Already know Silversea’s expeditions and how to sell them? You can find sales and marketing resources, plus contact details for the sales team, at the bottom of this page.

But first, get a glimpse at the sights your clients can expect to see on a Silversea expedition sailing...

Q&A: Bob Simpson, vice president of expedition product development & Daniil Elterman, senior director of expedition field staff and operations

Finding the right client...

Who is a typical Silversea Cruises guest for expedition sailings? 

Silversea Expeditions delivers luxury expedition voyages from pole to pole. Guests are extremely well travelled, seasoned and experienced adventurers who seek an enriching and authentic expedition. Our expeditions offer varied levels of activities both onboard and on shore, utilizing our luxury expedition vessels and onboard services as the ideal platform to deliver highly curated itineraries and experiences.

Our age demographic for expedition sailings is a slightly younger demographic than our ocean sailings (three years younger on average), but there’s significant variability across products. For example, in the Galapagos and Antarctica guests are typically under 60 years old, in the Arctic unfer 64 and in the Kimberley and other expeditions closer to 70.

Gen X or younger makes up 25% on expedition cruises (classic cruises is 18%), but it peaks at 40% on Antarctica fly-cruises. Boomers (or older) are still making up 80% or more in the Arctic, Kimberley and other expeditions. 

What budget does this typical Silversea expedition guest have?

Silversea offers a luxury expedition experience and product at the higher end of the market spectrum. With Luxury of Choice, guests can choose from easy-to-personalise fare options — each offering our all-inclusive, onboard experience. Additionally, fares for Silversea's Expedition voyages include charter flights, hotel stay, Expedition activities, and gear when operationally required. This will impact the level of pricing and per diem. Ultimately, Silversea guests are less conscious about the price level, however, they’re very conscious about value for money.  Silversea delivers exceptional value for money in our guest experience and delivery.

What will make or break this client’s expedition cruise holiday?

Expedition cruising is dynamic, flexible and subject to many variables, including weather, ice, wildlife and other conditions that are controlled only by nature and the environment. On many voyages, we provide the necessary expedition gear, such as parkas, backpacks and waterproof boots, however, each voyage and region will vary, so we pre-inform our guests specifically on what they need to ensure packing in advance to maximize their adventure.

In terms of the key elements that will “make or break” a typical guest’s expedition journey, the destination experience is the most important product expectation. This comes in the form of the onboard education and enrichment programme, as well as the experiences off the vessel. Meanwhile, wellness and fitness time are the least important. Service level delivery remains a critical asset, but luxury features and “bells and whistles” become a second priority to the guest experience.

Having a small group size when on an excursion is very important to guests, in order to deliver live explanation or interpretation by an expert, and the amount of time spent “in” the destination vs onboard is also critical.

Shore landings and excursions are of high priority, including wildlife watching on Zodiacs, and that Silversea guests are in the company of some of the industry’s most credentialed and experienced expedition guides.

Unlike “classic” cruising, expedition cruise guests are less reliant on a fixed schedule and ultimately rely on the captain and expedition leader to craft the best experience based on changing conditions.

So, in conclusion, the make or breaks are the ability of expedition staff to explain everything they see in a clear, engaging and understandable way; the ability of the expedition staff to come up with alternative plans in unfavorable circumstances; and a high-quality expedition leader.

Getting to know the product...

How many expedition ships does Silversea have?

Silversea operates four expedition vessels:

• Silver Origin – 100 passengers
• Silver Endeavour – 220 passengers
• Silver Cloud – 254 passengers
• Silver Wind – 274 passengers

What expedition destinations do these ships visit?

Silversea expeditions cover all seven continents and the “seven seas”. Here’s a breakdown:

• Silver Origin operates two Galapagos itineraries year round (Jan-Dec), which can be booked as a “back to back”.
• Silver Wind operates October-March in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. In 2025 it will be in West Africa in April and the British Isles and northern Europe from May-September. In 2026, it will operate April-May in West Africa, West Europe and the British Isles; June-July in Iceland and Greenland; August in Greenland and the Hudson Bay; and in September in Greenland and maritime Eastern Canada.
• Silver Endeavour operates in Antarctica and Southern Ocean from October to March. In 2025 it will spend May-September in the British Isles and Arctic regions (Svalbard, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic. In 2026 it will be in the British Isles in April; Iceland, Arctic Svalbard and Norway in May and June; and Iceland and Greenland in August.
• Silver Cloud will be in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean November-March; South Africa and the Indian Ocean April-May; Australia and the Kimberley region May-August and the South Pacific September-October.

Example activities include everything from knot tying, chart reading and bird and plant identification to interactive games such as team trivia, Liar’s Club, karaoke and Name That Tune. The hotel team offers culinary workshops and food and wine pairings, plus wine-tasting seminars too.

Additionally, there’s a full-service spa and photography studio. Evenings can too be spent enjoying live music and building relationships with fellow explorers.

Does Silversea provide any citizen science opportunities onboard its expedition ships or in its expedition destinations?

Yes, our expedition staff host citizen science workshops and introduce guests to various citizen science initiatives.

 

What is the dining like onboard?

Each vessel offers multiple dining options as well as 24-hour in suite service.

Do you have a minimum age limit for guests?

The minimum age for embarking a vessel is one year old, but if embarkation requires use of Zodiacs, then it rises to five years old.

As many of activities involve the use of Zodiacs, we generally do not recommend bringing children under five on our expedition vessels as they will not be able to leave the vessel when Zodiac operations are required.

Gleaning top selling tips...

What are the unique selling points of a Silversea Cruises expedition sailing that agents can use to entice their customers to book?

As mentioned previously, agents have multiple options for selling Silversea expeditions. For guests that want to have a customised experience, agents can book a cruise-only package with flexibility to custom build their pre and post experiences, and travel opportunities. 

What’s the ideal time to book for the most competitive prices and/or best availability?

Different regions, destinations and itineraries will vary, however, to ensue availability, it is highly recommended to book as soon as the programmes are available for sale. In the unlikely event that any offer is introduced, booked guests will be able to take advantage of these.

What marketing tools does Silversea have available to agents who are promoting its expedition cruises?

Use the following links to access our marketing assets:

MARKETING CENTRAL   ARCTIC FLIER  ANTARCTICA BROCHURE   GALAPAGOS BROCHURE

You can also use this video to promote Silversea's summer 2025 Arctic and Greenland collection:

 

What support do you offer agents wanting to learn more about Silversea’s expedition cruises?

We offer webinars and training on the Silversea Academy. Pierre Thomas, business development manager of expeditions (Europe, UK and Ireland), is also on hand to support with any training you or your team might require. Here's a little bit about him:

Pierre Thomas was born in Ghent, Belgium, and moved to Kinshasa, Zaire, with his family at the age of seven. He graduated his higher studies in Ghent, specialising in tropical animal agriculture and fish farming, and earned several apprenticeships in tropical aquaculture in Rwanda and Ecuador.

In 1994, Pierre Thomas pursued the Galapagos National Park training course for naturalist guides and worked in the Galapagos as a guide and expedition leader for 10 years, where he was also a part of the expedition team during one of the early expedition cruises to Nicaragua in 1996. Since then, he has been lecturing onboard small and intimate expedition cruise ships in the Caribbean and Central America, the West Coast of Africa, the Arctic, Antarctica and remote island communities of the Pacific.

If you would like to email Pierre with a training query, you can reach him on: pthomas@silversea.com