Building on the line's expedition routes for the same period, the new itineraries bring the total number of destinations to approximately 900 for 2019/20.
Featured are a full program in Australia and New Zealand, a circumnavigation of South America and increased capacity in Asia. Ten inaugural calls will be made at places like Fiji's volcanic Dravuni Island, the lushly forested Cayman Brac in the Cayman Islands and New Zealand's picturesque Timaru, with its botanical gardens and bluestone buildings.
All seven continents in 140-day world cruise
The 2020 world cruise—touted as the first to visit all seven continents—will sail from Fort Lauderdale Jan. 6 for Amsterdam. Over 140 days Silver Whisper will visit 32 countries and 62 ports. Heading south, the ship will sail through the Caribbean and skirt South America's east coast to reach the Antarctic Peninsula. After heading north to Valparaíso, Silver Whisper will sail west to Easter Island, the South Pacific isles and Australia. Next, the ship will explore Asia, including Bali, Sri Lanka and Mumbai, before continuing to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Extended Australia/New Zealand season
Silver Muse, meanwhile, will spend more than four months in Australia and New Zealand, marking its longest season in the region to date. From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to New Zealand’s fjords, the region’s natural wonders will be unlocked through a series of mostly 14-day immersive voyages, departing from Sydney or Auckland.
For example, on Dec. 6, Silver Muse departs Sydney for Auckland, visiting Melbourne, Tasmania, Port Chalmers (Dunedin), Lyttelton (Christchurch), Picton and Tauranga. Highlights include sailing the Milford, Doubtful and Dusky sounds in UNESCO-listed Fiordland National Park. The cruise stretches 14 days.
On Jan. 3, Silver Muse sails round-trip from Sydney on a voyage to the South Pacific islands. Ports on the 13-day cruise include New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu.
All the way around South America
A full circumnavigation of South America will be operated by Silver Shadow from Fort Lauderdale. The ship departs Jan. 24 on a 63-day journey with highlights including the Panama Canal, an inaugural overnight visit to Guayaquil, cruising Chile's fjords, an overnight in Rio de Janeiro, plus two-night stays in Buenos Aires and Callao, the gateway to Machu Picchu. Four shorter segments are offered with departures from Fort Lauderdale, Callao, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro.
Multi-day stays in Myanmar
Two Silver Spirit voyages, on Nov. 19 and Feb. 29, incorporate multi-day stopovers in Myanmar, so passengers can explore the country's golden pagodas and ancient temples in depth. The voyages depart from Mumbai or Singapore with overnight stays in Sri Lanka, among a host of visits to other Indian Ocean destinations.
Two ships will explore Asia. On Oct. 21, for example, Silver Muse embarks on a 14-day journey to China and Japan, bookended by Tokyo and Hong Kong. The voyage includes an inaugural call at Hososhima and overnight stays in Osaka, Beijing and Shanghai.
And Silver Spirit's Dec. 7 Southeast Asia voyage from Singapore to Hong Kong, also 14 days, visits Ko Samui, Chan May (the gateway to Da Nang and imperial Huế) and Ha Long Bay. An overnight stay in Bangkok and a multi-day sto at Ho Chi Minh City are featured.
In the Caribbean nearly two dozen voyages aboard Silver Wind, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper spotlight destinations from St. Lucia and San Juan to St. Barts.
Caribbean maiden calls and overnights
Silver Whisper's Nov. 22 voyage, round-trip Fort Lauderdale, spends 14 days visiting places like Tortola, St. Barts, Les Saintes, Barbados, Dominica, Antigua, San Juan, and Key West, with a rare overnight stay in St. Maarten.
The Jan. 16 Silver Wind cruise sails from San Juan to Barbados on an 11-day voyage stopping at La Romana, Curaçao, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia and Bequia, with an inaugural visit to Port-of-Spain.
Galápagos program continues
Also announced is the full schedule of expedition cruises aboard Silver Galapagos from January to June in 2020. Two distinct seven-day itineraries in the Galápagos Islands may be combined into 14-day sailings.
The itinerary schedules for Silver Cloud and Silver Explorer have already been announced until mid-February 2020, while Silver Discoverer will leave the fleet in summer 2019.
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