Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd has acquired the majority ownership of ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea. The transaction gives Royal a 66.7% stake in the company while the remaining 33.3% is owned by Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, the Executive Chairman of Silversea.
The Silversea fleet consists of nine ships – six cruise ships that carry between 300 – 600 passengers and three expedition ships that carry up to 150 passengers. The size of the ships allows Silversea to take passengers to destinations around the globe that large vessels can’t.
Royal Caribbean also announced that a vessel revitalization program called Project Invictus will begin immediately. All ships in the fleet will see service enhancements such as an upgraded champagne and caviar offering which will roll out on Silver Muse later this month. This and other enhancements will be implemented fleetwide, “impacting a wide variety of onboard features and strengthening Silversea’s reputation for indulgent, luxurious embellishments,” according to the line.
Two of Silversea’s ships will be entering drydock in December – Silver Whisper and Silver Wind. Both ships will receive features currently found on the line’s newest vessel, Silver Muse. Additionally, Silver Whisper will see her staterooms get some attention with the line calling the work a “partial refit.” Silver Shadow will receive the same treatment in early 2019.
Royal Caribbean’s acquisition of Silversea brings the cruise giant’s ship count to 59 with an additional 15 on order. Royal also owns or holds an ownership stake in, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises, TUI Cruises, SkySea Cruises and Pullmantur Cruceros.