Travel the World by Ship: 7 Extraordinary Routes for the Bucket List

Anyone can do a cruise to the Caribbean. But there are routes that create real travel memories – trips you will still remember in 30 years. Here are seven routes that belong on every serious cruise bucket list.

1. The transatlantic liner service on the Queen Mary 2

The Cunard Queen Mary 2 has been the only active transatlantic liner in the world since 2004. Seven days from Southampton to New York, with a reinforced hull for the year-round Atlantic crossing. No port stop, seven sea days in a row – this is the ultimate slow-travel trip with black-tie evenings, the Royal Court Theatre and the only planetarium at sea.

When: March to November, in both directions. Price: from 1,500 EUR per person in the Britannia class, considerably more in the Grills.

2. The North Pole on Le Commandant Charcot

Impossible until 2021, now feasible: Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot is the only luxury cruise ship in the world capable of reaching the geographic North Pole. Ice class PC2, hybrid propulsion (LNG plus an electric battery), 245 guests in 123 suites, a restaurant curated by Alain Ducasse. In summer, three special North Pole voyages: 16 days from Spitsbergen across the ice to the Pole and back.

When: July and August. Price: from 32,000 EUR per person – the most expensive standard route in the modern cruise world.

3. The 180-day world cruise on Crystal Serenity

The ultimate variant: 180 days in 50+ countries. Crystal Cruises (revived after the 2022 insolvency under the A&K Travel Group) offers a full world cruise every year on the Crystal Serenity from Miami, via the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, the Pacific, Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and back. All-inclusive with your own suite, a crew-to-pax ratio of 1:1, four star restaurants on board.

When: January to July. Price: from 75,000 EUR per person in the standard suite, considerably more in the penthouse class.

4. An Antarctica expedition on the MS Fram

Hurtigruten's MS Fram is the classic Antarctica expedition ship. 318 guests, ice class 1B, 12 Zodiac boats for landings in the Argentina–Antarctic Peninsula region. 18 days from Buenos Aires, crossing the Drake Passage to the Peninsula and back, with eight to ten landings at penguin colonies, seal beaches and old whaling stations.

When: November to March (the southern summer). Price: from 6,500 EUR per person in the inside cabin, from 12,000 EUR with a balcony.

5. The Hurtigruten Norwegian mail-ship route

Since 1893, the Hurtigruten mail ships have sailed along the Norwegian coast between Bergen and Kirkenes – a 12-day round trip with 34 port stops, some of them only 15 minutes long (a combined mail, freight and passenger service). On ships such as the MS Trollfjord, MS Polarlys or MS Richard With, locals travel between the ports alongside tourists – an authentic experience away from the typical mega-cruise.

When: year-round – summer for the midnight sun, winter for the northern lights. Price: from 1,800 EUR per person for 12 days.

6. The West African islands on the Silver Nova

Routes that no mainstream cruise can call at: Cape Verde, São Tomé, Senegal, Gambia, Sierra Leone. Silversea Cruises (Royal Caribbean Group) sails a 14-day programme between Cape Town and Las Palmas with the Silver Nova – past little-visited islands and with longer port times for genuine exploration. An all-suite onboard atmosphere with door-to-door service.

When: October to December (before the Caribbean season). Price: from 8,500 EUR per person in the veranda suite.

7. Japan island-hopping on the Asuka II

The NYK Asuka II is Japan's premium ship – not made for Westerners, but bookable. A 14-day tour from Yokohama to Hokkaido and back offers seven Japanese islands in a Japanese-cultivated onboard experience: a kaiseki restaurant, a tempura bar, onsen-style spa areas, tatami lounges. The onboard language is Japanese, but the service staff can speak English.

When: May–June (spring) or September–October (autumn). Price: from 5,000 EUR per person – bookable only via NYK partners.

Which bucket-list route suits whom?

• Cultivated and classic: the Cunard Queen Mary 2 transatlantic – an experience without port stress
• The mega-experience: the Le Commandant Charcot North Pole – unique in the world
• The ultimate break: the Crystal Serenity 180 days – half a year of ocean
• A nature experience: the MS Fram Antarctica – penguins and icebergs in untouched wilderness
• Authentically Nordic: the Hurtigruten mail ship – slow travel with locals
• Off the beaten track: the Silver Nova West Africa – islands that nobody knows
• Culturally intensive: the Asuka II Japan – traditional island-hopping

Book these routes 12–18 months in advance. For polar expeditions and world voyages, early-booking discounts of 20–30% are standard – and the best suites are often gone 24 months ahead.