TORONTO — Though Silversea is not yet ready to unveil its enhanced health protocols, the company’s CEO and President is assuring travel agents in a new video message that everything is being done behind the scenes to safeguard the health and safety of all those onboard.
Sitting alongside Damien O’Connor, Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations and Onboard Revenue, Roberto Martinoli says that “there is absolutely no compromise when it comes to your health and the health of our crew,” and that backed by parent company Royal Caribbean Group, Silversea is “perfectly placed to lead the way in returning to service safely once the time is right.”
Royal Caribbean recently announced an industry-first partnership with Norwegian Cruise Line to develop a new group of experts called the ‘Healthy Sail Panel’, which has been tasked to develop enhanced health and safety cruise protocols that will be open to any company, across all industries, to adopt.
“Informed by the findings of the Healthy Sail Panel, we will be ready to share our enhanced health protocols in the near future,” says Martinoli. “I assure you that the experts are working on all aspects of luxury cruising, from embarkation to shore-side protocols, going through, of course, all aspects of each ship experience. When the time is right, we will happily welcome our guests onboard – I personally cannot wait for that moment.”
O’Connor, who with Martinoli have a combined 60 years of experience in the maritime industry, highlights Silversea’s already stringent approach to health and safety, including utilizing pioneering technologies such as bacteria-eliminating UV lighting and “fogging.”
Plus, according to O’Connor, Silversea is already well-positioned to mitigate the spread of any virus onboard, thanks to the intimate nature of its luxury vessels that allow for more personal space, a high crew-to-guest ratio that helps ensure high standards, and a unique ship design that allows for little to no re-circulation of air.
As for the changes passengers can expect onboard, O’Connor says that guests can expect the same Silversea experience that they’ve come to know and love.
“We already have the experience where your waiter will take the food to your table,” he says. “We can imagine that the La Terrazza buffet experience will remain very close, even maybe better, than the current one we have today.”
And though physical distancing will be part of the new normal, O’Connor says it will not come at the expense of social distancing.
“What is going on a cruise ship if you can’t be social?” he says. “So meeting friends at the bar, enjoying a wonderful dinner with them, will always be part of the Silversea experience. The table will probably be more spread out and seating fewer people but the essence of the unique Silversea experience will remain totally in place.”
