What makes cruising so special?

Cruise vacations offer a world of choices and come in all shapes and sizes for any type of traveler. You have everything from large activity-filled mega-ships to smaller, elegantly appointed luxury vessels, and everything in between (including intimate and immersive river cruises). They offer such great variety and a chance to see multiple destinations from the luxury of one hotel on the sea. 

“It’s like seeing the world, one ship at a time. It’s window shopping of the Earth.” 

Once you’re hooked on cruising, then you’ve got to decide how to cruise. In that regard and while there are a lot of options (family-friendly, adult only, educational, luxury, etc.), we can help you find the perfect line, ship, and itinerary to meet your needs. And if you’re anything like me, you may want to think about a luxury line.

It’s true - luxury cruises come at a premium. While these prices can seem sky-high, it's important to bear in mind that most luxury cruises are all-inclusive. This means that you pay more for upfront (sometimes significantly more), but you avoid the nickel-and-diming that happens on standard or mainstream cruises. From specialty restaurants to gratuities, costly cocktails, and shore excursions, standard cruises can quickly add up extra fees that can leave a sour taste at the end of your cruise. 

Don't believe me? We considered all expected expenses, including the cruise fare, airfare, hotel stay, transfers, food and beverages, activities, shore excursions, and gratuities of a luxury line, premium line, and standard line for a 7-night Caribbean cruise and found the actual cost-per-day is quite similar - (luxury line = $690 cost per day, premium = $678, standard = $421). Even more, Rising Tide Travelers enjoy additional Virtuoso benefits when sailing with any of our preferred luxury lines.

Not surprisingly, and considering all that you get, a luxury cruise vacation is significantly more reasonable than a comparable land vacation.

Hopefully, that helps you rationalize the luxury cruise line sticker shock. Now let’s look at what sets a luxury cruise line apart from other options.

More space for passengers in suites and common areas
Luxury accommodations are one perk of paying higher prices, and almost all luxury lines offer all-suite staterooms. These more spacious suites also feature ocean/river views and balconies, and many are bedecked with finer furnishings, including designer toiletries from Bulgari, L’Occitane, and Hermès. While common areas and dining rooms may lack the grandeur of larger ships, they still offer breezy comfort and un-cramped coziness.

Better service before, during, and after the cruise
It goes almost without saying that the onboard service of luxury cruise lines is excellent, with personal touches that exceed expectations being the norm. On many luxury cruises, the staff-to-guest ratio is a mere 1-to-2, meaning that attentive service is available day or night. Staff and crew also undergo rigorous training, and the butler service offered by many luxury cruises anticipates needs and handles requests without passengers having to ask.

Exotic itineraries

With luxury cruises, it’s much easier to find itineraries that are off the beaten path. As luxury lines typically feature smaller ships, more isolated ports are available in every region - from exclusive Mediterranean islands to tough-to-reach Alaskan hideaways or hidden beaches in the Caribbean.

Enrichment over entertainment

Luxury and premium cruises tend to cater to an older, quieter clientele, many of whom are well-heeled and cosmopolitan and value immersive small-group courses over action-packed entertainment. That’s not to say there isn’t any entertainment on high-end cruises. Rather, the focus tends to be more on the people on board, connecting passengers with each other, and in the experience of each port’s unique culture, cuisine, and camaraderie. Shore excursions tend to showcase an aspect of the local culture that’s off the usual tourist path; for example, you might choose from a behind-the-scenes winery tour with the head vintner, a hands-on cooking class with a local chef, and a museum visit to watch an art restoration in progress. While some luxury ships do still offer full theatrical productions, that’s about as showy as it gets.

Fine dining

Dining options aboard a luxury cruise leave almost nothing to be desired. In fact, most luxury lines have their own preferred partner chef curating culinary creations for the specialty restaurants on the small ships. Thomas Keller, the chef behind many a Michelin-starred restaurant, has lent his expertise to Seabourn, and his recipes can be sampled on all Seabourn’s ships. Similarly, Paul Gauguin Cruises paired with French chef Jean-Pierre Vigato.

Bon voyage!

Our preferred cruise suppliers by category:

Luxury Ocean

·      Atlas Ocean Voyages

·      Explora

·      Paul Gauguin Cruises

·      PONANT

·      Regent Seven Seas Cruises

·      Seabourn

·      SeaDream Yacht Club

·      Silverseas Cruises

·      The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

Ultra-Premium Ocean

·      Azamara

·      Cunard

·      Oceania Cruises

·      Viking

·      Windstar Cruises

Premium Ocean

·      Holland America

·      Princess Cruises

·      Virgin Voyages

Upscale Standard Ocean

·      Norwegian Cruise Line

·      Royal Caribbean International

Expedition Ocean

·      Hurtigruten

·      Lindblad Expeditions

Sailing Vessels

·      PONANT

·      Star Clippers Americas

Premium and Luxury River

·      Ama Waterways

·      Avalon Waterways

·      Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

·      Viking River Cruises

Private Yacht Charter

·      The Moorings Yacht Charters