Being in the right port on the right night
A festival waits for no one. Reach Venice the morning after Carnival and the masks are already back in the shop windows. Arrive in Rio de Janeiro a week late and the Sambadrome stands silent. For travelers who plan around a single date on someone else’s calendar, the timing matters more than the ship.
Silversea has built its newest program around that problem. The Voyage Collection 2028-2029, released under the title “Let the World Surprise You,” adds 103 voyages between September 2028 and May 2029. Between them they call at 219 destinations in 56 countries, 29 of which are new ports of call for the line. Many of the sailings are pinned to a fixed moment: Carnival in Venice and Rio, New Year’s Eve in Funchal and Sydney, truffle season in Tuscany and Catalonia.
Bert Hernandez, Silversea’s president, says the collection offers “industry-leading depth across every region.” Every cruise line makes claims like that. The itineraries make a better case. “These moments are what allow our guests to experience each destination at its most authentic,” Hernandez said. Silversea, owned by Royal Caribbean Group, sails a fleet of 12 intimate ocean and expedition ships.
Venice after dark
This season the Mediterranean gets two ships. Silver Nova and Silver Dawn will share 17 voyages from October 2028 to March 2029, calling at 53 destinations in 12 countries; Brindisi and Imperia are new to the map. With both ships in the region, guests can link eastern and western Mediterranean sailings with less effort.
The overnight stays are the quiet advantage here. Ships remain in port overnight in Cadiz, Funchal (Madeira), Fusina (for Venice), Genoa, Istanbul, Livorno (for Tuscany), Naples and Valletta. An evening ashore replaces the usual dash back to the gangway before dinner.
Silver Dawn’s overnight calls in Venice fall during Carnival, so guests can see the city in costume after dark. Silversea is also hosting an evening event inspired by Casanova. A separate sailing puts Silver Dawn in Funchal for New Year’s Eve, where Madeira’s fireworks can be watched from the ship, before it continues to Casablanca and Tangier.
Further east, Silver Dawn adds three sailings featuring Alexandria, with an excursion to the Great Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum, plus two more sailings that call at Istanbul.
Following the truffle trail
S.A.L.T. is Silversea’s culinary program, and its voyages are planned around what is in season. Local experts lead them alongside master chefs, sommeliers and mixologists. The new additions take two very different routes.
Three Wine & Truffle voyages aboard Silver Dawn run from October through December. They trace a line from Livorno, the gateway to Tuscany, to Palamos, on the edge of Catalonia’s truffle country. Ashore there are truffle hunts and guided vineyard tours; back on board, tastings and chef-led programming.
Silver Muse takes the other route, with four Asian Markets sailings between Singapore and Hong Kong. Local food experts lead the shore excursions, chefs take guests through the markets, and the itinerary makes room for hawker stalls and street food. For anyone who judges a city by its lunch counters, this may be the more revealing of the two.
A Carnival welcome on Canouan
The Caribbean and Central America get the largest share of the fleet. Silver Ray, Silver Nova, Silver Spirit and Silver Shadow will sail 38 voyages from November 2028 to March 2029, calling at 34 destinations in 21 countries, with La Romana in the Dominican Republic added as a new call. All four ships offer round-trip departures from Miami, Fort Lauderdale or San Juan, which keeps flights short for North American guests.
The standout is Canouan, a secluded island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Silversea is staging a full-day Destination Experience there: a private beach day opening with a Carnival-style welcome (local dancers, a steel band) and ending with a beachside soiree of light bites, drinks and live music.
Silver Ray and Silver Spirit will also run 8- to 12-day round trips from Miami that pair St. Barts with Antigua, Anguilla or St. Kitts.
Seventy-five nights around a continent
For guests with time to spare, Grand South America 2029 is the voyage of the season. Silver Nova leaves Fort Lauderdale on January 13, 2029, and returns on March 29, 2029, after a 75-night circumnavigation of the continent. The route includes a Panama Canal transit and scenic cruising off the Antarctic Peninsula. Overnight stays are planned in Manaus, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Callao (for Lima) and Cartagena.
Three private events punctuate the journey. The first is a sunset reception in Gustavia, St. Barts, with champagne and local cocktails, followed by dinner and live music in a setting modeled on Saint-Tropez. In Rio, guests watch Carnival from a reserved space at the Sambadrome, with preferred seating along the parade runway and dedicated hospitality through the night. The last comes in Cartagena, where a rooftop venue overlooking the bay hosts live music, dancers and cultural performances before the ship heads home.
Seventy-five nights is a serious commitment. It is also one of the few ways to see Carnival in Rio and the ice of the Antarctic Peninsula on a single booking.
Midnight in Sydney, blossom in Japan
Silver Moon spends the southern summer in Australia and New Zealand, with 10 voyages between October 2028 and March 2029 covering 42 destinations in three countries. Batemans Bay and Phillip Island are new calls, and the program includes scenic cruising through Dusky Sound. New combination voyages in New Zealand (among them a round-trip from Melbourne) and new routes linking Australia with Indonesia give guests more ways to string sailings together. Silver Moon will also stay overnight in Sydney for New Year’s Eve.
Across Asia, Silver Moon and Silver Muse will complete 26 voyages between September 2028 and May 2029, calling at 62 destinations in 11 countries. Eight ports are new: Yeosu, Hitachinaka, Miyako-jima, Vigan, Muara, Sihanoukville, Makassar and Maizuru (for Kyoto). Kobe and Bali join the roster as turnaround ports. Sailings are timed to Japan’s cherry blossom season and to Lunar New Year in Hong Kong.
Securing a date that won’t move
General sales for the new sailings opened on October 8, 2026. The festival-dated voyages are the ones to watch. Carnival, New Year’s Eve and cherry blossom season arrive on their own schedule, and a ship can only be in one port on the night that counts—so travelers with a particular date in mind should move early.
Full itineraries are available at silversea.com.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
