Silver Moon’s autumn in Asia opens with a fortnight of Japan and Korea, then turns south for a long, slow slide through Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam into Singapore. The first sailing leaves Tokyo tomorrow. If you’re reading this on the 16th of October with a suitcase half-packed and a credit card hovering, welcome, you’re my people.
Plenty of ships sail this region in autumn. The real question is whether this one suits you, and whether it suits you at roughly five figures a person. Here’s the honest version. The full schedule lives on our Silver Moon itineraries page, so I won’t repeat it here.
Silver Moon Autumn 2026: Quick Reference
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Ship | Silver Moon (built 2021, 40,700 tons, 11 decks) |
| Season covered | Autumn 2026 (first departure 17 October) |
| Region | Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore), then Indonesia and Australasia |
| Typical lengths | 3, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 nights |
| Home ports | Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Auckland |
| Capacity | 576 passengers, 408 crew |
| CDC inspection score | 99 out of 100 (inspected 23 May 2026) |
The Ship: Small, Suite-Only, and Fussy in the Best Way
Silver Moon carries 576 passengers and 408 crew. That works out to about seven crew for every ten guests. Nobody is hiding behind a pillar, and the bartender will clock your drink order by day two. Our database files her as a “Mega Yacht” class, which is a lovely thing to say about a 40,700-ton ship and which I fully intend to quote to my landlord.
Everything on board is a suite, and every one comes with butler service. Fodor’s puts the entry-level suites at about 335 square feet. Cruise Critic describes the fares as mostly all-inclusive and the crowd as older couples and families who want a refined ship that reaches out-of-the-way places. Fodor’s also notes that families with small children may find the activity options thin. If your idea of a great sea day involves a waterslide, this is not your boat.
Food is the headline act. The ship’s S.A.L.T. concept (Kitchen, Bar and Lab) builds menus around what’s local at each port. That matters on an Asia itinerary, where the local food is half the reason you came. Two venues carry a surcharge: Kaiseki’s sushi dinners and La Dame’s French tasting menus. Fodor’s quotes $40 and $60 per person respectively, but that review is a few years old and Silversea’s own ship page doesn’t publish prices. Treat those numbers as a starting point and confirm current pricing before you plan around them.
Who it suits: food-obsessed couples, port-intensive travellers, and anyone who wants a quiet ship after a loud day in Osaka. Who it doesn’t: budget watchers, the nightlife crowd and families with little kids. The Silver Moon ship page has the full specs.
The Itineraries: Which One Should You Pick?
Tokyo round trip, 14 nights, departing 17 October. On Silversea’s own page, this one runs Kochi, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Busan, Jeju, Incheon (for Seoul), Sasebo, Kagoshima and Shimizu, then back to Tokyo on 31 October. That’s nine ports in 14 nights, with only three sea days (18, 26 and 29 October). It’s Japan plus a big Korean chunk.
A note on the “classic” Tokyo loop, because you’ll see it elsewhere. Kobe-Osaka (the gateway for Kyoto), Kochi, Hiroshima, Busan, Kanazawa, Hakodate and Miyako is the routing resellers list for the 3 October sailing, a 14-night Tokyo round trip. Silversea’s own page for the 20 March 2027 cherry-blossom departure shows the same pattern: Tokyo, Kobe, Kochi, Hiroshima, Busan, Kanazawa, Hakodate and Miyako, then back to Tokyo. Some listings attach that loop to the 17 October date, but Silversea’s page for 17 October shows the Korea and Kyushu routing above, so check which one you’re actually booking.
Tokyo to Singapore, 16 nights, departing 31 October. This is the one I’d pick for variety. It calls at Tokyo, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Jeju, Keelung (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. Silversea’s schedule shows long stays in three ports. Keelung runs from 8am on 6 November to 4pm on 7 November, Hong Kong from 7am on 9 November to 7pm on 10 November, and Ho Chi Minh City is flagged as an overnight. The page is a bit messy on exact times, so confirm them before you plan dinner reservations.
Singapore sailings, departing 16 November. There are two. An 18-night voyage to Sydney, which resellers list as calling at Benoa (Bali), Komodo, Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach and Mooloolaba before arriving on 4 December. And a short hop to Benoa, which we have at 3 nights (one reseller counts 4, so verify). That’s Indonesia and northern Australia more than “Asia” in the postcard sense.
The rest. Also on the schedule: 14 nights from Benoa (20 November), 13 nights from Sydney (5 December), 15 nights from Auckland (18 December), 14 nights from Melbourne (3 January) and 14 nights from Sydney (17 January). Our data holds no port list for any of these, and I won’t invent one. Check the schedule page or Silversea directly. A reseller lists the Benoa departure as running to Sydney via Komodo, Darwin, Cairns, Airlie Beach and Mooloolaba, but treat that as unconfirmed.
My rule of thumb: pick 17 October if Korea is on your list, 31 October if you want the most contrast, and skip to the Australasian sailings if what you really want is a southern-hemisphere summer.
The Ports: What’s Genuinely Worth Your Time
Kochi (19 October, 8am to 4pm). Kochi Castle is one of only 12 Japanese castles with an original keep still standing. A 2026-dated source lists admission at 420 yen, but check the fee. Kochi’s famous Sunday Market runs, as the name suggests, on Sundays. Our call is on a Monday, so it won’t be there. Lunch at Hirome Market, a popular food hall near the castle, is a decent consolation prize.
Hiroshima (20 October, 8am to 5pm). You get nine hours. Ships typically berth at Ujina, about 5 km from the Peace Memorial Park, roughly 15 to 20 minutes by transfer in normal traffic. The Peace Memorial Museum is the unmissable stop, and it can get crowded. Miyajima needs a ferry crossing, so doing both is possible but tight. Pick one if you want to breathe.
Incheon for Seoul (24 to 25 October). The times run from noon on Saturday to 10pm on Sunday, about 34 hours. Silversea doesn’t say it’s an overnight, so confirm. If you only do one big city on this cruise, make it this one.
Keelung (6 to 7 November). Miaokou Night Market is walkable from the port. Taipei is about 40 to 50 minutes by train, and Jiufen is a similar bus ride. Keelung is nicknamed “Rain Port”, so bring a plan B and a jacket.
Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City. Both have long stays, which is rare and wonderful. Use the late departures to do something at night, not just shop and sprint.
Conditions and Packing: Two Climates, One Suitcase
Late October in Tokyo means highs of roughly 17 to 19°C, with evenings dropping to 12 to 15°C, according to one seasonal guide. Kyoto runs about 17 to 21°C by month’s end. Hokkaido is far colder, which matters if you’re on a loop that calls at Hakodate.
On foliage, set your expectations. Colour moves from north to south. Mountain areas peak in late October, Tokyo’s city parks around mid to late November, and one 2026-specific guide puts central Kyoto’s peak at about 25 November to 7 December. The 17 October sailing catches early colour. It does not catch the postcard Kyoto peak.
The 31 October sailing flips the script. Hong Kong in November is typically 18 to 24°C and near the end of typhoon season. The Hong Kong Observatory counted five tropical cyclones over the South China Sea and western North Pacific in November 2024, and three of them (Yinxing, Toraji and Man-yi) put up warning signals in Hong Kong. Yinxing had a Signal 3 up on 9 and 10 November, the same calendar days as this year’s Hong Kong call. Toraji brought a No. 8 signal on 13 and 14 November, which the Observatory flagged as the latest in a year since 1946. One year isn’t a forecast, but it’s a fair warning that November can still bite. Singapore’s weather agency has described early November as inter-monsoon, with scattered afternoon thundery showers before the northeast monsoon takes over. Ho Chi Minh City will be warm and humid. Itineraries can change for weather, so don’t pre-book anything non-refundable that depends on a specific port day.
Pack: layers, a light down jacket or fleece, a proper rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes, and slip-ons for temples and shrines. If you’re on the Tokyo-to-Singapore sailing, add real tropical clothes. You’ll wear a puffer in Tokyo and a sweat patch in Ho Chi Minh City.
Money: Where the Value Is
Silversea’s “Every Voyage Includes” list covers butler service, 24-hour in-suite dining, unlimited champagne, spirits and up to 50 wines, soft drinks and coffee, onboard gratuities, and port taxes and fees. Because gratuities are included, our tipping guide matters less here than on most ships. Not included: flights and pre- or post-cruise hotels. The page doesn’t clearly say whether shore excursions are included, so ask.
Silversea’s own voyage pages don’t show cruise fares, so every figure below is a reseller snapshot that moves from day to day. For 17 October, I saw “from” fares between about $11,000 and $14,400 per person. For 31 October, one reseller listed suites from roughly $13,500 per person with taxes included, while another quoted around $14,300. At about $13,500 over 16 nights, that’s roughly $840 per person per night. These are starting prices for the lowest suite category, not what you’ll pay for a nicer room.
Cheapest per night among the Asia-adjacent sailings I checked is the 20 November Benoa departure, from roughly $9,800 per person at one reseller. Over 14 nights, that’s about $700 per person per night, roughly $140 a night less than the Tokyo to Singapore sailing. But it’s a different trip, mostly Indonesia and northern Australia.
Budget for extras. Silversea’s Tokyo City Stay (2 nights) starts at $3,350 per guest, Imperial Japan (4 nights) at $4,890, and Singapore City Stay (2 nights) at $2,440. Those are per guest, not per cabin, and they’re prices, not savings.
Timing: When to Book and What Sells Out
Let’s be blunt. The 17 October sailing leaves tomorrow. Silversea’s page lists a “Last-Minute” fare type, so if you’re nimble and your passport is current, call. Otherwise, treat it as a preview of what you could book next year.
The 31 October Tokyo to Singapore showed as available at the resellers I checked. Both 16 November Singapore sailings were flagged as sold out by one reseller on the day I looked, and the 20 November Benoa departure was still available. Availability moves daily, so verify.
For next autumn, Tokyo round-trip departures on 10 and 24 October 2027 list from roughly $9,000 and $10,000 per person at one reseller. If you want Japan’s foliage season on a ship this size, the smart move is booking the 2027 sailings early. Small ships sell out, and suites at the best fares go first.
FAQ: Silver Moon in Asia
Is Silver Moon a good ship for a Japan cruise?
Yes, if you want a small, suite-only ship that can handle smaller ports. With 576 passengers and about seven crew for every ten guests, it feels personal. Food is a strength, thanks to the S.A.L.T. concept built around local ingredients. It’s less ideal for small children or anyone wanting big-ship entertainment and waterslides.
What is Silver Moon’s CDC inspection score?
Silver Moon scored 99 out of 100 on its most recent CDC Vessel Sanitation Program inspection, on 23 May 2026. A score of 86 or higher counts as satisfactory. It’s a snapshot of one day, not a guarantee. You can look up any ship with our CDC inspection lookup.
Is everything included on Silver Moon?
Mostly. Silversea’s fare covers butler service, dining, unlimited champagne, spirits and wines, soft drinks, onboard gratuities, and port taxes and fees. Kaiseki sushi dinners and La Dame French dinners carry a surcharge; Fodor’s quoted $40 and $60 per person in an older review, and Silversea’s ship page doesn’t list prices, so confirm before you book. Flights, pre- and post-cruise hotels and land programs cost extra, and it’s unclear whether shore excursions are included.
What should I pack for a Japan cruise in late October?
Layers are the main advice. Tokyo highs run about 17 to 19°C late in the month, with evenings around 12 to 15°C. Bring a light down jacket or fleece, a rain jacket, comfortable walking shoes, and slip-ons for temples. If you sail on to Singapore, add tropical-weight clothes, because Hong Kong and Vietnam are far warmer.
When is the best time to see autumn foliage in Japan?
Colour moves north to south. Mountain areas peak in late October, Tokyo’s city parks around mid to late November, and one 2026 guide puts central Kyoto’s peak at about 25 November to 7 December. A mid-October departure catches early colour only. For the full Kyoto effect, aim for late November or early December.
How big is Silver Moon?
Silver Moon was built in 2021 and measures 40,700 tons across 11 decks. It carries 576 passengers and 408 crew. Every cabin is a suite, with entry-level rooms around 335 square feet according to Fodor’s. That’s small by mainstream standards, which is exactly why it can get into ports bigger ships skip.
The Bottom Line
Silver Moon is right for you if you want a quiet, suite-only ship with serious food, long port days and a crowd that goes to bed at a civilised hour. It’s wrong if you’re counting pennies, travelling with young kids, or want the cruise itself to be the entertainment.
For the season, 31 October’s Tokyo to Singapore is the best pick for variety and the long stays in Keelung and Hong Kong. The 17 October sailing is the one for Korea-curious Japan fans, and it leaves tomorrow. Don’t count on peak Kyoto colour from either. Budget for a five-figure fare per person plus extras, and check the ports on the Silver Moon schedule before you commit.
Ships in This Story
- Silver Moon Silversea · Latest CDC score 99
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