Sometimes the only way to visit remote regions of the world is by cruise ship.
So if the seven continents are calling, knowing how to navigate the choice of ships needs serious consideration before splashing the cash.
From a first-time cruise to Norway to once-in-a-life exploration of distant archipelagos, every ship will have its own special comforts, activities and cruise style.
As The Daily Mail’s Cruise Editor, I’ve spent more than a decade going on 125 cruises.
So whether you’re after an expedition cruise to explore icy regions, a touch of romance in warmer climes or an all-inclusive megaship families, here is which cruise line is best for you.
Best for: Romance
Windstar’s fleet includes masted ships and as flagship Wind Surf’s sails unfurl so does the romance of cruising.
A ‘Sweethearts at Sea’ package includes Champagne welcome, dining under the stars, sundowners on deck, bed linen adorned with rose petals, breakfast in bed and a couples spa date (£375 extra).
The Daily Mail’s cruise editor says Windstar is the best cruise line if you’re looking for romance
Book it: Nine-night ‘Adriatic Icons & Venetian Treasures’ round-trip from Venice from £2,832 pp person including flights (windstarcruises.co.uk).
Best for: Ultimate adventure
Snow Hill Island, on the eastern coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Weddell Sea, is the only Emperor Penguin breeding ground accessible to visitors and reached by a handful of expedition ships.
Quark Expeditions was the first cruise company to sail in and Polar-Class Ultramarine’s two twin-engine helicopters transport guests within walking distance of the colony.
Book it: 17-night ‘Snow Hill to the Peninsula: Shackleton’s Emperors’ round-trip on Ultramarine from Buenos Aires, Argentina departs October 2025 with prices from £26,036 pp plus flights (quarkexpeditions.com).
Best for: Budget no issue
Sailing around the planet on a world cruise is the dream ticket so do it in style on a Crystal Cruises’ ship.
Luxurious Crystal Serenity visits 37 countries in 19 weeks and guests can also join overland tours to the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and Uluru at sunset.
Sailing around the planet on a world cruise is the dream ticket so do it in style on a Crystal Cruises’ ship – it’s best for those with no budget
Book it: 135-night Crystal 2026 World Cruise departs Los Angeles for Rome on January 11, 2026.
Price from £124,200 pp includes business-class flights, all meals and drinks and tips (mundycruising.co.uk).
Best for: Families
Royal Caribbean Cruises is in a class of its own when it comes to thinking big.
New ship 5,610-passenger Star of the Seas has the largest waterpark at sea with six record-breaking slides, surf-riding, raft rides, climbing walls and an aerial adventure course.
Book it: Seven-night ‘Western Caribbean and Perfect Day’ round-trip from Orlando, Florida departs August 9, 2026.
Price from £1,435 includes meals, entertainment, pools and sports facilities. Flights extra (royalcaribbean.com).
Best for: Fine dining
Saga Cruises is best for fine dining. Its two boutique ships, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Adventure, serve the tastiest menus and US-imported beef tenderloin is the guests’ favourite
Saga Cruises’ two boutique ships, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Adventure, serve the tastiest menus and US-imported beef tenderloin is the guests’ favourite.
Whether it’s beef medallions or French-style Tournedos Rossini with chicken liver paté the over-50s guests keep coming back for more.
Book it: 30-night ‘The Tropical West Caribbean’ no-fly cruise on Spirit of Discovery departs Portsmouth on October 30, 2025.
Price from £8,780 pp includes all meals, drinks, tips and chauffeur service to and from port (travel.saga.uk)
Best for: Those on a budget
First-time cruisers often choose Norway as their destination because it’s one of the best ways to see the fjords.
Norwegian-owned Fred Olsen Cruise Lines offers great-value sailings and in summer guests can enjoy long days under the midnight sun.
Book it: Eight-night ‘Mountains, Glaciers & Fjords of Norway’ cruise on Borealis departs Southampton (round-trip) on June 18, 2026.
Norwegian-owned Fred Olsen Cruise Lines offers great-value sailings and in summer guests can enjoy long days under the midnight sun
Price from £1,199 pp includes meals, afternoon tea, entertainment, dance and fitness classes (fredolsencruises.com).
Best for: Club vibes
Classic yacht SeaDream I’s 95 crew look after up 100 guests who enjoy a club atmosphere and, on balmy nights, they can opt to sleep under the stars on Balinese beds.
The Glorious Grenadines cruise features an overnight stay in the tiny palm-fringed Caribbean island of Bequia.
Book it: Seven-night Barbados round-trip departs November 21, 2026.
Price from £4,999 pp includes BA flights, one night pre-cruise stay at Cobblers Cove, Barbados, all meals and drinks, use of watersports marina and tips (unforgettabletravel.com).
Best for: Adults only
Viking is unashamedly for over-18s who want to combine relaxation with cultural enrichment.
Viking is unashamedly for over-18s who want to combine relaxation with cultural enrichment
The new ‘Grand Australia Circumnavigation’ from Sydney offers an insight into the country’s native and European cultures as well as the opportunity to see the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the Whitsunday Islands and the wilds of northwestern Tasmania.
Book it: 31-night ‘Grand Australia Circumnavigation’ departs Sydney on December 30, 2025.
Price from £11,990 pp includes flights, 14 guided tours, all meals including wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, wifi and tips (viking.com).
Best for: Water babies
If jumping into crystal waters every morning to swim and snorkel is your cruise wish, Cruise Croatia’s 36-guest MY WISH has your name on it, weaving through islands to unspoilt coves to fulfil aquaphiles’ dreams of life on a mega-yacht.
Book it: Seven-night sailing from Split to Opatija, Croatia, departs June 20, 2026 with prices from £3,195pp includes return flights, all breakfasts and lunches, two dinners, private transfers, excursions and wifi (cruisecroatia.com).
Best for: Solo travellers
Single travellers don’t often get the best deals but Norwegian Cruise Line’s trip to Tokyo on Norwegian Star takes some beating.
Single travellers don’t often get the best deals but Norwegian Cruise Line’s trip to Tokyo on Norwegian Star takes some beating
The holiday includes 11 nights’ cruising to Nagoya, Kyoto (Osaka) and Naha (Okinawa), Japan and Kaoshiung and Taipei, Taiwan plus overnight stays in Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Book it: 14-night ‘Tokyo, Osaka & Beyond’ holiday departs London Gatwick on November 23, 2025 from £3,379 pp and includes flights, meals and drinks (passionforcruises.co.uk).
Best for: Ultra-luxury
Seabourn Cruises really knows how to spoil guests on board ultra-luxury Seabourn Encore.
It’s a private yacht-like experience with all-balcony suites and fine dining.
From Alaska’s capital Juneau (accessible only by air and sea) take a helicopter excursion over the icefield or, from Holkam Bay, witness glaciers and icebergs.
Book it: Seven-day ‘Alaska Fjords & Canadian Inside Passage’ cruise on Seabourn Encore departs Juneau for Vancouver, Canada on July 3, 2026 from £4,198 pp and includes all drinks, dining, wifi and tips. Flights extra (seabourn.com).
Best for: Culture
Classical music lovers can join ‘A Magical Evening with Jean Sibelius’ during Oceania Marina’s call to Helsinki, Finland. This is just one of hundreds of tours within Oceania Cruises’ Select Excursions programme
Classical music lovers can join ‘A Magical Evening with Jean Sibelius’ during Oceania Marina’s call to Helsinki, Finland.
This is just one of hundreds of tours within Oceania Cruises’ Select Excursions programme.
Guests visit the composer’s former country home and gardens before a private concert.
Book it: 10-day ‘Regal Baltic Shores’ cruise on Oceania Marina departs Stockholm for Copenhagen on July 20, 2026.
Prices from £3,049 pp includes meals, soft drinks, wifi and fitness classes. Flights extra (oceaniacruises.com).
Best for: Onboard entertainment
For those who love a West-End show, Queen Anne’s 835-seater Royal Court Theatre is just the ticket.
It has generous, plush velvet purple seating and unobstructed views to watch the free-of-charge playful production of Noel Coward’s ‘Brief Encounter’ and a quirky version of Jane Austen’s novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’.
For those who love a West-End show, Queen Anne’s 835-seater Royal Court Theatre is just the ticket
Book it: 18-night ‘Greece, Adriatic and Western Mediterranean’ round-trip on Queen Anne departs May 11, 2026 from Southampton.
Price includes meals, afternoon tea, entertainment, dance classes and talks (cunard.com).
Best for: Wildlife
There’s nowhere else quite like the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador, and the expedition team on National Geographic Endeavour II run an ‘Explorers-in-Training’ family programme in the archipelago.
Guests collect plankton for microscopic study, observe sea lions while snorkelling and hike across black-sand beaches, dodging the iguanas.
Book it: Seven-night ‘Exploring Galapagos’ from Quito or Guayquil from £4,241 pp includes meals and drinks, park fees and permits, activities and excursions. Flights extra (uk.expeditions.com).
Best for: The ultimate itinerary
Noble Caledonia is a small-ship cruise line that focuses on getting into small ports.
Noble Caledonia is a small-ship cruise line that focuses on getting into small ports
New for 2027 is island-hopping in the South Pacific on 100-guest MS Island Sky. Sail from French Polynesia to Fiji, visiting the Cook Islands and Tonga, to snorkel in coral reefs and take Zodiac rides to look for wildlife.
Book it: 16-night ‘Nomads of the Winds’ voyage from Tahiti on MS Island Sky departs February 22, 2027 with prices from £11,295 pp including flights, all meals, wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner, excursions and tips (noble-caledonia.co.uk).
Best for: An intimate cruise
Skipper Ed’s enthusiasm for spotting eagles, deer and dolphins in the Inner Hebrides is contagious and the favourite pastime on eight-guest ex-trawler Splendour, closely followed by eating chef Mike’s locally sourced meals.
Think mussels from the loch, Argyll Hill lamb and Highland beef.
Book it: Three-night ‘Magic of Mull’ cruise departs Oban on August 8, 2026. Price from £1,412 pp includes all meals. Excludes transport to Oban (argyllcruising.com).
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