Almost a year to the day since Shanks took up his new role, he has visited all but one ship in the fleet and met with agents up and down the British Isles.

“Given the destinations Silversea offers, my travel has not really been that exotic – Glasgow, Belfast, Dublin – but it’s so important,” he insists.

That said, his first overseas duty did have him rubbing shoulders with Formula 1 stars David Coulthard and Mark Webber while hosting a trip to Silversea’s home for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Despite such glitz and glamour, Shanks insists the “real buzz” for him has come from developing partnerships with the trade and
a determination to help agents crack Silversea’s core offerings – ultra-luxury and expedition.

He is not afraid to be competitive – “in the nicest possible way” – and look for new agents to work with in addition to Silversea’s current pool. He wants agents to encourage customers to “trade up” their choice of cruise line.

Diversifying the cruiser

“Someone who has been on a premium line, a regular cruiser who really enjoys the experience, who chooses a suite or a balcony – why not move them to an ultra-luxury product where the destination becomes so much more exciting given the nature of a small, more luxurious ship?” he points out.

It is an agenda Shanks has pushed since joining Silversea and he took the opportunity at Clia’s Luxury Showcase in Malaga last October to name 2019 “the year of expedition”.

And the line has kept its promise, last week launching the industry’s first “expedition world cruise” for 2021. The “year of expedition” statement did raise eyebrows among the sector, though.

“I did get a bit of pushback from some of the mainstream lines,” Shanks admits. “I never suggested the only thing agents should focus on should be expedition – that wouldn’t make sense – but as far as I’m concerned, not enough agents have realised the power of an expedition cruise.

“Everybody is talking about penguins and polar bears on television, but instead of talking about it we take people to see them. That’s the difference and that’s why, for me, it’s the year of expedition.”

And Silversea is well placed to capitalise on this. Not only does Shanks chair Clia’s expedition working group, but Silversea has a dedicated person for expedition in its sales team and this year is increasing joint events with agents and its experts.

“We are looking for hundreds of new agents, ones we can really nurture,” Shanks reveals. “It does require focus and commitment to make it [selling expedition] work, but there are so many out there with the ability.”

Agents already selling Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd lines may have been buoyed by Silversea’s sale of a 66.7% stake to the Miami-based behemoth last June and its announcement of expansion plans.

The move, Shanks recalls, “surprised” members of Silversea’s UK team, but “once people got comfortable with it they were excited as they could see the benefits”, he reveals.

It seems they were right to get excited. It took Royal Caribbean just 70 days after the deal’s approval to expand Silversea’s order book by three (five by 2023), and double Silversea’s spend on the refurbishment of Silver Wind and Silver Whisper last December.

Despite the injection of cash and certain “savings, synergies and advancements” to Silversea’s back-office departments, Shanks says the line will maintain its identity.

Next year Silversea will launch the first of two new ships – Silver Origin in March and Silver Moon in August – which will be followed in 2022 and 2023 by two next-generation Evolution-class vessels.

Origin, Shanks claims, “will be the best ship in the Galapagos” – a bold statement considering the line’s RCCL stablemate Celebrity Cruises’ own ship, Celebrity Flora, launches in May this year.

“We have more suites, more butlers,” he states. “We’ll be taking forward our 10 years of expedition experience to the Galapagos Islands.

But, in reference to Celebrity Flora, he adds: “The ships will be different, but they will both be best in class. So, from a Royal family point of view, it’s terrific to have both brands operating in that market.”

Crowded market?

Despite the influx of ultra-luxury lines growing their own order books during the past 12 months – with both Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn announcing new hardware – Shanks is undeterred by an increasingly crowded marketplace, which is set to grow by 30% in the next three years.

“Is there a risk of overcapacity? Absolutely not,” he states. “If you take all the beds that are currently on order from all the ultra-luxury cruise lines over the next five years, it’s less than P&O’s upcoming ships – we’re growing, but the numbers are so achievable,” he points out.

Between capturing those new agents and fending off competition from other lines, it may take Shanks some time yet to make it to the Galapagos – and make friends with that sea lion!