Cruise
Everything you need to know about one of the greatest ways to travel
13 Best River Cruise Itineraries to Book in 2025
The Best Caribbean Cruise Itineraries of 2025
21 Best Travel Tuesday Cruise Deals to Book Now
What It's Like to Be a Scientist Working on a Cruise Ship in Antarctica
The Shifting Role of the Cruise Ship Godmother
Plan Your Trip
.gif)
Small Ships
The best vessels with 500 or less passengers
Silver Endeavour
The new happiest place on earth must surely be onboard Silver Endeavour when exploring Antarctica, where joy and adrenalin flood the air and the buzz centers on penguins, ice floes and pampering.
Hot List 
Gold List Seabourn Venture
Seabourn does an impressive job of morphing adventure into its signature luxury experience onboard Seabourn Venture, its first expedition vessel.Hot List Star Pride
A compact ship with new restaurants, a larger refreshed spa, and refurbished staterooms.Hot List Seven Seas Navigator
Gold List
Stories to Sail For
.jpg)
Medium Ships
The best vessels between 500 and 2,500 passengers
Oceania Vista
An upscale ship that strikes the balance between classic cruising and a more modern experience
Hot List Explora I
Redefining the cruise experience, Explora I feels more akin to a luxury resort with a sleek lobby bar, stately suites with floor-to-ceiling windows, and a 7,500 sq. ft. wellness facility.Hot List Oceania Marina
Gold List Seabourn Ovation
Seabourn’s small ships promise a trip that is big on casual luxury. Ideal for those that have “been there and done that,” Ovation proved to be a pampering adventure that is hard to replicate on a larger scale.Gold List Seven Seas Grandeur
Being on an RSSC ship feels less like being on a cruise and more like vacationing at an exquisite five-star hotel that happens to be on water.Hot List
Itineraries to Book Now
Large Ships
The best vessels with 2,500 or more passengers
Norwegian Viva
The second member of Norwegian's Prima class, the Viva is largely a mirror image of its predecessor.Hot List Resilient Lady
The newest ship to join Virgin Voyages' adults-only cruise fleet, Resilient Lady features updated onboard entertainment, premium spa and dining options, and brand-new itineraries throughout Europe, Australia, and the South Pacific.Hot List Norwegian Prima
The first of six ships from the Prima Class, which is the brand’s first new class of ships in nearly ten years.Hot List Valiant Lady
Reimagining the cruise experience, Virgin takes to the waves with a fresh, adults-only experience that’s big on wit, entertainment and on-trend cuisineHot List Celebrity Beyond
Gold List Celebrity Edge
Combine contemporary art and style with a floating luxury resort and you have the first of Celebrity’s Edge class of ships. Celebrity Edge introduced a new series of amenities designed to impress, and they do.Celebrity Apex
A design-driven mega ship for the upscale cruiser, Celebrity Apex packs in top-of-the-line entertainment, dining, and amenities.MSC World Europa
The first of MSC’s new World class ships, MSC World Europa is a next-generation floating city.Hot List Icon of the Seas
For the ultimate fun-loving big ship experience, look no further than the relentlessly entertaining Icon of the Seas.Hot List
.jpg)
Cruise Etiquette
Expedition Ships
The best vessels to take to the world's most remote places
World Traveller
Expedition cruising meets a classic cruise experience with la dolce vita and New England nautical vibes.Hot List Sylvia Earle
This is an upscale expedition ship built for high-octane adventures in the polar regions, from mountaineering to scuba diving.Hot List MS Spitsbergen
With just 220 passengers, MS Spitsbergen offers expedition cruisers–particularly those with an interest in science and nature–a comfortable and convenient way to explore a pair of less-visited West African archipelagos.Santa Cruz II
Nature lovers can retrace Darwin’s footsteps aboard this Galapagos-based expedition ship that's small enough for the national park, but spacious enough to have cruise-style amenities.
Onboard Obsession
River Ships
The best vessels to take on the world's most picturesque waterways
Viking Aton
Among the miscellany of vessels bobbing down the Nile, Viking’s sister ships are some of the sleekestHot List Viking Osiris
An unforgettable and educational cruise aboard an elegant ship with crew that understand laid-back hospitality.Hot List RV Zimbabwean Dream
The RV Zimbabwean Dream is an intimate safari cruise ship that offers three-night stays on beautiful Lake Kariba, as part of a nine-day bucket list African adventure.Aqua Nera
A floating five-star experience through the heart of the Amazon rainforest.Delfin II
Gold List
Five Questions With…
Mary Jean Tully
Mary Jean Tully is the founder of MJT Travel which specializes in cruises. She is a long-time member of Conde Nast Traveler's top travel specialists.
What was a recent cruise you sailed on?
I was on Silversea’s Silver Ray for its christening out of Lisbon in June 2024.
What is the one region you believe is best explored by cruise? And which line does that region best?
The Mediterranean. There are more opportunities to stay at the ports overnight there, so you can spend quality time in each destination and get a really good feel of Southern Europe. My second choice would be Southeast Asia. It’s truly impossible to name just one cruise line—in the luxury market it could be Regent, Crystal, Seabourn, or Silversea.
Name something unique you love about cruising.
It’s such a hassle-free way to travel. It’s like a floating hotel but you only need to unpack once. And since the luxury market is all-inclusive you really cannot beat the pricing.
What is the biggest trend in cruising that you are sensing for 2025?
Expedition cruising is bringing in so many “new to cruise” people who want to go to the seventh continent and see Antarctica. Then, once they experience the ship, they fall in love with traveling this way.
What is your favorite restaurant at sea?
Nobu on Crystal, hands-down.