Can I transfer a reservation on Silversea Cruises?

In the context of cruising, a reservation transfer might mean one of several things: changing the person named on a booking, substituting a passenger, or moving a booking to another traveler. With Silversea Cruises, the ability to do so depends heavily on what exactly “transfer” is meant, when you attempt it, and under what fare or promotion the booking was made.

“Transferring a reservation” can involve:

Name Change / Correction: Fixing misspellings, updating real names to exact passport names, etc.
Passenger Substitution: Replacing one guest on a booking with another person.
Assigning a Travel Agent / Changing Booking Agency: Sometimes the booking is moved from one agent to another.
Resale or Selling a Spot: Trying to have another person take over entirely.

Silversea’s policies distinguish these scenarios, and not all are permitted under all circumstances.

Silversea Cruises Terms & Conditions Around Changes / Name Alterations

Here are key excerpts and summaries from Silversea’s terms that affect whether a transfer (in one of the above senses) is possible.

What Silversea says about name changes

According to Silversea’s booking and cancellation terms, name changes are not allowed after initial confirmation in some instances—particularly for the “Air / Sea Package,” once the airline tickets are issued, or seats pre-assigned. Silversea+3EriksCruises+3Silversea+3
Full passport details are required at the time of booking, including name exactly as in the passport. Errors or mismatches can cause issues at check‑in or boarding. EriksCruises+1

What Silversea says about substitutions and transfer‑of‑booking

In some regional versions of their Terms & Conditions, for example in the Middle East, there are explicit sections on name changes, category changes, etc. For example in the “Red Sea – Terms & Conditions,” full name changes are allowed “subject to approval on case to case basis up to 10 days prior to departure.” Silversea
The “Australia Booking Conditions” talk about “substitutions and related transfers,” though this seems more about operational changes (substituting vessel, re‑berthing, etc.) or moving luggage / carriers, rather than transferring the person on the reservation. Silversea Cruises

Deadlines, Fees, and Restrictions

Any changes requested after final payment (or after certain critical points) are much more restricted. Once airline tickets are issued, name changes are often not permitted without losing the air schedule, seats, or incurring large fees. Pavlus Travel+2EriksCruises+2
Certain fare types and promotional packages may explicitly disallow name changes or substitutions depending on terms. If the booking has Air / Sea package or promotional extras, changes in name or substitution may also affect those. Pavlus Travel

Can You Transfer a Reservation on Silversea Cruises?

Putting together what is known, here is a breakdown:

Is it possible to change the name of a person on a booking?

Yes—but with limitations.

Minor corrections vs full substitution

Minor name corrections (typos, spelling, missing initials) may be possible, particularly if requested early—that is, before final payment, ticket issuance, airline seat assignments.
Full substitution (i.e. replacing one guest entirely with another person) is more complex, may not be allowed under certain fare types, and likely incurs fees and documentation (passport, visa, etc.).

Timing matters

If the request is made before final payment or before airline tickets are issued, you have much greater flexibility.
After final payment, once airline arrangements are made, and once cruise manifests or documentation deadlines pass, there may be no ability to change a name or substitute a passenger.

What restrictions apply

For bookings that include airline tickets (Air / Sea Package) or other bundled items, changes in name may trigger additional airline fees or may not be allowed at all. Pavlus Travel+1
Some regional terms allow full name changes up to a certain number of days before departure (e.g. “up to 10 days prior” in some Middle East terms) subject to approval. Silversea

Is it possible to transfer the reservation to someone else entirely?

If by “transfer reservation” you mean letting someone else take the entire booking / replace all names on the reservation:

Silversea does not clearly support the idea of “selling” or “reselling” a cruise booking or transferring the full booking to a completely new party after final confirmation. Most of their policies refer only to name changes / substitutions of one person, or surname corrections.
If you replace all original names, this may be considered a cancellation and rebooking, which bears cancellation penalties, and you lose fare, discounts, maybe promotions.

What about changing the travel agency or agent of record?

There is a policy about transferring the booking from one travel agency to another. Silversea has “policy against rebating” which says that bookings transferred between agents have rules for commission, depending on when the transfer occurs (within 30 days of booking vs after) and whether final payment has been made. ws.silversea.com+1
However, transferring the agent does not equate to transferring the passenger or substituting guest names. It affects the administrative side – who gets commission, who services the reservation.

Risks, Consequences, and Practical Considerations

If you try to transfer, change name, or substitute a passenger, you may face the following issues:

Documentation and verification delays

Silversea requires full accurate passport information and sometimes visa, identity documents. Changes might require new documentation. Delays may affect your ability to travel.

Loss of promotions or special benefits

If your booking included promotional fares, loyalty offers, air upgrades etc., often these are tied to the original guest / fare. A change might void or reduce benefits, or cause the booking to be repriced at prevailing rates.

Cancellation penalties or higher fees

Changing names or substituting a guest might incur administrative fees. If done late, penalties might equal large percentage of fare.
If change is treated as cancellation/rebooking, you might lose deposits or prepayments.

Airline complications

For bookings that include flights, name changes/substitutions may be subject to airline regulations (which often are stricter than cruise ship policies). Once tickets are issued, airlines may refuse name changes.

Visa, immigration, customs issues

If the substitute traveler has different nationality, or different visa requirements, those must be satisfied. Name mismatch vs passport can lead to denied boarding or denied entry.

Best Practices If You Need to Transfer or Change Names

Here are suggested steps / tips to improve your chances:

Act early

Make name corrections or substitutions as early as possible—preferably before final payment, airline issuance, and when the booking is still flexible.

Contact Silversea directly (or your travel agent)

If you booked via agent, go through them. If booked directly, contact Silversea’s reservations or guest services. Be very clear about what you want: correction vs substitution vs full transfer.

Read your specific fare / promotions terms

Check what the fare you purchased allows. Some promotional fares explicitly disallow substitutions or name changes. Others might allow limited changes with fees.

Have the substitute provide documentation

Passport, visa, full legal name exactly as on passport, date of birth, nationality etc. The substitute must fulfill all conditions to travel.

Be ready to pay fees and possible fare differences

Name change fees, administrative fees, possible changes in group rates or promotional discounts.

Confirm updated documents

Once the change is accepted, ensure you get new confirmation, updated boarding documentation, flights (if part of package), etc.

Keep in mind backup plans

If substitution or transfer isn’t allowed, cancellation and receiving a future cruise credit may be better than forfeiture, depending on timing.