Unless stated, prices include flights to and from start and end ports.
Paddle down the Mississippi
£££££
Can you see yourself on a Mississippi paddle steamer, mint julep in hand, uttering “I do declayer...” as Old Man River reveals the secrets behind his beard of Spanish moss? This 11-night cruise aboard the American Duchess — the first all-suite paddleboat on the river — is not just a journey through history, but a view of a waterway that’s still an artery of industry. It departs from Memphis and stops in Greenville, Vicksburg, Natchez (for the antebellum mansions), the Gone with the Wind fantasy of St Francisville, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Prices start at £5,995 (0330 160 7466, bon-voyage.co.uk).
World’s most luxurious ship?
£££££
Launching in April, Silver Muse will be the flagship of the Silversea fleet, which arguably makes it the most luxurious cruise ship in the world. Even the cheapest cabins will come in at a huge 387 sq ft, with balconies to boot. It will have eight restaurants, ranging from the cook-it-yourself Hot Rocks to top-end dining at La Dame. Expect a gym, a spa, a Connoisseur’s Corner stocked with rare spirits and fine cigars, the belle époque cabaret vibe of L’Opera theatre and a pool deck that evokes 1930s lido style. Sounds lovely, but there’s no telling in advance: find out on a 12-night cruise from Athens to Rome, which departs on July 15 and starts at £4,719 (020 3733 5002, iglucruise.com).
Catwalk to New York
£££
The best-dressed ship at sea this year will be Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, when it sails out of Southampton for an eight-day crossing to New York’s fashion week. Highlights on board include an audience with Julien Macdonald, a catwalk show featuring the Storm agency’s future stars, and workshops and lectures from the fashion writer Colin McDowell. Gail Sackloff is the guest you should tap up for Big Apple shopping tips — she’s a former merchandising director of Saks Fifth Avenue. If you want to get into the fashion-week shows in the city, check out fashionweekonline.com closer to the event — some of them are free. The cruise departs on August 31 and starts at £1,449 (0843 374 2224, cunard.co.uk).
River cruising for kids
££££
Uniworld is seeking to snare a new generation of river cruisers by injecting youthful verve into its Danube trip. The eight-day Nuremberg-Vienna odyssey packs in a tour of Nuremberg’s fairy-tale toy museum, a jaunt in the Black Forest by horse and cart, bike rides and whitewater rafting on the River Ilz. On board, kids can make desserts with the chef, join language workshops and explore the ship with the captain. There’s also a PlayStation-equipped kids’ lounge — but keep it quiet. You’re transferred to Prague for the flight home. Prices start at £2,499 for adults and £1,250 for kids, including all excursions and transfers, but not flights (0808 281 1125, uniworld.com). Fly into Vienna and out of Prague with BA.
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Cruise to Cuba
£££££
With operators issuing warnings that hotels in Cuba are all but sold out for this year, one way to ensure you can get your head down after a night on the mojitos is to arrive by cruise ship. Most of the big names now have permission to call at Havana — but the US-based Pearl Mist goes deeper, visiting Isla de la Juventud, inspiration for Treasure Island; the colonial port of Cienfuegos; gorgeous Trinidad; and Santiago de Cuba, including the pilgrimage site La Basilica Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad del Cobre. The 10-night voyage sails from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and starts at £6,396 (00 1 203 453 4211, pearlseascruises.com). Flights are extra; Norwegian has returns from £300.
The new Viking
£££££
Cruisers can’t get enough of Viking’s ocean ships: the third, Viking Sky, has all but sold out for 2017, even though it doesn’t launch till next month. Like its sister ships, it has a pool with a retractable roof, a firepit and a huge Nordic spa with a snow room. Yep, real snow. Tips, trips and (most) drinks are included. Your best chance of getting aboard is the 13-day Eastern Seaboard voyage from Montreal to New York on September 23; from £5,195 (0330 160 7465, vikingcruises.co.uk).
Cook’s tour
£££££
Scenic has transformed its Emerald, Diamond and Sapphire river cruisers into floating cookery schools, allowing you to perfect French regional cuisine as you drift through the land that inspired it. We especially like the eight-day cruise from Chalon-sur-Saône via Lyons to Marseilles, on which you’ll pick out ingredients from local markets and take a tour of Lyon’s Institut Paul Bocuse — France’s top cookery school. From £2,520, departing on June 29 (0808 301 4941, scenic.co.uk).
A small ship in the Med
££££
If the idea of joining a 4,000-passenger floating city gives you a panic attack, Noble Caledonia should be a calming influence. With barely 100 passengers aboard each of Noble’s three ships, the line offers exclusivity, luxury and a sense of engagement that brings passengers back time and time again. Pick of the fleet is the Hebridean Sky, which launched last May and has 59 suites. No monstrous buffet halls here: dinners are prepared from whatever the chefs find on sale in port. Our pick of the trips is the six-night sailing from Naples to Andalusia, in the company of expert lecturers who’ll tell the stories of Nelson and Napoleon in Sardinia, the Royal Navy in Minorca and the Phoenicians in Cartagena. You’ll also ride the fabulous narrow-gauge Tren de Soller on a stop-off in Mallorca. The trip departs on October 2 and prices start at £2,295 (020 7752 0000, noble-caledonia.co.uk).
Rousing reception for Encore
£££££
Fans of the luxury line Seabourn have been drooling over pictures of the Encore, launched late last year. This 300-cabin floating hotel has a pool deck with private cabanas, a craft cocktail bar and, among eight restaurants, the Grill by Thomas Keller (of the French Laundry). It begins a winter season in Australasia and the Far East with a 10-day Gems of the Java Sea cruise, leaving Bali and calling at Komodo, Java and Singapore; from £4,099. In May, Encore hits the Med for a 14-day voyage from Piraeus to Barcelona; from £4,999 (01244 355527, itcluxurytravel.co.uk).
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Slowly down the Ganges
££££
The 200-mile stretch of the Ganges between Patna and Varanasi winds through one of India’s least explored regions: a landscape of Mughal forts, riverside temples and Raj-era cemeteries. The absence of tourism in this part of the country means you may not be the only one gawping, so expect to be invited into homes for tea — and to explain why on earth you’re visiting at this time of year. Which brings us to the snag in this trip: the monsoon is the only time when water levels are high enough to come here. It’s worth enduring a bit of rain to see an India few visitors experience (with no tourist infrastructure, doing it on dry land is out of the question). The 10-night trip departs on August 3 and starts at £2,495 (0208 265 3064, millispotter.com).
Opulence on the Seine
£££££
Joie de Vivre is a fitting name for a vessel that’s being hailed as the most luxurious to sail the Seine since Napoleon’s imperial barge in 1810. Casting off in March, this floating palace has staterooms with Savoir beds, marble bathrooms and, at the top end, butlers. Highlights include the Salon des Beaux Arts, where you can sip vintage wines among high art, and the Club l’Esprit, with a pool that morphs into a dancefloor. The vessel’s dimensions mean it can dock in the heart of the City of Light, too. An all-inclusive eight-day Paris loop, departing on April 16, starts at £2,659; make your own way to Paris (0808 281 1125, uniworld.com).
Value Med for families — family friendly
££
Eliminate exchange-rate worries from your next family break on a cruise where you pay everything but your bar bill upfront — in sterling. P&O’s Oceana has four age-targeted kids’ clubs, four pools, quizzes, West End-style stage shows and a room for teenagers (to practise their best moody stares in, presumably). The August 10 sailing from Malta calls at Athens, Mykonos, Katakolon and Sarande. Prices start at £799pp, based on a family of four sharing an inside cabin (0800 840 5801, imaginecruising.co.uk).
The trend: rise of the East
Cruise lines are racing to send their newest, blingiest ships not to the traditional waters of the Med or the Caribbean — but to China, writes Sue Bryant.
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This is a trend driven by demand, or rather potential demand. China is able to generate tens of millions of cruisers, in comparison with the modest 1.8m Brits who set sail in 2015.
Royal Caribbean’s new vessel, Ovation of the Seas, is a case in point. It looks like any other big cruise ship save for some subtle, and not so subtle, differences. Instead of the usual burger joint, for example, there’s a Kung Fu Panda Noodle Shop. The signposting is in English and Mandarin. There’s a VIP area in the casino where the minimum bet is $300. And there’s a 33ft statue of a giant panda on deck. This is a ship built for a new breed of Chinese cruiser who is young, rich and enthusiastic. Ovation will split its time between Tianjin, the port for Beijing, and Australia.
The ships might not be everyone’s cup of Chinese tea, but the trend has spin-off benefits for western cruisers, who can take advantage of a vastly greater choice of itineraries all over Asia, from minibreaks out of Singapore to Malaysia and Thailand, to week-long voyages to Japan and South Korea. Some are aimed purely at the Asian market, but others will have a much broader appeal.
Royal Caribbean has another, western-style ship, the 4,200-passenger Quantum of the Seas, sailing from Shanghai; and, in the spring, Princess Cruises will launch the 3,560-passenger Majestic Princess, destined for China, with designer shops and a bubble-tea bar. Norwegian Cruise Line will launch Norwegian Joy in summer, sailing year-round from both Shanghai and Tianjin, with a Korean barbecue, karaoke rooms and a park on the top deck for t’ai chi. The luxury line Seabourn has two ships exploring Asia this winter.
There’s still time to get a taste of cruising, Asian style, without forking out for the long flight. Majestic Princess will spend six weeks in the Mediterranean from April before heading east — but be quick, as the voyages are selling out fast (five nights from £499, excluding flights).
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Alternatively, for those with time to burn, the same vessel will depart on its 49-night Silk Road Sea Route from Rome to Shanghai on May 21 (from £5,855; princess.com).