The best ocean cruises to book for variety
Adventures ashore and entertainments on board, days by the pool and dancing into the small hours... nothing beats a cruise for variety. Here’s our pick of the best ocean cruises to book now.
Anchorage to Vancouver
The views of North America’s highest peak will be glorious from Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge on a ten-night cruise and tour to Alaska. You’ll have three nights exploring Denali National Park, before joining Star Princess in Anchorage for a week’s voyage to Vancouver.
princess.com, 0344 338 8663.
Making a splash: You might see humpback whales if you choose to sail in Alaska
Salsa dancing in Cuba
Rum, cigars and salsa dancing are three ingredients of a night out at the Tropicana Club in Havana on a 14-night Summer Cuba cruise. Veerdam also calls at Cienfuegos, with its lively Caribbean vibe. Sailing round-trip from Boston on August 4, you’ll have a day on Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas and a call at Ocho Rios in Jamaica.
hollandamerica.com, 0344 338 8605.
Strictly dancers welcome
Live music and a big dancefloor make a cruise perfect for ballroom dancing. Join one of P&O’s Strictly Come Dancing cruises this year and you can book a lesson with a pro from the BBC show, and be judged by Craig Revel Horwood. Sail for 14 nights on a no-fly Strictly cruise from Southampton to the Mediterranean on May 11 aboard Ventura.
pocruises.com, 0345 355 5111.
The ultimate family treat
A Lego wall, air-hockey table and a slide from the children’s bedroom to the living room are all in the Ultimate Family Suite on Symphony of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. The ship for 5,500 passengers has its own ‘Central Park’ with real trees and will sail on seven-night cruises on the Mediterranean from April to October before relocating to Miami for Caribbean cruises next winter.
royalcaribbean.co.uk, 0844 493 4005.
A crafty trip to the Canaries
A no-fly cruise from Bristol to the Canary Islands is the perfect opportunity to try your hand at stained glass, jewellery-making and mosaics, under the guidance of TV’s Crafty Beggars, Julie Peasgood and Wendy Turner. Depart aboard Magellan on October 7, sailing round-trip for two weeks, with calls at La Coruna and Gibraltar en route to the Canaries and in Lisbon and Cobh on the way home.
cruiseandmaritime.com, 0844 998 3877.
Deluxe cargo ship Aranui 5 takes passengers on its deliveries through French Polynesia from Tahiti to the remote Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific (above,Bora Bora)
Fjord frolics with sea lions
Kayak on fjords with sea lions; get pictures of bears after your lesson from a photographer in a wildlife observatory; and hike on a glacier with a geologist. These are offered on an Ultimate Alaska & Inside Passage cruise aboard luxury Seabourn Sojourn. The 12-day, round-trip cruise from Vancouver departs on September 25.
seabourn.com, 0344 338 8615.
Live like a billionaire
Feel like guests on a billionaire’s yacht as you island-hop in the Caribbean aboard luxurious Crystal Esprit. This super-yacht for 62 passengers even has a two-guest submarine. In a week sailing from St Martin on April 1, you’ll visit St Barts, St Kitts and Nevis, tiny Saba in the Dutch West Indies and Antigua’s Falmouth Harbour. crystalcruises.co.uk, 020 7399 7601.
Cycle around the Caribbean
No need to go ashore to cycle if you’re on resort ship Carnival Horizon: its SkyRide, a pair of bike tracks, encircle the top deck. From September, Horizon will sail year-round from Miami on six- and eight-day Caribbean cruises.
Carnival.com, 0808 234 0680.
Rum, cigars and salsa dancing are three ingredients of a night out at the Tropicana Club in Havana on a 14-night Summer Cuba cruise
South Pacific deliveries
Take a freighter to paradise. Deluxe cargo ship Aranui 5 takes passengers on its deliveries through French Polynesia from Tahiti to the remote Marquesas Islands in the South Pacific. Two-week voyages depart year-round.
aranui.com.
Follow in Drake’s wake
In 1578 Sir Francis Drake rounded Cape Horn. You can follow in his wake aboard new ship Viking Jupiter, next year. Book now for a South America And Chilean Fjords cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago sailing for 17 nights on December 4, 2019.
vikingcruises.co.uk, 020-8780 8575.
Norway’s coast and cuisine
Join the Northern Frontiers cruise to Norway in 2019 aboard Marina, renowned for its haute cuisine. Starting in Oslo, the 12-night voyage departing on July 23, 2019, will sail up and down the coast of Norway, ending in Southampton.
oceaniacruises.com, 0345 505 1920.