Our Favorite of Silversea’s Exclusive World Cruise Experiences (So Far) this Year
For Jannie Cloete, creating Silversea’s bespoke world cruise experiences – available to all full world cruise travelers – is one of his favorite parts of the job. As director of special events and experiences, Cloete and colleague Kevin McKeon, manager of events and experiences, travel all over the world to uncover surprise-and-delight possibilities that create lifelong memories for guests.
Now hard at work planning special experiences for Silversea’s 2028 World Cruise: An Ode to the Moment, Cloete took time to share his favorite events for this year’s world cruise, the 2025 Controtempo, which winds up in late May.
Singapore: A bird’s-eye view
“My favorite this year,” McKeon tells me, “was an event we produced in Singapore. We wanted to celebrate the city-state’s amazing status as a culinary melting pot.” (He notes that Singapore is one of the few places in the world where a so-called “lowly” food cart has earned a Michelin star.) He transformed the rooftop of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel into a food market and added a splash of excitement using fireworks over the nearby Gardens by the Bay.
Whispers of the Namib: a celestial event
“Namibia gets at least one of my votes for favorite events on this world cruise,” Cloete says. “Normally, when you think about Namibia, you think about the incredibly scenic sand dunes that run right up to the sea.
“This time, our event celebrated Namibia’s Valley of the Moon, a lunar landscape with dry riverbeds and canyons. ‘Mad Max’ was filmed there.” At the event, Silversea’s full world cruise guests feasted on Namibian food (including monkey brains, a local dessert consisting of a fruit that tastes like chocolate mousse).
Versailles: An evening with Marie Antoinette
With a reservation or patience, almost anyone can take a tour of Versailles. But very few have attended a private event after-hours at the iconic 17th-century palace, and next to none can say they have time-traveled to dine there with Marie Antoinette. (OK not quite her, but a reincarnation, if you will.)
This exclusive event transported guests to the 18th century, the gilded era in which Marie Antoinette was queen of France. The menus were developed by Potel & Chabot, a catering company so august that it has catered meals, in its 243-year history, for Napoleon III. Performers in authentic costumes danced and sang; classical music was performed. And mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel, a native Parisian, performed the classic French anthem “Les Marseillaise.” (She closed the Olympic Games with that song in 2024.)
What’s next for Silversea’s Controtempo guests?
The last of the exclusive events for Silversea’s world cruise travelers takes place in Boston: a special performance by the Boston Pops. We’ll report back from the evening, so stay tuned.
Meanwhile, Cloete gives us a heads up on the exclusive World Cruise events he and McKeon are planning for the next few years. Tops on his list so far?
For The Curious and the Sea, Silversea’s World Cruise 2026, he can’t wait for travelers to experience “From Paddy to Plate.” This will be at Bali’s Tanah Gajah, one of the top resorts in the world, where the rice paddies act as a backdrop for a seasonal gala dinner and a live cultural performance.
In 2027, during The Three Oceans World Cruise, while docked at South Africa’s Durban, Cloete is particularly excited about Livingstone’s Legacy, a two-day overland event at Victoria Falls in which travelers will fly inland and experience a sunset sail and a hike along with a stay at a luxury outpost.
And he and McKeon are already hard at work planning for a 2028 An Ode to the Moment event, in Italy’s Tuscany. World cruise travelers will visit the Bocelli family’s storied Villa Alpebella in the Apuan Alps for a wine pairing menu and orchestral performances of voice and dance amid the gardens.