12 life-changing bucket list cruises

Travel bucket lists can be daunting and dazzling in equal measure. It’s all about visiting places beyond belief and those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that you’ll cherish and recall for decades to come.

If the gruelling two-year-long pandemic has taught us anything, it’s to not defer those travel wish lists any longer. If you’re itching to make up for lost time, there’s never been a better time to embark on a transformative getaway and live out your long-held dreams, whether it be diving with hammerhead sharks or watching the sun drop behind Egypt’s pyramids...

Cruising is the perfect way to tick off the world’s bucket-list landscapes, from lava-spewing volcanoes and crystal-clear lagoons to jaw-dropping UNESCO sites like Athen’s Acropolis or Venice’s storybook canals.

As for those ‘pinch-me moments,’ they aren’t necessarily limited to shore excursions. In many cases, you’ll find them right under your nose on the ship itself, be it dining on a menu curated by a ten-time Michelin-starred chef, or being entertained by an eight-piece orchestra.

You can even pick up a new-found skill like fencing, photography or sushi-making, particularly on some of the more immersive and enriching cruise itineraries which encourage citizen science.

With ocean, river and expedition cruises all in the mix, the possibilities are only limited by your own imagination.

But since bucket-list-style cruises typically don’t come cheap, they do require considered planning and research before committing to your trip of a lifetime. So, sit back and let World of Cruising be your trusted guide...

Good for globetrotters

Around the world cruises

Around-the-world cruises are capable of fulfilling just about any cruise bucket list fantasy, whether it be swimming with pigs in the Bahamas or wandering through Kyoto’s famous Geisha district.

The ultimate journey of a lifetime, these epic voyages – spanning anywhere from 80 to 180 days and traversing continents and vast oceans – cover every iconic tourist draw on the planet, from Petra to the Panama Canal.

Few visit all seven continents, with full-circumnavigation itineraries reserved for world cruise veterans P&O, Cunard and Fred Olsen.

Nevertheless, you can still cover a large number of marquee destinations and harder-to-reach places in one fell swoop, and witness some of the great wonders of the world like the Taj Mahal and Great Wall of China.

Best of all, the majority of voyages set sail in the dead of Britain’s winter, departing in December or January and returning in spring.

Some are scheduled to enjoy iconic events and festivals like Japan’s famous cherry blossoms or Rio’s spectacular carnival whilst others will travel to a mind-boggling 50 destinations, checking off scores of UNESCO World Heritage sites like Easter Island or Croatia’s Plitvice Lakes National Park in the process.

One week you could be searching for polar bears in Svalbard, and the next, marvelling at the majesty of Rome’s Colosseum.

Strapped for time and cash? Cruisers can still get a taste of a world cruise by signing up for a segment (two weeks to 50 days) of the journey, and still make a dent in that round-the-world wish list.

Get onboard

Azamara

155-night ‘All New Seven Wonders of the World’ cruise on Azamara Onward, from Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to Barcelona (Spain), featuring 75 ports of call and 40 countries, departs 5 January 2024, from £28,359 .

Fred Olsen

101-night ‘World Cruise’ aboard Borealis, featuring ports of call in Costa Rica, Hawaii, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Australia, departing 7 January 2024, from £13,580.

Good for five-star comforts

Luxury Cruises

From top-of-the-line accommodations to state-of-the-art spas, living the high life on the high seas has never been so luxurious.

This five-star service at sea is available (at a price) on practically every kind of vessel; from boutique river cruisers to mega-ships. Luxury, of course, means different things to different people.

For some, it equates to bedding down on a £150,000 mattress, whilst for others, it may mean a personal concierge service.

If you thought a cruise experience couldn’t compete with the level of luxury you’re accustomed to on land, you’d be sorely mistaken.

The most up-market ships are stepping up to the plate, literally, with world-renowned chefs like Daniel Boulud and Michelin-starred Thomas Keller curating menus for the likes of Celebrity Cruises and Seabourn.

Wellness has also been given the five-star treatment, with L’Occitane, Bulgari and Le Labo beautifying cruiser’s bathroom regimens, stately suites vaunting marble-clad spas and even private spa cabanas on some ships.

Amenities are also going above and beyond, with some of the swankiest suites at sea outfitted with cashmere bedding, Swarovski telescopes, Picasso art, wraparound balconies with private hot tubs and even baby pianos.

Then there are exclusive regional wine tastings and special guest lecturers; just a few creative ways cruise companies are elevating their onboard experience. Luxury needn’t be confined to the ship.

It can spill over to the unforgettable, one-of-a-kind excursions too, from after-hour access to the Louvre to harvesting your own Tahitian black pearl or a champagne picnic on an Alaskan glacier straight out of Frozen Planet 2.

Get onboard

Seabourn

17-night ‘Arabia, Egypt & Holy Land’ cruise aboard Seabourn Encore, from Dubai (UAE) to Athens (Greece) via Khor
Al Fakkan (UAE), Salalah (Oman), Safaga (Egypt), Sharm El Sheik (Egypt), Aqaba (for Petra, Jordan), Suez Canal, Ashdod (Jerusalem, Israel) and Agios Nikolaos (Crete, Greece), departing 3 April 2024, from £6,119.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

10-night ‘Elegance of Travel’ aboard Seven Seas Voyager, from Valletta (Malta) to Barcelona (Spain) via Lipari (Sorrento, Italy) Civitavecchia (Rome, Italy) Olbia (Sardinia, Italy), Portofino (Italy), Monaco, Marseille (France), Port-Vendres (France) and Mahón (Menorca), departing 29 May 2024, from £7,067.

Good for adventurous travellers

Caribbean Cruises

More than just a singular sunny destination, this diverse archipelago brings together some 700 islands.

So where to begin with your Caribbean cruising wish-list? Thrill seekers can climb Jamaica’s limestone-tiered Dunn’s River Falls, experience the only drive-in volcano in the world in St. Lucia, or hike the archipelago’s first and only long distance walking trail, Dominica’s 115-mile-long Waitukubuli.

Meanwhile, adventurers can snorkel with sharks in Belize’s UNESCO World Heritage-inscribed Barrier Reef, or hang out with stingrays in Grand Cayman’s famous shallow sandbar. And then there’s the world’s ‘Brightest Bioluminescent Bay’, a rare phenomenon in Puerto Rico that you can enjoy on a guided nocturnal kayak.

History also runs deep in this perennially sun-soaked paradise. Cruisers can scenically skirt the north-eastern coastline of St. Kitts on a vintage ‘sugar train’ (the last of its kind in the West Indies), or visit the oldest botanical garden in the Western Hemisphere on the Windward Island of St. Vincent.

Another must visit island for history buffs is Antigua, where ships drop anchor at Nelson’s Dockyard, the only Georgian naval facility still in use anywhere in the world.

Cruising in one of Cuba’s Crayola- coloured 50s American convertibles is also deserving of bucket-list status. A relic of the country’s capitalist past, the experience is best enjoyed along Havana’s sea-spritzed Malecón waterfront esplanade.

Get onboard

Royal Caribbean

7-night ‘Round-trip Eastern Caribbean Perfect Day’ cruise aboard Icon of the Seas, roundtrip from Miami via Basseterre (St. Kitts), St Thomas Island (US Virgin Islands), Charlotte Amalie (US Virgin Islands) and CocoCay (Bahamas), departing 24 February 2024, from £1,172 .

P&O Cruises

14-night ‘Eastern Caribbean from Barbados’ cruise aboard Britannia, roundtrip from Bridgetown (Barbados) via Willemstad (Curaçao), Kralendijk (Bonaire), Kingstown (St. Vincent & Grenadines), St. George’s (Grenada), Castries (St. Lucia), St. Kitts, St. John’s (Antigua) and Philipsburg (St. Maarten), departing 9 March 2024 , from £1,789.

Good for culture fans

Far East & Australia Cruises

From Japan’s beautiful bamboo forests to the bright lights of Shanghai, the Far East’s bucket-list sites span emerald waters, lost-world jungles and mighty volcanoes.

Most cruises begin their journey in the dynamic cities of Bangkok or Singapore – both bucket-list destinations in their own right. Eat a Michelin-star meal from a hawker stall in Singapore or make a pilgrimage to Bangkok’s unique floating markets.

Other long-held dreams this diverse continent can make a reality include trekking to see orangutans in their native land of Borneo, eating Peking duck in China’s bustling capital, and watching the sun come up over the world’s largest Buddhist temple, Java’s Borobudur.

Meanwhile, the mighty Mekong holds its own kind of magic, with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat (the world’s largest religious site) being a highlight of a cruise along this mysterious waterway.

Far Eastern itineraries combine well with Australia’s Gold and Sunshine Coasts, a big draw being World Heritage-listed Fraser Island. Spanning 450,000 acres, it’s the only known place on earth where rainforest grows on sand.

A firm fixture on most cruises down under is Sydney, whose crown jewel is its architecturally unique harbourfront Opera House.

Meanwhile, Brisbane (yet another one of Oz’s iconic cities located along its dreamy coastline) is the gateway to one of the world’s most celebrated biomes: the Great Barrier Reef. Another popular port of call is Darwin.

The Northern Territory’s tropical capital, it’s also the gateway to Kakadu, the country’s largest national park, endowed with 20,000-year-old rock art galleries and a whopping one-third of Australia’s bird species.

Get onboard

Scenic River Cruises

14-night ‘Treasures of the Mekong’ cruise aboard Scenic Spirit, from Siem Reap (Cambodia) to Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) via Kampong Cham (Cambodia), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Tan Chau (Vietnam), Sa Dec and Cai Be (Vietnam), departing 23 February 2024, from £6,301.

Holland America Line

27-night ‘Far East Discovery and China Explorer' cruise aboard Westerdam, from Singapore to Yokohama (Japan) via Ko Samui (Thailand), Laem Chabang (Thailand), Sihanoukville (Cambodia), Phu My (Vietnam), Nha Trang (Vietnam), Da Nang (Vietnam), Ha Long Bay (Vietnam), Hong Kong, Shanghai (China), Kagoshima (Japan), Nagasaki (Japan), Busan (Japan), Fukuoka (Japan), Himeji (Japan), Osaka (Japan) and Shimizu (Japan), departing 20 January 2024, from £3,779.

Good for history buffs

South America Cruises

From Patagonia’s snow-capped peaks to the pristine flooded landscape of Brazil’s Pantanal, this land of extremes has a bucket list to match its vast size. Blessed with indigenous culture and the ruins of former empires, South America claims cinematic cities to rival Sydney, unmatched biodiversity, and one awe-inspiring natural wonder after another.

Popular ports of call include the vibrant metropolises of Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso and Cartagena. Rio’s spirited urban beaches of Copacabana and sun-drenched Ipanema are its main drawcard, whilst Buenos Aires is the birthplace and capital of the world’s most romantic dance, the tango.

‘Round the Horn’ cruises typically journey between Buenos Aires and Valparaiso, delivering cruisers to the closest landmass to Antarctica where the Atlantic meets the Pacific.

It’s a ‘pinch-me’ voyage that can be combined with the hauntingly beautiful Chilean fjords, which promise once-in-a-lifetime wildlife sightings like barking leopard sea lions and soaring Andean condors.

Meanwhile, Amazon River cruises (which typically sail between the city of Manaus and either Rio or Buenos Aires) navigate through the planet’s largest rainforest ecosystem, which Amazon River dolphins, manatees and a dazzling array of birdlife all call home.

Often tacked onto Amazon River itineraries are pre- or post-cruise land trips to either Machu Picchu, aka Peru’s legendary Inca Mountain citadel, or Iguazú Falls. The largest waterfall system in the world, spellbinding Iguazú is located on the triple frontier of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay.

Get onboard

Celebrity Cruises

12-night ‘Patagonia & Argentina’ cruise aboard Celebrity Eclipse, from Valparaiso (Chile) to Buenos Aires (Argentina) via Puerto Montt (Chile), Chilean Fjords (Chile), Strait of Magellan (Chile), Punta Arenas (Chile), Ushuaia (Argentina), Cape Horn (Chile), Puerto Madryn (Argentina) and Punta Del Este (Uruguay), departing March 14 2024, from £1,476.

Uniworld

15-night ‘Peruvian Amazon & Machu Picchu Exploration’ cruise aboard Aria Amazon, roundtrip from Lima (Peru) via Yanayuca, Pucate, Maranon, Ucayali, Pacaya and Tapiche Rivers, including an overland extension in The Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Cusco, departing 11 September 2024, from £14,999.

Good for intrepid travellers

Expedition Cruises

This ever-popular cruise sector ventures to some of our planet’s most inaccessible regions, from Greenland’s mint-blue icebergs to the Galapagos’ lunar-like black lava islands. These untamed and often unseen worlds are primed for exhilarating adventures and eye-opening wildlife encounters.

It’s an opportunity for explorers to live out their most intrepid fantasies, from heli-hiking to polar scuba-diving, and for wildlife lovers to channel their inner David Attenborough, by kayaking alongside sea otters in British Colombia or running into king penguins in Antarctica. Although the polar regions are synonymous with expedition cruising, warm water destinations like the Amazon River are increasingly making a splash too.

Not all itineraries are nature-driven. Cruising to off-the-beaten-path places can also mean meeting native Alaskans in their tribal homes, or admiring aboriginal art in the oxblood landscapes of Australia’s rugged Kimberly region.

Generally speaking, expedition vessels tend to be smaller, and itineraries involve daily wet landings for an all-immersive experience. Also helping to inch guests closer to those once-in-a-lifetime encounters are an array of gadgets and gizmos such as custom-built submarines and hydrophones to listen to whales (a feature on Lindblad Expeditions’ fleet).

As for cruisers wanting to go one step further and become citizen scientists, you’re in luck. Many expedition ships have an onboard team of experts such as marine biologists and oceanologists, who you can help assist with real-life research, from mapping phytoplankton in fjords to baiting camera boxes in Antarctica.

Get onboard

Silversea

13-night ‘Tromso to Reykjavik’ cruise aboard Silver Endeavour, from Tromsø (Norway) to Reykjavik (Iceland) via Gjesværstappan Islands (Norway), Skarsvag (Nordkapp), Svalbard (Norway), Jan Mayen Island (Norway), Akureyri (Iceland), Bolungarvik (Iceland), Vigur Island (Iceland), Flatey Island (Iceland) and Stykkisholmur (Iceland), departing 15 June 2024, from £16,500.

Hurtigruten

21-night ‘In-depth Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia Expedition’ cruise aboard MS Fram, round trip from Punta Arenas (Chile) via Strait of Magellan, New Island, West Point Island, Saunders Island, Carcass Island, Port Stanley, Cape Rosa South Georgia, Prion Island Bay of Isles South Georgia, Grytviken, Godthul South Georgia, Fortuna Bay South Georgia, Stromness, St. Andrews Bay South Georgia, South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Sound, South Shetland Islands, Gerlache Strait and Puerto Williams, departing 5 Jan 2024, from £13,302.