Silver Moon and Silver Whisper completed a summer of seven-night Inside Passage voyages between Vancouver and Seward, with glacier cruising, small-port calls and rail-linked land extensions
Silversea completed 30 Alaska voyages aboard Silver Moon and Silver Whisper in 2026, with another 29 sailings planned for the region in 2027.
- Silversea completed 30 Alaska voyages aboard Silver Moon and Silver Whisper between 14 May and 3 September 2026.
- The season centred on seven-night voyages between Vancouver and Seward, combining Inside Passage cruising with calls at ports including Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Haines, Valdez, Metlakatla and Klawock.
- Guests used the newly opened Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal in Seward, which provides direct access to the Alaska Railroad for pre- and post-cruise travel.
- Silversea says its 2027 Alaska programme will include 29 voyages aboard the same two ships, with selected itineraries adding Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier.
(NEWS) MIAMI, Florida, United States, 2026-Sep-03 — /Travel PR News/ — Silversea has completed its 2026 Alaska season after 30 voyages aboard Silver Moon and Silver Whisper, closing a four-month programme that combined seven-night Inside Passage sailings with glacier cruising, wildlife viewing and small-port calls between Vancouver and Seward.
The season ran from 14 May through 3 September, with the two ships operating in both directions between British Columbia and Alaska. Silversea’s live itinerary catalogue confirms the final seven-night voyage aboard Silver Whisper arrived in Vancouver on 3 September after sailing from Seward via Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Haines, Sitka and Klawock.
The 2026 programme was built around relatively compact itineraries rather than longer expedition-style voyages. That structure allowed guests to combine Alaska cruising with pre- and post-cruise land programmes, including rail travel and visits to Denali National Park, while still using smaller ships able to call at ports beyond the region’s busiest cruise gateways.
Glacier cruising and smaller ports defined the season
Across the summer, Silver Moon and Silver Whisper visited 14 destinations, according to Silversea’s end-of-season review. Alongside major ports such as Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Skagway, itineraries also included Haines, Valdez, Metlakatla, Klawock and Whittier, with scenic cruising at Hubbard Glacier and Icy Bay.
Wildlife encounters formed part of the destination appeal throughout the season. Silversea reported sightings of humpback whales, orcas, brown and black bears, bald eagles, Dall sheep and puffins, while shore programmes ranged from water-based outings to aviation and rail experiences.
Among the more distinctive excursions was a private railcar journey from Skagway aboard the White Pass & Yukon Route, climbing from sea level toward the White Pass summit while interpreting the region’s Klondike Gold Rush history. In Juneau, guests could combine helicopter flightseeing across the Juneau Icefield with glacier dog sledding, while Sitka offered kayaking around Sitka Sound.
Other options included ATV travel through the Haines area and the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, as well as floatplane flights over Misty Fjords National Monument from Ketchikan. The emphasis across the programme was on giving passengers multiple ways to move beyond the ship and experience Alaska’s landscapes from the air, water and ground.
Seward’s new terminal reshaped the turn-day experience
The 2026 season was also the first in which Silversea guests used Seward’s new Dale R. and Carol Ann Lindsey Alaska Railroad Terminal. The facility officially opened in June after development by the Alaska Railroad with Royal Caribbean Group, The Seward Company and Turnagain Marine Construction.
The new terminal replaced older infrastructure and gives cruise passengers direct access to the Alaska Railroad, strengthening the connection between cross-gulf voyages and land itineraries into Anchorage, Denali and other parts of the state. Its floating pier also includes shore-power capability, adding a new piece of port infrastructure for ships using Seward as a turnaround point.
That rail connection is particularly relevant to Silversea because many of its Alaska guests extend their voyage inland. The brand’s land programmes are designed to connect with embarkation and disembarkation in Seward, allowing rail travel and Denali itineraries to form part of the same wider journey.
Royal Caribbean Group, Silversea’s parent company, has also linked its Seward presence to local business development. Through its Port Partners Small Business Accelerator, the group awarded a $20,000 grant in 2026 to Exit Glacier Greenhouses, a local horticulture company seeking to expand access to fresh produce in the community.
2027 brings another full Alaska summer
Silversea is already looking ahead to 2027, when it says Silver Moon and Silver Whisper will return for 29 Alaska voyages from late May through early September. The brand’s current cruise catalogue shows both ships operating a dense sequence of Alaska itineraries beginning on 27 May.
Several 2027 sailings will add scenic cruising through Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier while retaining familiar areas such as Hubbard Glacier and Icy Bay. Shore programmes highlighted for the coming season include a Taku Lodge salmon feast paired with five-glacier flightseeing from Juneau, sportfishing from Ketchikan and river rafting through Keystone Canyon near Valdez.
One highlighted seven-night voyage aboard Silver Moon will sail from Seward to Vancouver from 3–10 June 2027, with Inside Passage routing and calls including Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway. Another Silver Moon sailing from Vancouver to Seward is scheduled for 19–26 August, combining major ports with glacier viewing in areas including Hubbard Glacier and Tracy Arm.
The 2027 programme also shows how Silversea is using Alaska as part of a broader Pacific deployment. Silver Moon will arrive in Vancouver from Tokyo before beginning its Alaska season and is scheduled to return across the Pacific from Vancouver to Tokyo in September, allowing the ship’s summer Alaska programme to sit between Asian deployments.
Seven-night voyages remain the core product
Silversea’s Alaska strategy continues to rely heavily on seven-night northbound and southbound itineraries between Vancouver and Seward. For travellers, that format offers a relatively simple way to combine glacier scenery and port calls with inland Alaska travel without committing to a longer expedition itinerary.
Bert Hernandez, president of Silversea, said the company sees destination access as central to its positioning in Alaska and highlighted the ability of its smaller ships to reach less-visited parts of the region.
The completed 2026 season shows how that proposition is being translated into a repeatable product: two ships, frequent week-long departures, a mix of major and smaller ports, glacier cruising and a growing network of land and rail connections around Seward. With the 2027 programme already on sale, Silversea is carrying that same structure forward while adding new scenic-cruising areas and shore experiences.
