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Luxury Cruise Lines and Ships
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Experiencing five-star service, exquisite cuisine and the world’s best destinations doesn’t mean you have to stay on land. These luxury cruise lines offer guests the highest levels of service and the most magnificent accommodations available on the sea.
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Professional Travel Guide does not take this term lightly, bestowing a luxury designation to only the best of the best cruise lines out there. So what makes a cruise line “luxury”? Here’s just some of the things that separate these cruise lines from the others: |
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- Exceptional, individualized service
- Five-star accommodations
- Luxury itineraries
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- State-of-the-art facilities (spa, fitness)
- Premium amenities (WiFi, 24 hr. room service)
- Gourmet dining options with master chefs
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| Top Luxury Cruise Lines |
Deluxe Lines • Mainstream Lines |
Quick View | | Crystal Cruises offers a bit of a hybrid experience between high-end luxury and the premium market. The line was established in 1990 and is a subsidiary of the Japanese NYK (Nippon Yusen Kaisha), a venerable firm that dates back to 1885. NYK owns one of the largest container fleets, so Crystal is just a small part of the picture. Read Line Profile » |
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Quick View | | Formerly Radisson Seven Seas Cruises until a renaming by the Carlson Group in 2005 to give the vessels a deservedly more upscale connotation, the cruise line has transformed itself from a mishmash fleet of oddly different ships to a much more streamlined and modern three-ship fleet. Read Line Profile » |
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Quick View | | The second fleet of true luxury boutique ships got its start in 1988 following on the smaller yacht-style Sea Goddess pair in 1984 and 1985. More than double the size at nearly 10,000 gross tons and twice the passenger complement with 212 berths, the Seabourn ships had better sea keeping characteristics and could therefore roam the world while the Sea Goddess pair (now SeaDream Yacht Club) remained pretty much confined to the Caribbean and Mediterranean offering now relaxed lifestyle and daily ports of call. Read Line Profile » |
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Quick View | | Constructed in the mid-1980s for Norwegian-owned SeaGoddess Cruises, this pair, then named Sea Goddess I and Sea Goddess II, became the first true luxury cruise yachts. With a sharp downturn in the Mediterranean following terrorist attacks in the mid-1980s, Cunard picked them up and operated much the same product until 2001. Under SeaDream, after a slow start with recognition, the ships are now very popular and charters often take over the whole ship. Read Line Profile » |
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Quick View | | Silversea is family-owned by the Lefebvres of Rome who formerly owned Sitmar Cruises, and because of their background, they aim to project an Italian heritage. Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio is the current chairman. Silversea represents the top of the cruising market along with Seabourn and Regent.
Silversea Cruises recently announced a multi-million dollar refurbishment of its two oldest ships, the Silver Wind and Silver Cloud. The ships will enter dry dock for the renovations in November 2008 and May 2009, respectively. The plan’s highlights include flat-screen TVs, new marble bathrooms and a larger spa. Read Line Profile » |
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