From yachting to the remote islands of the world, to steaming through the ocean on a luxury cruise line, sailing around the globe seemingly never goes out of style. The options have always been expansive for the luxury traveler—river boats that sail through Kerala, decked-out catamarans for island-hopping in French Polynesia. But the high-end amenities have taken a bit of time to catch up. Within the last few years, however, we’ve seen a trend of luxury cruises eagerly rolling out new, five-star perks.
These honorees are curating new experiences in every part of the world without sacrificing quality in terms of food, accommodations, and the like. In fact, they meet—and far exceed—those expectations.
Here are the Legend Award cruising honorees.
Luxury Family-Friendly Cruising
Regent Seven Seas Mariner
Regent Seven Seas Mariner frequents Alaska, which is Regent’s top seller in the family market. As a result, programming aboard Regent Seven Seas Mariner goes above and beyond for families—they offer a Club Mariner Youth Program onboard. In 2020, RSSC will launch Inside Alaska, which will offer immersive programming and excursions specifically led for children.
Cunard Line
Cunard Line not only has programming for young children and teens, they have an on-board nursery for six to 23-month-olds. The nursery stays open well into the evening to give parents the option to have dinner and drinks on their own.
Seabourn Cruise Line
Seabourn goes out of their way to tailor children’s programming into their July and August cruises, anticipating the spike in family travel during the summer. They also have connecting suites, which are ideal for two families traveling together, or parents traveling with their teenage or adult children.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has beautifully designed family suites that will wow both the kids and the parents. Their family-focused programming allows teens some independence—there’s a teen club that even serves breakfast if they’d rather do their own thing in the morning, or eat before their parents wake.
UnCruise
With a focus on small-ship cruising, UnCruise creates an intimate adventure and provides access you wouldn’t get on a larger ship. Their Hawaiian Islands packages are ideal for luxury family vacations, especially with excursions like snorkeling to see Pacific Manta rays or hiking Halawa Valley in Molokai.
Boutique-Size Cruising
Windstar Cruises
In the last three years, Windstar Cruises has made a big push to encourage solo travelers to enjoy luxury cruising with reduced single supplements on select cruises. Their small-ship fleet includes six ships, the largest of which can accommodate no more than 342 guests, and three of which are wind boats with regal sails.
Silversea
Silversea has 8 boutique cruise ships, each bound for different parts of the world, like their Silver Galpagos, which heads south to Ecuador, or Silver Cloud, which is arctic-bound. Their ships design is particularly compelling, and their ultra-personal luxury service and amenities are a treat.
The Paul Gaugin, Paul Gaugin Cruises
Cruising with Paul Gaugin is extremely pampering, and one of their flagship vessels, m/s Paul Gaugin, was designed to sail in the South Pacific. Of the 160 cabins and suites on board, 80 have verandas, and every statesman room has an ocean view.
RV African Dream, Croisi Europe Cruises
A cruise around Lake Kariba, this bespoke aquatic tour allows travelers to safari on the water. Housing only 16 guests, RV African Dream sails with eight outward-facing cabins—two with balconies. The company offers both a nine-day cruise and a 13-day cruise.
Aqua Blu, Aqua Expeditions
Specializing in luxury river and yacht cruises, their most recent debut is Aqua Blu, a ship showing travelers gorgeous, undiscovered parts of East Indonesia. With five decks but only 15 suites, Aqua Blu is offering exclusive excursions to destinations like Komodo National Park and the Spice Islands over seven or 12 nights.
Uniworld River Cruises
Uniworld, a boutique river cruise collection, cruises the Danube, the Ganges, and the Nile, among other famed global rivers. Their S.S. Bon Voyage debuted this year—it explores French wine country and the rivers of Bordeaux.
Large-Scale Cruising
Oceania Cruises
One of many things that sets Oceania Cruises’ onboard experience apart is their wellness programming, which includes plant-based and vegan dining options, a raw juice bar, Canyon Ranch spa treatments, and fitness classes. Oceania Cruises even curates exclusive Wellness Tours to South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Crystal Cruises Symphony
Built to accommodate 848 guests, Crystal Cruises Symphony boasts “one of cruising's highest guest-to-staff ratios.” With no less than 10 dining and bar options, guests can choose from sushi, Italian, and pan-Asian, or can take advantage of in-suite dining or The Vintage Room’s optional wine dinners.
Celebrity Cruises
Premiere all-inclusive cruising feels particularly luxurious because of the design on Celebrity Cruises’ ships. The modern exteriors are curated by high-end interior designers, architects, and other artists to produce an atmosphere unlike one you’ll find on another ship.
Holland America Line
A cruising institution, Holland American Line dates back to 1873. Their line of ‘dam ships (Eurodam, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, etc.) incorporate Dutch culture into their cuisine, design, and art selection—keep your eyes peeled for the Rembrandt.
Viking Cruises
A celebration of Scandinavian design, their ocean cruising fleet is comprised of seven ships, each with the capacity to welcome 930 guests. While their ships have global reach, Viking Cruises’ European itineraries are known as some of the best, with Scandinavia and Baltic journeys, Mediterranean cruises, and even “quiet-season Mediterranean” excursions for travelers who favor the calm of shoulder season.
Yacht Cruising
Crystal Espirit, Crystal Cruises
The service on Crystal Espirit’s ever-elegant yacht cruises is over-the-top, with each of the 31 suites providing access to butler service. They also curate a selection of the best Complimentary Crystal Adventures at most ports.
The Lady Lynsey II, The Ritz-Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton debuted their premiere vessel this year: The Lady Lynsey II, a phenomenally designed ultra-luxe catamaran with yacht-like service. Guests of The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, which is in its final stages of reopening, will be able to take advantage of The Lady Lynsey II’s excursions to cruise the Caribbean in style.
Seadream Yacht Club
Seadream Yacht Club voyages make travelers feel as though they’ve chartered a private yacht, because the service is so personalized. You can actually private charter Seadream yachts as well, whether for a company trip, a family reunion, or a wedding. Their newest yacht, Seadream Innovation, is touted as the most environmentally friendly yacht in the world.
LEGEND, Pelorus
Pelorus uses the LEGEND superyacht to facilitate regal trips to Antarctica. LEGEND is typically available for private charter to the white desert, but this year, they announced they’ll open the experience up for single-cabin use for two, 26-passenger journeys. The cabins start at $55,000.
Abercrombie & Kent
A&K curates private yacht experiences for their clients, using some of the world’s best small-scale, five-star cruising vessels. In Indonesia, they charter Lamima, one of the only “five-star charter vessels to be registered under the Indonesian flag.” It’s outfitted with jet skis, snorkel gear, water skis, and two Balinese masseuses.
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