Silversea voted most luxurious

Silversea Cruises has been named the Number-One overall luxury cruise line by high-net-worth consumers in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) survey, topping 19 other well-known cruise companies, including traditional, expedition and river cruise lines.

The LBSI survey from the independent New York-based Luxury Institute reports that respondents who would recommend Silversea say it is "by far the best in cuisine, service and luxury" and they comment on the "classy personalized experiences."

Said David Morris, Silversea's executive vice president of worldwide sales and marketing:

 "To receive this exceptional recognition from wealthy consumers is further validation that we are succeeding in our efforts to deliver an ultra-luxury vacation experience of unsurpassed quality."

The results of the LBSI survey come at a time when Silversea is expanding its fleet.  Preparations are underway for the June 2008 launch of its first luxury expedition ship, the Prince Albert II. Currently under construction at Fincantieri's Ancona shipyard is the 540-guest, all-suite Silver Spirit, scheduled to join the fleet in December 2009.  Renowned Italian architect Giacomo Mortola is overseeing the design of the 36,000-ton, ultra-luxury vessel
 

The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index survey says it is the only measure of the prestige of leading brands among wealthy Americans. A national sample of 1,400 wealthy American consumers, with an average income of $341,000 and average net worth of $3.9 million, was surveyed online.

Survey results are weighted to match demographic and net worth profiles of the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from The Federal Reserve.

In the US, Silversea has been voted "World's Best" by the readers of CondÃ~© Nast Traveler nine times and six times by the readers of Travel & Leisure.  

Report by David Wilkening