FACT CHECK: The world’s first Expedition World Cruise

#expeditioncruising .

Silver Cloud in Canada after its Polar Class conversion (R Eime)

Luxury small ship and expedition cruise line, Silversea, are touting their Expedition World Cruise as “a pioneering world first”. But is it? Let’s check.

Followers of this blog will recall an announcement from the now-defunct expedition cruise line, Cruise West when it began a 335-day world circumnavigation, "Voyages of the Great Explorers", from Singapore aboard the Spirit of Oceanus in 2010.

Unfortunately, this landmark voyage, comprising 24 segments, failed mid-cruise when the Spirit of Oceanus was sold and the passengers unceremoniously put ashore in St John’s, Newfoundland.

Thus, we can establish that the Silversea Expedition World Cruise, scheduled to last 167 days from January to July 2021, is not the first such voyage offered, even if we don’t count those of James Cook and his contemporaries. (Yes, James Cook carried paying passengers on his first voyage. Can you name them?)

Silversea's Expedition World Cruise. (Click to enlarge)

Silversea’s voyage is also not a circumnavigation, nor do they claim it to be. It departs Ushuaia, Argentina, on January 30 aboard Silver Cloud and arrives Tromso in Norway on July 16 having visited 107 ports in 30 countries via 10 routes.

VERDICT

So, while the claim does require some clarification, it will most likely be the longest single continuous expedition voyage of the modern era (if you sail all segments) when it is completed mid-2021. Just not the first (yet).

SEE ALSO: Fact Check - Who are the true pioneers of 'luxury expedition cruising'