Our top 10 new cruise routes

Whether you want to hop between tropical islands, drop anchor in search of endemic wildlife, wake up each day with a new city to explore, or simply luxuriate in your ship’s deck-top pool while gazing out over the blue, including a cruise within a wider trip gives you a fresh view on your destination.

Below, we’ve shared some of our favourite new cruise voyages and how we can weave them into a land-based adventure to give you the best of both worlds.

Hawaii

Volcanoes, snorkeling & stargazing

A string of far-flung islands surrounded by crystalline waters, Hawaii is a destination best explored from the water. As you sail across the shimmering Pacific Ocean, you might spot humpback whales or frolicking dolphins. Your ship will take you to lesser-known, remote spots where you can kayak and paddleboard around hidden coves and past sheer sea cliffs. You’ll also have the chance to snorkel with sea turtles, kaleidoscopic tropical fish, and otherworldly giant manta rays.

A cruise here means you can easily visit several islands in one trip. You might like to hike across black lava flows and around the edge of plunging craters on the slopes of Hualālai volcano. Or listen to Hawaiian legends and traditional music while dining at an authentic paʻina (feast) in Halawa Valley. Alternatively, soak up the sun on the white-sand beaches of Lānaʻi before returning to your ship for a cocktail on deck.

Pair your cruise with… a stay on the island of Hawaiʻi, where you can take a private tour of the lava-carved Volcanoes National Park and stargaze atop the broad summit of Mauna Kea.

Get me there: You can combine a week-long Hawaii voyage with land-based stays on the islands of Hawaiʻi and Molokaʻi with our trip idea.

Australia & New Zealand

Quokkas & kiwis

One of the most relaxing and fulfilling ways to pair Australia and New Zealand is through a cruise. Our chosen voyage allows you to travel in understated luxury and style in a suite with your own butler service, so you can make the most of laid-back days at sea when you’re not hitting the ground running on port days.

Along the way, you’ll have opportunities to dive straight into the local landscapes and observe native birdlife as soon as you step foot on land. In Dunedin, you can take a small-boat wildlife cruise around the Otago Peninsula in search of some of New Zealand’s rare endemic species, like yellow-eyed penguins and albatrosses. Visit Zealandia, a celebrated eco-sanctuary in Wellington, to glimpse snoozing kiwis. And, your time in Napier could include walking alongside a jubilantly chatty colony of Australasian gannets at Cape Kidnappers.

It’s not just about wildlife, though — wine-tasting tours, Art Deco architecture, and Māori history are all potentially on the agenda, too.

Pair your cruise with… some time admiring Australia’s wildlife. You can start this trip in Perth and cycle around Rottnest Island, a car-free, pine-wooded reserve with a healthy population of quokkas — extremely curious and photogenic marsupials.

Get me there: You can experience this 14-day cruise as part of a wider trip that includes a three-day cross-country Outback rail journey on the Indian Pacific.

Africa & the Indian Ocean

Reefs & rural villages

This Indian Ocean cruise combines the best of South Africa, Madagascar, and Mauritius, from Zulu villages to sacred sites and sugar-sand beaches. You’ll explore the Indian Ocean in understated luxury and style, relaxing in your spacious suite or taking in the entertainment on board during evenings and days at sea.

There’s ample time to swim, sunbathe, and snorkel in each tropical port, but you can also opt for more-in depth experiences with guides who’ll share local insights. All tours are included, so you can make the most of opportunities to explore the wildlife, landscapes, and cultures of these destinations.

In Richards Bay, you might visit DumaZulu Village to learn about traditional Zulu basket weaving and dancing. On reaching Madagascar, you could visit Morondava’s Avenue of the Baobabs and look for endemic lemurs, tropical birds, and brightly scaled chameleons in Antsiranana. Then, discover why Mauritius is known as Spice Island with a guided tour of its botanical garden as well as the markets along Le Caudan Waterfront.

You’ll also dock at a few smaller islands, snorkeling above the thriving corals of Mayotte in Comoros and delving into Mozambique’s art scene in Maputo.

Pair your cruise with… a safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve, looking out for big cats and migrating wildebeest.

Get me there: Our trip idea combines a 17-day cruise with a Kenya safari and time in Cape Town.

French Polynesia

Wood carvings, waterfalls & wild horses

If ever there was a place to discover by water, it’s Marquesas. A French Polynesian  archipelago with a string of 12 rugged, remote islands, it’s a destination that’s tricky to reach any other way. Not so for the Aranui-5, a cargo-cruise hybrid ship that takes supplies and intrepid visitors to the UNESCO-listed islands that so enchanted Robert Louis Stephenson.

You’ll stop at Nuka Hiva with its volcanic amphitheatre, Fatu Hiva, a hub for Marquesan crafts, and Hiva Oia, home to the largest tikis outside Easter Island.

The islands are culturally proud, and you’ll learn firsthand about crafts and customs that continue to thrive, from bone carving to stone sculpting. You can explore a church built entirely out of coral, feast on fish cooked underground (umu), or try your hand at palm leaf-weaving.

To best appreciate Marquesas’ natural beauty, you might hike across valleys in search of wild horses, waterfalls, and petroglyphs, or snorkel translucent lagoons to spot hammerheads and manta rays.

Pair your cruise with… An extended stay on Tahiti, where you can join a 4x4 tour and hike into valleys, taking in waterfalls, blowholes, grottoes, botanical gardens, and black-sand beaches.

Get me there: Our suggested trip includes French Polynesia headliners Bora Bora and Tahiti and a cruise to the far-flung Marquesan and Tuamotus Islands.

France & Italy

Food, wine & ancient ruins

The Mediterranean coasts of France and Italy are home to Roman ruins, storied vineyards, and glamourous cities where the glitterati take their ease. A cruise is a relaxing way to glide between these ports, and the voyage we’ve chosen offers spacious suites and ample eateries, as well as a grass lawn where you play croquet, bocce, or golf.

Gourmets will find lots to enjoy — you might sample wines at a small family-owned vineyard outside of glitzy Cannes or hunt for truffles with a trained dog amid the rolling Tuscan hills. In Rome, you can opt for a guided tour of Campo de Fiori food market or join a cooking class to learn to make pasta.

There’s more to France and Italy than just food and wine, of course, and you’ll have plenty of time to discover the landscapes and history that defines the region. Wander through the doomed city of Pompeii, take a private motorboat tour of Capri’s grottoes, or explore the Vatican’s museums with an expert guide. If you're feeling more adventurous, you might consider a kayak tour of the Portofino coastline.

Pair your cruise with… Barcelona. Defined by the genius of Gaudí, this is one of Spain’s most visually arresting cities. You might visit Park Güell, Sagrada Família, and Casa Batllo with an expert guide.

Get me there: You can combine the Catalan capital with an eight-day Mediterranean cruise, using our suggested itinerary as inspiration.

Southeast Asia

Tuk-tuks & temples

From the vine-tangled temples of Angkor to the bustling markets of Ho Chi Minh City and the sugar-soft beaches of Thailand, Southeast Asia holds a captivating draw. On a land-and-water adventure, you can explore a vast swathe of this region.

In Vietnam, you’ll have the chance to explore the Chi Chi Tunnels, fly in a seaplane over Halong Bay, drift along the Saigon River, or take the cable car up to the Cau Vang golden bridge. Reaching Thailand, you might whizz around Bangkok by tuk-tuk, join a guided tour around the old city and its ornate temples, explore marine parks by speedboat, or take a 4x4 into the jungled heart of the island of Koh Samui.

And while you’re at sea? Enjoy state-of-the-art facilities and choose between activities that cover everything from cooking demonstrations to spa relaxation and fitness classes.

Pair your cruise with… time on land to explore the jungle-clad temples of Cambodia and the vibrant culture of Hong Kong.

Get me there: Include a 12-night cruise between Hong Kong and Singapore on a wider exploration of Southeast Asia, using our trip idea as a starting point.

Windward Islands, Caribbean

Rainforests, reefs & rum tasting

Rainforests and mangroves. Hot springs and waterfalls. Live volcanoes and active corals. Palm-lined beaches and rum shacks. Welcome to the Windward islands, a string of lesser-visited West Indies isles in the south of the Caribbean whose beaches are pink in Les Saintes, silver in Saint Kitts, white in Martinique, and volcanic-black in Saint Lucia.

We suggest cruising aboard a classic sailing clipper on a route that takes in six islands — from Antigua with its yacht-sprinkled bays to the decidedly wilder Dominica with its boiling lakes, champagne reefs, and tropical rainforests.

You can join guided trips to banana plantations, rum distilleries, botanical gardens, and an active volcano where steam rises from chalky rocks. You’ll also have the option to hike to the world’s second-largest hot spring, snorkel along protected reefs to spot hawksbill turtles, or ride a gondola through rainforest canopies, passing ferns, ficus trees, and chirping bananaquits.

If food is your thing, you could learn to cook Creole dishes with a Michelin-starred chef, or try chocolate and bush rum pairings on a sustainable cocoa estate.

Pair your cruise with… time to explore Barbados, including its UNESCO-listed capital, Bridgetown, with its sherbet-bright colonial buildings. You could also tour the world’s oldest rum distillery and head inland to discover underground caves and botanical gardens.

Get me there: Our suggested trip combines time in Barbados with a seven-night cruise of the Windward Isles.

Chile & Argentina

Glaciers & gentoo penguins

From deep fjords to icy blue glaciers and soaring peaks towering in the distance, the southern reaches of South America are home to dramatic landscapes that are best appreciated by water. Cruising through Chilean Patagonia, you’ll sail in the wake of renowned explorers like Magellan and Drake, passing slow-moving rivers of ice in Glacier Alley, watching playful penguins waddle over low-slung islands, and seeing seals cavorting in your ship’s wake.

Along the way, you’ll get the chance to raft through river rapids and hike the trifecta of peaks in Torres del Paine National Park, or opt for more sedate ways to appreciate nature, like birdwatching and kayaking on the Strait of Magellan.

A highlight of this cruise is rounding the Cape Horn, the infamous passage where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. And, you’ll see the terminus of the Pan American Highway at the world’s southernmost city, Ushuaia, before sailing to the Falkland Islands to visit the southernmost capital, Stanley, home to British pubs and a thriving gentoo penguin rookery.

Pair your cruise with… time either side soaking up city life in Santiago and Buenos Aires, with wine tasting, food tours, and museum visits. Explore the salty plains of the Atacama Desert, where stars litter the night sky. Then, fly to the Brazilian side of the Iguaçu Falls.

Get me there: You can experience this 14-day cruise, as well as time exploring Chile and Argentina on land, following a route based on our suggested trip idea.

USA transatlantic crossing

Distant horizons & deck-side life

The salty wind on your face, the shifting blues of the seemingly infinite seascape, the gradual fading of New York City’s skyline as you head toward the horizon… crossing the Atlantic by ship is high on the list for many cruise enthusiasts. We can arrange for you to make the journey aboard a luxury liner that harks back to the golden age of ocean cruising, with personal butler service and top-end facilities to boot.

During your seven days at sea, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to make the most of the experiences available onboard. You might choose to catch a concert at the planetarium, pamper your senses with marine-themed treatments in the spa, join an exercise class, dine in each of the many restaurant options, and simply curl up with a book from the largest at-sea library, glancing up occasionally to spot passing marine life like dolphins, whales, and seabirds.

Pair your cruise with… days exploring the dynamic cities of the USA’s East Coast, travelling between Washington, Philadelphia, and New York City by train.

Get me there: You can pair a seven-day transatlantic cruise with time city hopping along the USA’s East Coast, drawing inspiration from our trip idea.

Japan

Traditional towns & modern metropolises

As an island nation with a wealth of historic ports and dynamic waterfront cities, Japan is one of the top culturally rich destinations to discover on a cruise.

We can arrange for you to circumnavigate the country on a ship that remains docked for longer, so you have plenty of time to explore at each stop. That might mean sipping a cup of matcha green tea as you gaze out at the ponds and pruned pine trees of Ritsurin Koen garden in Takamatsu. Sampling authentic okonomiyaki (a savoury pancake dish) in Hiroshima. Or getting a glimpse of life as an Edo-era samurai at Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu.

And, as you cruise along the coastline between these stops, you can pamper yourself with a spa treatment, try your hand at card games in the lounge, or sip a cocktail on deck while watching the sunset.

Pair your cruise with… a few days exploring the bustling streets of Tokyo or relaxing in Hakone’s hot springs before you set sail, and a stay amid the serene temples and exquisite landscaped gardens of Kyoto afterwards.

Get me there: You can sail to ten Japanese port towns — plus Busan, South Korea — following our land-and-sea trip idea.