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These ocean cruises should be on your 2025 bucket list

International Traveller
Sailing the high seas offers easy access to incredible destinations from Japan to the Caribbean.

Alaska with Holland America Line

Combine your Alaska cruise onboard Holland America Line with a journey into Denali National Park and Canada’s Yukon Territory as part of its 2026 Cruise tour offering. Eighteen itineraries can be combined with an overland journey, giving guests more access to the region’s glaciers, wildlife and expansive landscapes with incredible accommodation such as Holland America Denali Lodge (formerly McKinley Chalet) boasting breathtaking national park views. 

Queen Anne makes a grand entrance into Southampton in this stunning aerial shot, a highlight of ocean cruises 2025.
Cunard’s Queen Anne arrives in Southampton.

World Voyage III with Viking

Eighty days isn’t enough. Taking in 41 countries, with overnight stays in 18 cities and a whopping 82 guided tours, Viking’s 170-day World Voyage III onboard Viking Sky is an epic once-in-a-lifetime journey. It combines some of the world’s most iconic cities from Sydney to London, with lesser-visited destinations, such as Zanzibar, Casablanca and Ghana, with privileged access to institutions on the ground and cultural enrichment onboard. 

The Wintergarden is a serene, beautiful space where afternoon tea is served, and it can also be used for craft groups or simply relaxing.
Enjoy quiet moments and afternoon tea in the Wintergarden.

Asia with Norwegian Cruise Line

Whether you are longing to see cherry-blossom season in Japan, want to cruise through Vietnam’s breathtaking Halong Bay or experience the vibrant cities of South Korea, Norwegian Cruise Line’s upcoming Asia Pacific season will have an itinerary that will tick the boxes. Until April 2027, four of its ships will cruise across the region – with Norwegian Jade making her Asian debut – offering a choice of seven departure ports and more than 50 itineraries. 

Iconic Arabia with Celestyal Cruises

Hot on the heels of its debut Arabian Gulf season, Celestyal Cruises has refreshed its itineraries for the 2025 season, kicking off in December. The Iconic Arabia sailings feature enthralling new destinations such as Ras Al Khaimah, a site of continuous human habitation for 7000 years that dates back to the Neolithic period. Other ports of call include Sir Bani Yas Island, a salt dome island created millions of years ago, now home to a diverse array of wildlife. 

The Celestyal Iconic Arabia Abu Dhabi, one of the must-try ocean cruises 2025, offering an unforgettable journey through the Arabian Gulf.
Explore captivating new destinations like Ras Al Khaimah and Sir Bani Yas Island. (Image: Felicity Millward)

Japan with Windstar Cruises

Off the back of unprecedented demand, luxury small-ship operator Windstar Cruises has opened its 2027 Japan bookings earlier than planned. Its popular 10-night Grand Japan itinerary includes scenic cruising in the Inland Sea, the abandoned island of Hashima and smaller, but fascinating ports such as Takamatsu and Karatsu.  

The Med with MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises has opened bookings for its next World Class ship, MSC World Asia. Launching in the Mediterranean from December 2026, the 6758-guest ship will feature more than 40 restaurants and bars, seven pools, 13 hot tubs and an expansive wellness centre. It will operate seven-night itineraries calling at ports such as Barcelona to Valletta. Meanwhile, ‘coolcations’ are heating up as travellers are increasingly seeking out wintry wonderlands. Great timing, as MSC is set to launch its first sailing to Alaska in 2026. 

The MSC Poesia Deck offers a blend of elegance and relaxation, featuring spacious sun decks, sparkling pools, and panoramic ocean views.
Relax on the MSC Poesia Deck and enjoy breathtaking ocean views.

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These are officially the 5 best train journeys in the world right now

    Emily Murphy Emily Murphy
    Travel + Leisure just crowned the world’s best trains for 2026, and the results might reroute your next holiday.

    Forget the airport security queue. Forget the middle seat. Forget the bloke in 14C who reclines the second the seatbelt sign turns off. Travel + Leisure just dropped its 2026 World’s Best Awards, and the train category is basically a love letter to slow, scenic, ridiculously plush travel – voted on by roughly 661,000 readers who have very strong opinions about onboard spas and pisco sours. Here’s who made the cut.

    1. Andean Explorer, a Belmond Train – 96.84

    Peru takes the crown, with the Andean Explorer, South America’s first luxury overnight train, running a three-day, two-night route between Arequipa and Cusco that has zero direct competition on the continent – which might explain why it’s clearing 96 points.

    Launched in 2017, the train threads through the Peruvian highlands with stops at Lake Titicaca, all while passengers tuck into signature Andean cuisine, get treatments in an onboard spa carriage, and take in scenery that will blow you away. This isn’t a quick transfer – it’s an immersive, multi-day journey for people who want the trip to be the destination.

    2. Hiram Bingham, a Belmond Train – 96.46

    Peru pulls off the rare feat of taking out the top two spots. Named after the American explorer credited with bringing Machu Picchu to international attention in 1911, the Hiram Bingham is the glossy, dark-wood, live-band, welcome-cocktail version of getting to Machu Picchu. Think traditional dancers on the platform, a five-course dinner on the way there, and a bar carriage full of live music and pisco sours on the way back. It’s shorter and livelier than the Andean Explorer, more group celebration than private hideaway – but it delivers one of the most theatrical arrivals in world travel.

    3. Royal Canadian Pacific – 90.93

    The Royal Canadian Pacific runs vintage rail carriages out of Calgary through the Canadian Rockies, and unlike everything else here, you can’t just book it off a website – it operates mostly through private charters and limited special departures, with no standing public timetable. That scarcity is basically the point: this is old-money rail travel, heavy on restored heritage carriages and light on crowds.

    4. Rocky Mountaineer – 90.80

    The people’s champion of luxury rail, the Rocky Mountaineer, runs daytime routes with glass-domed carriages through British Columbia, Alberta, and down into Colorado and Utah, turning the Canadian and American Rockies into a rolling widescreen movie. It’s more accessible than most trains on this list – no overnight cabins, no need for a private charter – which is probably exactly why so many readers have actually ridden it and voted accordingly.

    5. Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a Belmond Train – 90.78

    The name that started the whole luxury train fantasy. The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE)’s 1920s-vintage Art Deco carriages – navy-and-gold livery, polished wood, white roof – have been the definitive symbol of golden-age rail travel since 1883, running routes between Paris, Venice and other storied European cities. It might land at number five on points, but in terms of pure name recognition, it’s still the train every other train on this list is being measured against.