Think you're not a cruise person? These 8 luxury voyages will change your mind

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A Havila Voyages cruise ship sailing through the Norwegian fjords, surrounded by steep, snow-covered mountains.

"Something for everyone" may be one of travel's most overused clichés, but it's genuinely true when it comes to cruising. Even if you firmly believe that you wouldn't enjoy a cruise, there's a brand or experience out there to convert the most sceptical of first-time cruisers, be it a voyage seeking the Northern Lights, a small-ship expedition or a food-themed cruise aboard a luxury liner.

For more travel inspiration, check out our guide to the most breathtaking train journeys across the world and 10 unique walking holidays for food lovers.

8 luxury cruise journeys for foodies

Hebridean Island Cruises, Scotland

If you dismissed cruises because you thought they sounded naff, consider if you will the late Queen Elizabeth II. After her beloved Royal Yacht Britannia was decommissioned, she sought the next best thing for sailing around the Scottish isles. Her solution was to charter – twice – the luxurious Hebridean Princess for peaceful, paparazzi-free family holidays. With its country-house atmosphere, attention to detail and fit-for-royalty service, the 48-passenger ship remains a fantastic choice for a close-to-home cruise.

The experience includes top-class dining and first-rate guides, plus the chance to sample foodie treats ashore. On this week-long round-trip from Oban, the ship shuttles around the Inner Hebrides via an Isle of Raasay distillery, Colonsay's oyster and honey producers and The Old Forge: mainland Britain's most remote pub. Included in the price are several memorable meals ashore, particularly at the Isle of Skye's renowned Three Chimneys restaurant and a champagne reception at Mull's Duart Castle, hosted by the Laird himself. For added insight, this departure is accompanied by Coinneach MacLeod, the best-selling cookery book author, as guest speaker.

A seven-night Flavours of the Hebrides cruise departing on 20 April 2027, from £4,879pp. hebridean.co.uk

Oceania Cruises, Japan

Cruises only serve up bland cuisine and boring buffets, right? That actually couldn't be further from the truth. Even mainstream cruise lines these days strive for culinary excellence. For a truly epicurean experience, it has to be Oceania. This luxury line sets itself apart by serving what it claims is "the finest cuisine at sea"; and whereas many lines charge extra to dine in the specialty restaurants, Oceania's (of which pan-Asian Red Ginger is the standout) are included in the fare.

Continuing the foodie theme is Oceania's Culinary Center, which was the first hands-on cookery classroom at sea. Going further still is the programme of small-group, chef-led shore excursions that take in local restaurants and markets. On a Hong Kong to Tokyo cruise aboard 670-passenger Oceania Nautica, one such tour of Kobe involves a masterclass in artisanal Japanese kitchen knives, discovering the art of sujihiki meat-slicers and general-purpose santoku blades. This cruise also stops in Taiwan and Korea before hopping around Kyushu, Shikoku and Honshu – the southernmost three of Japan's four main islands.

The 14-night Timeless Tea Gardens cruise departing on 25 February 2027, from £3,096pp. oceaniacruises.com

Crystal, Mediterranean

If big-name restaurants are more your thing, upmarket Crystal delivers with its destination dining. Both of the ultra-luxury line's ships carry a brace of well-known restaurants alongside Osteria d'Ovidio, where three-time Michelin-starred chef Massimiliano Alajmo devises the menus. Guests can dine both here and at Umi Uma – the sole at-sea offering from chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, of Nobu fame – once per cruise without a cover charge. Crystal's second only-at-sea collaboration is with Beefbar, the steak-and-street-food phenomenon found in party hotspots from Meribel to Mykonos.

Beyond exceptional dining, Crystal's two all-suite, mid-sized ships (606-passenger Symphony and 740-guest Serenity) take a "best of everything" approach that includes an industry-leading space-to-guest ratio and unrivalled service. Both ships tend to summer in European waters, where a highlight among the handful of particularly food-focused itineraries travels from Barcelona to Rome via Monaco, Malta, Tunisia and Sicily. Optional shore excursions include day-trips from Monte Carlo to sample local wines, cheeses and market produce; or learn about couscous in Tunis before joining a cookery demonstration (with lunch) at a Sicilian villa.

This nine-night Mediterranean cruise departing on 3 June 2027, from £5,400pp. crystalcruises.com

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Havila Voyages, Norway

Eco-minded travellers with an eye on their carbon footprint will have no qualms about sailing with Havila – one of the world's most sustainable cruise lines. This year sees the brand beginning to phase out LNG (liquefied natural gas) in favour of biogas to fuel its four almost identical ships. The modern vessels – which all serve the same coastal voyage in rotation – also have hydro-charged batteries that can power them for periods of silent, emission-free sailing.

Further upping the sustainability credentials is Havila's dual purpose as both a luxury cruise and a passenger service for coastal communities. The ships oscillate via 34 ports between southern Bergen and northern Kirkenes, with the round-trip taking 12 days. Whether you're seeking winter's Northern Lights or high summer's midnight sun, the year-round experience is packed with seasonal adventures, from dog-sledding to waterfall walks or foraging for king crabs. Better still, ingredients picked up shoreside bring hyper-local flavours to dishes served onboard, such as Aquavit-cured duck, Arctic Char with chanterelle mushrooms, or sea buckthorn crème brûlée.

An 11-night Round Voyage departing on various dates in January 2027, from £1,471pp. havilavoyages.com

Windstar Cruises, Caribbean

Anyone who thinks that cruises are just about giant ships and crowded ports will be surprised at just how intimate a small-ship cruise can feel. Better still, when choosing one of Windstar's elegant sailing ships, you can enjoy the romance of voyaging under sail. Admittedly they're mostly for show (you'll likely be motoring most of the time), but Wind Surf's five masts and seven sails can reduce fuel consumption by harnessing the power of ocean breezes. Recently refurbished and with the addition of two new suites, 342-passenger Wind Surf is the brand's flagship sailing yacht and is small enough to access ports beyond reach of big ships.

This alone makes it ideal for a Caribbean voyage. Large ships can flood key ports of call with thousands of passengers, so this cruise skips the obvious islands in favour of less-trodden spots. Dominica, St Bart's, Guadeloupe and barely inhabited Mayreau are the highlights, alongside jungle-clad Nevis and St Kitts. So what if the cabins are compact and lack balconies? It just makes this experience more like seafaring than traditional cruising.

This seven-night Classic Caribbean cruise departing St Maarten on 26 December 2026, from £2,247pp. windstarcruises.com

Aqua Expeditions, Komodo Islands

Wanderlust may have you dreaming of Antarctica, the Galapagos or Australia's hard-to-reach Kimberley Coast, but what if you want to visit in more comfort than such regions allow? The answer is an expedition cruise. With their sense of adventure shared with a cohort of like-minded passengers, these small-ship explorations are the antithesis of traditional cruises.

They can also be extremely luxurious. As a vintage British naval vessel transformed into a sumptuous yacht, Aqua Expeditions' 30-passenger Aqua Blu is exceptional. She's stationed in Indonesia year-round for Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands, but it's the Komodo Islands itineraries that are perhaps the most exciting.

Operating from April-September (when weather conditions are best), these bucket-list voyages are packed with whale shark and Komodo dragon encounters. Daytimes are all about snorkelling, diving and water sports: activities fuelled by Australian chef Benjamin Cross's inventive menus whose standouts include grilled fish with Balinese sambal or 48-hour beef rendang. There's ample time to relax too, either on the sun deck or in your ivory, cream and brass-toned cabin.

A seven-night Bali & Komodo National Park cruise departing on 12 September 2026, from £7,700pp. aquaexpeditions.com

Emerald Cruises, Indochina

Although travelling overland through southeast Asia is a pleasure, a river cruise provides much more finesse. The big-hitter here is the Mekong, Asia's third-longest river, which flows through six different countries on its journey towards the sea. Most Mekong cruises journey between between Cambodia and Vietnam, taking in the likes of Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Tonlé Sap Lake, via reminders of the region's painful past.

Numerous lines ply this route, but Emerald stands out for its value for money. The fare covers memorable experiences including visits to stilt-house villages to taste fresh-from-the-orchard fruits, or riverside towns such as Sa Dec to explore local markets and street-food stalls. Regional flavours also find their way aboard 84-passenger Emerald Harmony, most dramatically in the "bug buffet" featuring deep-fried crickets, frogs and spiders. Augmenting all this authenticity are the comforts of the vessel itself, whose bright, airy cabins are decked out in silver-grey fabrics that resemble the silt-laden waters outside. November – the start of dry season – is an optimal time to travel.

A seven-night Majestic Mekong cruise departing on 21 November 2026, from £5,645pp. emeraldcruises.co.uk

Emerald Cruises ship sailing through a delta at sunset

MSC Cruises, UK

Luxury cruising is about more than butler service and great design. If you're more attuned to the luxury of choice, a mainstream megaship's abundant attractions may well appeal. But what if you could have both? Italian-influenced MSC cleverly bridges the gap with its Yacht Club: a "ship within a ship" concept that mimics more sophisticated cruise lines while providing access to far more facilities than smaller ships can accommodate.

On 4,345-passenger MSC Preziosa, for example, Yacht Club guests can enjoy the casinos, spa, bowling alley, waterslide and aqua park, then retreat back to their 69-suite sanctuary with its exclusive sundeck. The enclave also has its own restaurant, or there are plenty more to choose from (not to mention a lively nightlife scene) down in the ship's central promenade. And if you're still not convinced about this kind of holiday? Book one of MSC's short "taster" cruises from Southampton, which span anything from two to five nights: perfect for a multigenerational mini-break.

A five-night cruise to Hamburg and Le Havre (for Paris) departing on 19 October 2027, from £494pp in a standard cabin and from £1,634pp in Yacht Club. msccruises.co.uk