Table Of Content
- Products & Services
- How travelers can use the list
- Premium Cruise Lines for Alaska Luxury Cruises
- Silversea Cruises
- Guides & Excursions are Excellent, Though You're Free to Explore Independently
- Regent Seven Seas Grandeur builds on luxury of 2 sister cruise ships
- World Navigator — Atlas Ocean VoyagesArrow
Windstar Cruises' luxury small ships call on 150 ports throughout Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific, and there's no way you'll go hungry on the journey. Exquisite onboard menus have been designed by acclaimed chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants. Catering to adventurous luxury cruise travelers with money to spend, the new cruise line Atlas Ocean Voyages, which debuted in the summer of 2021, offers upscale experiences on small ships that carry just 196 passengers. Luxury cruises tend to be smaller, with more staff per guest and more deluxe amenities. Among the amenities, passengers can enjoy upscale accommodations, spas and sauna facilities, water sports equipment and fine dining. It goes without saying that they are significantly more expensive than a mainstream cruise.
Products & Services
Staterooms are also family friendly, with storage that’s designed to accommodate multiple guests. Carnival’s low fares and fun amenities make it a popular choice for those looking for a quick, affordable cruise (although it also offers longer trips to Europe, Australia and more). Its ships cater to travelers looking for an entertaining, exciting getaway — with an emphasis on pools, waterslides, mini-golf and karaoke, plus comedy shows, casino games and nightclubs for adults. Choosing a Carnival cruise ship is no simple task, especially if you're new to cruising. As one of the largest cruise brands in the world, Carnival Cruise Line has more than two dozen vessels in its fleet, offering everything from megaship adventures to smaller-ship experiences. Many variables — price, embarkation dates, travel companions, ship size and amenities, and destination — can shape the way you make your choice.
How travelers can use the list
From the outside the ship is boxy looking, but step onboard and it's really got the wow factor. Décor is designed to reflect the region and its glossy teak floors, panelling and sweeping spiral staircases are sumptuous. It's also one of the few vessels left in the fleet that still features jaw-dropping interiors designed by renowned architect Joe Farcus, who made Carnival synonymous with quirky patterns, bright colors and neon lights. More ships leaving from a specific port means more competition, which can drive prices lower. Grandeur just finished out its first run about the Caribbean during mostly sold-out itineraries from PortMiami and is now amid a set of Mediterranean voyages for summer 2024.
Premium Cruise Lines for Alaska Luxury Cruises
I love its stylish design and upscale feel, as well as its wide mix of eateries, bars and entertainment. Its six vessels carry just 148 to 342 passengers — fewer than fit on a single big-ship lifeboat — and are wonderfully intimate. Itinerary-wise, Oceania is known for destination-intensive voyages that typically are 10 nights or more in length, with some globe-circling trips as long as 180 days. Like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, MSC Cruises operates big, resort-like vessels that appeal to a broad audience. Among the highlight of its cruises in North America are stops at its new private island in the Bahamas, the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. A storied line with roots that go back to the 1800s, this three-ship brand is perhaps best known for its 2,695-passenger flagship, Queen Mary 2.
Silversea Cruises
Viking ships have a large presence in Europe, sailing the Mediterranean and in northern Europe, but also explore the world from Alaska and the Caribbean to Asia and Australia. Sample candied foie gras, daily risottos or sushi made with fish flown from Japan, all while sailing through remote waters. Wash it down with whatever you like because all but the most premium beverages are included. Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours puts the elegance into adventure with its two 228-passenger expedition yachts, Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II. Look to South Pacific-based Paul Gauguin for an all-inclusive, high-end home base. Long considered one of the great luxury lines, if not the greatest, Crystal just resumed operations in 2023 after shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guides & Excursions are Excellent, Though You're Free to Explore Independently
If you don't get that point at first, look down at the many yards of Carrara marble under your feet, then gaze up at the Czech crystal chandeliers. Or spot the Picassos and Chagalls among your ship's stunning, mostly Latin-focused art collections. Although the onboard dress code is casual, the ships are anything but, featuring elegant, retro-chic decor and marble floors. Before the pandemic, about 10% of people that had never cruised said they "never" would. According to the survey, this number rose to 17% in June 2021, but fell to 14% by August.
Regent Seven Seas Grandeur builds on luxury of 2 sister cruise ships
Viking's fares are inclusive but not all-inclusive, and its ships sport clean Scandinavian design rather than opulent decor. Necessities such as Wi-Fi and self-serve laundry are complimentary, as are all nonalcoholic beverages and beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Not all cabins are suites, but the top suites on the ship come with butler service. Also, should you dare to consider the outside world, you can connect with friends and family back home with complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the ship. 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.
World Navigator — Atlas Ocean VoyagesArrow
Best cruise lines for solo travelers 2024 - The Independent
Best cruise lines for solo travelers 2024.
Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:18:50 GMT [source]
Second, purchasing early may qualify you for add-on coverage like “cancel for any reason,” which is typically available only within a specific period (about 15 days) after you book your trip. Ships also have a living room where guests can gather to talk or relax while listening to classical music performed by resident musicians. APT's pre- and post-cruise hotel stays were excellent add-ons to the voyage and are worth paying extra for. Both the Park Hyatt in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and the Sofitel in Siem Reap, Cambodia, were five stars deluxe with stunning rooms, pools and impressive staff and cuisine. I've had this popular dish at various restaurants, but this rendition stood out because it was made with fresh pasta.
Windstar Cruises
It's a look that carries over to a bevy of high-end eateries, including Nama, a new-for-Norwegian sushi restaurant with a design that is as sophisticated as the sushi it serves. Also striking is the look of a version of Le Bistro, Norwegian's signature French eatery, that can be found on both of these vessels. Both of the spaces are built around three massive crystal chandeliers costing nearly $100,000 that hang down to the floor — a showstopper of a design element. This Miami-based luxury line operates some of the most opulent vessels at sea, including three recently unveiled Explorer-class ships billed as the most expensive luxury vessels ever built on a cost-per-berth basis.
It's part of the Royal Caribbean Group, which also operates Royal Caribbean International, which took home a "Silver Award" in this category. No, you can usually go on a cruise without being vaccinated for COVID-19 or other diseases. However, verify each destination's vaccine policies to ensure they have no requirements.
Every year for our World's Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated individual cruise ships on their cabins and facilities, food, service, itineraries and destinations, excursions and activities, and value. Those assessments were combined to generate results for the cruise lines in five categories; large-ship ocean cruise lines have ships that can carry 600 to 2,199 passengers.
U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday published its ranking of the "best" cruise lines of 2022. There are exceptions for service animals, which many cruise lines allow. But the furry companion must perform specific tasks for its owner, such as guiding to assist in overcoming sight-impairment. The minimum age requirement to go on cruises varies depending on the cruise line and itinerary. Typically, passengers traveling alone must be at least 21 years old on the day of embarkation.
In short, these are the Norwegian ships to book when you want to take things up a notch. In short, there are so many family-friendly things to do on Norwegian Encore that you and your kids likely won't be able to do it all in a single, weeklong cruise. In addition, Norwegian Encore has a large laser tag area on its top deck (one that I can tell you from personal experience is a blast) and a massive indoor gaming and virtual reality zone called the Galaxy Pavilion. Fans of upscale hotel chain Ritz-Carlton will feel at home on one of this line's yacht-like vessels.
At 78,309 tons, Norwegian Sun is less than half the size of the biggest Norwegian ships, and it holds just 1,878 passengers at double occupancy. (Compare that to more than 4,000 for Norwegian's biggest vessels.) Expect a far more intimate experience than what you'll find on most of the ships mentioned above. Norwegian also offers four solo cabins on its Hawaii-based Pride of America. The bigger Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Bliss all have an 82-cabin solo complex, while two older ships — Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway — have solo areas with 59 cabins. The line's two newest vessels, Norwegian Prima and Norwegian VIva, have 72-cabin solo complexes spread over two decks.
Tours in Alaska can range from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000 per person in some cases, but they're solid choices if you want to spare no expense when making your Alaskan cruise a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Dating to 2001, Norwegian Sun is one of Norwegian's oldest and smallest vessels, and it lacks many of the family-focused onboard attractions that are typical for the line's newer and bigger vessels. You won't find big waterparks, go-kart racing tracks or laser tag zones on this ship. Indeed, the ship often is at the top of the list when you sort cruises by lowest price on Norwegian's website. We've seen these private The Haven suite areas on Norwegian ships before but never on this scale.
