The 15 most exciting cruises for 2024 (2024)

January usually finds me pondering the places I haven’t been; no matter how much I travel it’s impossible to reach the end of my “to-do” list. Deep down I don’t want to either, because it never stops being exhilarating to know so many adventures await.

For me, cruising has always seemed the easiest and most cost effective way of seeing some of the world’s greatest landmarks, whether those are courtesy of Mother Nature or the creations of history’s most brilliant minds. The draw of all these cruises below is that while you’ll set out to see one highlight, you’ll invariably find something else that captivates; Panama City’s buzzing old quarter offers a cultural counterpoint to the canal itself; the lesser-known but equally exquisitely carved temples at Angkor Wat bring their own sense of wonder. Take one of these trips and yes, you’ll see something famously important, but also find magical spots and moments that resonate with you.

This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue

1. Chase the northern lights

If you’re dreaming of gazing at the aurora borealis shimmying across the sky, 2024 is going to be a bumper year, as the sun will reach the peak of its activity cycle. Hurtigruten’s special astronomy voyages along the Norwegian coast include stargazing and aurora chasing with a team of renowned astronomers. You’ll sail round-trip from Bergen as far as Kirkenes, deep inside the Arctic Circle, stopping at 34 ports, some only tiny villages, passing silent fjords and snow-draped mountains. Best of all, if the lights don’t show, you’ll get a free trip next season.
Details Eleven nights’ full board from £2,299pp, including flights and departing on November 25 on MS Kong Harald (hurtigruten.co.uk)

2. Cross the Rockies by train

Combine a thrilling cruise along Alaska’s Inside Passage with a spectacular six-night journey across the Rockies, including two days on the glass-domed Rocky Mountaineer train, which rattles through tunnels and craggy gorges, and over high mountain passes. The cruise element, from Vancouver to Seward, is on Regent Seven Seas’ ultra-luxe Seven Seas Explorer, and comes with a chance to explore glaciers, lichen-draped forests and Gold Rush towns such as Skagway, as you look out for bears, eagles and whales.
Details Thirteen nights from £8,199pp, with seven all-inclusive on the ship, six B&B in hotels and two days with meals on the train, including excursions and flights, departing on May 23 (rssc.com)

3. Sail Australia’s wild Kimberley coast

Tucked into Australia’s northwestern corner, the Kimberley is a pristine stretch of coast with craggy sandstone gorges, tumbling waterfalls, green mangroves and gleaming sands. Spot sea turtles at Montgomery Reef as the tide rushes out and cool off in the spray of King George Falls. You’ll meet land-owning communities and learn about their ancient customs and their deep connection to the land, as well as admiring rock art dating back thousands of years. The 264-passenger Seabourn Pursuit is one of the most luxurious expedition ships afloat, with kayaks, 24 Zodiacs and a crack team of expedition leaders.
Details Eleven nights’ all-inclusive from £7,544pp, departing Darwin on July 2 (seabourn.com). Fly to Darwin

4. The Nile made easy

Exploring the antiquities of ancient Egypt doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Tui has launched Nile cruises on the 148-passenger Tui Al Horeya for 2024, sailing round-trip from Luxor, with charter flights straight to Upper Egypt, so you don’t have to transit via Cairo. The big ticket activities such as a day in Abu Simbel and hot air ballooning over the Valley of the Kings cost extra, but some tours are included. Over the course of a week, you’ll have time in Luxor, Edfu, Kom Ombo and Aswan. The adults-only ship, meanwhile, has a pool, two hot tubs, as well as indoor and outdoor dining.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £2,089pp, including flights and some excursions, departing on November 14 (tui.co.uk)

• Cruise holidays guide: all you need to know
• Best cruise lines for first-timers

5. Marvel at the Panama Canal

You don’t have to be a geek to dream about sailing through the Panama Canal; there’s everything here from human history to wildlife, as well as a close-up look at the workings of one of mankind’s greatest engineering achievements. Princess Cruises’ 2,000-passenger Coral Princess sails from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles in December, when the weather should be fine and dry. You’ll have a full day transiting the massive locks of the Canal, followed by a day to explore Panama City’s atmospheric old quarter. There are further stops in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Mexico before arriving in Los Angeles.
Details Sixteen nights’ full board from £1,299pp, departing on December 3 (princess.com). Fly to Miami or Fort Lauderdale

6. Tall ship sailing in Greece

What could be more romantic than standing on deck as 3,365 sq m of sails creak up the masts and your tall ship edges off into a starry night? Star Clippers recreates the golden days of the great clipper ships with its beautiful replicas, all polished wood and gleaming brass. Sail on the 166-passenger Star Clipper from Athens to Skiathos and Skopelos (Mamma Mia! country), with calls along the way at pretty Poros, Lemnos and sleepy Dikili on the Turkish coast. When you’re not exploring ashore, lie in the big nets strung either side of the bowsprit and keep a lookout for dolphins.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,830pp, departing on August 3 (starclippers.co.uk). Fly to Athens

7. Circumnavigate Australia

Charting the coast of Australia has become considerably more comfortable since the British explorer Matthew Flinders made the first circumnavigation between 1801 and 1803. Your own voyage of discovery will be on Cunard’s elegant Queen Elizabeth, with stops in ports including the Whitsunday Islands, Cairns, Broome, Adelaide for the wineries of the Barossa Valley, and Sydney. You’ll sail round-trip from cool, arty Melbourne — and there’s a foray across the Timor Sea for a day in Bali too.
Details Twenty-seven nights’ full board from £4,099pp, departing Melbourne on October 16 (cunard.com). Fly to Melbourne

8. See a total eclipse of the sun

Sail to Mexico with the small-ship expedition specialist UnCruise this April and you stand a pretty good chance of clear skies for the total solar eclipse that will happen on the morning of April 8, when you’ll be positioned off the coast of Mazatlán, protective eyewear at the ready. The rest of the expedition is spent in the Sea of Cortez, a world of jagged mountains, desert and abundant wildlife. You’ll swim with wild sea lions, look for super-pods of hundreds of dolphins, see rays flipping across the water and maybe even spot a blue whale. Sail on the 64-passenger Safari Voyager, which comes with an underwater camera on the bow, kayaks, paddleboards, inflatable skiffs and yoga mats.
Details Eight nights, including one in Los Angeles and seven full-board on the ship, from £7,645pp including flights and some activities, departing on April 5 (mundyadventures.co.uk)

9. Snorkel in Bora Bora’s lagoon

Ramp up the romance on a dreamy voyage around French Polynesia on Windstar’s 312-passenger Star Breeze, sailing round-trip from Papeete through a world of glorious colour, lush landscapes and fragrant tropical blooms. You can swim in aquamarine lagoons, hike in steamy rainforests, gaze at jagged volcanic peaks, gorge yourself on juicy Queen Tahiti pineapples and learn about Polynesia’s culture. There’s also an exclusive evening on a secluded island off Bora Bora with music, a beach party and local fire dancers.
Details Eight nights from £5,099pp, including one night in a hotel and seven nights’ full-board on the ship, as well as flights, water sports and $100pp onboard credit, departing on October 24 (windstarcruises.com)

10. Explore Antarctica’s frozen landscapes

Leave Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, for the immense icebergs, tooth-like peaks and ice-clogged bays of Antarctica, a world draped in snow and vast glaciers. The itinerary is determined by the ice and wind, but you’ll make landings among bustling penguin colonies, see huge, blubbery elephant seals and ferocious leopard seals, and with luck, spot humpback whales, which are arriving in November to feast on krill. Learn about the great explorers Amundsen, Shackleton and Scott, paddle a kayak and, if conditions permit, take a dive in one of Viking Octantis’s two submarines.
Details Twelve nights’ full board from £9,995, including all activities, a night in Buenos Aires, flights and wine with meals, departing on November 23 (vikingcruises.co.uk)

11. See the sunrise over Angkor Wat

The Australian-owned APT has launched a snazzy new ship, the 88-passenger Mekong Serenity, sailing the Tonle and Mekong rivers between Cambodia and Vietnam. Onboard features include a restaurant serving a Vietnamese tasting menu, a spa and a sun deck with a pool, which you’ll welcome after steamy days ashore. As well as visits to temples and markets, you’ll have dinner in the prestigious Vietnam House in Ho Chi Minh City, travel by speedboat to the Cu Chi tunnels and watch the sunrise over the exquisite temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.
Details Fourteen nights from £5,495pp, including seven all-inclusive on board, three nights in Siem Reap and two in Ho Chi Minh City, activities and flights, departing on September 20 (aptouring.co.uk)

12. Mix with sporting legends

It won’t be long before Olympic fervour starts to build, so get ahead of the game on a river cruise along the Seine with Steve Redgrave and Daley Thompson just weeks before the world’s attention turns to Paris. The rower and the decathlete will host a private Q&A and will discuss memories of their careers as champions, not to mention the seven Olympic medals they’ve won between them. There will also be a co*cktail reception and a photo op for selfies. You’ll sail on one of Scenic’s swish “Space-Ships” round-trip from Paris, visiting Cornflans, Rouen, the pretty fishing port of Honfleur, Caudebec-en-Caux, Vernon and Le Roche Guyon, with an overnight in Paris.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £3,211pp, including flights, departing on July 8 (scenic.co.uk)

13. Spot polar bears in Spitsbergen

Seeing this apex predator in its natural icy habitat is an enormous privilege. Sightings of bears aren’t guaranteed but the Svalbard archipelago is one of your best betsfor an encounter as there’s a thriving population here — and hunting is forbidden. You’ll sail from Longyearbyen on the smart little 114-passenger M/V Sea Spirit, past the spiky mountain ranges that have given the island of Spitsbergen its name, as well as glaciers, silent fjords and tundra. There’s also a good chance of seeing arctic foxes, walrus, reindeer and bearded seals on your daily hikes and Zodiac cruises.
Details Nine nights’ full board from £5,860pp including a night in Oslo, a parka and mud boots and round-trip flights from Oslo, departing on June 17. (Book by January 31; polarroutes.co.uk)

14. The Ganges and the Golden Triangle

Combining a luxury cruise on the Ganges with the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra means you’ll see two faces of India: the exquisite Taj Mahal in Agra (at sunrise and sunset), Gandhi’s tomb in Delhi and the opulent palaces of Jaipur, and then, in contrast, rural villages along the holy Ganges, with time for yoga classes on board. You’ll stay in Oberoi hotels and sail on the palatial Ganges Voyager II, a haven of peace after the intensity of life in India. Add on a night in the holy city of Varanasi (£1,359pp, including two nights’ full board and domestic flights) to take in the drumming and chanting at sunset, the rituals of riverside cremations and sunrise over the ghats.
Details Thirteen nights’ all-inclusive from £6,799pp, including all sightseeing and flights, departing on September 26 (uniworld.com)

15. Commune with wildlife in the Galapagos

Some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the volcanic Galapagos archipelago is like nowhere else. Penguins stand on lava next to cacti. Prehistoric-looking iguanas drape over rocks. Sea lions flop on pristine beaches and giant tortoises roam the misty highlands. Each island is different, from the sharp spike of Kicker Rock, where you may spot manta rays and hammerhead sharks to Isla Bartolome, a moonscape with a thriving population of blue-footed boobies. You’ll sail on the stylish, all-suite Silver Origin, carefully designed to reflect the colours and textures of the islands.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £8,900pp, including all activities and flights, departing on September 7. (Book by February 29; silversea.com)

Where are you hoping to cruise to this year? Let us know in the comments below

Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X