''Silver Cloud'' is a small luxury

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

operated by

Silversea Cruises Silversea is an luxury cruise line and expedition travel brand headquartered in Monaco. Founded in 1994 by the Vlasov Group of Monaco and the Lefebvre family of Rome, it pioneered all-inclusive cruising with its first ship, ''Silver Cloud''. Si ...

. She is Silversea's first ship and entered service in 1994. Her sister ship is the '' Silver Wind'', launched in 1995. ''Silver Cloud'' currently sails on luxury expedition focused cruises for Silversea.

History

Initial planning for ''Silver Cloud'' and her sister began in 1991 between

Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio Antonio Lefebvre d'Ovidio (1913 – 5 February 2011) was an Italian lawyer and businessman, and the founder of Silversea Cruises. He was born in Naples in 1913. Lefebvre worked as a maritime lawyer and taught maritime and commercial law at the ...

and V Ships, who had been in a partnership together for

Sitmar Cruises Sitmar Cruises and its predecessor Sitmar Line were company names derived from the acronym for the Società Italiana Trasporti Marittimi (). SITMAR originally was an Italian shipping line founded by Russian émigré Alexandre Vlasov, however the ...

. They hired ship designer Petter Yran fro
Yran & Storbraaten
The ships were intended to be luxurious, with 75% of the staterooms to have verandahs - at that time, something unheard of in the cruise industry. The ''Silver Cloud's'' hull was constructed at

Cantiere Navale Visentini Cantiere Navale di Visentini is a family owned Italy, Italian shipbuilder, based in Donada near Venice. The company is largest private shipbuilder in Italy. Deliveries Ferries Generation 1 / Other Generation 2 Generation 3 Gene ...

Shipyard near

Venice, Italy Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are linked by 438 bridge ...

, and then towed to T. Mariotti for completion of the rest of the ship. The name ''Silver Cloud'', named after the famed Rolls Royce, was chosen by the cruise line's Chairman and former owner, Manfredi Lefebvre D’Ovidio, to signal to guests that they could expect top-class service. The ships's christening ceremony was in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

on March 30, 1994.

Prince Albert Prince Albert most commonly refers to: *Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819–1861), consort of Queen Victoria *Albert II, Prince of Monaco (born 1958), present head of state of Monaco Prince Albert may also refer to: Royalty * Alb ...

of Monaco attended, and the ship was named after the wife of one of Silversea’s co-founders, Eugenia Beck Lefebvre D'Ovidio. The ''Silver Cloud'' was home to both the United States men's and

women's A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functional uteruses ...

national basketball teams during the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. ''Silver Cloud'' formerly sailed on European itineraries (both the North Sea and the Mediterranean) in summer. In winter, she cruised in the Caribbean and South America. In 2017, the ship underwent a comprehensive rebuild to bring her up to ice class, with the addition of a fleet of zodiacs added to the top decks. The interiors also received a refit, with a reconfigured observation lounge and refurbished public spaces. The hull was repainted a dark blue to distinguish it as part of the expedition fleet. This livery was later changed to match the grey hull of the rest of the Silversea fleet. The ship primarily sails on expedition cruises, including in polar regions.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

''Silversea:'' Silver Cloud
– Silversea official site page about the ship {{Silversea ships Silver Cloud 1993 ships