TRAVELPORTS AND BOWS
Canada.com
by Phil Reimer
If you’re like most cruisers, you spend time talking cruising with others who love taking to the rivers and the oceans. Here’s something you might be able to stump them with, as a “Did you know?”
What is the largest luxury cruise line?
Sorry, only ten seconds…
It’s Silversea, and it’s staying in that position. Thanks to the independent annual report from Cruise Industry News, Silversea is No. 1 in the number of passengers who cruise on its ships — luxury ships, that is.
The cruise line has eight ships (and the Silver Muse coming in 2017) and has remained relatively consistent year after year, according to the publication, with most of its time spent in the Mediterranean in the summer.
Adding a smaller ship and continuing to offer shorter sailings, Crystal Cruises’ capacity is up slightly in 2016, making the Los Angeles-based company the No. 2 luxury cruise line in estimated passenger capacity.
However, when Regent Seven Seas Explorer arrives in July, Regent will realize a capacity gain for 2016 and make the four-ship cruise line the third largest of the luxury class, just ahead of Seabourn, which adds a new ship — the Encore — in December.
With a full year of service from the Explorer, Regent’s capacity will surge by 40 per cent in 2017 and that should put it neck-and-neck with Silversea for first place in the luxury class next year.
By the way, it’s an independent body that researches all the stats published by the Cruise Industry News Annual Report.
All for now.