A world cruise is a big commitment of money, and more importantly, time. Before booking a vacation, you want to be sure that you’ve chosen the cruise line with the best destinations. The world cruise has become synonymous with luxury, and looking at the cruise lines specializing in these cruises, it’s easy to see why.

Silversea Cruises is launching their new ship, the Silversea Spirit. It has accommodations for 540 passengers, all suites, and all but 12 of those suites have a balcony. Even the smallest suites have floor-to-ceiling glass doors to the veranda, marbled bathrooms with full-size tubs and separate showers, and a walk-in wardrobe with a personal safe. The 2010 inaugural trip will begin in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and end in New York City, New York, and will include cruise destinations throughout Central and South America.

Crystal Cruises will offer a 2010 world cruise on their ship, Crystal Serenity. Crystal Serenity is a large ship, capable of handling 1070 passengers, and a readers’ poll conducted by Conde Nast Traveler regularly ranks it as the number one cruise ship in the world. Cabins feature feather beds with 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and flat-screen televisions, and dining tables are set with the finest china and crystal. With luxury like this, cruise destinations are almost irrelevant, but the theme of the 2010 cruise from Miami, Florida to London, England is “Exploration of Ancient Empires”. There are ports of call in South America, Africa, India, and the Middle East, as well as Athens and Rome, and shore excursions that explore some of the most fascinating civilizations of the ancient world.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises is another world cruise line known for luxury and fabulous cruise destinations. In 2010, the Seven Seas Voyager will make a 119-night world cruise from San Diego, California to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, visiting 49 ports in 30 countries. Travelers dreaming of the South Seas and the Far East would be hard-pressed to find a better itinerary; this cruise includes stops in French Polynesia, Samoa, and Fiji before circling Australia, then heading for Indonesia, Singapore, China, Vietnam and Thailand. The Seven Seas Voyager is smaller than the Crystal Serenity, with all-suite, all-balcony rooms for 700 guests. Cruises offer an all-inclusive beverage program and open-seating dining, and all on-board gratuities are included.

Probably the oldest running cruise line, for almost 170 years, the Cunard Line has been one of the top cruise lines in the world, virtually unrivaled in luxury and cruise destinations offered. They claim the most famous ocean liners in the world and with good reason – almost everyone recognizes the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth. For 2010, Cunard will offer a true circumnavigation in the Queen Mary 2, from New York to New York. At 106 days, the ports of call are too numerous to list, but include Egypt, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa and Brazil. There will even be overnight stays in Hong Kong, Sydney, and Cape Town.

However, without a doubt, Cruise West will offer the most ambitious world cruise of 2010, a 335-night voyage on the Spirit of Oceanus. Oceanus is an all-suite ship, the largest of Cruise West’s fleet, and probably the most luxurious. With a trip that’s almost a year long, it might be easier to list ports that are not included than to list the itinerary! The cruise will depart Singapore in March 2010, arrive back in Singapore in February 2011, and stop on six of the seven continents along the way.

For travelers that have always dreamed of a world cruise, there will always be at least one cruise line that will fill the bill.

One Response to “Finding the Best Cruise Lines of the World”