Silversea’s 2026 World Cruise promises a veritable feast of travel experiences: lush tropical islands, cities that crackle with energy and close-up looks at cultures through curated experiences and the innovative S.A.L.T. – Sea and Land Taste – program. The cruise, which departs Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Jan. 6 on the Silver Dawn and docks in Lisbon 140 days and more than three dozen countries later, will offer the unique culinary program as part of this voyage, creating a palette for the palate and one of the best cruises for foodies.

We asked Adam Sachs, an award-winning author, editor and self-professed culinary nomad, and the director of Silversea’s S.A.L.T. program, about the opportunities to introduce, educate and entertain guests during a cruise whose itinerary includes parts of the South American coast, the South Pacific, parts of Southeast Asia and a near-circumnavigation of Australia; visits to the Indian subcontinent and a trip through the Suez Canal to explore the historic Middle East.

On the final legs of the trip, guests will experience a luxury of time in the Mediterranean’s richest destinations before docking May 27 in Portugal’s capital.

Sachs shared his thoughts on S.A.L.T.’s role in this epic trip, how cuisine gives us insight and whether a timid diner can enjoy an unfamiliar cuisine. (Quick answer: Of course!)

Question: How will the S.A.L.T. program differ on this cruise from regular voyages it’s on now? Or will it? Does the length of this journey create opportunities that you would not have on a shorter cruise?

Adam Sachs: I think what excites us about planning S.A.L.T programs for such an epic itinerary is the same excitement that everyone feels about a world cruise: just the breadth and reach of a journey like this and all the fascinating things to experience and stories we can tell along the way.

The S.A.L.T. program is designed to go wherever the ships go, to connect what’s happening from a culinary perspective – what’s on the plate or in your glass, or a cooking class, talks from a visiting expert or an immersive experience onshore – with where we are in the world.

We can connect a lot of threads in a way that’s distinct from a more compact itinerary.

Q.: How do you develop a program for such a voyage? Do you have experts knowledgeable about the 37 countries and 70 ports, developing programs, dinners, drinks etc.?

A.S.: One of the things we talked about with S.A.L.T is taking a kind of narrative approach that’s similar to the way I would have approached a food and travel story when I was a magazine editor and writer.

That means finding the right people wherever you’re headed, identifying experts on the ground who are keen observers of the culture and dining scene and who know how to tell a story. Wherever we’re heading, we are reaching out in advance to an ever-growing network of knowledgeable experts who can help us navigate the food stories there.

This includes regional experts and chefs who can advise on authentic menu items, sommeliers and drink consultants to help us put together our wine and cocktail lists, cookbook authors and food writers and educators to create cooking classes that touch on the culture, and local experts on the ground to help conceive and host the unique food-focused shore experiences.

We always want to grow that list of people we can lean on for intel and inspiration. For any of those 70 ports where we didn’t already have people in place, we figured out whom to call and brought them into the program.

Q.: What can you share with us that typifies the breadth and depth of what you are doing with S.A.L.T. on this cruise?

AS: One specific thing we’re really excited about is creating programming in S.A.L.T Lab that takes advantage of the fact that we are traveling together for such an extended period of time, through so many amazing parts of the world.

We’re developing a series of master classes that connect ingredients and traditions we touch along the route that will allow world cruise guests to build knowledge about the food and culinary culture of the regions we’re sailing to. We can use days at sea for extended residencies from a rotating roster of world-class chefs, authors and experts, and visiting chefs.

This enhanced programming will allow guests who choose to be involved to go deeper than individual classes would allow on a typical shorter journey.

There are histories we can unpack by looking at the cuisines of these regions and ports and connections we can make among places when we take a subject such as seafood and consider as we sail how it features in local cuisines from the Moorea shrimp of Polynesia to the Belacan shrimp paste of Malaysia and the famous Balmain Bugs (or giant lobsters) of Australia.

Q: Are any of the lesser-known areas on the radar for S.A.L.T.?

A.S.: There are so many great food stories to tell and places to discover on a journey like this. You couldn’t call continent-sized Australia lesser-known, but I do think guests will be happily amazed by the range, beauty and deliciousness of the Australian food scene.

It includes Tasmania, where we have an overnight (and this is one of my favorite places in the world) with its incomparably fresh seafood, its Bruny Island oysters, its world-class sparkling wines and cool restaurants and the bakeries in Hobart as well as the beautiful Margaret River wine region south of Perth on the far western coast and everything in between.

We have a lot of days in Australia, and we’re planning to go deep into Australian food and wine culture. I know it will surprise and delight a lot of people who might not know how great the food scene is there.

Then there are places like Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, where we can get to know the place (beyond just the iconic Moai stone figures), by foraging and fishing and discovering local foods and traditions.

Q.: The late food critic Jonathan Gold once wrote, “The greatest food in the world comes from the inventiveness of great privation. What emerges is all the miraculous fermentations and all the strong flavors. You put it together in the right way, it’s delicious. That defines survival and our human species.” Thoughts?

A.S.: I agree that great food is more than just an indulgence; it’s a kind of miracle of human ingenuity and reflects the bounty of our planet plus the sum of a lot of our culture.

And I firmly believe that seeing the world through the lens of what we grow, cook and eat and how it brings us together around the table is a wonderful way to engage with and appreciate the world as we travel around it.

t’s super exciting to look at a massive wide-ranging itinerary like this one and think of all the ways we can make connections and meet interesting people and have unforgettable experiences through food along the way.

Q.: Some travelers may be a bit wary about different cuisines. How does S.A.L.T. expand those horizons? What are the components of that?

A.S.: S.A.L.T is designed to meet each guest at the level of their own curiosity and interests. I don’t think you need to be pushed out of your comfort zone to expand your horizons. Sometimes you don’t even need to leave your seat by the pool! The S.A.L.T Bar cart has you covered, delivering unique regionally inspired cocktails made from local spirits and ingredients directly to your sun lounger.

But if you are ready to dive a little deeper, there’s a new menu every night in S.A.L.T Kitchen. And the classes and shore experiences are as much about the culture, personalities and traditions of a place as they are about trying new flavors. There’s something for everyone.

We know that guests are adventurous travelers and explorers because they are with us on this amazing journey. If you can take home some knowledge and stories about the foods you tried along the way or the producers, winemakers, chefs or farmers behind that as well as some deeper understanding of why people eat the way they do in different corners of the world and the culture around the table, that becomes a real memento of the trip that transcends how adventurous you are as an eater. 

Would you like to learn more about what a world cruise is like? Read what this epic journey will be like here.

About S.A.L.T.

S.A.L.T. is an immersive culinary program that — through engaging shore excursions that focus on local food culture and hands-on onboard experiences — offers Silversea guests a chance to travel deeper around the world. And the name? That’s simple — S.A.L.T. stands for Sea And Land Taste. Read on for more information about S.A.L.T.