Three cruise ships are visiting Dartmouth this month, including the brand new Silversea ship, Silver Endeavour, stopping over in the port on her maiden cruise.

Also arriving in May will be Le Bellot and Le Champlain, which are both owned by the French company Ponant.

Among its myriad cruising routes, Silver Endeavour sails to the north and south poles, and contains state-of-the-art equipment and exploration technology.

For her shake down trip, she debuted in one of the world’s most demanding destinations – Antarctica – but the Polar Class 6 ship was built for this.

Weighing in at 20,449 tonnes, she was built in 2021 to a cutting edge design, and is described as introducing a new era in ultra-luxury expedition cruising.

She received a magical naming ceremony surrounded by a sea of ice in the dramatic Lemaire Channel surrounded by guests in Zodiac RIBs’.

With capacity for just 200 guests, the exclusive ship has an unrivalled 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio and some of the biggest and most luxurious suites in the industry – all of which have their own balconies or verandas.

Spread over eight public decks, Silver Endeavour boasts an on board swimming pool, sun deck, three fine dining restaurants and a cafe, a spa and mud room, connoisseur’s cigar corner, beauty salon, fitness centre, a boutique and a library.

Silver Endeavour sports vast open-deck viewing areas, including the bow and the top deck, with enclosed viewing from a spacious, forward-facing observation lounge and the impressive, aft-facing, double-deck, glass-enclosed grill, an alternative dining venue with a swimming pool in the middle.

Expedition recaps, briefings, lectures and films take place in the explorer lounge where two large screens flank the stage.

Silversea described the newest addition to its fleet “the most luxurious expedition ship ever built.” When she arrives in Dartmouth on Monday May 8 passengers will spend the morning at various local hotspots before returning to explore the town’s delights later in the day.

Next to arrive in the port will be Le Bellot, which is due in on Wednesday May 17.

Like the other ships in the Ponant Explorers series, she has been designed to provide absolute comfort for her passengers, even at the heart of the world’s most remote and isolated regions.

Le Bellot is 430 ft long, has five guest decks and 92 staterooms and suites on board, each of which is equipped with private balconies.

Racy lines, state-of-the-art equipment, refined design, and deliberately restricted number of cabins all contribute to the modernity of Le Bellot, described as a unique ship in the world of cruising, with unparalleled levels of comfort.

Her sister ship Le Champlain is due to arrive in Dartmouth on Wednesday May 31 also caters for up to 184 guests and has a spa and two restaurants.

As the majority of guests on both of the Ponant ships will be French, hopes are high someone fluent in the language to form part of the town’s welcome team, said Tricia Daniels, cruise co-ordinator for Dart Harbour.