All aboard for this year’s super cruises

There is something for everyone as we unveil the top cruises for 2019.

CARIBBEAN

Big-time family entertainment

With water slides, surf simulators, rock-climbing walls and a zip line, Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, is perfect for full-on fun. It sails from Miami, and from May 2019 will visit Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line’s new private Bahamian island with a big-thrills water park.

Cutting-edge design

Launched in December, Celebrity Edge has several revolutionary design features. Among them are the Magic Carpet, a dining and entertainment space which moves up and down the side of the ship. There are cabins and suites designed by Kelly Hoppen and balconies that merge indoor and outdoor living spaces.

Music in the tropics

Holland America’s Nieuw Statendam also launched in December, offering Caribbean itineraries from Fort Lauderdale that stop at Half Moon Cay, the line’s idyllic private island in the Bahamas. With live venues dedicated to rock, blues and chamber music, the ship is a good choice for music lovers with eclectic tastes.

On track for go-kart fun

New last year, the 4000-passenger Norwegian Bliss offers entertainment galore for children, not least with the largest at-sea go-kart track, laser tag battle area and water slides. Adults can retreat to the serenity of the observation lounge, a vast top-deck space with 180-degree views.

Small and secret islands

Smaller, more luxurious ships can diverge from the beaten path in the Caribbean and stop at pint-size ports. The Classic Caribbean Yacht Harbors cruise on the 229-suite Seabourn Odyssey visits Bequia, a delightful little Grenadines blob with one of the region’s prettiest natural harbours, and Nevis, rich in British colonial history; tenders are used to get ashore.

Havana good time

Cuba is the most culturally rewarding Caribbean island, so choose a cruise that spends plenty of time ashore. A new Cuban Exploration cruise on Regent Seven Seas Mariner affords a day and evening in Havana and overnight stops in Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos. Imaginative excursions, such as a tour of a community art project in Havana, are included in the fare.

Cuba less travelled

SeaDream Yacht Club is introducing regular departures for an enticing itinerary of western Cuba, sailing on the intimate, casually luxurious 112-passenger SeaDream II. Among the stops along the way are little-visited backwaters such as Maria La Gorda (fantastic diving and snorkelling), the Isle of Youth (possibly Stevenson’s Treasure Island) and Cayo Largo (superb beaches), as well as the drop-dead-gorgeous colonial town of Trinidad.

Tee-time and me-time

Explore the southern Caribbean with Marella Cruises on the new Marella Explorer 2, an adults-only ship with a Champneys spa and a mini golfing green (plus clubhouse-themed bar with golf simulators). After heading to the Dutch ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao) and visiting Grenada and St Lucia, spend a week at your final stop, Barbados.

Great-value voyages

Many ships relocate across the Atlantic from the Caribbean to Europe in the spring, and vice versa in the autumn. The voyages can work out excellent value. A case in point is an autumn repositioning cruise, from Southampton to Barbados, on PO’s flagship Britannia, via Madeira, Antigua, St Kitts, St Lucia and St Vincent.

Do the circumnavigation

Windstar’s new Grand Caribbean Adventure may be the most expansive itinerary ever in this part of the world. The 56-day circuit on the Wind Surf, a romantic yacht with computer-operated sails and a watersports platform, will visit 36 mostly smaller and less-visited ports – such as volcanic Montserrat and chic St Barts – in the Caribbean and Central America.

CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA

Clipping through the Panama Canal

Any journey on Star Clippers’ rigged sailing ships is special, but none more so than transiting the engineering marvel that is the Panama Canal. Travelling on the 227-passenger Royal Clipper from Barbados to Panama City (at the Pacific end of the canal) includes other very different highlights, from snorkelling in the Grenadines’ Tobago Cays to visiting the historic Colombian city of Cartagena.

To the ends of the Earth

Explore southern Chile aboard the RCGS Resolute, a new addition to the fleet of One Ocean Expeditions, the Canadian expedition cruise operator. It is designed for polar sailing but is also very comfy. Trip highlights include approaching huge glaciers by zodiac boat, hiking in Torres del Paine National Park and spotting migrant whales.

Going deep into Mexico

Explore Mexico on board Star Legend, Windstar’s luxury 212-passenger ship. Sailing from San Diego, you’ll stop in Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California, authentic La Paz – a great base for swimming with whale sharks – laid-back Loreto and the popular resort town of Puerto Vallarta. With wildlife including pelicans, ocelots and sea lions, there will be plenty of opportunity to swim, dive and snorkel among them, or to go fishing for trophy-sized marlin and tuna.

MEDITERRANEAN AND WESTERN EUROPE

High tech and high wires

Launching in March, the enormous MSC Bellissima will accommodate up to 5700 guests, have 10 restaurants, 20 bars and entertainment galore, including Cirque du Soleil shows. It also promises cabins equipped with voice-enabled artificial intelligence devices to answer questions. From spring, it will sail a western Mediterranean circuit: Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, Malta, Barcelona.

Mickey in the Med

Treat the family to a fun-filled Disney cruise on a Mediterranean voyage on the Disney Magic. Expect Disney characters to meet, themed dining, high-quality shows and excursions tailored to families.

A harmonious holiday

Luxury small-ship cruise line Silversea is offering a couple of new opera-enriched sailings in the Mediterranean this year, with singers from Milan’s Accademia Teatro alla Scala performing on-board in the evenings. The Barcelona to Rome sailing stops at several enticing, less-visited ports, among them Mahon (Menorca), Alghero (Sardinia) and Trapani (Sicily).

Croatia uncovered

Azamara Club Cruises is more destination-focused than many rival lines, particularly on its “country-intensive voyages”. A trip along Croatia’s Adriatic Coast on Azamara’s newest ship, Azamara Pursuit, docks late into the evening at Rijeka, Dubrovnik and Hvar, and overnights at Split, whose splendid old town is largely set within the Roman walls of Diocletian’s Palace.

Where West meets East Med

Viking Ocean Cruises offers a winning combination of culturally-enriching voyages on tasteful ships inspired by Scandinavian decor. A tour starting at Athens and ending in Rome calls at ports near major historic sights, such as Heraklion in Crete (for Knossos); Ashdod and Haifa in Israel (for Jerusalem and Nazareth); and Naples (for Pompeii). There’s a free excursion in each port.

To the Holy Land and beyond

Oceania’s newly refurbished ships Nautica, Sirena and Riviera take to the seas in 2020, with cruises that include three sailings to the Holy Land and beyond. The Wonders of the Ancients cruise aboard the 684-passenger Nautica sails from Dubai to Rome, taking in Aqaba (for Petra), Safaga (for Luxor) and Haifa (for Jerusalem), as well as Heraklion, the Amalfi Coast (Italy) and Salalah (Oman). Similar cruises are available in 2019, including the 23-day Empires of Antiquity, which adds Athens, Rhodes, Santorini, Cyprus and Messina (Sicily) to that itinerary.

Small ship history hits

Voyages to Antiquity has a new, largely off-the-beaten-track itinerary from Athens on its small ship Aegean Odyssey. Highlights include the remarkable Byzantine monasteries at Meteora (from Volos), and, having passed through the Bosphorus, the historic Black Sea ports of Odessa (Ukraine), Constanza (Romania) and Varna (Bulgaria). Learned guest speakers enrich the cruise.

Istanbul revisited

Istanbul fell off the cruise map after terrorist attacks there in 2016, but is starting to reappear on itineraries. Celestyal Cruises has an overnight stay in the Turkish city on its new Eclectic Aegean itinerary, which also visits Canakkale (for Troy and Gallipoli), Mykonos (leaving port at 2am so passengers can enjoy the nightlife), Heraklion and Santorini. Greek dishes and Hellenic entertainment feature on the few-frills Celestyal Crystal ship.

Atlantic island hopping

On a no-fly voyage on PO Cruises’ Aurora, in just over a fortnight you’ll visit six dramatic Atlantic outposts: Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and La Palma in the Canary Islands; Madeira; then Sao Miguel and Terceira in the Azores, where you can view volcanic crater lakes or go on a whale-watching adventure.

The alternative Mediterranean

An old cruise hand looking for something different? Princess Cruises is offering a no-fly voyage this summer on Sapphire Princess that swaps tried and tested ports and cities such as Barcelona and Nice and heads instead to underrated Malaga, Corsica’s handsome capital of Ajaccio, the Languedoc port of Sete and Spanish/Moroccan Ceuta. The cruise’s Atlantic sections visit Portimao on the Algarve, Cadiz and Lisbon.

NORTHERN EUROPE

Rediscover the British Isles

Join the excitement of Saga’s Spirit of Discovery inaugural cruise. The round-the-British-Isles voyage from Dover is a celebration of British nature, culture and spirit, and will stop at Newcastle, South Queensferry (for Edinburgh), Kirkwall (the Orkneys), Belfast, Liverpool, Dublin, Cobh (for Cork), Portland in Dorset, Guernsey’s St Peter Port and Southampton. The upmarket, 999-passenger vessel will feature a balcony with every cabin and The Club by Jools Holland, a Fifties-styled supper club – and there’s an on-board comedian, too.

Crossing the Channel

Cruise Maritime Voyages offers a wide choice of affordable British Isles cruises, with departures from eight UK ports. Some itineraries also visit mainland Europe. For example, a British Isles cruise from London Tilbury stops at Amsterdam and the pretty Normandy port of Honfleur, as well as the Orkneys, the Isle of Mull, Belfast, Dublin, the Isles of Scilly and Plymouth.

Northern Europe in deco style

Cunard runs a number of no-fly voyages from Southampton covering the must-see Baltic cities. A September departure on the elegant, art deco-styled Queen Elizabeth includes, like most Baltic cruises, an overnight stay in St Petersburg – an out-of-hours evening tour of the Hermitage is a possible excursion. The cruise also has a late-evening departure from Copenhagen, and visits Warnemunde (Germany), as well as Helsinki, Tallinn (Estonia) and Riga (Latvia).

Walking the Baltic Islands

Guided, leisurely group walks explore quaint, historic ports on idyllic islands which are little-known to non-Scandinavians, such as Danish Bornholm, Swedish Gotland and the Finnish Aland archipelago, on a new Baltic cruise with Ramblers’ Cruise Walk programme. Stockholm and Copenhagen are also included as part of the journey on Fred Olsen’s Boudicca, a traditionally British ship.

Scandi crush

Fit in more ports by cutting out North Sea crossings, flying straight to a Scandinavian city and starting your cruise from there. Oceania Cruises offers various fly-cruise Baltic itineraries in 2019 on the Marina (good for foodies, with six gourmet restaurants on board) and many of the cheaper cabins are already sold out for 2019. Its Scandinavian Ballads cruise, from Stockholm to Copenhagen, packs in Tallinn, St Petersburg (overnight), Helsinki, Riga, Klaipeda (Lithuania), Gdansk (Poland) and Rostock (Germany) in 10 days.

Northern Exposure

Most cruises to Greenland visit only a handful of ports, usually on a relatively well-travelled route along the central western coast. Hurtigruten offers a selection of such cruises, but it also has a Midnight Sun Exploration aboard the 318-passenger MS Fram that ventures much farther north than most others, including rare visits to Thule and Siorapaluk, which is the world’s most northerly “natural” inhabited community, just 846 miles (1361km) from the North Pole.

HIGH-OCTANE THRILLS IN THE FJORDS

Look out over Norway

Even the least experienced hiker should be seduced by an uphill wander in the Norwegian fjords. Try an excursion on a Princess Cruises voyage. Above Lysefjord is the chunk of granite known as Pulpit Rock – an excellent look-out spot, reached after a two-hour hike. It will be worthwhile – the panoramas have earned this site the nickname of Norway’s Grand Canyon.

Up the fjord with a paddle

You could admire the majesty of the fjords from a new angle on a kayak trip in Alesund with Celebrity Cruises. Gaze at the snow-topped mountains while working up an appetite for your next on-board feast. With a guide and instructors, you’ll paddle along Borgundfjord and past Alesund’s archipelago.

Snowmobile with the Sami

Hop on a snowmobile with Hurtigruten for an adventure at Norway’s most northern tip, with the vehicles departing from the fishing village of Kjollefjord. You’ll drive into the polar night wrapped up in warm, windproof overalls and wearing a helmet. Along the way, your guides will tell you about the indigenous Sami people and what life is like in this part of Norway.

Downhill all the way

Biking downhill is exhilarating, but the climb up can dampen it’s appeal. On Holland America Line’s Sky to the Fjord Bike Tour, you can enjoy the ascent without the perspiration. Take a car, van or coach transfer up to Djupvasshytta hotel, where you’ll be fitted for a bike and helmet. From there, you can roll 3000ft (914m) down to Geiranger as fast as you desire while taking in the fjord views.

Ride the river rapids

One for those with good balance, in Andalsnes, Norway, you can try stand-up paddleboarding on a Costa Cruises‘ excursion. It’s one for thrillseekers, with a chance to contend with river rapids while soaking up the mountainous scenery.

Keep you in suspense

Enjoy the views from 22,460ft (6845m) on Via Ferrata on a climbing trip. The longest suspended footbridge in Europe is part of the Loen Via Ferrata, a climbing track on Mount Hoven. On this Costa Cruises excursion, you’ll be harnessed to a steel cable and, using the iron grips and steps in the mountainside, you’ll be able to scale the cliffs. Climbing experience isn’t required, but a good level of fitness will help.

AUSTRALASIA AND SOUTH PACIFIC

All around Australia

Sail from Sydney with Holland America line on a complete anticlockwise circuit of the Australian continent. The 1258-passenger Maasdam calls at 13 Australian ports, ranging from state capital cities such as Darwin, Adelaide and Melbourne to marsupial-rich Kangaroo Island. Several days are spent cruising the Great Barrier Reef, and a detour is made to Indonesia’s Komodo Island. Lots of destination-focused activities are offered.

Deep in the Kimberley

Explore Australia’s north-west coast on a cruise from Darwin to Broome, taking Zodiac inflatables to the base of towering waterfalls, viewing Aboriginal rock art, and looking out for dugongs, sea turtles and whales. You travel on Coral Expeditions 1, a 115ft catamaran accommodating just 46 guests with an intimate expedition atmosphere.

New Zealand on a small ship

Tour the North and South Islands with Noble Caledonia on the Caledonian Sky, a ship small enough to access New Zealand’s spectacular narrow inlets and remote bays, with Zodiac craft often used to get ashore. Natural highlights include the fiordland wilderness and the bird-lovers’ paradise of Stewart Island, complemented by time in Dunedin and Wellington.

Drawn to the real Polynesia

This year, Paul Gauguin Cruises will be the first cruise line to visit Tahiti Iti, the less-populated and more authentically Polynesian part of the Tahiti land mass, also known for the world-famous surfing spot of Teahupoo. Travelling on the luxurious MS Paul Gauguin, which has an on-board watersports marina, the cruise visits five other islands in the South Pacific, including the company’s private getaway of Motu Mahana.

Snorkel in New Caledonia

Ponant has a new cruise from Auckland to New Caledonia, a magical French archipelago in the South Pacific where you’ll be able to snorkel over the world’s second-largest reef and learn about Kanak culture. You travel on Le Laperouse, a snazzy new 184-passenger expedition vessel equipped with Zodiac dinghies and a multisensory underwater lounge with viewing portholes.

ASIA

First-time Japan

This year, Hapag Lloyd Cruises offers a first sailing to Japan aboard the 500-passenger MS Europa 2. The cruise departs Hong Kong and makes stops at Keelung (Taiwan) and Jeju (South Korea), but then the itinerary is devoted to Japan, with eight ports of call, including Nagasaki, Hiroshima, Kobe, Beppu and Tokyo. Some cabin categories are wait-list only, but MS Europa 2 is making a return cruise from Tokyo to Singapore via Hong Kong, Jeju and several other Japanese and Vietnamese ports the next month.

Love Japan in the Springtime

Devote a small-ship cruise aboard the 114-passenger MS Caledonian Sky to Japan – with one South Korean stop – on a trip timed to coincide with cherry blossom season. There are visits to many of Japan’s finest gardens and parks, but the itinerary also includes free time and broader sightseeing options in Kobe, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hagi and Nagasaki, as well as a visit to the World Heritage Site at Kyongju in South Korea, on-board lectures and specialist botanical guides.

Winter sun in Arabia

PO is expanding its programme of seasonal seven and 10-night cruises to Dubai and the Arabian Gulf. Most 2019 and early 2020 cruises are aboard the 2272-passenger Oceana, with a typical 10-night departure calling at Manama (Bahrain), Muscat and Khasab (Oman), and Sir Bani Yas Island and Abu Dhabi (UAE).

All aboard for this year’s super cruises

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