Silversea to invest in ‘bridging the gap’ in its luxury expedition experience

Silversea is refining its expedition itineraries as it works to deliver an “exceptional” experience across every stage of the guest journey. 

 

A key focus is the pre and post-cruise experience for the line’s Antarctica programme and "bridging the gap" in the luxury experience for guests. 

 

Speaking to Aspire, Silversea’s senior vice-president of destination and itinerary management, Conrad Combrink, said: "The experience both on and off the ship is incredible, but the journey to and from the ship has always been problematic - not only for us, but for every [expedition] operator." 

 

To elevate the end-to-end guest experience, last year Silversea announced the launch of its first-ever hotel, The Cormorant at 55 South, which is set to open in January 2026 in the Chilean city of Puerto Williams as the world’s southernmost hotel. 

 

The 150-room property will host guests travelling on the line’s fly-cruise itineraries to Antarctica, marking the first stop after arriving from Santiago and final stop when departing the ship. 

 

Combrink said: “[Previously] guests would fly into Santiago in business or first class and then travel on a low-cost carrier to Puerto Williams, followed by a night in a substandard hotel – because there was nothing else out there. We cannot continue to call ourselves a luxury operator if there are elements of the journey that are substandard, so we are taking control of the entire journey for guests.” 

 

Silversea is the only expedition cruise line to operate Antarctica itineraries from Puerto Williams and The Cormorant at 55 South is designed to offer a luxury experience before guests depart. 

 

Combrink added: "It really is serving the purpose of enhancing the guests’ journey to and from the ship and bridging that gap."

 

To further elevate the experience, Silversea will also charter its own aircraft between Santiago and Puerto Williams, allowing for a consistent business class experience with Silversea-trained staff and elevated in-flight dining. 

 

Across its entire expedition offering, Silversea is boosting investment in the educational side of its itineraries to ensure onboard learning aligns with the cultural and environmental experience of each destination. 

 

Combrink said: “For us, an expedition is something where our guests leave at the end of the voyage feeling enriched and having learned something. Expeditions aren’t just about Zodiacs and going to uninhabited places, but also when the ship is berthed. We are investing heavily in training and development for our expedition staff, from soft skills and creating lectures to planning excursions.”

 

A new online training academy has been launched to support this, offering Silversea’s expedition team in-depth destination knowledge, safety content and resources. 

 

Looking ahead, Silversea plans to announce its 2027-28 expedition itineraries later this year, with Combrink hinting at additions to the programme. 

 

He said: “Expedition cruising has an incredible future. We believe in the growth of the segment and that there is a lot that we can still do – and you’ll see this when we launch our 2027-28 itineraries. There are completely new destinations that we haven’t touched before with expedition.”