How to Choose Your Cruise: Silversea’s Grand Voyages
The desire to travel dates to the dawn of humankind, but then, it was for survival. For many of us today, it’s about pleasure. For seasoned travelers, time in destination is key to a successful trip.
Silversea’s Grand Voyages focus on one region of the world at a time. It’s the opposite of the each-day-a-new-country approach to travel. Instead, travelers can probe more deeply into the region, experience more cultural immersion and discover its authentic soul.
Silversea has added two new Grand Voyages for 2025: The Grand Voyage Mediterranean and the Grand Voyage Northern Europe.
“We are very purposeful about our grand voyages,” says Justin Poulsen, Silversea’s Vice President of Itinerary Planning & Destination Development. “Grand Voyages need to be more than the sum of their parts. They must tell a story that builds upon itself.”
Silversea’s Grand Voyages, which are scheduled through 2025, focus on such places as the Arctic, the Indian Ocean, South Pacific, Asia, South America, Africa and Arabia, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and a Pacific-focused voyage that travels from Tokyo to Sydney, Australia. Perhaps the most interesting of all is the Grand Pole to Pole, an expedition voyage, because it travels through seasons and hemispheres between Chile’s Puerto Williams to Antarctica to Svalbard’s Longyearbyen.
Whichever you choose, we promise you this: Travelers slip into another headspace as they relax into a world beyond the one they know.
What is a Grand Voyage?
Longer than a typical cruise but more focused than a circumnavigation of the globe, a Grand Voyage narrows its boundaries to one part of the world and stays there long enough for guests to dig into the destination. These sailings typically center on a single continent, but at other times they include other regions and even stretch across continental divides. Grand Voyages brush broad geographic strokes but also manage to define the finer details of each cultural picture.
South America Grand Voyages, for example, tend to stick to South American countries but may also include the Central American nations and Caribbean islands bordering them.
The Grand Pacific Voyage draws a ring around Oceania, islands in the Pacific Ocean, then drags it toward Japan for a comprehensive sample of some of the region’s largest island nations.
On voyages of eight to 18 weeks, guests sail a comprehensive itinerary that will take them to globally recognized cities (visions of tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina; the minarets and spice markets of Casablanca, Morocco) as well as lesser-known spots on a map. The combination of big cities and secluded beaches gives Grand Voyage participants a more complex finish than a single place.
Here’s another thing: Grand Voyages are offered as both expeditions and classic cruises.
How does a Grand Voyage differ from a World Cruise?
Think of a Grand Voyage as a world cruise that sticks to one part of the world. World cruises are longer than Grand Voyages and cover more nautical miles and ground to showcase a broader variety of destinations. Many (but not all) World Cruises circumnavigate the Earth, meaning they sail all the way around in one pattern or another, often passing through the Panama Canal. Silversea’s World Cruises are offered once each year and tend to include one-off special events that are available only aboard each specific sailing.
A Grand Voyage also requires a commitment of a month or more, and guests spend that time within a smaller radius. In other words, they get to see the biblical sites of Israel in depth on a Grand Voyage in the Arabian Peninsula rather than a single stop on a broader itinerary.
Whether you hold a magnifying glass closer to a map or pull it away, the circumference is the same; each type of cruise requires a significant commitment of time, but the difference is in how — and where — the time is spent.
Unlike a world cruise, which is a one-off, typically offered once a year, several grand voyage destinations are offered each year, usually including numerous countries in the specified region.
What grand voyages have in common with a Silversea world cruise is perks that typically are offered only to guests on the latter. These include a private transfer from home to airport, an overnight pre-cruise stay at a hotel with a welcome gala event, complimentary laundry service and unlimited Wi-Fi. Silversea’s unique world cruise events also offer the ultimate in insider access in a variety of destinations.
Can’t stay away too long?
Grand Voyages, just like World Cruises, are available in shorter segments (typically 10 or 11 days) so you can choose a shorter part of a Grand Voyage. Where do you want to go?
Check out our options for grand voyages through 2025 (scroll down).
What Grand Voyages are on the schedule?
Although Grand Voyages are a separate category from world cruises, the length and logistics involved in sailing guests to dozens of ports in various countries for unique experiences still takes considerable time to plan and execute.
Silversea continues to innovate, adding new ports of call, experimenting with different routes, even introducing new itineraries within regions. In this way, grand voyages remain exclusive. Only a handful are organized and available each year, and they don’t visit every region of the world annually. I
Check out the following for our full list of Grand Voyages planned for 2024 and 2025.
Grand Voyage: South America 2024
The trip: The 72-day cruise on Silver Nova sails roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale from January 4 to March 15, 2024.
The itinerary: On the Grand Voyage South America, Silver Nova travels to 38 ports, five segments and 18 countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Highlights: Silver Nova, a new design for Silversea, debuted in 2023. It features S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) culinary programs and the Otium spa concept.
From an itinerary perspective, this grand voyage incorporates a Panama Canal transit, Peru’s west coast, Chilean fjords, and Rio de Janeiro for a three-day stop for Carnival. There’s a foray up the Brazilian Amazon and then on Central America and the Caribbean before returning to Fort Lauderdale.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Africa and Arabia 2024
The trip: Silversea’s first grand voyage to set sail from Africa departs Cape Town on January 27, 2024, aboard Silver Spirit. It finishes March 29 in Athens’ Piraeus
The Itinerary: The 63-day voyage covers 28 ports and visits 13 countries on three continents. There are four segments for travelers who can’t manage the entire sailing.
Highlights: The Grand Africa and Arabia Grand Voyage sails around the tip of Africa, including Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban in South Africa, before heading to such islands as the Reunion, Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles.
Then it’s on to the islands of the Indian Ocean before heading toward the Arabian Peninsula, where some of our favorite ports, including Oman’s Muscat and Salalah, are on the menu. Other stops: United Arab Emirates with an overnight in Abu Dhabi; Jordan’s Aqaba, the kick-off spot for the haunting and beautiful ruins of Petra; a Suez Canal transit; and four days in Egypt.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage: Pole to Pole Expedition 2024
The trip: The 126-day Pole-to-Pole expedition grand voyage begins February 22 in Ushuaia, Argentina. From there, it heads to Antarctica and finishes June 26 in the Arctic’s Longyearbyen in Norway’s Svalbard.
The itinerary: Besides the Antarctic and the Arctic, the voyage, on Silver Wind visits 90 ports in 21 countries. You will have eight options to choose as segments within the 126-day trip.
Highlights: We love that you begin in summer in the Southern Hemisphere and conclude with summer in the Northern Hemisphere. This itinerary is meant for travelers who have seen much of the world and want to go back and explore smaller, lesser-known places. For instance, while in South America, the ship stops at such marquee cities as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, yet there’s also a trek up the Amazon.
You’ll head across the Atlantic Ocean to Senegal’s Dakar and on to Lisbon and London, and all the ports in between, including Brazil’s Belem; the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde; Morocco’s Agadir; and France’s Belle Isle. On the final stretch, Silver Wind calls at destinations such as the U.K.’s Isles of Scilly, Iona and Mull before arriving in Reykjavik, Iceland, and the Svalbard Archipelago.
On this journey, exclusive Grand Voyages events will take place on Senegal’s Goree Island and in London, at Tower Bridge.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage: Grand Indian Ocean 2024
The trip: Skirting the Indian Ocean, this cruise, on Silver Cloud, offers an expedition experience. It departs from South Africa’s Port Elizabeth on April 4 and concludes in Australia’s Darwin on June 9.
The itinerary: Emphasizing ancient history, geographical wonders, and wildlife diversity, this voyage visits 45 ports of call in 12 countries during a 66-day stretch.
Highlights: You’ll travel deeply into this region of the world, experiencing wildlife on game drives and water-based adventures. The ancient region of Australia’s Kimberley is out of our own world with its gorges. waterfalls, marine life and sense of isolation from the realities of daily life. India, Sri Lanka and Indonesia also are part of this expedition experience. The Exclusive Grand Voyages Events take place in South Africa’s Port Elizabeth and India’s Cochin. On this Grand Voyage, you can choose a two-night pre-cruise land experience in Shamwari, a private game reserve on South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage: Grand Mediterranean 2024
The trip: From Lisbon, Portugal, to Athens, Silversea’s Grand Mediterranean 2024 begins April 20 and concludes June 16.
The itinerary: The 58-day trip on Silver Spirit calls at 50 ports in a dozen countries. For those interested in shorter segments, Grand Mediterranean offers six routes.
Highlights: The ultimate Mediterranean tapas cruise, the Grand Voyage heads from Athens to the Greek Isles, Turkey and Jerusalem. Next is north to Venice by way of the Dalmatian Coast, and back around Italy, to Rome and Western Italy, France’s Côte d’Azur, western Spain through Barcelona and along the Spanish coast and Portugal.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage: Grand South Pacific Expedition 2024
The trip: Like any Silversea expedition voyage, the Grand South Pacific takes you to a few places you’ve been to and to mostly small, off-the-beaten path ports that you haven’t yet experienced. This makes it an explorer’s journey. On this trip aboard Silver Cloud, you’ll depart August 25 from Perth, Western Australia, and finish the voyage November 7 in Chile’s Valparaíso.
The itinerary: The 76-day voyage on Silver Wind visits 40 ports in six countries with four dedicated segments for shorter sailings.
Highlights: After several weeks exploring Australia’s lesser-known destinations, Silver Cloud heads east to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. The voyage crosses the Pacific to South America by way of Easter Island and Robinson Crusoe Island.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage: Grand Pacific 2024
The trip: The 58-day Grand Voyage Pacific on Silver Muse departs from Tokyo and ends in Sydney.
The itinerary: The autumn season trip begins September 26 and arrives in Tokyo on November 22. It encompasses 27 ports and eight countries, and four segments are available.
Highlights: This is one of 2024’s most eagerly anticipated itineraries, calling at ports that had, for years, been closed to international travel. From Tokyo, the first segment is a Japan-centric voyage that also stops at Busan, the Los Angeles of Korea with its beachy culture and film festival setting. From Tokyo, again, the next leg spends three days in Shanghai, plus a multiday visit at Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, and a stop in Hong Kong, before winding up in Singapore. From Singapore it’s on to Bali and around Australia’s eastern coast to Brisbane. And the last series of port visits is Australia-intensive, then on to New Zealand before winding up in Sydney.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand South America 2025
The trip: Silversea’s Grand South America voyage, on the brand-new Silver Ray, is a 72-day cruise that begins Jan. 20 and winds up on April 1.
The itinerary: On Silver Ray, the Grand South America sailing calls at 38 ports in 17 countries. Five segments are available. For full Grand Voyage guests, the round-trip itinerary from Fort Lauderdale begins with the Caribbean and Central America, through the Panama Canal, to Peru’s Lima. Then it’s headed south, down the west coast of Peru and Chile, through the latter’s gorgeous fjords. Around the southernmost part of South America, you head next up to Buenos Aires and farther up through Uruguay and Brazil, before crossing to the Caribbean and then north to the U.S.
Highlights: This is a thorough tour through Central America, South America and the Caribbean and includes plenty of calls at lesser-known destinations as well as multiday visits to marquee ports. Silver Ray, as the newest ship in the Silversea fleet, is outfitted with all of new aspects of the Silver Nova-class of ship, including with an asymmetrical design that makes a great connection between ship and sea, and now legacy S.A.L.T. (Sea and Land Taste) programs; don’t miss out on regional piscos served on this itinerary at the S.A.L.T. Bar.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Asia 2025
The Trip: In 2025, Grand Asia, on Silversea’s Silver Whisper, travels from Singapore roundtrip, beginning February 15 and ending on April 26.
The itinerary: The 70-day cruise visits 34 destinations in nine countries with calls in Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, the Philippines, China, Korea and Japan. Calls include marquee ports in each country as well as smaller, offbeat destinations such as Nha Trang, Jeju Island, and Koh Samui.
Highlights: You won’t want to miss the exclusive events for this Grand Voyage in Bangkok and Manila, Philippines. Visits to major cities in Japan are timed to the cherry blossom season.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage Mediterranean 2025
The trip: The 54-day cruise on Silver Spirit sails from Venice, Italy, to Lisbon, Portugal, from September 18 to November 1, 2025.
The itinerary: Silver Spirit travels to 43 ports and 13 countries and entities in five segments.
Highlights: A classic Mediterranean cruise, but how do you decide where to go? That’s the beauty of the Grand Voyage Mediterranean: You can have it all.
“This is an itinerary where you don’t have to compromise,” says Justin Poulsen, Silversea’s Vice President of Itinerary Planning and Destination Development. “We will take you to all the iconic places but also add surprise and delight to the itinerary.”
That means combining popular destinations such as Venice, Dubrovnik, Istanbul and Naples with off-the-beaten-path locations — think Kotor, Montenegro, and Palamós, Spain — accessible only by small ships. The journey offers a comprehensive exploration of the cradle of Western civilization in luxury and with plenty of time to explore.
Positioned at the end of the summer season, the itinerary visits the Adriatic Coast, Greek Isles and Eastern Mediterranean as well as the Southern and Western Mediterranean. It begins in Venice and heads south with stops in modern-day Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro, which once belonged to the powerful trading empire of the Republic of Venice.
It continues on to ancient destinations along the Greek coast and islands, stopping at Rhodes, Crete, Santorini, Patmos, Volos and the little-known gem Syros, which has quaint medieval villages and monasteries, and a fringe of beautiful beaches. Then it’s on to Istanbul with a cruise through the Dardanelles Strait, which separates Europe from the westernmost tip of Asia, and a land trip in Turkey to view the scenic landscape of Cappadocia by hot-air balloon.
From there, Silver Spirit heads back around to Sicily and Naples in southern Italy to explore the Southern Mediterranean, north to Rome, and along the Cote d’Azur with stops in Marseille, France, and Monaco. The final segment sails Spain’s Iberian Coast, with opportunities to explore Barcelona, Cartagena, Málaga, the landmark British cliff-top holding of Gibraltar on the tip of the Iberian Peninsula and Tangier, Morocco, before ending in Portugal.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage 2025: Grand North Atlantic & Northern Europe
The trip: On northern Europe’s grand voyage, the 83-day cruise on the Silver Shadow sails round trip from New York City from June 11 to September 2, 2025.
The itinerary: Silver Shadow travels to 55 ports and 16 countries and entities in six segments.
Highlights: For three centuries, the Vikings embarked on arduous journeys to Britain and Europe as well as Iceland and parts of Canada in the constant push toward new lands. Silversea’s ambitious Grand Voyage Northern Europe was added to track that history by retracing routes between Scandinavia, the European continent and the New World.
“The underlying theme is of migration and exploration and Viking history,” says Justin Poulsen, Silversea’s vice-president of Itinerary Planning and Destination Development. “You’re really going to follow in the footsteps of the Vikings.”
It’s also a deep dive into world-class fjords and some of the most remote areas of Scandinavia. The extensive journey ventures across Eastern Canada to the British Isles, the Baltic Sea, Norway and Iceland with extended stays in some ports to allow deeper explorations of destinations and experiences in nature.
From New York, the Silver Shadow heads north to Canada and then crosses the Atlantic Ocean, landing at Belfast, Northern Ireland. It continues along the coast to such cities as Dublin, Ireland, and Liverpool, England, and smaller destinations, such as the Isle of Man and the self-governed isle of Jersey.
It stops in Cardiff, Wales, where guests will be treated to a traditional choir music concert in a castle in the countryside. The itinerary heads to the coast of France, Belgium and the Netherlands before heading north to Sweden and Denmark, crossing the Baltic Sea with stops in Finland, Estonia and Latvia, then swinging back west and north to Norway.
More than a dozen stops in Norway underscore the country’s remote and remarkable coast, including sailing in two fjords — Geiranger and Nærøyfjord — that have been named UNESCO World Heritage sites for their natural beauty.
From there it’s on to Iceland and a return journey across the Atlantic with stops in Canada before returning to New York City.
“By the time you reach Newfoundland,” Poulsen says, “you’ve got the whole story of Viking history.”
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand Voyage Australia 2025
The trip: The 47-day cruise on Silver Nova sails round-trip from Melbourne, Australia, from Oct. 14 to Nov. 30, 2025.
The itinerary: Silver Nova travels to 23 ports (including seven overnights) in a circumnavigation of Australia.
Highlights: This is an Australian cruise like no other because, instead of jumping off from Sydney to other parts of the globe, Grand Australia circles the continent and stops at ports that accentuate its ancient aboriginal roots, its past as a British penal colony, and its incredible beaches and natural wonders found only Down Under.
The cruise stops in all of the country’s six states and two territories in an intensive adventure to the largest island in Oceania, a vast region made up of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea as well as Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, which includes the state of Hawaii. Each port highlights a place of historic, natural or cultural value and includes cities, such as Melbourne (the start and end point), Sydney, with its landmark opera house and bridge, and Adelaide.
Smaller remote areas have their own stories to tell, like the 19th-century whaling town of Eden, where aboriginal hunters once used orcas to trap and kill humpbacks. The resort town of Broome in Western Australia serves up stunning beaches and pearl farms, and the town of Hobart at the southern tip of Tasmania, in the shadow of Kunanyi, or Mount Wellington, provides a gateway to the remote outdoors.
And there are islands to explore. Kangaroo Island in South Australia offers a glimpse of one of the most remote, unspoiled places in the country, and Fraser Island off Queensland reveals a one-of-a-kind landscape of sand dunes and tall rainforests.
On this journey, travelers will come face to face with the world’s smallest marsupial, the quokka, and the endangered Tasmanian devil. Destinations also include the Great Barrier Reef; Exmouth, Western Australia; Busselton, Western Australia; and Thursday Island, Far North Queensland.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.
Grand South Pacific Expedition
The trip: The 74-day cruise on the Silver Cloud sails from Perth, Australia, to Valparaíso, Chile, Aug. 20 to Nov, 2, 2025.
The itinerary: Silver Cloud travels to 58 ports and 11 countries (with seven overnights).
Highlights: This expedition heads to more than 50 remote and pristine places in the South Pacific. Prepare to be astonished by the obscure, including a stop at the volcanic ocean peaks in Papua New Guinea’s Vitu (also called Witu) Islands. Visitors to the largest, Garove, walk on the lush ring of land that is actually the rim of a volcano caldera; the island has a body of water at its center.
Other stops in the nation include Madang, a pretty town known for its rainforests, rugged mountains and epic snorkeling, and Rabaul, a veritable ghost town since falling ash from a volcanic eruption destroyed many buildings in 1994.
Then it’s on to Champagne Beach on Espiritu Santo, the westernmost island of Vanuatu, so named because waters around the white-sand beach “bubble” from volcanic vents below the surface; and Adamstown, the capital of Pitcairn Islands, where the descendants of the mutineers of the famed HMS Bounty and their Tahitian companions settled to build a new life in the late 18th century.
Today about 50 people continue to live in the place that’s more than 400 miles from the nearest populated land. Other itinerary stops include bird-rich volcanic Ambrym and Pentecost islands in the nation of Vanuatu; the stone monoliths (known as moai) of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, in Chile; Aitutaki Island and the coral atoll Palmerston in the Cook Islands; Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile; Neiafu in Tonga; Fiji islands; and the remote Kimberley Coast in Western Australia.
What else do you want to know? Check this out.