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Multiple dining options include the main restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the ship's wake and a steakhouse on the Lido Deck. For cocktails, head to either of two piano bars, the Dome Observation Lounge or the Atlas Lounge, just outside the lecture theatre. With Ponant's French pedigree, it's not surprising that food is a cut above, especially the desserts, cheeses and wine.
SeaDream Yacht Club: SeaDream I and II
The best cruises from New York you can book in 2024 and 2025 - The Points Guy
The best cruises from New York you can book in 2024 and 2025.
Posted: Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Small cruise ships offer a more personalized experience and allow you to visit ports that larger ships cannot reach. At least, that’s the story with this year’s voting, which gave smaller vessels some of the highest scores in any category in the 2020 World’s Best Awards. Readers said the travel opportunities these smaller vessels unlock are the key to what makes them so wonderful. All restaurants are included in the cruise fare on Viking Venus, except The Kitchen Table. The Restaurant (the main dining room) and The World Cafe (buffet) serve international menus in light-filled venues, with options to open floor-to-ceiling windows on balmy days. Manfredi's is arguably the best restaurant onboard andoffers Italian fare, while you can sample Norwegian dishes inspired by the mother of Viking chairman Torstein Hagen at Mamsen's.
Best for Yacht Cruises
Don't miss the Italian Manfredi's or a gorgeous afternoon tea spread in the glass-enclosed Wintergarden. Get hands-on cooking experience with a class in The Culinary Center or explore the food culture ashore with a Culinary Discovery Tour. Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours puts the elegance into adventure with its two 228-passenger expedition yachts, Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II. On board, guests enjoy five-star French and Polynesian cuisine, with all beverages complimentary throughout the ship and in your in-room minifridge. Throughout the ship, complimentary spirits, fine wines and house Champagne flow freely. Everything operates in the upper-tier way, from the spa and expansive fitness offerings to the restaurants — which include a Nobu eatery.
Sea Cloud Cruises: Sea Cloud I
Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Departures, TripSavvy, and other publications. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Viking Octantis spends part of the year in Antarctica and the rest of the year cruising the Great Lakes and Canada, with a handful of repositioning cruises in between.
Service
Even the smallest suites are not all that small, at 300 square feet, and come with a personal concierge and 24-hour room service. The yacht boasts what Ritz-Carlton says is the highest ratio of space per guest at sea. Carrying just 17 passengers, the American Constitution was designed to navigate the U.S. The vessel offers large staterooms, spacious lounges, observation decks and private balconies in many cabins. Complimentary Wi-Fi, a fitness room, a grand dining room, a sun deck, and a putting green are some of the many amenities available.
Seabourn
Despite its small size, Kontiki Wayra offers a lot of upscale amenities, including a sun deck, two outdoor lounges, bar, Jacuzzi, spa treatment room and fitness area. Like her popular Viking sister ships, Jupiter features a spacious spa, several dining venues, an intimate jazz lounge, two cinemas, a pool with retractable roof and a sports deck. The ships are the 148-passenger Wind Spirit and Wind Star, each with four masts and six sails, and the 342-passenger five-masted Wind Surf, which is the world's largest sailing vessel. International Expeditions, offering passengers soft adventure, small-group journeys with a focus on nature, runs cruises to the Galapagos on the 32-passenger Evolution). Step out onto the sun deck or relax in Evolution's hot tub to enjoy the passing scenery, when not partaking in immersive shoreside experiences anchored on natural and cultural encounters.
In a world where gigantic megaships draw all the attention, I've always found small ships to be the best. For each characteristic, respondents could choose a rating of excellent, above average, average, below average, or poor.
To make the most of the aquamarine waters, complimentary water sports, such as paddleboarding and kayaking, are available straight from the ship's marina and every guest receives snorkel gear for use during the cruise, free of charge. Couples can embrace the romance of the region by participating in a Polynesian blessing ceremony. Paul Gauguin gives its guests special access to a secluded beach on Bora Bora and a private island off the coast of Taha'a, where you can indulge in water sports, a gourmet barbecue and bar service.
Crystal Cruises
These new small-ship cruises bring with them some exciting and more immersive new itineraries to destinations both warm and wintry that have us ready to pack our bags and sail away. Combining crocodiles and adventure by day with champagne and caviar by night, they offer a return to the intimacy of days gone by, not to mention the ability to visit enchanting ports the larger vessels could only dream of. The 600-passenger Seabourn Ovation, sister ship to Seabourn Encore, attracts passengers with its inclusive cruise fares that even include unlimited caviar. Dining options abound, including alfresco dining at Earth & Ocean at The Patio.
Dining is over the top at the restaurants, such as the retro-chic steakhouses with menus created by famed chef Thomas Keller (of French Laundry fame). When you tire of prime beef, order lobster thermidor or sink into the delicious comfort of Keller's roast chicken. The six 490- to 750-passenger ships in the Regent fleet get fancier as they get larger. On the three newest, Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Splendor and Seven Seas Grandeur everyone stays in a roomy suite with an oversized balcony and marble bathroom. Every Silversea ship passenger stays in a suite with a butler delivering superb service — even on the 100-passenger Silver Origin in the remote Galapagos, where your butler might take extraordinary care to get a spot off your hiking boots. Suite niceties include Bulgari bath products and marble bathrooms with both tubs and showers.
He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. The 930-guest Viking Orion offers all-veranda staterooms with amenities like free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and heated bathroom floors. It’s also the first ship in the fleet to feature a high-tech planetarium in a 26-seat dome theater. Swimsuits, cover-ups and T-shirts are typical daytime attire on these windjammer cruises, and dress for dinner and evenings remains refreshingly casual. Cabins come with air-conditioning, and all but two offer portholes and private bathrooms.
While Scenic Eclipse makes adventurous expedition sailing a posh white-gloved affair. To help you navigate the waters of luxury cruises (and to help you find the best pampering cruise ship), check out the seven best luxury cruises sailing right now. Everything on the ship—including the sauna with floor-to-ceiling windows—is designed to provide maximum views. The ships also have spacious pool decks with two hot tubs, a fitness center overlooking the sea, a spa, and water toys like kayaks and paddleboards.
People often ask me which are the best small ship cruises, and that question is difficult to answer. Valencia is another must-visit destination, with its beautiful beaches, charming Old Town, and futuristic City of Arts and Sciences. Suites are also a highlight, with more than enough space plus personal butlers and large bathrooms complete with bathtubs and separate showers.
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