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Silver Cloud to join Silversea Expeditions fleet

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Silver Cloud rendered as an expedition ship (Courtesy of Silversea Cruises)
Silversea Cruises plans to move its original ship to its expedition fleet in November 2017.

Destined mostly for polar waters, the 296-passenger Silver Cloud will be converted into an ice-class ship during an extensive refurbishment scheduled to start in August 2017.

That will follow the introduction of the newbuild Silver Muse to the luxury fleet.

As an expedition ship, the all-suite Silver Cloud will accommodate 260 passengers and also will sail on itineraries to non-polar regions. When operating Arctic and Antarctic itineraries, the passenger count will be restricted to 200.

Silversea is a member of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, and adheres to each organization's guidelines to ensure sustainable tourism.

'Silver Explorer's polar expedition cruises have proven hugely popular with our guests,' Silversea ceo Enzo Visone said. 'By converting Silver Cloud into an ice-class ship for our expedition fleet, we will be better positioned to meet the increasing demand for comfortable adventure travel, particularly to the Arctic and Antarctica, places that are best explored by small ships specially equipped with ice-strengthened hulls.'

Silver Cloud is being touted as the only luxury ice-class expedition ship offering five dining options: The Dining Room, the Relais & Châteaux restaurant, La Terrazza, The Grill and in-suite dining.

On average, each expedition team member will guide no more than a dozen travelers per group. Plus, the ship will be augmented by 18 Zodiacs.

Silversea Expeditions currently fields three all-suite expedition ships, Silver Explorer, Silver Discoverer and Silver Galapagos. Collectively, they explore more than 500 destinations, from Africa, Australia's Kimberley Coast and the Russian Far East to the Galápagos Islands, the British Isles and the polar realms.

Silversea's 2017 schedule will be announced in the coming days.