The World’s Best Luxury Cruises
February 6th, 2010 by Sarah Van Rensburg, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
The largest cruise ships in the world offer luxury but that does not make them the most luxurious. Book passage on one of the Oasis class ships from Royal Caribbean by all means, they are a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but if you want real luxury and pampering you’ll have to seek out a smaller and most likely more expensive cruise ship. These are the intimate experiences that you can have with your spouse or companion of choice that will linger in your memory for decades to come.
Visit your travel agent and you’ll find a list of cruises you can go on yourself or take a partner or family along with you. The cruise industry has done well in their quest to create more affordable cruise holidays for working individuals and working class families, but some lines still offer that something extra. Your agent can set you up with a cruise that is a cut above average if you’re looking for it.
When the cruise industry first began, cruise liners were actually mail ships that carried passengers. Awards were given out for the best time that a ship could achieve crossing the Atlantic. Those ships were built with luxury in mind and catered to the rich. If you were a member of a working class family there was no chance you’d be able to book passage on one of them. Today, luxury cruises are still available but they are a choice, not the only option available.
The Mediterranean has always offered cruises that are the benchmark for luxury in the industry and the one hundred forty-eight passenger Wind Spirit out of Lisbon is no exception. While you’re in the region you might also want to travel over to Monte Carlo and book passage on Seven Seas Voyager, another intimate and luxurious cruise ship with much to do and see. The only ship in the western hemisphere that compares to it in accommodations and space per passenger is Silver Shadow out of San Francisco.
Rounding out the top five are Carnival Spirit out of San Diego and Zihuatnejo, Mexico and of course Queen Mary 2. Cunnard has been at the top of the luxury cruise line industry since it first began and their latest flagship is no different. Though slightly smaller than the Oasis class ships of Royal Caribbean, The QM2 was built with comfort in mind. For a big ship no one else even comes close.
Sarah Van Rensburg is a travel lover and avid writer, focussing on a range of travel topics particularly cheap cruises.
