Silversea Cruises announces delivery delays for Silver Moon and Silver Origin

Silversea Cruises has confirmed that two of its new cruise ships, Silver Moon and Silver Origin, will face delivery delays due to disruption caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Silver Moon has been delayed by two months, while Silver Origin, which undertook her sea trials in April, has been delayed by one month.

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In announcing the delivery delays, Silversea’s President and CEO Roberto Martinoli, said that the cruise line future expansion plans had not been affected by the global shutdown of the cruise industry.

“We have and we will continue to have five firm ship orders: Origin will be a ship in operation soon, sometime in October we will have Moon starting operations, so that’s two of the five,” he said.

“Silver Moon will be in operation next year, being delivered in Ancona after the summer, and the two Evolution vessels that are being built and designed in Germany will come after that, so in terms of firm orders there are no changes,” he added.

Silver Moon, carrying 596 passengers, will be a sister to flagship to Silver Muse and was due to launch in Trieste, Italy in August.

Although she will have a similar aesthetic to Silversea’s Silver Muse, which has become extremely popular with the cruise line’s guests, many of Silver Moon’s public spaces will be enhanced, according to Silversea.

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The Dolce Vita lounge, the Connoisseur’s Corner, the Pool Deck, and the Spa and Fitness Centre have each undergone comprehensive redesigns for the benefit of guests’ comfort and enjoyment.

Silver Moon’s Kaiseki restaurant has also been reimagined, as well as the ship’s La Dame restaurant, which will incorporate bespoke Lalique crystal panels.

The 100-passenger Silver Origin is the first luxury expedition cruise ship purpose-built for the Galapagos Islands and was due to launch in May, but will now be delivered in August.

Shutdowns and social distancing measures at cruise shipyards across Europe have forced delays to the build schedules of several ships, including P&O’s Iona, MSC Cruises’ Virtuosa, Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess and Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wish.

In addition, several major cruise ship refurbishment projects have been delayed, such as the transformation of Carnival Victory into the enhanced Carnival Radiance.