The Best Luxury Cruise Lines

6 ships · Best for all-inclusive value

The most inclusive fare at sea: business-class flights, unlimited shore excursions, fine wine and spirits, gratuities, speciality restaurants and Wi-Fi all folded into one number. Every cabin is a suite, and every suite on newer ships has a balcony. The Seven Seas Splendor and Grandeur carry the largest suites at sea — the Regent Suite spans the bow with an in-suite spa. For travellers who want the bill settled before boarding, nothing beats it.

12 ships · Best for expedition luxury

The deepest bench in luxury cruising: classic ocean ships alongside ice-class expedition vessels reaching Antarctica, the Arctic, the Galápagos and the Kimberley. Butlers for every suite, a guest ratio near one-to-one, and the S.A.L.T. culinary programme built around each region sailed. Silver Endeavour, purpose-built for polar water, is the most capable luxury expedition ship afloat.

6 ships · Best for understated service

The quiet connoisseur's line — intimate ships of 450 to 600 guests, caviar in the surf, and a crew culture that learns names by the second day. The expedition pair Venture and Pursuit carry submarines and a 24-person expedition team. Dining is a genuine strength: the Thomas Keller collaboration set a standard the larger lines still chase.

2 ships, 4 more on order · Best new fleet

MSC Group's luxury offshoot launched in 2023 with ships designed like contemporary resorts rather than cruise vessels — no main dining room, no fixed seating, nine restaurants, four pools and suites that start large. The youngest design language in the category and the most aggressive expansion pipeline. The one to watch, and increasingly the one to book.

2 yachts · Best for a hotel feel at sea

Evrima and Ilma translate the Ritz-Carlton playbook to 149-suite yachts: residential interiors, a marina terrace with direct water access, and itineraries that favour smaller ports over marquee harbours. More private club than cruise ship — the scale sits between chartering a superyacht and joining a cruise, at a fraction of the former's price.

13 ships · Best French expedition line

French-flagged, French-crewed, and the reference for yacht-style expedition cruising — particularly in Antarctica and the French territories. Le Commandant Charcot, a hybrid-electric icebreaker, reaches the geographic North Pole with a gastronomy programme by Ducasse Conseil. The most European sensibility in the category.

2 ships · Best large-ship luxury

Reborn under Abercrombie & Kent's ownership with the beloved Serenity and Symphony refurbished and capacity reduced. Crystal remains the choice for travellers who want a genuine ship — proper theatre, multiple venues, a real promenade — rather than a floating boutique. Service culture survived the transition remarkably intact.

2 discovery yachts · Best helicopter-and-submarine toys

Scenic Eclipse and Eclipse II are discovery yachts carrying two helicopters and a submarine each, with 228 all-verandah suites and butler service throughout. The Discovery Team runs polar and remote itineraries, while the yachts reposition through the Mediterranean and the Americas. The most hardware per guest in luxury cruising.