Silversea Entering Galapagos Market

What are these Land Iguanas Looking For?

A common site on the islands of Galapagos are land iguanas huddled together looking out to sea.  Perhaps these iguanas are looking for the new major cruise line on the block - Silversea.

Silversea announced that it has just bought the 100-passenger, 4,077-ton expedition ship Galapagos Explorer II and upmarket Ecuadorian tourism company Canodros.  The ship will continue to operate as Galapagos Explorer II until September 2013, when it will be refurbished to Silversea standards and renamed.

The purchase is part of Silversea's long-running desire to expand further into the expedition market. It will also mean the line can offer Galapagos itineraries for the first time.

The line said that the ship will stay the same structurally with its 50 ocean view suites.  Of those, 24 have private balconies.  Public spaces include a restaurant, piano bar, library and internet station, main lounge, outdoor bar, two outdoor whirlpools and a marine observation deck.

 

 Exploring Galapagos

Small ships, such s the Explorer II, are a must in the Galapagos Archipelago.  The area is protected and access is strictly controlled by the Galapagos National Park.

Actual exploration is typically done via transfers by zodiacs from the main ship to the islands.  In some cases, the tour may simply be a zodiac ride along the coastline.

Celebrity Xpedition is currently the only major cruise line in the Galapagos.  Private charters, such as those operated by Canodros, National Geographic, and others are the alternative choices for touring the region.

The ship will be out of service next September for some modifications and then it will be back under the Silversea name and Ecuadorian flag with its all-Ecuadorian crew.  We look forward to providing choices to our clients that want to have this once-in-a-lifetime experience walking in the footsteps of Darwin.

Cruise West Ceases Operations

The final chapter in the 64 year history of Cruise West was written this weekend as Chairman, Dick West, announced that the company was shutting down. He said in the statement that he is "heartbroken" by the end of his family's legacy.  The small ship, Seattle, Washington-based cruise line was founded by the late Chuck West -- a pioneer of tourism in the state known as "Mr. Alaska".

Visiting the Cruise West website, you'll find the following statement:

"For the last year, Cruise West has aggressively pursued a number of options with interested parties to maintain operations, including investment, selling assets, and selling the company.  In part because of the most recent dip in the markets and the continued lack of economic confidence, these options have not come to fruition."

The statement indicated that it has canceled all future sailings, with the exception of a Danube river voyage scheduled to begin on Wednesday.


In July, Dick West had secured a $1.5M personal bridge loan to allow operations to continue.  As reported in our blog post,  Cruise West Continues Restructuring, the company has recently sold the Spirit of Oceanus in a last effort to continue operations.    Perhaps this was too little too late.

West thanked the line's "loyal employees, many of whom have been here for decades."  "I am devastated that, though they have given abundantly of their time and energy, we will be unable to continue delivering memorable experiences," he said.

As reported previously, layoffs had already begun at the company as part of the restructuring.  Only a small handful of employees will remain to complete the shutdown.

Their Galapagos partner, Canodros, is working to provide alternative options for guests booked on the cruises that were to depart through 2011.   For other guests, the instructions are the same as we reported when the news first broke (see the actual statement for details if you are impacted).

The actual date of the cessation of operations is September 18, 2010.  This is a sad day for the cruise industry, and for small ship lovers in particular.