Best Cruise Ships in the World: The Gold List 2024

Table Of Content

• Best Luxury Cruise For Small Groups: Windstar Cruises, Star Pride
• U.S. Editors' Picks Awards: Best Cruise Lines
• Best Luxury Expedition Cruise: Aurora Expeditions, Sylvia Earle
• Ocean Awards
• BEST LUXURY CRUISES
• The best luxury cruise lines for an extraordinary experience
• Delfin II — Lindblad Expeditions-National GeographicArrow

Likewise, Atlantide is the closest to a main dining room you'll find, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for those who prefer a sit-down option. The first thing you notice about Viking Venus is its open, airy feel and the care put into the design of every space onboard. All accommodations include a veranda, and even the tightest quarters -- the Deluxe Veranda and the Veranda categories -- are comfortably sized at 270 square feet. Larger accommodations include the Penthouse Veranda at 338 square feet, the 405-square-foot Penthouse Junior Suite and the Explorer Suite, which spans 757 to 1,163 square feet, including balcony. Thoughtful touches in all cabins include bedside USB ports, quiet-closing drawers, heated bathroom floors and anti-fog mirrors. Viking Cruises is a river and ocean cruise line that recently added expedition sailings and the Great Lakes trips to its repertoire.

Best Luxury Cruise For Small Groups: Windstar Cruises, Star Pride

It’s no surprise, then, that the staff is incredibly knowledgeable and eager with an up-for-anything attitude (remote seas, some of the world’s highest peaks, you name it). Plus, the onboard amenities rival any luxury cruise—a rarity on expedition ships. The first ocean cruising vessel for Australian company Scenic, Scenic Eclipse offers the experience of a luxury yacht as opposed to an oversized cruise ship. It’s a ship with super luxury features like two helicopters and a submarine on board, plus eight restaurants and modern suites.

U.S. Editors' Picks Awards: Best Cruise Lines

It's a self-contained cooking school at sea that offers hands-on experience at 12 individual cooking stations (two people per station). Classes focusing on a variety of topics do incur an extra fee, but get rave reviews from past participants. The Alaska cruise season begins in late April or May and runs through September and occasionally October. These travel dates are often nonstarters for families who wait for the summer school break to take their vacations. Even travelers not bound by school schedules sometimes shy away from these cruises because of the imperfect weather conditions. Combine those factors with a shoulder-season fall travel date (between mid-September and the week before Christmas), and you have yourself a more affordable luxury cruise.

Best Luxury Expedition Cruise: Aurora Expeditions, Sylvia Earle

Guests can enjoy dining in multiple onboard venues, plus room service, for no extra cost. Don't miss the Italian Manfredi's or a gorgeous afternoon tea spread in the glass-enclosed Wintergarden. Get hands-on cooking experience with a class in The Culinary Center or explore the food culture ashore with a Culinary Discovery Tour. On board, guests enjoy five-star French and Polynesian cuisine, with all beverages complimentary throughout the ship and in your in-room minifridge. Couples can embrace the romance of the region by participating in a Polynesian blessing ceremony. Paul Gauguin gives its guests special access to a secluded beach on Bora Bora and a private island off the coast of Taha'a, where you can indulge in water sports, a gourmet barbecue and bar service.

Led by an on-vessel marine biologist, guests have the chance to investigate different atolls in one trip. Some luxury ships visit the Peloponnese, home of the treasured fortified town of Nafplio, modern Greece's first capital (from 1823 to 1834), with its impressive walls, red-roofed neoclassical mansions and cobblestone streets. Other excellent luxury itineraries explore St. Vincent and the Grenadines, following the typical private yacht routing, for instance, to Bequia and Mustique, for a perfect day at the beach – or at a local watering hole.

Viking

Viking does not like to call itself a luxury cruise line, but we'd definitely put it in that category for the inclusive fares, fine dining and smart design of its ocean-going ships. For small ships, Scenic's yachts still manage to offer five gourmet dining venues, plus additional private dining options (such as a chef's table or teppanyaki grill), room service and culinary masterclasses in a show kitchen. The ship is notable for its many dining venues, including a restaurant by Thomas Keller(the famed chef known for his restaurants Per Se in New York and The French Laundry in Napa Valley). You'll also find a sushi venue, new and upscale alfresco dinner option on the pool deck, plus the main restaurant and buffet/casual dining venue. As with all Seabourn ships, Champagne and caviar are available, gratis, at all times and in any spot onboard.

Here are the five most affordable luxury cruises we could find so you can save a little bit when you sail in style. “There’s also a greater space ratio onboard, allowing for less crowding and more space for guests to spread out and enjoy,” she says. The Crown & Anchor® Society is our way of recognising and rewarding our most loyal guests.

Exquisite onboard menus have been designed by acclaimed chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants. Everything from shore excursions, Wi-Fi, and laundry to gratuities, top-shelf liquor, and business-class international flights are included with Regent Seven Seas Cruises' fares. While each luxurious suite features ocean views, nothing beats the view from the epic 4,000-square-foot, two-bedroom Regent Suite, which has two wraparound balconies, three walk-in closets, two Picasso lithographs, and a grand piano. Several big-ship cruise lines have entered the luxury travel space with suite enclaves that come with extra amenities, and the options can be affordable by luxury standards. These cruises are ideal for families looking for upscale accommodations combined with robust children's programming or luxury travelers who prefer a more casual vibe or a wealth of entertainment and activity options on board.

You can also look forward to mouth-watering cuisine courtesy of renowned chef Thomas Keller. On sailings in those regions, each passenger receives a free jacket to keep them warm and cozy. Silversea, with a dozen 100- to 728-passenger ships, has some of the most diverse geographic itineraries of any line, bringing guests to destinations around the world, including such remote places as the Arctic and Antarctica. In 2025, a September Alaska cruise on Silversea starts at $4,500 per person on Silver Moon. The same cruise in July starts at $5,900, making the shoulder-season cruise $1,400 less expensive. Even better, May is less rainy than July, so you could experience sunnier days on the more affordable sailing.

The 9 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity - The Points Guy

The 9 best luxury cruise lines for elegance and exclusivity.

Posted: Wed, 10 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

They certainly still exist, yes, but now there’s a much stronger and more accessible market for luxury charters. Combining lavish amenities and refined comforts with the thrill of exploration, the best luxury cruises have taken white-glove service to the sea. In fact, luxury cruising has become so in demand that many esteemed hospitality brands—like the Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons and Aman—have recently launched branded yacht collections of their own. Choose from itineraries that take you to top-rated holiday destinations, from sun-soaked Caribbean isles to ancient temples in Asia and everywhere in between.

Oceania offers several unique travel options, including a 180-day “Around the World” cruise that visits South America, the South Pacific, Asia, and Europe. The ships at Oceania range in size, holding anywhere from 670 to 1,250 guests and 400 to 800 staff members. Without exception, cabins are spacious and comfortable, with exceptional attention to detail that includes heated floors in the bathrooms, mirrors that don’t fog, sockets and USB ports everywhere and verandas for all.

With free-flowing Champagne and supersized suites, luxury ships explore the coastal regions of all seven continents with cruise itineraries that go beyond the norm. Explora Journeys is the first luxury oceangoing brand from international shipping giant the MSC Group. Explora I, the first of six ships, debuted in 2023, and the rest will follow between 2024 and 2028. The sea-facing cabins — described as homes at sea — have balconies, walk-in wardrobes and heated bathroom floors.

Italian flair is part of Silversea’s appeal, with acres of marble and cool design touches adorning its fleet of elegant ships. In 2023, the line launched Silver Nova, with accommodation for up to 728 guests that includes aft suites with 270-degree views; a sister ship, Silver Ray, is due to sail in summer 2024. Silversea service is highly personal, with a butler for every suite, and there’s a wide choice of fine-dining restaurants.