“Ships are the nearest thing to dreams that hands have ever made.”
~ Robert N. Rose
Big ship? Small ship? Adventure expedition? Luxury yacht? River cruise? What about the best new cruise ships?
We’ve got you covered!
Go straight to all our cruise posts.
Or carry on reading this handy cruise guide. It includes links to dozens of our cruise reviews and cruising articles, all neatly organized, to help you choose the right cruise for you.
Cruise travel guide
Contents: Cruising and Cruise Guide
Cruise writing is one of our specialties, and we’ve sailed on some 60+ voyages now.
So hop aboard and embark on these cruises! Pick up some great cruising tips and explore cool cruise ports along the way too.
Bon voyage!
Gone are the days of one-size-cruising-fits-all
Now there are cruises to suit everyone’s style!
Cruise lines have also gone to great lengths recently to put in place appropriate public health measures to help keep everyone safe.
Start with our latest cruise posts
Windstar Star Pride Review: A Small Ship Big on Style
Discover the joys of small ship cruising in our Windstar Star Pride review! Windstar Cruises is all about affordable luxury, and the revamped, all-suite Star Pride takes it to new levels.
Windstar Drink Package or All-In Package: Worth It?
Windstar Cruises has two drink packages. But the best package is their All-In Package (drinks, gratuities and WiFi). It’s worth it if you like a pool cocktail, pre-dinner drink and wine with dinner. But it’s not for you if you’ll only have one or two glasses of wine a day.
Viking Silver Spirits Package + Viking Cruise Bar Menu (2023)
House wine and beer are free on Viking Cruises at lunch and dinner. Nice! So should you buy the upgraded drinks package for unlimited cocktails and premium wine?
Windstar Cruise Review (2023): Six Small Luxury Ships
Can affordable luxury cruising get any better? Windstar has six beautiful ships – three tall sailing-style yachts and three small power ships. We love them all.
Where do you want to go on your cruise?
French Polynesia
Cruising French Polynesia is a delightful way to explore the 118-island South Pacific nation. Ships are small and usually couples-oriented.
The best Tahiti cruises are offered by Windstar Cruises and on the Paul Gauguin ship.
With its gorgeous turquoise lagoon and necklace of idyllic motus, Bora Bora, in particular, oozes romance.
And there are tons of fun things to do in Bora Bora – from shopping for pearls to snorkeling with sharks.
Maybe combine a cruise with a stay in a dreamy overwater bungalow in Bora Bora? Perfect for a honeymoon or other special occasion…
Northern Europe
Cruise from Stockholm to Bergen on an epic Viking Homelands cruise in the Baltic. (Fabulous fjords, anyone?)
Morocco
Snake charmers? Harems? Discover what it’s like to visit Morocco on a cruise.
Alaska:
Go wild on an Alaska UnCruise adventure cruise! (Think kayaking, hiking and SUP boarding.)
Egypt
A leisurely Nile River cruise is the ultimate way to explore Egypt’s amazing temples and tombs.
Costa Rica and Panama
This Costa Rica cruise immerses you in all of nature’s awe! Bonus: Squeezing through the Panama Canal.
Canary Islands
See the secret side of the Canaries on this Canary Island cruise.
Hike UNESCO-listed parks, explore one of the most beautiful villages in Spain and taste sweet Malmsey wine.
Types of cruises
What’s your cruising style?
Ultra-luxury cruises
Unlimited champagne and caviar? Welcome to Seabourn Cruises!
The so-called “six-star cruises” include all wine, cocktails and other drinks in their rates.
Ships are typically small. The Seabourn Odyssey, for example, carries 462 passengers.
Or go French. Ponant is a lovely French line, where the French touch is uber-classy.
Then there’s Oceania Cruises. It’s known as one of the best cruise lines for great food.
River cruises
Scenic (an Australian-based company) offers some of the world’s best river cruises.
Want to discover the historic riches of Normandy on a Seine River cruise? The scenes are a kaleidoscope of castles, gardens, artist studios and museums – all explored from a Scenic “space ship” with cool sun-room balconies.
If you’re itching to go bicycling on a river cruise, check out these great cycling cruises.
Sailing cruises
Feel the wind in your hair when you sail (yes, really sail!) the Caribbean with Star Clippers. The unspoiled islands are a treat too. (Hello Iles des Saintes!)
And have you considered a chartering a yacht? Private yacht charters aren’t just for the rich and famous anymore.
Adventure cruises
Explore hidden Hawaii on this UnCruise Hawaii adventure.
Family cruises
Hawaii is very kid-friendly. So family cruises in Hawaii are ideal for a family cruising vacation.
One-of-a-kind cruises
Beaches, scuba diving and, oh my, Komodo dragons!
You’re sailing Indonesia on a luxurious 10-guest phinisi.
Or you could cruise Fiji on a small barefoot-and-bikini yacht. Maybe try kava, Fiji’s potent traditional beverage?
The Yasawa Islands are totally idyllic.
And there’s nothing like an African river safari on the Zambezi Queen. This boutique houseboat gets you up-close-and-personal with elephants galore.
Practical cruise tips
Check out these nifty tips to spice up your cruise. Like… Take your folding bicycle!
You want the deluxe perks associated with small ship cruising (a suite, fine dining, lovely wines). But also big ship amenities (a range of specialty restaurants, great musical theater shows).
Say hello to the ship-within-a-ship concept – or VIP cruising on a big ship.
Cruise gratuities
How much should you tip on a cruise? Here’s the scoop on cruise gratuities for 20 popular cruise lines.
Cruise drinks packages
Are any of the Holland America drinks packages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) worth getting?
Here’s everything you want to know about the bar menu on Viking Cruises.
What’s the cost of drinks on Star Clippers? And what’s on the bar menu?
Cool ports-of-call
Antarctica
It doesn’t get any cooler than cruising to Antarctica! The icebergs in Antarctica are bigger than buses (some are even bigger than fallen skyscrapers).
And there are many cute and playful types of Antarctic penguins. (We particularly loved taking photos of the adorable Adelies.)
Berlin
Is it crazy to spend one day in Berlin? Or not…
Old San Juan
Check out the top things to do in colorful Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Vancouver
Rent a bike and go bicycling around Stanley Park.
Philipsburg
Dock in Philipsburg, and you can spend the day airplane spotting at Maho Beach, racing an America’s Cup sailboat or hanging out at Orient Beach.
Come to think of it, there are oodles of fun things to do in St. Maarten and St. Martin!
Love cruising? Save and share on Pinterest!
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!