Thursday, April 18, 2024

These Are the Best Cruises of 2024, According to T+L's Expert

best rated cruise line

Dining options include a variety of restaurants serving French cuisine, Pan-Asian dishes, Italian specialties, steak and more. Families can experience Disney magic by booking a cruise through Disney Cruise Lines. With over 19 ports of departure to choose from, your family can take a Disney cruise from almost anywhere in the world. Departure cities include Barcelona, Rome, Fort Lauderdale, Sydney, New Orleans and San Diego. Off-ship experiences include sampling local beer and oysters in Astoria, Oregon; visiting Multnomah Falls or hiking Beacon Rock; and having a private vineyard visit and downtown wine walk in Walla Walla, Washington.

Best Cruises Overall

There's eagle spotting in Red Wing and agricultural innovation in Quad Cities, Iowa. You'll enjoy Mark Twain lore in Hannibal, Missouri, and architectural landmarks, such as the soaring Gateway Arch, in St. Louis. In Tennessee's two famous music cities, you'll have a chance to visit Elvis Presley's Graceland, stroll blues club-lined Beale Street and check out the Grand Ole Opry.

best rated cruise line

The Best Cruises Of 2023, According To Industry Awards

You'll also visit Paducah, Kentucky, and Dover and Clarksville in Tennessee, where experiences include whiskey and bourbon tasting, tours of landmark art murals and, of course, Civil War history. Oceania Vista, the line’s first new ship in 11 years, will spend next summer in the Mediterranean. One highlight will be an epic 24-day journey from Venice to Athens that calls in at iconic cities such as Rome, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Istanbul. Cruise lines offering or hosting themed trips are Norwegian Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean.

How We Chose the Best Cruise Lines

These cruises are a step up from those on mainstream ocean liners, and so tend to cater to a slightly older crowd. They typically boast more sophisticated amenities, too, like art collections and educational classes on sea days. These are some of the most popular itineraries because of their accessibility, affordability and wide variety of activities.

Best for LGBTQ+ Travelers

Each suite has a private balcony, a dedicated attendant, an in-suite minibar and a separate sitting area. Passengers can choose from fine dining, al fresco and poolside dining, regional cuisine and room service. Food options include gourmet specialties, quick-serve bites and 24-hour room service, so you and your family can eat anytime you're hungry. Parents can even book a romantic dinner while the kids have fun at one of the supervised youth clubs. Cruises are booming right now, buoyed partly by the popularity of domestic seacations that hauled in first-time sailors. So much so that Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 34,000-mile world trip for 2024 sold out in just over two hours, while the adults-only Virgin Voyages, which aims to throw cruise stereotypes overboard, rose to first place in Large Ships.

best rated cruise line

While each luxurious suite features ocean views, nothing beats the view from the epic 4,000-square-foot, two-bedroom Regent Suite, which has two wraparound balconies, three walk-in closets, two Picasso lithographs, and a grand piano. Couples looking for the best cruise lines for a romantic adventure should make reservations with Viking Ocean Cruises. All Viking cruise ships are adults-only, so couples can enjoy their trip without interruptions from other travelers' children on board. If you've never visited New Orleans, or it's been a while, take a Mississippi River cruise that sails round-trip from the Big Easy. They offer time before or after the cruise to enjoy the city's food, music and iconic architecture — plus the ease of a round-trip flight booking. Viking's seven-night New Orleans & Southern Charms itinerary focuses solely on ports in Louisiana and Mississippi, with an emphasis on historic architecture, Cajun culture and Civil War landmarks.

Cruise Critic announced the 2023 Best Cruise Lines of The Year - Forbes

Cruise Critic announced the 2023 Best Cruise Lines of The Year.

Posted: Wed, 06 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The best cruise lines for every type of traveler

You’ll get to fully enjoy the spa, the lectures, the food and, of course, the formal gala nights, which are arguably the crowning glory of any Cunard cruise. This is the cruise that proves it’s all about the journey, not the destination. Just make sure to check this cruise packing list so you bring all the right things with you.

We used an online cruise insurance marketplace to get a quote for a family of four (two adults and two kids) for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas. If the family spends $3,200 for the trip, the insurance options range from $158 for basic insurance to $344 for a premium plan. With a fleet of three ships, Virgin Voyages offers itineraries from two to 14 nights. As for destinations, Virgin has itineraries along the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and even a 14-day transatlantic journey from Barcelona to Miami. Extras like shore excursions and souvenirs can add up quickly, as can certain on-board activities. Carnival also offers all-inclusive rates that will help avoid any surprise expenses, but travelers should of course be prepared to spend more up front.

How much is cruise travel insurance?

MSC’s gorgeous MSC Yacht Club is proof that not all luxury suite complexes are created equal. This private enclave boasts all the requisite perks you might expect, from lavish suites to grand lounges and private dining areas. MSC sets itself apart by making that complex more accessible than ever before, thanks to the line’s value-priced MSC Yacht Club Inside Staterooms that provide a lot of luxe for a little dough. The modern spa is more than a place to relax; it’s a true escape, where the atmosphere and thermal suite complement state-of-the-art treatments. Norwegian Cruise Line has always recognized this in its Mandara Spa, which keeps getting better.

Viking Venus, one of the line’s newest ocean vessels, will spend the first part of 2024 chasing the northern lights in Scandinavia, with stops in places such as Bergen and Tromsö, Norway. A favorite of T+L readers, the Paul Gauguin will spend Christmas and New Year’s going round-trip from Tahiti to the Society Islands. Best known for its Alaska journeys, Holland America Line will have a 35-day “Voyage of the Vikings” itinerary next year that goes to Nova Scotia, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia, all round-trip from Boston.

In January, Ponant kicks off the first of 12 expeditions in partnership with the Explorers Club, the science-minded nonprofit. The series begins with a 30-day “half-circumnavigation” of Antarctica aboard the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, starting in South America and wrapping in New Zealand. Both will tour the Mediterranean next summer, visiting in-demand ports in Greece, Italy, and Spain. The luxury liner will spend the summer sailing the British Isles and Scandinavia, among other European destinations. Crystal relaunched in 2023 with the refurbished ships Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. The first will spend next summer in the Mediterranean, while the second will transit the Panama Canal in June on a voyage from Miami to San Diego before spending the summer in Alaska.

The ship's 2023 Eastern Mediterranean itineraries match its beachy vibe, and the detox-retox atmosphere carries over to ports like Santorini and Mykonos, thanks to exceptionally generous shore time. It should fit in well Down Under, where it just redeployed for its inaugural season there. Celebrity Beyond, which debuted in 2022, accommodates 3,260 guests has 32 bars and restaurants, like Le Voyage by chef Daniel Boulud, and two-story villas on board. Regent offers an all-suite fleet so travelers can enjoy spacious and luxurious accommodations.

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