On this episode of Luxury Cruising, Dr. Krystal Sodaitis explores some of the most exciting luxury world cruise itineraries sailing in 2026 and 2027. From Antarctica and the Amazon to Polynesia, Asia, and the Mediterranean, she compares voyages from Seabourn, Silversea, Viking, Regent Seven Seas, and Oceania, helping travelers dream about the ultimate once-in-a-lifetime journey.
What would your dream world cruise look like?
In this solo episode of Luxury Cruising, host Dr. Krystal Sodaitis takes listeners on a tour of some of the most anticipated luxury world cruises departing in late 2026 and 2027. For travelers who have ever imagined sailing around the globe, crossing oceans, exploring remote destinations, and immersing themselves in diverse cultures, this episode offers an inspiring comparison of itineraries from some of the industry's leading luxury cruise lines.
Dr. Sodaitis highlights Regent Seven Seas' Grand Circumnavigation aboard Seven Seas Splendor, Viking's three distinct world cruise options, Silversea's expedition-inspired Three Oceans Cruise, Seabourn's Antarctica-focused Grand Voyage, and Oceania's collection of extended global journeys. Along the way, she examines itinerary styles, ship experiences, pricing, overnight stays, cultural programming, and the types of travelers best suited for each voyage.
Whether you dream of Antarctica, Polynesia, Southeast Asia, the Mediterranean, or simply spending months at sea in luxurious comfort, this episode provides a thoughtful guide to choosing a world cruise that aligns with your travel style, pace, and bucket-list aspirations.
Episode Highlights:
Episode Mentioned:
Episode 36: World Cruises: The Ultimate Bucket List Voyage
About the Host:
Dr. Krystal Sodaitis is a pediatrician, executive, and life coach for neurodiverse physicians—and the passionate host behind Luxury Cruising. She brings expert insight and honest excitement to every interview, helping curious travelers elevate their adventures at sea.
📍 Website: luxurycruising.net
📧 Email: luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krystalsodaitis
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Looking for the perfect spa experience: Spa table
[00:00:00] Welcome back to Luxury Cruising. I'm your host, Krystal Sodaitis, and today I wanted to take a next step into one of my favorite topics. You all know my bucket list cruise, which is a world cruise. If you remember way back in episode 36, we talked to Michelle about world cruises. if y'all are like me, I am always looking at cruises.
I get emails from all the luxury lines, and they're always sending me the emails when they drop their world cruises. And of course, I can't
help but look at the
itinerary and dream and wonder like, which cruise would I actually choose? Given the expense, I doubt I would ever go on more than one. I am for sure going on at least one.
But imagine going on more than one world cruise. And so I just wanted to touch on some of the most [00:01:00] interesting itineraries that are coming out here for the end of '26 and '27 in, you know, some of our favorite luxury brands: Seabourn, Silversea, Viking. And because luxury cruises They're more than just circumnavigating the world.
It's an opportunity to really dive deep into, some really culturally rich and geographically interesting itineraries. And it's not just about the boat, it's about the adventure and the curated experiences that some of these ships provide really, and just to take a once in a lifetime journey.
So come on board with me while I break down some of the most exciting world cruise itineraries that will be coming out in late '26 and early '27. But before we get [00:02:00] started, I just wanna give you, like, an overview of, like, world cruises, because they kind of follow a semi-predictable pattern.
Many of them start on the East Coast of the US, and then they might go into the Caribbean, to the Panama Canal, over into, Polynesia, Oceania, Asia maybe Africa, the Middle East, crossing into Europe. And that's maybe back across the Atlantic, and that's kind of what we're gonna see.
But there are others that really are doing some other, you know... There's pole to pole, where you'll do, from the North Pole to the South Pole. There are lines that are really focusing on particular areas, maybe Asia or the Middle East, and they're doing more overnights and longer stays in port and using smaller ships so that they can get into more remote destinations.
There are themes like culinary themes or [00:03:00] UNESCO World Heritage themes, and these itineraries are really in demand, and I just love looking at them and imagining which one would I take. So let's break some down. We're gonna start with Regent Seven Seas' 2027 world cruise that they are titling the Grand Circumnavigation.
The ship is Seven Seas Splendor. It leaves January 11th, 2027. It's 140 nights, and you embark in Miami, and you disembark in New York. Regent, we know, is... It's one of the gold standards, or really is trying to establish itself as the gold standard for all-inclusive world cruising. The 2027 itinerary is a blend of circumnavigation and a really beautiful blend of East and West.
It's got one of the highest numbers of [00:04:00] overnight port stays of any of the world cruises. The route is intentional and elegant. It includes business class airfare, some excursions, obviously Wi-Fi, specialty dining, gratuities, premium beverages, all the usual stuff. Like I said, you've got lots of overnights in Bora, in Sydney, in Bali a visit to the Indian Ocean, and it just seems really amazing.
And, it is following a typical world cruise circumnavigation. So like I said, it starts in Miami. It goes into the Caribbean. There's a little bit of Central America. And then you transit through the Panama Canal. You do the western coast of Mexico, and then up, you visit San Diego, Los Angeles, before crossing over to [00:05:00] Hawaii and the South Pacific.
I mentioned the overnight in Bora Bora before heading down to Australia and New Zealand, hitting, the main ports of Australia and New Zealand including an overnight in Sydney, before heading over to Southeast Asia, including an overnight in Bali. They've got Jakarta, another overnight in Singapore Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Phuket.
Hitting all of the Southeast Asia highlights, and then heading over to India, the Middle East hopefully a Suez Canal transit if all goes well before hitting the Mediterranean, Israel, Cyprus, Rhodes, Athens, Santorini, all of the Greek islands. And then you've got Rome, Monaco, Provence, heading over to Barcelona, an overnight in Barcelona, which is really nice, before crossing the Atlantic and hitting New York.
How does that sound? [00:06:00] And because I was able to find some pricing, all of this for the entry-level price of $94,000. Yeah. It's a lot, but it's worth it. The highest is the Regent Suite at $840,000.
Who's it for? Who's gonna pay this kind of money? Travelers who want to circumnavigate the globe in a seamless, all-inclusive, deeply immersive way. Next, I wanna talk about Viking. And, Viking is so destination-focused. It's enrichment-heavy, and it's got its, cultural programming. It's really known for its cultural programming, port talks.
We talked a little bit about that with Michelle, that it's goes at a little bit of a slower pace. Some of them have more time in Asia and Australia. You've got the quintessential Viking Scandinavian design, its calm atmosphere. And [00:07:00] now the thing about Viking is that it's actually not just one world cruise.
It actually is three different world cruises, all of which are a little bit different, but yet still have that calm, elegant, Scandinavian design that is intrinsic to Viking with, as I said, that attention to Cultural immersion and intensive educational component. The first Viking world cruise is 100, that I wanna talk about, is 142 days. It goes from Fort Lauderdale to London. It starts on January 5th, 2027. It's on the Viking Sky. And the Viking Sky has about [00:08:00] 930 guests, all veranda, no casino, like a spa-ish, Scandinavian spa design.
And it's intended to be the perfect size, or it's thought to be the perfect size because it's big enough to have so that you have enough amenities to keep you, let's say, entertained for however many days it was, 147 days. But it's also small enough that you get that intimate Viking experience. Again, because you're leaving from Fort Lauderdale, you've got some Caribbean time, and then you cross over so that there's time in the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia, Southeast Asia, India and the Middle East, Mediterranean, a little bit of northern Europe.
Before ending in
London.
This itinerary's
overnights includes overnight in
Tokyo, Bangkok, Ho [00:09:00] Chi Minh City, Sydney, and Auckland. And this cruise is designed for people who want a really classic, well-rounded cruise experience, again, with that really strong cultural immersion, cultural programming The second world cruise that Viking is offering in '27, it actually starts in December 20th, 2026.
It's 170 days. The ship is Viking Neptune. This one is a little bit longer. It-- the ship itself, Viking Neptune, is nearly identical to Viking Sky. It's just a little bit newer. It's got some enhanced sustainability systems for people who find that to be really important. It's known for having a really smooth sail.
And this itinerary is longer, and the pace is a little bit slower, so you're gonna have more time in South America. You're gonna have more time in the [00:10:00] South Pacific. There the Polynesia segment is a little bit more detailed. Um, more time in Southeast Asia with additional stops in India and the Arabian Peninsula.
More time in the Mediterranean, more sea days. some of the ports that they're gonna visit are not as frequently traveled or more frequently visited by other cruise lines. Again, you've got your enriching program. And so this one is for people who don't mind being on the ship a little bit longer, want more sea days, want that slower pace.
I mean, let's face it a world cruise can be tough if you're doing port after port. And so some people may not mind having the extended days, um, so that they can have a little bit more time between ports and a little bit of time to rest. And then the third Viking world cruise for 2027 is 153 days.
And this one is really unique because it starts on [00:11:00] January 10th, 2027, but it starts in Los Angeles. So you completely skip the Caribbean, no Panama Canal transit. But you get a little bit more of Hawaii and French Polynesia. It's on the Viking Mars, which is one of Viking's newer ships.
You have an updated spa and a thermal suite. The Explorer's Lounge is supposed to be next level. And again, you've got the sort of like typical Viking Scandinavian design, but slightly modernized. And the other way that this is unique, similar to the others, like I said, Hawaii, Polynesia, Oceania Southeast Asia, and India, et cetera, but you're gonna have more time in Northern Europe, and then you will end in Stockholm rather than London.
So you'll get some time in Scandinavia, more Scandinavian ports, [00:12:00] more Baltic ports. It is a little bit faster-paced. And as they're saying, like this might be for the person who perhaps has done a circumnavigation before and wants something with a little bit more of a concentration in the Pacific or in the Baltic or in Scandinavia.
Your prices are gonna start for the shortest cruise, the 142 is about 66,000. Then the 153-day cruise is around $80,000. This is per person. And then the long cruise the 170-day cruise is 131,000. So quite a big jump up there between the 153 and the 157. But I will put a table in the show notes or a link to a table in the show notes that will compare these three Viking experiences for anybody who's interested in seeing them side by side.
So next I wanna go to Silversea, and I love this idea [00:13:00] of the Silversea 2027 World Cruise. It's being called the Three Oceans Cruise. It's 149 days. It starts January 8th, 2027. It goes from Los Angeles to Copenhagen. So again, skipping Caribbean and Panama Canal, and, you know, Silversea is blending luxury with expedition-style cruising.
We are going to get to some really remote ports that I'm gonna talk about. So it's gonna be a mix of iconic ports and rare off-the-beaten-path ports with obviously Silversea's legendary butler service and, just culinary delights. Like I said, the Polynesia part, lots of time in Hawaii, French Polynesia, Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, obviously New Zealand and Australia.
You're gonna check out Papua New Guinea, Bali, again, Singapore, Malaysia, really all of these ports that you don't often get. The [00:14:00] Seychelles, Madagascar, the W- Western Africa and then ending in Copenhagen. Um, your entry-level suite is going to be around $112,000. Um, really for somebody who wants luxury and a little off-the-beaten-path adventure.
Next on our list we've got Seabourn that This one caught my eye because it's really South America and Antarctica grand voyage. It starts on January 4th, 2027. It's the Seabourn Quest, and so that's a polar-capable ship, 450 guests, round trip from Miami, but there's two Panama Canal crossings. And you still get to stop in the South Pacific, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Seabourn Quest is designed for cold weather cruising. It can go into the Arctic. You're gonna have some scenic cruising in remote regions, [00:15:00] and it's made to be stable during rough seas, i.e. the Drake Passage. It's an all-suite accommodation ship. You're gonna have expedition-trained staff, obviously Zodiac operations for the Antarctica landings, and it's really intended to be an epic, epic journey
Some of the standout differences for this particular world cruise are things like Brazil and the Amazon. Yes, sometimes the ship is small enough that you might get into some Amazon River ports and see the Amazon rainforest. You get to see Uruguay and Argentina even an overnight in Buenos Aires.
Patagonia. Go to the Chilean fjords, which I hear are just spectacular and [00:16:00] amazing for scenic cruising. Obviously Antarctica, ideally getting in some Zodiac landings, getting to see the penguins and the whales and all the amazing wildlife that is Antarctica On the way back, you hit Chile and the Andes Peru, Ecuador, and then crossing back over through the Panama Canal to finish in the Caribbean and end back in Miami
this trip is really, again, once in a lifetime because it's a world cruise that includes Antarctica. It's basically like making a loop around South America, which I think is amazing. It's a luxurious polar-capable ship, and the Chilean fjords is apparently not to be missed. So this is really for travelers who [00:17:00] want to see Antarctica luxuriously, and also maybe don't just wanna make the trip.
That's a long trip to South America by plane when you have to get on an Antarctic ship. So that's also a bonus for me for this one, is that I get to go to Antarctica and I don't have to take a long plane ride. there are no published rates for this, so if you have to ask, you can't afford it, or maybe just they want you to reach out to your travel agent.
The last one I have on the list is actually, again, a group of them for Oceania. Oceania we know is known for having some of the best food at sea and their world cruises reflect that. And they call them long-form voyages rather than world cruises, and each one has its own sort of personality.
So the first one is a 244-day world cruise from Miami to New York. I see 244 days, I'm like, "Sign me up." It leaves December 22nd, 2026. It's on [00:18:00] Oceania Vista. It is one of Oceania's longest voyages ever which, as I said, sounds great to me. The Vista is Oceania's newest ship with about, uh, 1,200 guests, all veranda accommodations, obviously an amazing culinary program.
The circumnavigation follows the classic itinerary. South America, South Pacific, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, India, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and then transatlantic back to New York. So nothing really crazy unique about that except for the length which is almost a full year.
And that starts at $107,000 per person
The next grand voyage, world voyage that Oceania's offering is 180-day cruise from Miami to London. It starts on January 5th, [00:19:00] 2027. The Oceania Insignia is this ship. It is a really beautiful ship. 698 guests, intimate, boutiquey. It's small enough that it can access small ports. It's considered a cultural grand tour.
Refined, elegant world cruise with a strong emphasis on Asia, the Mediterranean the South Pacific,
and it's being advertised as
balanced and so not intended to be overwhelming. 180 days, half a year, like That's a good world cruise length.
And starts at $94,000. Then we've got the 127-day world cruise from Miami to Doha, also Oceania. This is the Oceania Nautica. And this really is different because it ends in the Middle East, which I think would be fun to end in Doha and then have a little bit of time there, maybe [00:20:00] take another cruise, because there is a whole other world of cruising in Asia that we really don't get that much of here in North America.
So I think it would be really fun to take a cruise that starts in Doha, but I digress. And so this one is going to really focus on South America and the South Pacific, again, doing the same sort of itinerary, Asia, India, Middle East, but then stops in the Middle East. So skipping Europe completely and really focusing culturally, on that part of the world.
Entry-level pricing I thought was really decent at $52,000. So, I haven't really paid attention to, which is the least expensive, but this one, um, seems like it's one of the least expensive options and also one of the coolest with that ending in Doha.
So the last one I'm gonna talk about is 129-day world cruise that starts in Sydney and ends in London. [00:21:00] And I'll tell you why I love this one for that reason too after I tell you about the cruise, and this one is the Oceania Regatta. And it is the sister ship to the Nautica, again, 684 guests. It's boutiquey.
This one's gonna be a more Pacific-heavy itinerary because again, it starts in Sydney and you're gonna really see a lot of the Southern Hemisphere as it works its way through to Europe. So more time in Southeast Asia, more time in India, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and then Northern Europe is the finale.
And I love this because it starts in January in Sydney. And you know, I have always had this idea that wouldn't it be fun To take a Transpacific cruise at the end of the Alaskan season, which is like [00:22:00] September, and take that to Australia, spend basically our winter, their summer in Australia, and maybe take a few cruises there, and then take
a transpacific to Australia, hang out there, and then instead of waiting until April to get back and just go back the way you came, I mean, it's never exactly the way you came, you can instead get on this ship and go the other way around and end up in London. And maybe take some Mediterranean cruises around there.
So you know the luxury of life and just enjoying lots of cruises. And, that's one reason why I particularly love that last Oceania cruise. So that's it.
That's sort of my top, five cruise lines. I don't know how many different itineraries we covered, eight or nine that I've been sort of dreaming over these last few months. I would love to know [00:23:00] if any of these itineraries are compelling to you. Is that too long? Is 140, 200 days on a cruise ship too long for you, or just right?
Did one in particular spark your interest? What do you think of the pricing? Is it fair, way too much, or something to aspire to, something to dream of, like me? So let me know in the comments. And if you've been on a world cruise or if you've been on any of these luxury lines, I would love to hear about your experience.
Please email me at luxurycruisingpodcast@gmail.com. And I'd love to have you on the podcast to hear about your experience. So thank you again for listening. And until next time, I wish you safe and luxurious cruising