The 2027 Luxury Cruises Worth Planning Around Now
From Antarctica in January to Christmas in Morocco: the sailings that stand out after a month-by-month look at next year’s schedules
Luxury cruises don’t fill up the way big-ship holidays do. The ships are small, the suites are few, and the most interesting itineraries often have a waitlist long before sailing. If 2027 is the year you want to do something special at sea, this is the time to build a shortlist.
I went through the 2027 schedules from Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Explora Journeys and Oceania Cruises. I picked the voyages that stand out because each does something the others don’t, not because they’re the most expensive. Here they are, roughly in calendar order.
Winter: the ice, and the long way round
Silversea, Silver Endeavour: Antarctica & the Falklands (2–15 January, 13 nights)
The Drake Passage is the part of an Antarctic trip many people dread. On this voyage you fly over it to King George Island and start among the ice. You then sail home via the Falkland Islands, with stops at New Island and Port Stanley. It’s the classic expedition with the roughest crossing cut in half.
Two world cruises that start in January
Silversea’s Silver Dawn leaves Los Angeles on 8 January for a 149-day voyage to Copenhagen, calling at 80 ports in 35 countries. Twenty of those destinations are new to Silversea’s world cruise. Three days later, Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor leaves Miami on a 141-night loop to New York, with 71 ports in 40 countries. It’s Regent’s first world cruise on one of its Explorer-class ships. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to unpack once and see the planet, 2027 has two very good answers.
Spring: the Amazon, the Indian Ocean and Japan
Explora Journeys, Explora I: Island Elegance & Mysteries of the Amazon (5 February — 1 March, 24 nights)
Very few ocean ships sail as far up the Amazon as Manaus, and this one does. It starts as a Caribbean voyage from San Juan, with stops at Gustavia and Bridgetown, then turns south into the river. You get beach days and the rainforest in one booking.
Silversea, Silver Dawn: Mauritius & South Africa (28 March — 11 April, 14 nights)
A one-way voyage from the Seychelles to Cape Town, via Mauritius, Réunion, Richards Bay, Durban and Port Elizabeth. It’s one of the most underrated routes in luxury cruising: island beaches at the start, safari country in the middle and the Cape at the end.
Regent Seven Seas, Seven Seas Explorer: Tokyo Indulgence (13–25 April, 12 nights)
A spring sailing from Tokyo to Seoul, calling at Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Jeju. It’s a calm, culture-heavy itinerary at the time of year when Japan is at its most photogenic.
Summer: small ports, glaciers and an eclipse
Explora Journeys, Explora IV: Nordic Discoveries (25 May — 2 June, 8 nights)
Southampton to Reykjavik via Greencastle, Stornoway, Seyðisfjörður and Akureyri. These are ports that large ships rarely use, and that’s the whole appeal: you arrive somewhere quiet rather than joining a queue.
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Seabourn, Seabourn Ovation: Solar Eclipse sailing (23 July — 6 August, 14 nights)
Monte Carlo to Dubrovnik via Portofino, Corsica, Amalfi, Valletta and Albania’s Sarandë. The headline is 2 August 2027: the ship is at sea for the total solar eclipse. A Mediterranean summer cruise is lovely; one with a front-row seat for an eclipse is something you’ll talk about for years.
Explora Journeys, Explora III: Alaska from Vancouver (2–16 July, 14 nights)
Alaska is new for Explora in 2027. This longer loop goes beyond the usual Inside Passage ports to reach Kodiak Island, alongside Hubbard Glacier and Sitka.
Autumn: the once-in-a-lifetime voyages
Seabourn, Seabourn Venture: Pole to Pole (17 August — 19 November, 94 days)
This is Seabourn’s first Grand Expedition: roughly 20,500 nautical miles from the High Arctic to Antarctica. It covers the Northwest Passage, South Georgia, the Falklands and the White Continent in one journey. Very few people will ever do this; in 2027, a ship-load of them will.
Silversea, Silver Dawn: Grand Mediterranean (28 September — 27 November, 60 nights)
A two-month loop from Lisbon with 48 ports in 12 countries, including Gibraltar, Palma, Rome, Athens, Venice and Monte Carlo. If you’ve done the Mediterranean in fragments, this is the version where you finally see it all.
The holidays at sea
December is where luxury lines get creative. Oceania’s Allura spends 26 nights going from Athens to Rome via Rhodes, Valletta, Casablanca, Tangier and Seville, with Christmas in Morocco. Oceania’s Riviera sails from Hong Kong to Singapore with overnights in Ho Chi Minh City and in Bangkok over New Year’s Eve. Regent’s Seven Seas Splendor makes a daylight Panama Canal transit over the holidays before heading up the Pacific coast to San Francisco.
How to use a list like this
Shortlist by month, not by cruise line. Most people know when they can travel long before they know which ship they want. Start with your window and compare what’s sailing in it.
Move early on the small ships. When I last checked, two of the Explora Journeys sailings on my list were already showing a waitlist, more than a year out. On expedition ships and smaller luxury vessels, the best suites go first.
Always confirm the details. Itineraries change. Check dates, ports and cabins with the cruise line before you commit to anything.
Want the full list? I’ve put all 27 sailings into a free 2027 Luxury Cruise Calendar. It’s a month-by-month PDF with dates, routes and highlights, plus three premium picks for anyone who wants a big-ship option. Get the free 2027 Luxury Cruise Calendar here.
