Cruise
Everything you need to know about one of the greatest ways to travel
Cruise
How to Build a Mega Cruise Ship
Few acts of human engineering rival the making of a giant cruise liner. Hannah Towey reports on the construction—and launch—of the MSC World America.
Cruise
The Glitz, Glam, and Grit of Entertainment on a Cruise Ship
The cruise industry's ever-expanding entertainment programming requires a vast workforce—and an almost uncountable number of dance shoes.
Cruise
What It’s Like to Work on Some of the World’s Most Luxurious Superyachts
Ante Benic, staff captain for the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, made the leap from cargo ships to megacruises to superyachts—and never looked back.
Cruise
Harvesting—and Tasting—Norway's Wild Landscape While Sailing Up the Coast
During a sailing along Norway's coast with Hurtigruten, Rick Jordan tastes all the ways the cruise line is harnessing the bounty of the land.
Cruise
10 Best Spas on Cruise Ships With Thermal Suites, Salt Therapy Rooms, and Snow Grottos
Wellness travelers, your options have never looked better.
Plan Your Trip
Ship Spotlight: Luminara, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Luminara: The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
This isn’t a cruise—it’s a curated, sea-bound sanctuary for those who are looking to savor the world lavishly.
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
This ultraluxe ship feels like your home away from home—your personalized steward makes sure of that with thoughtful touches from the moment you check in.Gold List Celebrity Ascent
Celebrity is a premium big-ship cruise brand, focusing on exquisite dining, cutting-edge amenities, bespoke art pieces, and avant-garde onboard entertainment. In a word: this ship makes passengers feel glamorous.Hot List
Stories to Sail For
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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 that younger travelers will enjoy, with an emphasis on food and beverage.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 Gold 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 Gold 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 Gold 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.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
From the friendliness of the staff to the incredible food and drink offerings, the experience on Celebrity Beyond is, well, truly beyond.Gold List Celebrity Edge
Celebrity Edge introduced a new series of amenities designed to impress, and they do.Gold List 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
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Cruise Etiquette
Expedition Ships
The best vessels to take to the world's most remote places
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
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—the Osiris and the Aton—are some of the sleekest (and newest) builds, with iconic itineraries that take travelers to the feet of the Great Pyramids, the temples of Luxor, and ancient tombs in the Valley of the Kings.Hot 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
Explore the Amazon River on the Delfin II, a Relais & Châteaux vessel with 14 thoughtfully appointed staterooms.Gold List
Five Questions With…
Linda Allen Speer
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Linda Allen Speer is the founder of Cruises By Linda. She is a long-time member of Conde Nast Traveler's top travel specialists.
What was a recent cruise you sailed on?
The Atlas World Navigator, to Iceland and Norway in July 2024. Before that I was on the Icon of the Seas.
What is the one region you believe is best explored by cruise? And which line does that region best?
Antarctica. There are several excellent choices. I would certainly look at vessels with submarines and special operations boats, such as Viking’s.
Name something unique you love about cruising.
I love visiting port after port and only unpacking once. It is a travel luxury. Not to mention that I sleep like a baby on a ship.
What is the biggest trend in cruising that you are sensing for 2025?
Clients are becoming more adventurous. Instead of doing a Caribbean cruise every winter they are going farther and spending more. Hot destinations are Japan and Tahiti.
Be honest: who has the best food?
Oceania and Regent both have excellent cuisine.