Silver Shadow in Shanghai's city center. © Ralph Grizzle

It often pays to plan ahead, and for those who heed such advice, now may be a good time to begin planning for 2013. One compelling reason is a new offer by Silversea Cruises. Make a deposit on a 2013 sailing by February 15, 2012, and save an additional 10 percent on a selection of 2012 voyages. On top of this are attractive savings incentives in 2013 that include almost double the number of Free Air gateways available (on select sailings) to travelers departing from the U.S and Canada, and Onboard Spending Credits of up to $1,500 per suite on all voyages (with the exception of Silversea Expeditions).

Join Ralph Grizzle here on our Facebook page as he begins reporting for Cruise Specialists from Silver Shadow beginning January 20, cruising from Sydney to Auckland.

In 2013, Silversea’s six ships will offer more than 200 voyages, visiting more than 450 destinations on seven continents. Highlighting the program is Silver Whisper’s 115-day World Cruise, Silver Spirit’s inaugural calls in Hawaii (last visited by Silversea in 2010), and Silver Explorer’s new expedition cruises to Canada’s beautiful Hudson Bay.

Also noteworthy are Silversea’s 32 new ports of call, which include 21 just for Silver Explorer alone. Collectively, the line’s other ships will offer 11 new destinations: Soller de Majorca, Spain; Sabang (Pulau Weh), Indonesia; Port Arthur, Australia; Liverpool, U.K.; Klaipeda, Lithuania; Saaremaa, Estonia; Baie-Comeau (Quebec), Canada; Chios, Greece; Portsmouth, Dominica; Fanning Island, Kiribati; and Fukuoka, Japan.

“For the discerning luxury traveler, our 2013 schedule, with over 30 new ports of call, offers unparalleled opportunities for unique and life-enriching journeys to all corners of the globe,” said Steve Tucker, Silversea’s vice president of field sales for North America. “With almost double the number of Free Air gateways and generous Onboard Spending Credits now available, this is the perfect time to finalize your travel plans for next year — and enjoy an affordable luxury vacation exploring the world with Silversea.”

Click for 2012/2013 pricing and details on Silversea Cruises.

Here’s a snapshot of Silversea’s 2013 schedule:

WORLD CRUISE 2013. An epic 115-day journey from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale awaits guests when they board Silver Whisper on January 5. Crossing the equator four times, the World Cruise itinerary will follow the tropical belt to 52 destinations in 28 countries with overnight stays in several key ports. The warm-weather journey will explore an array of far-flung cultures and scenic wonders including New Zealand and Australia’s remote west coast; the idyllic isles of French Polynesia; fascinating Asian cities of Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore; and Africa’s rarely seen western coast. Guests may choose to extend their voyage an additional three days to disembark in New York, or 15 days to disembark in Southampton.

Suite With A View: Situated midship on Deck 7, Silver Cloud's Owner's Suite measures 587 square feet for the one-bedroom configuration or 827 square feet for the two-bedroom configuration. The veranda is accessible from both the living room and bedroom. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER CLOUD. Silver Cloud begins her 2013 season exploring South America and then crosses the Panama Canal to the Caribbean to offer a series of convenient roundtrip voyages from San Juan. After spending May in the Mediterranean, she’ll venture to Northern Europe for a summer season that includes calls in the British Isles, Iceland, the North Cape and remote Russian ports in the White Sea. Silver Cloud heads south to the warmer Mediterranean in the fall and come November, crosses the Atlantic to South America where the highlights include a 17-day Amazon adventure and cruising the majestic Chilean Fjords at year’s end.

Silver Wind & Silver Cloud meet up in Helsinki, Finland. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER WIND. For Silver Wind, the New Year begins in South Africa with three 10-day roundtrip sailings from Cape Town, followed by an 18-day cruise along the exotic west coast of Africa and two voyages in the Canary Islands. Silver Wind then repositions to the Mediterranean for an extended summer program filled with mostly seven- and nine-day voyages exploring the Mediterranean. Highlights include a three-day extended visit in Monte Carlo for the Grand Prix during the May 23 cruise from Barcelona to Rome, as well as calls in Egypt and the Holy Land. Silver Wind then heads south along Africa’s west coast to conclude the year back in Cape Town.

Silver Wind anchored in Saint Tropez. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER SHADOW. Silver Shadow opens the year voyaging around Australia and New Zealand. Then in late February and March, she’ll offer a series of itineraries focused on Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand before journeying north to China and Japan for the spring. Summer findsSilver Shadow in Alaska for a series of mostly seven-day cruises between Seward and Vancouver. During October and November, she’ll offer cruises focusing on China and Vietnam, before heading south to celebrate the holidays with a 15-day voyage between Sydney and Auckland.

Silver Shadow in Shanghai's city center. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER WHISPER. Silver Whisper begins 2013 in grand style with a World Cruise. Over the course of four months, she’ll journey west from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, visiting 52 far-flung destinations across Oceania, Asia and Africa. From mid-May through August, she’ll explore Northern Europe offering primarily seven-day Baltic cruises with extended stays in St. Petersburg. A grand transatlantic crossing from Southampton to Montreal will reposition Silver Whisper to offer a collection of fall foliage cruises through Canada and New England before heading south to the Caribbean in November. Following a 16-day holiday cruise through the Panama Canal, she’ll wrap up the year where she started, in Los Angeles.

Opening The Middle East: Silver Spirit in Muscat, Oman. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER SPIRIT. For Silver Spirit, 2013 arrives in the sunny waters of the Caribbean. Then in February, after a crossing of the Panama Canal to Los Angeles, she repositions for a 31-day grand voyage through the glistening Pacific Ocean, highlighted by calls in French Polynesia, Kiribati and the major islands of Hawaii. Throughout summer, seven- and nine-day sailings focus on the eastern Mediterranean and Greek Isles. Other highlights include three seven-day Black Sea cruises. In late November, Silver Spirit arrives in Fort Lauderdale for a series of roundtrip Caribbean cruises culminating with a 14-day holiday cruise.

Silver Explorer seeks adventure at the poles and in between. © Ralph Grizzle

SILVER EXPLORER. The luxury expedition ship Silver Explorer sails into 2013 at the bottom of the Earth, offering a series of cruises to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Spring and summer are highlighted by adventures along the west coast of Africa, western Europe, the British Isles, and Svalbard’s frozen Arctic landscapes. First-ever expedition voyages in Canada’s Hudson Bay highlight August. In September, Silver Explorer heads south to offer a series of Caribbean and Central America explorations before arriving in Ushuaia in November to conclude the year with Antarctic expeditions.

Click for 2012/2013 pricing and details on Silversea Cruises.

January marks the month that cruise ships begin their longest sea journeys. While it’s too late to embark on such an epic adventure this year, it’s not too late to begin charting your course for a 2011 world cruise. Even for those who call themselves seasoned travelers, world cruises invariably will open the window to new destinations, new cultures or a new way of looking at the world.

Since the first world cruise in 1922, by Cunard’s Lanconia, the world cruise has been seen as the pinnacle of luxury travel. Traditionally, these voyages circumnavigated the globe, or at least as close as you can come to doing so on a ship.

The classic itineraries embarked in New York or Southampton and worked their way westward. Routes varied, either traveling through the Caribbean and then into the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal, or around Cape Horn. From there ships usually made their way to Hawaii, the islands of the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, then northward to Hong Kong, South East Asia and India.

At that point, again, courses varied: One route went through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean; the other was around the Cape of Good Hope and then up the west coast of Africa. These cruises ended in the port where they started.

Today, world cruise itineraries focus less on the strict definition of circling the earth and more on the concept of a fascinating voyage. In most cases, a world cruise can be broken into segments that allow travelers to join the journey for three weeks or a month.

First timers often commit to one or two segments in order to be sure that they are comfortable with the extended itinerary. This option also works for people who don’t want to buy the complete cruise or for people who can’t get away for up to four months at a time.

Special moments occur regularly on a world cruise as the ships call on the great wonders of the world and other destinations that are off the path that American travelers typically follow. A world cruise will provide access to exotic cultures, enchanting islands and jaw-dropping natural wonders.

Australia and New Zealand are excellent examples of these juxtapositions of culture and nature that one finds on a world cruise. The welcoming nature of these destinations are well known, but what a stark contrast they offer: Their cast open spaces and dramatic landscapes are populated by curious wildlife, and yet their cities are clean and modern, surging with an upbeat spirit and some world class attractions.

Unless you are so well read and so well traveled that there can be nothing new under the sun, a world cruise is sure to deliver you to new experiences, people and places – a trip to be savored and remembered.

World cruises, once thought of as being beyond the reach of ordinary people, are becoming a lifestyle for a select group of savvy travelers who realize they can cruise the world for less than it would cost them to buy and maintain a second home.The liberating aspects of the Internet and wireless communication also have played a role in expanding the market for world cruises, which for a long time were almost exclusively for retired folks, the stereotype leaning toward rich widows who didn’t need to stay in touch regularly.

But now that cruise ships provide Internet access, including shipwide WiFi, and cell phone service at reasonable rates, executives, business owners and semi-retired folks are able to mix business with pleasure while traveling.

Using the communications tools available to them on ships, world cruisers are able to pay their bills online, manage their businesses and stock portfolios — and stay in touch with family back home.

Fueled by this growing group of travelers, the world cruise is an old-school concept that represents a growth niche in the luxury and premium markets. A world cruise tops the list of dream vacations, according to recent consumer research. Nearly 50 percent of respondents to a survey listed an around-the-world cruise as tops on their travel wish list.

Classic World Cruises
Since the first world cruise in 1922, by Cunard’s Lanconia, the world cruise has been seen as the pinnacle of luxury travel. Traditionally, these voyages circumnavigated the globe, or at least as close as you can come to doing so on a ship.

The classic itineraries embarked in New York or Southampton and worked their way westward. Routes varied, either traveling through the Caribbean and then into the Pacific Ocean via the Panama Canal, or around Cape Horn. From there ships usually made their way to Hawaii, the islands of the South Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, then northward to Hong Kong, South East Asia and India.

At that point, again, courses varied: One route went through the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean; the other was around the Cape of Good Hope and then up the west coast of Africa. These cruises ended in the port where they started.

Today, world cruise itineraries focus less on the strict definition of circling the earth and more on the concept of a fascinating voyage.

Obviously, the cruise lines are going to skip international hot spots that may pose any sort of threat to their ships or their guests, but itinerary planners strive to create world cruises that will appeal to the experienced travelers who are the primary market for trips that run 80 to more than 150 days.

Almost always, a world cruise today will include a comprehensive segment in the South Pacific, Australia and Asia. Also appealing to sophisticated travelers, the trip will frequently call in the eastern Mediterranean or northern Europe, where so much fascinating history and culture are on display.

No Time For A Full World Cruise?

In most cases, a world cruise can be broken into segments that allow travelers to join the journey for three weeks or a month.

First timers often commit to one or two segments in order to be sure that they are comfortable with the extended itinerary. This option also works for people who don’t want to buy the complete cruise or for people who can’t get away for up to four months at a time.

Segments allow travelers to cruise from Los Angeles to Australia, for instance, or from Singapore back to California. Somebody on the East Coast might join the cruise as it works back toward North America from the Middle East or the Mediterranean. There are dozens of options.

Another way to test your sea legs: Crystal Cruises, Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises are among the cruise lines that offer extended voyages of 30 days or more. Extended voyages typically depart in the spring or fall while world cruises typically begin in January and end in April or May.

Perks For Going All The Way
One enticement for doing the whole kit and caboodle is that full world cruisers receive special perks for going all the way. Bonuses range from air upgrades to on-board spending credits, plus special gala events on the ship and ashore.

World cruising also provides a great way to accelerate to subsequent tiers in the cruise line loyalty programs. Regent’s loyalty program, for example, offers free internet usage and one-hour phone service after only 21 days of cruising.

Experienced world cruisers say that on such an extended journey a tight-knit sense community develops between the guests, which is a big reason why there is such a high repeat rate on world cruises.

For those who have the money and time, a world cruise — or one of the segments that make up a world cruise — is a marvelous escape, the ultimate travel experience featuring exotic ports that aren’t usually at the top of the list of Ports Everyone Has Already Visited.

Quite a few travelers return to world cruising year after year because they enjoy the luxurious routine of shipboard life combined with travel and the deep relationships they develop among the crew and their fellow guests. World cruises are no longer viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Nonetheless, each world cruise creates once-in-a-lifetime memories, no matter how many times you board a ship to circle the globe.

The first addition to the luxury market for quite some time, the Seabourn Odyssey promises to be quite an elegant experience, with accommodations, cuisine and entertainments to suit its upscale target audience.

The 450-guest ship, with 225 ocean-view suites, will summer in the Black and Aegean seas. While you may have missed the maiden voyage, do not despair. The Seabourn Odyssey will experience several firsts in the coming months:

• Maiden Transatlantic is October 31, 10 days, Malaga to Fort Lauderdale

• The maiden Caribbean is November 14, 14 days roundtrip Fort Lauderdale

• And the maiden World Cruise is January 5, 108 days from Fort Lauderdale to Athens

The voyage starts in New York, and after a call in Fort Lauderdale, the ship will head to the Caribbean and South America, calling on Barbados, Brazil and Uruguay before arriving for an overnight stay in the magnificent city of Cape Town in South Africa, the ship’s second visit to this exceptionally beautiful destination. From there she will sail to the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean before an exploration of Australia that culminates with an overnight stay in Sydney. The ship continues on to New Zealand and Guam before sampling some highlights of China and Japan en-route to an overnight stay in Hong Kong, followed by visits to Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and India en-route to Dubai. From here, Queen Mary 2 will call in Egypt before making a transit of the Suez Canal that will take her to European calls in Italy, Monaco, Spain and the United Kingdom, her last call before ending her 103-day odyssey in New York.

Segment voyages aboard Queen Mary 2 range from 15 to 25 days, and consecutive segments can be combined.

Both the QM2 and the Queen Elizabeth will be in the early stages of world cruises, and the Queen Victoria will be preparing to transit the Panama Canal on the way to Los Angeles. While certainly a marketing milestone for Cunard, the three ships do stand out as the standard-bearers of the glory days of ocean cruising, and any time they are in the same port, let alone the gateway to the New World, it’s a special event, particularly for the guests on board. We believe it will be more than a little special.

For her first world voyage, Queen Elizabeth will offer a complete 103-day circumnavigation of the globe from her home port of Southampton, crossing the Atlantic en route to New York. U.S. and Canadian guests may choose to join the cruise in New York, Fort Lauderdale or – after the ship transits the Panama Canal – Los Angeles.

From the west coast, Queen Elizabeth will continue her westward journey to the ever-popular city of Sydney, where she will be docked overnight, and then the South Pacific and New Zealand. From there, it’s on to the exotic ports of Asia, including Singapore, Bali, Vietnam and Thailand as well as another overnight stay in Hong Kong. Then the ship sails on to Malaysia and India before calling on Dubai, also an overnight, followed by a visit to Oman for a Suez Canal transit. This will be followed by visits to the wonders and antiquities of Egypt, Greece, Italy and Portugal en-route back to Southampton. From Southampton, North American guests can rendezvous with the Queen Mary 2 and take in a legendary Transatlantic crossing to complete their personal circumnavigation of the globe.

Segment voyages of 12 to 25 days are also available if it seems too difficult spending more than three months living in luxury on a gleaming, new ocean liner. Of course, these segments can also be combined.

Cruise lines invite famous guests for portions of extended itineraries such as Holland America’s grand voyage in order to generate stimulating presentations during the cruise. Frequently, the featured speakers will mingle with guests for small-group discussions.

Veteran television newsman Sam Donaldson will join the trip for several days out of Hong Kong starting April 1. Donaldson, who has been affiliated with ABC News for more than 40 years, was White House correspondent during the Carter and Reagan administrations, and he continues to host new shows for ABC. Donaldson is scheduled to present a series of lectures tied to current affairs.

Kitty Kelley, who has written top-selling biographies of several leading figures in American culture, is scheduled to sail Jan. 28 through Feb. 7 from Punta Arenas to Buenos Aires. While on board, she will discuss her popular biographies and participate in question and answer sessions. Kelley’s books include biographies on former U.S. first ladies, Nancy Reagan and Jackie Onassis, and on entertainment icons Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra.

Making the bon-voyage sendoff from Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 6 will be the musicians Doc Severinsen and his trio El Ritmo de la Vida. They will stay with the ship for five days to Panama.

Severinsen, best known as music director for The Tonight Show when Johnny Carson was king of late night, has released more than 30 albums, and he has won a Grammy Award. He now resides in Mexico, where he joined with Gil Gutierrez and Pedro Cartas to create El Ritmo de la Vida. They will perform several evenings during that first week of the cruise.

The Amsterdam’s voyage promises to be a rich experience. The 114-day cruise departs Jan. 6 from Fort Lauderdale and heads to Los Angeles before exploring South America, Africa and Asia. Holland America Line will have entertainment lined up each evening and throughout the day when the ship is not visiting a port.

In a conference call to Wall Street analysts Carnival Corporation CEO Micky Arison said, “We have started tweaking pricing on a variety of brands.”

Read: Prices are increasing. However, some incredible deals are still to be found.

Despite the global economic slowdown, nearly 20 million people chose to cruise in 2008, a healthy increase of 7.9 percent growth over 2007 that contributed to the five-year growth rate of 6.9 percent, according to reseach by Shippax Information.

The Caribbean continues to be the largest market for cruising, representing one-third of the passengers who cruise. However, the European cruise destinations, particularly the Mediterranean but also the Baltic and Northern Europe, showed some nice growth and may be overtaking the Caribbean.

The economy did have an impact on orders for new ships, which were low at just seven. However, with annual and long-term growth trends such as these, it would seem that the cruise lines are being understandably cautious and will probably place orders for magnificent new ships once the economic picture appears more stable.