11 Best First Time Cruise Lines for Every Travel Style
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The ships are small enough that new friendships form easily over shared dinner or lunch. Viking’s Expedition ships currently devote June, July, August and September to cruising the Arctic and Great Lakes. Between October and February, the ships explore Antarctica and spend the in-between months cruising the Atlantic Coast, Caribbean and South America. Daily onboard events are organized specifically for solo cruisers, from morning coffee get-togethers to pre-dinner cocktail gatherings. Most Seabourn cruisers dress in resort-style casualwear during the day and dress up more for dinner, which is either elegant casual or formal.
When to book a Caribbean cruise
Once on board, guests enjoy suite accommodations complete with butler service, as well as meals made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients from specific ports of call. Additionally, Azamara designs its itineraries to maximize time off the ship, so it’s common for sailings to offer late-night stays or even overnights in ports. Many cruise lines also call on Nassau in the Bahamas and their own Bahamian private islands, where beach days are sublime. Some longer itineraries (10 nights or more) also combine Eastern and Southern ports of call with less-visited islands such as St. Kitts and Antigua. All guests must be 18 or older on embarkation day to cruise with Viking. As with the line’s river and ocean cruises, at least one excursion or landing is included in every port along with beer and wine being complimentary with meals.
Best Cruise Lines You’ll Want to Book Right Now
Picking the right cruise line for your budget can make a big difference. ShipsOver the past decade the cruise industry has seen an arms race among ships. The modern cruise ship is completely different than those found just a few years ago. They are larger, more luxurious, and have more amenities/activities by far. And with the cruise ship being one of the most important factors in the enjoyment of your cruise (after all, you spend the majority of your vacation onboard), then a cruise line with a fleet of bigger and newer ships is important. If you’re a first-time cruiser and feeling overwhelmed by which cruise line you should sail, don’t worry — you’re not alone.
Best Cruise Destination for Partying Runner-Up: Greek Islands
Several previous large-ship awardees, including Viking Ocean Cruises and Seabourn, have moved to the midsize-ship category. Silversea gives Antarctica travelers the option to skip two days of sailing the often-rocky Drake Passage. Instead, they can fly in comfort over the waters separating South America from the continent, then hop aboard the 127-suite Silver Cloud and 100-suite Silver Endeavour for trips along the frosty coastline. The larger lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean have more ships, which means more departure ports.
The luxury cruise lines are your best bet if you're a couple and enjoy spacious suites, gourmet food, pampering (many luxe lines hire butlers to cater to every passenger) and the opportunity to meet other like-minded cruisers. The personalized service and all-inclusive nature of luxury voyages might also be attractive to anyone celebrating a milestone, such as an anniversary, big birthday or retirement. There are so many reasons to get excited about a Royal Caribbean® cruise.
While there is plenty for mom and dad to do — such as the spa, adults-only eateries, and nightclubs — we think that only adults who are very into Disney would think of sailing the cruise line without kids. The cruise line has a definite focus on luxury and service, with an atmosphere aimed toward more refined travelers. For instance, while some cruise lines boast about their rock-climbing walls or laser tag, Celebrity mentions famous chefs, a ballet company, and glass-blowing classes on their ships. Newer ships will have more to do compared to older vessels and are ideal for everyone from families to empty-nesters. Just know that they are generally more luxurious than you’ll find with other large lines. Look at the cruise line’s Haven suites if you are looking for a more luxurious trip.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Grandeur
Various wildlife-viewing trips (whale, bears and more) and visits to dog-sled camps and salmon bakes leave from Juneau. Floatplane and helicopter tours take you around scenic areas like Misty Fjords or land you on a glacier, perhaps for a dog-sledding or hiking adventure on the ice. If you prefer to stay grounded, you can find informative trolley tours of ports like Skagway. Kids can hang out in the youth lounges while parents hit the spa or try a wine-tasting class. Everyone can come back together for dinner and evening entertainment or onboard activities suitable for all ages.
The Best Cruises in the World: 2023 Readers' Choice Awards - Condé Nast Traveler
The Best Cruises in the World: 2023 Readers' Choice Awards.
Posted: Tue, 03 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Perhaps the most famous (or notorious) of Spain's Balearic Islands, Ibiza is a summertime party capital. Ships dock near Old Town Ibiza, which is home to Playa d'en Bossa, the pulsing heartbeat of the island's day-to-night party scene. Beach clubs mean that even during the day you'll have plenty of time to let loose to international DJs next to pools or right on the sand. SeaDream Yacht Club has two Wine Voyages in 2023, which include vineyard visits in Greece, Italy, and Spain and a winemaker-hosted dinner on the 112-guest Seadream II. The highly regarded intimate-ship line wins frequent accolades from T+L readers for its on-board service and well-appointed vessels. Now some of these lower prices may be a way to encourage more people to try out the cruise line since it’s not well-known in the United States just yet.
Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Departures, TripSavvy, and other publications. Cruise Critic is an online cruise community with more than 650,000 ship reviews of 700 ships from experts and cruise aficionados. Cruise Critic just announced its annual list of the Best Cruise Lines of The Year.
The food onboard Silversea’s fleet stands out among even the line’s luxury class competitors. While each ship has slight variations among its dining lineup, the one constant is the quality of the food, as it is inspired by the regions that the ships visit, including the line’s home country of Italy. You’ll travel aboard the National Geographic–Lindblad fleet—expedition ships that can navigate narrow waterways and small harbors that aren’t accessible on larger vessels, so you can get as close as possible to amazing sights.
It offers an incredible 46,600 miles of coastline (longer than the shorelines of all the lower 48 states combined) and a unique and plentiful mix of wildlife. For example, cruises often begin in Istanbul, home to the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the elaborate Blue Mosque, constructed between 1609 and 1616. Ports of call also in Turkey may include Kusadasi for the nearby Roman city of Ephesus and its wondrous Library of Celsus. In Greece, medieval and Venetian architecture are thoughtfully preserved in the islands of Rhodes and Corfu, respectively.
For example, they both sail out of Galveston, Texas, while other lines don’t or only have limited options. It may be that the convenience of a ship sailing from a port within driving distance is worth selecting one cruise line over another. However, globally MSC is a major cruise line… and it’s making big inroads into the United States. If you plan to sail from Miami, Port Canaveral, or New York, then you can book a cruise aboard the line.
“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 line’s newest ship, Silver Nova, which holds 728 passengers was ranked as the Best New Luxury Ship. This environmentally-friendly ship, which began its inaugural cruise in August, 2023 is the industry’s first hybrid luxury cruise ship.
These ships often feature complimentary shore excursions, kayaks and bikes for guest use and onboard scientists and naturalists. Most big-ship and luxury cruise lines send at least one cruise ship to Alaska every summer. Some of the best Alaska cruise lines are Holland America and Princess Cruises because they have especially long histories in the region and offer cruises, as well as cruise and land tour combinations, on multiple ships each season. Finally, you'll find some round-trip San Francisco itineraries — usually 10 or 11 nights long — as well as longer sailings between San Francisco and Vancouver. Upstart cruise line Atlas Ocean Voyages offers all-inclusive fares on its two 98-suite vessels, and, in a departure from industry norms, the brand doesn’t charge solo travelers a single supplement.
Grown-ups get separate hangout spots such as an adults-only nightlife area, pool, and specialty dining venues. The line's four ships are back in service, but that's not all fans have to look forward to as the line's much-anticipated fifth ship, Disney Wish, debuted in early July. Windstar has a series of 2023 itineraries on the 156-cabin Star Pride and 171-suite Wind Surf that hit yachty Caribbean ports like Jost Van Dyke, in the British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla. The small-ship line, which is known for both its sleek “Star Plus Class” ships and its classic vessels with their dramatic sails, also has an array of itineraries along the coast of Australia and in the South Pacific. Of course, you’d expect a Disney cruise to be focused on children and families, and it certainly is. Characters like Mickey and Donald Duck roam the ship and there are other experiences with Disney-owned properties like Marvel and Star Wars.
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