Bucket lists are a very personal thing, and for luxury cruisers there are almost endless options. Here are six of our faves to inspire the desires of your discerning clients.
Pole to Pole
Seabourn Venture’s 94-day Pole to Pole: Grand Expedition is a huge first for the ultra-luxe cruise line – unlike anything it has ever offered before, says Seabourn President Mark Tamis.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime journey designed for travellers who dream of exploring the ends of the Earth in total comfort and luxury.”
This epic voyage begins with an overnight stay in Reykjavik, Iceland, followed by a charter flight to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, where guests will embark the ship.
Between August and November 2027, Seabourn Venture will offer 60 days of expedition and wildlife experiences, visiting destinations across 14 countries and territories.
She will spend five days in Antarctica, three in South Georgia, three in the Falkland Islands, six days in the famed Northwest Passage and three around the rarely visited Ellesmere Island in the Arctic Archipelago.
Additional highlights include dives in the onboard submarine, 33 sea days and crossings of the equator, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. Between the Poles, guests will also explore the Caribbean and South America. The voyage ends in Ushuaia, Argentina on 19 November 2027, with a charter flight to Buenos Aires.
Seabourn Venture departs Reykjavik 17 August 2027; the 82-day version departs 28 August 2027.
East Africa
The Seychelles, Aldabra Atoll, Zanzibar, Madagascar – the names alone conjure up images of exotic wildlife, tropical beaches and sublime snorkelling.
Aqua Expeditions’ sixth luxury expedition yacht, the 30-guest Aqua Lares, launches in February 2026 to sail a series of voyages in this richly biodiverse and wildly beautiful region.
Five-night voyages explore the Seychelles’ inner islands, including Praslin and La Digue; nine-night expeditions head to the secluded outer islands, home to one of the Indian Ocean’s most untouched marine environments.
Aldabra Atoll is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site and the world’s largest sanctuary for 150,000 giant tortoises – pristine lagoons are alive with tropical fish, turtles, manta rays, reef sharks and coral reefs.
Sailing between Mahé and Zanzibar, extended 10- and 11-night itineraries link the Seychelles with the Zanzibar Archipelago and Tanzania.
Guests will explore ancient trade routes and Swahili-Arabian heritage on islands such as Pemba and Kilwa Kisiwani, and go birdwatching for rare species, including red-footed boobies.
Aqua Lares’ East Africa voyages start on 8 February 2026; from June to September, she sails in the Arctic (another one for the bucket list), returning to East Africa from November to April.
Venice Carnival
Dating back to the 12th century, or even earlier according to some studies, Venice’s Carnival attracts throngs of elaborately masked and costumed partygoers to its bridges, piazzas and palazzos every February for 10 to 14 days before Lent begins.
In 2026, Silversea’s Silver Muse will spend three days of her 10-day voyage from Venice to Rome in La Serenissima, allowing time to explore and soak up the thrilling Carnival atmosphere.
Guests are invited to a grand masquerade ball at the historic Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista complex, which will be closed to the public for the evening.
The exclusive Silversea event includes a sumptuous dinner accompanied by music from an acclaimed chamber group, and transport to the ball by torch-lit water taxis.
The freshly refurbished, 596-guest ship, now featuring the acclaimed culinary S.A.L.T. program, will then sail to Croatia, Sicily and France, reaching the Côte d’Azur in time for Menton’s famous Festival of Lemons and the Nice Carnival.
Silver Muse departs Venice 13 February 2026.
Solar eclipse in the Arctic
There is huge demand for voyages taking in the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. This rare celestial event will be best seen from the water as its path passes over the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and the Atlantic Ocean – and if skies are cloudy, there’s some scope to reposition ships for optimal viewing.
HX Expeditions’ 150-guest MS Spitsbergen will be ideally placed for viewing the eclipse during her 17-day journey from Svalbard – famed for its polar bears – to Iceland’s hip and happening capital, Reykjavik. En route to the vast, remote vistas of East Greenland National Park and Scoresby Sound’s spectacular fjords, the onboard expedition team will give talks about astronomy as well as Indigenous Arctic communities and wildlife.
As HX Expeditions is celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2026, the line is promising even more special onboard experiences and surprise moments, “making every 2026 expedition a once-in-a-lifetime celebration at sea”.
MS Spitsbergen departs Longyearbyen, Norway 3 August 2026.
Panama Canal
Transiting the Panama Canal is high on many cruisers’ bucket lists. The 80-kilometre link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is universally regarded as one of the world’s most extraordinary engineering marvels – a complex system of locks that raises and lowers ships to 26 metres above sea level.
And what better way to tick off this remarkable experience than on the newest member of the World’s Most Luxurious Fleet – Regent’s Seven Seas Prestige.
The first ship in a new class, Seven Seas Prestige will make her first Panama Canal transit on only her fourth voyage, the 15-night Celestial Tropics sailing from Miami to Los Angeles, departing 20 January 2027.
The transit takes about eight to 10 hours, and ships of Prestige’s size usually go through the original locks built in 1914. Expert speakers offer insights into the canal’s history as the ship makes its way from ocean to ocean. The itinerary includes ample sea days to explore this palatial new ship.
Seven Seas Prestige departs Miami 20 January 2027.
Transatlantic crossing
This classic voyage between Southampton and New York on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 – remember, it’s a crossing not a cruise – is a must-do for cruisers who love tradition, formal dressing, elegant décor and old-fashioned white-glove service.
QM2 is the world’s only true liner and was specifically built to power through big seas and wild winter weather; she is also the only passenger ship that accommodates cats and dogs (in 24 kennels under the command of the dedicated Kennel Master).
Sailing Grill Class is essential for the full Golden Age experience; Queens Grill Suites are the top tier of accommodation, followed by Princess Grill Suites. Guests in these categories have dedicated butler service and exclusive access to the Queens Grill Restaurant.
There is an astonishing range of cultural activities on offer every day, and QM2’s Event crossings, such as Fashion Week and the Literature Festival, book out quickly.
For first-time QM2 cruisers, the 2020 Meryl Streep movie Let Them All Talk offers an entertaining insight into life on the ship – director Steven Soderbergh filmed it all onboard.
QM2’s Transatlantic crossings operate about seven months of the year.
For more information, visit Seabourn, Aqua Expeditions, Silversea, HX Expeditions, RSSC, Cunard.
