The Most Interesting, Luxurious, and Noteworthy Cruises to Book in 2026

"The new 613-cabin Oceania Allura, from Oceania Cruises, will spend the summer and fall in the Mediterranean, and offer intriguing two-week trips like an Istanbul-to-Barcelona sail. Regent Seven Seas Cruiseswill welcome the 411-suite Seven Seas Prestige in 2026. Its inaugural season will be in the Caribbean; it will also transit the Panama Canal twice. Expedition specialist Ponant will offer a series of summer trips to the North Pole aboard the 123-cabin Le Commandant Charcot, a luxury icebreaker."

"The South Pacific is the focus for Paul Gauguin Cruises, which has family-friendly, weeklong trips in Tahiti and the Society Islands next summer. The newest ship from Princess Cruises, Star Princess, will spend the summer in Alaska. Its weeklong round-trips from Seattle will hit all the highlights, including Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. Viking has several new three- and four-week itineraries planned for 2026, including one that takes passengers from Rome all the way to San Juan, Puerto Rico."

"To celebrate America250, Holland America Line is offering a seven-day Boston round-trip that leaves on July 4 and includes stops in New York and Norfolk, Virginia. Explora Journeyswill welcome a third ship in 2026: Explora III will spend summer in the Mediterranean, fall in the U.S. and Canada, and winter in the Caribbean. Thanks to the Cormorant at 55 South, a new 150-room hotel from Silversea in Puerto Williams, Chile, stopovers for the line's guests on the way to and from Antarctica"

Multiple cruise lines are adding new ships and expanded 2026 itineraries across global regions. Oceania Allura will sail the Mediterranean with two-week Istanbul-to-Barcelona voyages. Regent Seven Seas' Seven Seas Prestige will debut in the Caribbean and transit the Panama Canal twice. Ponant will run North Pole summer expeditions aboard the icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot. Paul Gauguin will offer family-friendly weeklong South Pacific cruises. Star Princess will operate Alaska round-trips from Seattle calling Juneau, Ketchikan, and Skagway. Viking plans multiweek Rome-to-San Juan itineraries. Holland America offers a July 4 Boston round-trip. Explora III, a Silversea hotel in Puerto Williams, and National Geographic-Lindblad/Aqua collaborations expand polar and Indonesian options. Cunard's Queen Mary 2 will begin an early-2026 world voyage.

Read at Travel + Leisure