Silversea Silver Spirit in for a long stretch

Silver Spirit - a multi-award-winning cruise ship in Silversea's fleet of nine - has made her final port call before undergoing an extensive lengthening project in Italy. Docking in Dubai on 22 February 2018, the ship completed an eight-night cruise from Mumbai.

Silver Spirit will enter dry dock at the industry-leading Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo on 5 March, where she will remain until 1 May 2018. She will undergo large-scale refurbishment works, which will include the insertion of a prebuilt 15-metre-long (49-feet-long) segment into the ship's midsection, making her the first luxury ship to be lengthened in this manner. With the aim of augmenting the onboard experience for Silversea guests, the project will dramatically enhance each of the ship's public spaces with beautiful interior design, taking inspiration from the cruise line's flagship vessel, Silver Muse.

"Based on the wonderful feedback from guests sailing aboard our beautiful Silver Muse, we believe the comprehensive makeover we have planned for Silver Spirit will enrich the onboard experience and be equally appreciated by guests. They will see many of Silver Muse's innovations and elevated comforts embodied by our reimagined Silver Spirit," says Christian Sauleau, Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations for Silversea.

Enjoyed by the ship's guests and characterising Silversea's superior cruising experiences, Silver Spirit's atmospheric sense of intimacy will not be compromised by the planned enhancements. While some areas will grow in size, evoking the feel of spaciousness and enhancing comfort, special measures have been made to retain the ship's bijou feel. Silversea's trademark level of service will also continue: the improved Silver Spirit will enjoy an impressive crew-to-guest ratio of almost 1:1.

Following a lengthy phase of research, the turn-key transformation of Silver Spirit will amplify everything that matters most to Silversea's guests: dining options will increase in variation and advance in quality; additional suites will enrich the onboard accommodation; stylish décor enhancements will be made to existing suites and the ship's public areas; the pool deck area will be enlarged and reimagined; the addition of a new health and fitness centre will improve wellness facilities; and various other amenities such as the casino, will undergo tasteful transformations.

Following the enormous success of the distinct culinary concepts offered aboard Silver Muse, the dining options on Silver Spirit will be fundamentally reimagined to increase choice and improve guests' experiences: delivering gastronomic authenticity from across the world, Atlantide, Indochine, Spaccanapoli, and Silver Note will be installed to complement the existing Seishin, La Dame, The Grill, and La Terrazza – each of which will undergo refurbishment. Inspired by guest feedback, menus will be altered and refined across the ship's prevailing restaurants.

Elsewhere, new public spaces will elevate the overall comfort of the ship. A new addition to Silver Spirit, the Arts Café - an innovative, modern, multi-faceted area - will stimulate guests' senses on the eighth deck. Offering a relaxed setting for readers and tea/coffee lovers, the Arts Café will display exhibitions and performances. Inspired by Silversea's Italian heritage, Dolce Vita will occupy pride of place on Silver Spirit. It will be an elegant venue in which sophisticated travellers will gather, interact, and make lifelong friends. Cool cocktails will provide the perfect accompaniments to the smooth sound of live piano. Guests also stand to benefit from the installation of the Zagara spa - a blissful sanctuary that proved to be extremely popular on Silver Muse - and a fitness centre that will boast state-of-the-art facilities.

The lengthening project will create 34 new luxury suites, as well as a Balsorano suite – the pinnacle of onboard accommodation, which will be adorned with decorative items that are of personal value to Silversea's chairman, Manfredi Lefebvre d'Ovidio di Balsorano de Clunieres. The best existing suites on Silver Spirit's will grow in their appeal, with the addition of handmade Savoir® mattresses, horse hair toppers, and new HD screens for guests' comfort.

On 6 May 2018, Silver Spirit will commence her service with a seven-day cruise between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Barcelona, calling at Porto-Vecchio, Corsica; Livorno; Portofino; Cannes; and Marseilles. Fares start from AUD$7,800 per person, based on double occupancy in a Vista Suite.

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Boutique Cruise Ship, Azamara Journey, Returns to Sydney

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·         Third Australian season and biggest year yet for the boutique cruise line
·         2017/18 season expected to inject $3.5 million into the Australian economy
·         Visit part of line's first ever Australian 'Country-Intensive' voyage

Boutique, up-market cruise line Azamara Club Cruises returns to Sydney at 2pm today when the recently revitalised 690-guest Azamara Journey berths at White Bay for an overnight call, with guests from 17 countries onboard.

Azamara Journey's first visit to Sydney for the summer – part of the line's third season down under – is expected to inject around $1.2 million into the NSW economy during just two days in passenger spend alone, and $3.5 million into the Australian economy throughout the season.

Pic: Tim Faircloth

Journey's arrival in Sydney marks the completion of the line's first ever Australian Country-Intensive cruise, an 18-night voyage from Bali to Australia via the west and south coast for Australia. Along the way, Azamara Journey made maiden calls to Geraldton, Albany, Esperance and Fremantle in WA, as well as Kangaroo Island and Adelaide in SA.

Azamara Journey will offer four Australia and New Zealand cruises during the summer, including the line's first ever World Journey, departing Sydney on 7 March 2018. The 102-night cruise odyssey from Sydney to London will call at 60 ports in 29 countries along the way, including 19 late nights and 13 overnight stays throughout.

2018 will see Azamara Club Cruises mark its biggest year in Australia when the boutique cruise line brings both Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest down under, with Azamara Quest cruising the west coast of Australia in December 2018, making maiden calls at Broome and Exmouth and arriving in time for special New Year's celebrations in Sydney Harbour. Quest will also make the line's first turnaround in Melbourne in early 2019.

With smaller ships that can go places larger cruise ships can't, Azamara differentiates itself by making destinations the star of the show. The line stays longer in port than most larger ships, and offers more immersive itineraries that visit lesser-known ports, attracting an up-market, adventurous clientele.

Azamara Journey arrives into port at 2pm during an 18-Night Australian Country-Intensive voyage from Bali to Sydney, and will remain docked overnight, before departing at 6pm on 8 February 2018 on a 14-night Tasmania and New Zealand voyage.

To make a booking or for further information visit www.azamaraclubcruises.com.