Silversea Cruises has christened its latest ship, Silver Moon, in the port of Piraeus (Athens), Greece, on 28JUL, officially marking it as the cruise line's ninth ship in its fleet.
The official naming ceremony was attended by Richard D. Fain, Royal Caribbean Group, Chairman and CEO; Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises; Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean Group, Executive Vice President and CFO; Captain Chavdar Georgiev; Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of Fincantieri’s Merchant Ships Division; and the Honorable Minister Harry Theoharis, Greece’s Minister of Tourism among others.
Following maritime traditions, Reverend Father Ioannis Patsis, Vice President of Caritas Hellas, blessed the vessel, before the ship’s Godmother, Gaia Gaja – of the Italian Gaja Winery – broke a bottle of champagne on the ship’s bow. Guests were able to view the event on screens throughout the ship and members of Silversea’s extended family streamed the broadcast online.
“Witnessing the official naming of Silver Moon—the first of Silversea’s christenings as part of Royal Caribbean Group—was a very proud moment indeed,” says Richard D. Fain. “I commend Silversea’s leadership team, Captain Georgiev and Silver Moon’s crew, the team of Fincantieri, and everyone involved in the ship’s launch for their tireless efforts in bringing this long-awaited milestone to fruition.”
“This is an extraordinary milestone in the history of our cruise line,” says Roberto Martinoli. “I extend my gratitude to the Royal Caribbean Group, Fincantieri, Captain Georgiev and the ship’s crew, as well as our teams ashore, for making this momentous occasion possible.”
“It was an honor to cut the ribbon and signal the official naming of Silver Moon as the ship’s Godmother,” says Gaia Gaja. “Launching Silversea’s new S.A.L.T. program, Silver Moon embodies the core values that my family’s winery shares with this cruise line: a reverence for tradition, a commitment to unwavering quality, and a deep respect for cultural values. I look forward to journeying aboard this beautiful ship to dive deep into the Greek Isles’ celebrated culinary cultures.”
Silver Moon is the line's second Muse-class ship in its fleet, at 40,700 gross tons and a maximum capacity of 596 guests. Constructed by Fincantieri at its Ancona shipyard, Silver Moon is an evolution of her sister ship Silver Muse. The ship features upgraded public spaces, butler service in all suite categories, a nearly 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio and more. Silver Moon embarked on its inaugural season from Athens on 18JUN with a series of 10-day voyages in the Greek Isles.
The launch of the new ship also debuted Silversea's new culinary program, Sea and Land Taste or S.A.L.T. Three onboard venues on Silver Moon showcase the new concept, S.A.L.T. Kitchen, S.A.L.T. Lab, and S.A.L.T. Bar. Here, guests can experience each region's cuisine and culture with regionally-inspired dishes, drinks, and demonstrations. In addition, special S.A.L.T. shore excursions enable travellers to experience the food and drink cultures of each destination firsthand.
As one of the first two ships in the fleet to restart service, Silver Moon is joined by expedition ship Silver Origin, which is sailing new itineraries in the Galapagos Islands. Silver Muse will depart from Seattle to Alaska on 29JUL, and Silver Shadow will restart on 30JUL with sailings around Iceland out of Reykjavik. Silver Dawn is scheduled to debut in NOV 2021. Silver Moon is one of six Silversea ships—others include Silver Muse, Silver Origin, Silver Shadow, Silver Whisper and Silver Explorer—to have recently earned Certification in Infection Prevention for the Maritime industry (CIP-M) from the classification society DNV.
