Our Top 20 Bucket List Cruises - Part One

Ask any fan of high seas holidays and they’ll tell you there’s a dream cruise they hope to take some day. For some people it might be taking a step back in history to cross the Atlantic and for others it might be seeing abundant wildlife, but whatever floats your boat, here’s the first 10 of our top 20 top picks get you dreaming. 

Exploring The Kimberley

Famous for deep gorges, sky-high waterfalls and untamed forest, the only way to explore this ancient wilderness is on a cruise. A number of expedition ships including the Kimberley Quest visit this remote part of Western Australia between April and September, visiting a lineup of natural wonders including King George Falls and Montgomery Reef, with activities including crocodile spotting, fishing, and hiking.

Cruising The Mississippi River

The mighty Mississippi is the most historical cruising region of the United States. The glamorous American Queen is one of a number of paddle wheelers which plies its famous waters year-round, visiting iconic destinations including New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Alton, the most haunted city in America where the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri Rivers converge.

A Cruisetour of Great Britain And Ireland

Take a tour which combines multiple days on land in England, Scotland and Ireland with a cruise around the British Isles - one option is the Hebridean Sky. Highlights may include an overnight stay at luxury Scottish Mansion, exploring uninhabited islands, and exploring Ireland’s castles and capital.

Exploring Antarctica

It’s a wilderness with an “other world” quality, and accessible only by ship, and during the southern hemisphere summer, you can explore it all on expedition ships including the National Geographic Explorer on a round trip cruise from Ushuaia. Be prepared to have your breath taken away by the spectacular icebergs and calving glaciers, and encounters with gentoo penguins.

Viewing The Northern Lights In Norway

A plethora of natural delights dazzle every season here, but viewing the famous Northern Lights is on many a bucket list. If you cruise with a company such as  Hurtigruten you get a choice of ships, departures between October and March, and itineraries from six to 14 days.

A Cruisetour Of Alaska

Shaped by glaciers, it’s a dramatic landscape of lush scenery, sky-high peaks, deep fjords, and abundant wildlife. Hundreds of ships cruise here between May and September; on a Princess Cruises or Celebrity Cruises cruisetour you get to explore the best of Alaska on land and at sea, visiting Denali National Park, and calling at ports including Juneau, Ketchikan and Skagway.

Transiting The Panama Canal

This remains one of cruising’s unforgettable experiences, with the canal connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans at the Isthmus of Panama. A transit of its narrow locks and winding waterway is breathtaking. Many ships make the transit once or several times each year, including Crystal Serenity, and you’ll also travel from Miami to Los Angeles or San Francisco visiting the Caribbean Islands, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico.

A Cruisetour Of The Peruvian Amazon

It’s a hot new bucket list destination, and in recent years a number of companies including Avalon Waterways explore it seasonally on the new Amazon Discovery. Tours can combine land stays at Cusco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, with a three-night cruise exploring the Amazon’s remote tributaries and indigenous communities, and offering the chance to spot rare pink dolphins.

A Transatlantic Crossing

In a bygone era, this iconic voyage between Southampton and New York was the only way to sail from the old world to the new. Today it’s a chance to relive the adventure on a week-long, no-ports cruise on one of the world’s best loved ships, the Queen Mary 2.

Exploring The Galapagos Islands

It’s an isolated group of volcanic islands and tropical paradise, and home to creatures you won’t find anywhere else in the world including the Galapagos penguin and tortoise. Ships which ply these fascinating waters include the newly refurbished MV Santa Cruz II, which can be part of a South America tour which also features the bucket list destinations of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aries.