Monday, April 1, 2024

The best cruise lines in the world: 2023 Readers' Choice Awards

best cruise ship in the world

He likes to describe the ships as “sexy,” for their smooth corners and tactile fabrics. The ships have an at-home quality—if you happen to live in an art-filled modern mansion. Ovation’s collection comprises some 1,600 artworks from 120 emerging artists meant to serve as “windows to the world’s different climate zones, its flora, fauna, and habitat, and … impressions of the world we encounter as we travel,” according to Seabourn.

Seabourn

Every cabin comes with a butler ready to assist with reservations, laundry and any other needs you have during your global odyssey. However, luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent acquired it and brought it back to life with a $150 million glow-up, starting with 740-passenger Crystal Serenity. If luxury and unparalleled personal service are important to you, consider Crystal's 2025 world cruise aboard Crystal Serenity. The itinerary for this 155-night expedition features some of the world's most iconic landmarks and sites. Azamara Onward is the newest ship to join the Miami-based line's four-vessel fleet.

Oceania Cruises’ Vista

Virgin Voyages has blasted away the competition by providing a naturally inclusive cruise where LGBTQ+ people are visible from the moment you board. You'll find the latter openly dancing on dance floors, kissing and hugging in bars, and holding hands over dinner. With each new ship, Carnival packs more and more into its fares – with fewer upcharges than most lines.

best cruise ship in the world

It List 2024

Beyond sizable suites and butler service for all is an experienced team of naturalists who make sure you don’t miss the sight of blue-footed boobies, sea lions, iguanas, sea turtles, and myriad other creatures in this nature wonderland. Visitors to the park may only go onshore, snorkel, or kayak when accompanied by a park-certified naturalist guide—with one guide to every 16 travelers. The ship was built specifically for the Galapagos, with the luxurious decor subtly befitting the destination and showcasing local art and artifacts. Passengers eat exceptionally good ceviche and international cuisine overseen by an enthusiastic Ecuadorian chef. You may enjoy the vistas from a cushy club chair in the ocean-view library while perusing a book about Darwin.

DINING

Of course, there's no need to cook for yourself aboard a Silversea ship, as each one features several restaurants with multi-course menus to whet your appetite every night. First-class service, fine wines and gourmet cuisine, picture-perfect itineraries, and high crew-to-passenger ratios are just some of the hallmarks of the best luxury cruise ships. But cruise ships -- even the world's most luxurious -- have their own unique personalities and some will be more suited to your vacation style than others. On Splendor you’ll find crystal and glass chandeliers aplenty, an extensive art collection, and enough Carrara marble to fill a football field and then some. Sit in a silk-covered chair in the elegant Chartreuse dining room, where a tuxedo-clad waiter will serve a truffle-enhanced tart and you can imagine yourself in a grand hotel in Paris.

This edition's curated collection of the best new cruises something for everyone, from expedition ships that up passengers’ access to places like Greenland and Antarctica, to an exciting new small-ship circuit of the Mediterranean. There are brand-new and classic options alike—from a luxe Nile River option to leisurely routes in the Caribbean. Fares include transfers, complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner, no-fee specialty restaurants and free unlimited internet.

Guests stay in oceanfront suites with walk-in closets and marble bathrooms, and if you spring for a Wintergarden suite, you get a glass-enclosed solarium with a soaking tub. The main pool is a plush lounging spot, but a floor above you may retreat to the Retreat, where you can rent a fancy cabana and have a private attendant deliver complimentary champagne and caviar and whatever else you’re craving. Some guests like to dress up onboard, while others would rather focus on relaxing in comfortable clothing. For those focused on the latter, a partnership with wellness guru Dr. Andrew Weil, includes such experiences as a chakra-balancing crystal sound bath.. Onboard Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas, passengers can participate in a variety of adrenaline-pumping activities on a daily basis, including as skydiving, crashing bumper cars, and solving mind-bending puzzles in an escape room.

The 7 Best Luxury Cruises

As you can imagine, the wine pairings are of special note there and three menus are available. For a relaxed resort atmosphere where passengers of all ages are made to feel welcome, book a sailing on the recently launched Explora I. The ship's riff on Broadway-approved "Wizard of Oz" — 16-piece live orchestra and flying bed included — delighted me, a hater of most musicals. I spent my time there perched at one of its in-water loungers, contently splashing my legs around the water, wondering if I actually hated cruises.

You can shake your phone while using the ship’s app to request a bottle of champagne delivered to you anywhere on the ship. Dining is complimentary at restaurants including a Korean BBQ spot complete with drinking games, and a chef’s-gone-wild venue where dishes may arrive smoking or popping. Virgin encourages donations to marine conservation, sources sustainable seafood, and bans most single-use plastics; plus, heat from the ship’s engines generates some electricity (decreasing fuel demand).

Intimate venues quite literally immerse passengers in some shows, and the effortlessly diverse casts further the line's come-as-you-are ethos. Expect drag queens, Greek mythology, existential gameshows and quite a bit of skin. This ship delivers many onboard activities like cooking and dance classes, trivia contests, enrichment programs and games of basketball, volleyball and tennis on the sports court. The vessel's main pool area, The Pavilion, is topped with a gorgeous retractable glass roof that will act as a showpiece and also a functional structure to keep poolgoers dry on rainy days.

Additionally, on Deck 14, there are new baristas that are resplendent in black-and-white marble. Whether you order the tequila neat or the cappuccino with the most foam from the stylish Victoria Arduino espresso machine, you can take in the expansive views of the ocean. Marina travels the world, visiting places as diverse as South America and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the breathtaking fjords of Norway.

As with all Seabourn ships, Champagne and caviar are available, gratis, at all times and in any spot onboard. There are more cruise ships with family-friendly services, too, as well as those catering more to solo travelers with dedicated staterooms and social spaces. Designed with acres of glass offering panoramic vistas of sea, sky and land, Serenade of the Seas® is the perfect ship for scenery-scoping.

Passengers are spoiled for choice, from upscale Italian in Onda by Scarpetta and delicious Teppanyaki and sushi, to fine French food or Mediterranean fare. The line also offers thoughtful dining packages to help make visiting these venues less restrictive and costs more manageable. Silver Dawn is a wowser with a game-changer spa, all-suite accommodations, tux-clad butlers for all passengers and complimentary caviar service anytime, anywhere. Expect many fare inclusions, such as business-class flights, shore excursions and private transfers. This 136-day voyage sails from Tokyo to New York and explores 59 ports in 30 countries.

Venerable British line Cunard’s 2,705-passenger Queen Mary 2 is a real ocean liner, a vessel defined by its reinforced steel hull that can handle the Atlantic, which it crosses regularly on sailings between Southampton, U.K., and Brooklyn, New York. Being onboard feels like a special occasion, especially if you join the crowd in the ship’s chandeliered Queens Room ballroom, where passengers can dance to a live big band in a throwback to the golden era of travel. The ship operates in traditional style, meaning you dine based on your type of accommodation. At the high end, Princess and Queens Grill guests can access exclusive restaurants where they can order tableside preparations such as Dover sole. For the rest, the Art Deco–inspired main dining room, Britannia, with its soaring ceilings, staircase, and chandeliers, fulfills any fantasies you might have of glamorous ships of yore. Beyond the pomp and circumstance, you’ll find the best pub at sea, complete with darts tournaments, trivia competitions, and pub grub.

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