon – following the lengthening.
Muckerman confirmed Silversea chairman Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio was in Miami discussing with Fincantieri bosses about fulfilling a second option to build a new classic vessel.
On Saturday, she told Travel Weekly: “The Spirit was a little bit odd in the middle in terms of style and sizing, now she joins the new generation of ships. Now we have Spirit, Muse and Moon as three sisters with subtle differences among them.
“[Silver Spirit] is the perfect ship to see the world.”
The lengthening will enhance the public spaces onboard the @Silversea ship including the pool deck area. A new health and fitness area will also be introduced. pic.twitter.com/guunq4zTzS
— Harry Kemble (@HarryKemble) March 10, 2018
Silver Spirit’s pool deck area will increase from 30 to 40 square meters and the owner’s suite will be completely overhauled as part of the lengthening project.
Peter Shanks, Silversea’s UK managing director, said Silver Spirit would have “a new lease of life” once it came back into service and would “bridge between the old and the new” vessels in the fleet.
He said: “This is about raising the game in terms of the customer experience. The new cabins, the new rooms, that is what gives it a new lease of life.
“It is almost a transition from an older Silversea to a new Silversea. Now with the Muse and the Moon that represents the new Silversea.
“The Wind and the Whisper represents the more traditional side of Silversea. The Spirit will now bridge between the old and the new. It is part of the journey to the new Silversea.”
Gallery: Silver Spirit lengthening