Silversea Cruises has successfully wrapped up its 2024-2025 Antarctic season, operating 34 voyages between October 29, 2024, and March 31, 2025, aboard 3 of its expedition vessels: Silver Endeavour, Silver Cloud, and Silver Wind. These voyages offered travelers deep immersion into Antarctica’s untouched natural landscape, reinforcing the company’s position in the ultra-luxury expedition sector.
According to Bert Hernandez, President of Silversea, the recently concluded season delivered a broad range of enriching experiences. He noted that guests benefited from new landing sites, significant wildlife encounters, and a suite of guided activities led by the company’s seasoned Expedition Team. The season, Hernandez stated, was a clear demonstration of Silversea’s commitment to offering exceptional polar exploration.
Silversea is now preparing to launch a 150-room hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile — set to become the southernmost hotel on Earth. Designed to complement the Antarctica Fly-Cruise model, the hotel aims to streamline guest transitions between air travel and expedition embarkation, enhancing operational logistics and guest comfort. The facility is expected to open for the 2025-2026 Antarctica season.
Throughout the 2024-2025 season, Silversea offered a flexible range of itineraries, from 6-day Fly-Cruise expeditions aboard Silver Endeavour to extended 21-day explorations encompassing the breadth of the Southern Ocean. Notable highlights from the season included:
- Silver Endeavour traversed Crystal Sound and crossed the Antarctic Circle on March 1, proceeding to Detaille Island and Historic Base W. Guests engaged in shore landings, Zodiac excursions, and kayaking before the vessel navigated north through the Inside Passage to the Penola and Gerlache Straits, stopping at sites such as the Fish Islands and Prospect Point for a continental landing.
- Silver Wind completed 3 visits to Intercurrence Island within the Christiana Islands, a seldom-visited area newly introduced to Silversea’s itinerary. These landings were enabled by a dedicated scouting mission in 2023, during which the company charted approximately 2,700 nautical miles and identified 22 new landing sites, underscoring its ongoing exploration efforts. Guests observed grounded icebergs, humpback whales, and participated in Zodiac and kayaking excursions.
- Across the fleet, Silversea conducted 28 polar plunge events, with nearly 2,300 guests participating. Whale encounters were frequent, including a rare sighting of beaked whales in Wilhelmina Bay on November 11 during Silver Endeavour's Zodiac tours. Guests also reported multiple sightings of orcas and fin whales, notably over 50 fin whales near Elephant Island, and blue whales en route to South Georgia on March 20 aboard Silver Wind.
Silversea’s Expedition Team — composed of up to 28 specialists per voyage — includes naturalists, historians, geologists, and other experts, delivering one of the most personalized guest-to-staff experiences in the region. Their efforts ensured comprehensive interpretation of Antarctica’s complex ecosystems, geology, and history.
Continuing its legacy of innovation, Silversea, which pioneered the luxury expedition model in 2008, has committed to further developing its polar offerings. The upcoming hotel in Puerto Williams will serve as a pivotal enhancement, offering scenic views of the Beagle Channel and Patagonian mountain ranges, while its environmentally sensitive design pays homage to regional architecture and culture.