13 Most Enjoyable Cruise Destinations around the World in 2018

I would say those who greatly love to cruise to distant islands and countries in luxury yachts and big ships are the real travelers. They are travelers in the true sense. After all, we don’t call ‘Columbus’ as a traveler for nothing. There are numerous places in the world as ideal Cruise Destinations. They can be islands, islets, cays, countries, and atolls.

When compared to traveling by plane, cruising is more scenic with full of surprises every hour as the yacht surges forward. In addition, you will have the satisfaction of seeing more than one place in a day, meeting people of different ethnicities.

One of the most exciting parts of cruising in certain seas is sailing through a ‘fjord’. A ‘fjord’ is what when the sailing path is surrounded by tall mountains on either sides and the sea is making an inlet.

The image below is self-explanatory of a ‘fjord’.

Cruising needs meticulous planning. You need to:

• Decide on your Cruise Destinations and Route
• Choose the most dependable cruise liner
• Decide the number of days of your cruising holiday
• Study the countries of your visiting, learn a bit of the local language, know the names of food you will find on the menu card and clearly note down the places of sightseeing importance, etc.

If you have narrowed down your Cruise Destinations, the rest of the planning can be a breeze.

Here is a list of Cruise Destinations for you to choose based on your interest and current location.

1. Most Charming Cruise Destinations: Isle of Skye, Scotland

See how many islands surround the Isle of Skye. Won’t it be the holiday of your life if you can visit at least half of the islands during your cruising vacation?

The Isle of Skye along with its other inhabited and uninhabited islands are part of the Hebrides Archipelago, Scotland.

The Isle Skye is all Scottish with green meadows, rolling hills, and of course old castles. The Scottish castles are charming and each of them has a story behind. Scotland is what you see on the map of Britain’s northernmost part.

2. European Cruise Destinations: Kotor, Montenegro

The country of Montenegro is an Eastern European nation located on the Balkan Sea. The country is surrounded by Sarajevo and Kosovo on either side.

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro.

It is on the radar of cruisers’ all-time favorite list because its bay resembles a fjord and visiting a fjord for Balkans means they have to travel a long way. Its actual location is on the Gulf of Kotor on the Adriatic Sea.

Here is another view of Kotor and I believe it is a fjord.

Visitors to Kotor are captivated by the cathedrals and churches and the relaxed way of life.

3. Most Famous Cruise Destinations: Venice, Italy

Yes, you can reach Venice by boat as well apart from flying in and driving into. Oh, there are trains too that take you to Venice. Most of the cruise ships that call on the ports of various Greek Islands make one last stop at Venice before allowing the passengers to disembark on the world’s most romantic city (Venice). Cruise ships from Greece dock at Venice’s Stazione Marittima cruise ship port.

Cruise ships from Croatian Islands moor at San Basilio port. Hence, Venice is certainly a cruise destination for the majority of the flotilla tour organizers.

4. Most Exotic Cruise Destinations: Bora Bora Island, French Polynesia

Ah, these are truly exotic island cruise destinations that is located in the South Pacific. Have you heard of French Polynesia? Well, Bora Bora is the main island in that region.

This Tahitian paradise is on a cruise route that very few travelers take because of its remoteness. For example, Sydney is located over 7000 km away and so too the Hawaii that is 4200 km away. Therefore, the few that visit French Polynesia are attracted mainly by its remoteness. There are 118 islands in Tahiti out of which only 67 are inhabited.

5. Beautiful Cruise Destinations: Turkey

Not only you but I too was surprised to find Turkey in the list of beautiful cruise destinations in the world. I thought it is easy to fly to Istanbul, the capital of Turkey. I read some of the cruise tour organizers include Turkey also in their Greek Islands Cruise Tours.

6. Most Religious Cruise Destinations: Azores, Portugal

If you have a plan to cruise the Azores, an island of Portugal, why not sail into Lisbon as well? Won’t it be fun to disembark in Lisbon first, see around and then sail to all its nine islands of Azores? Portugal has so much to offer to the religiously inclined Christians. There are just too many cathedrals and churches that captivate you with their architecture. Island hopping from the Azores is said to be exciting. Each of the nine islands has something different to offer to tourists.

Of the nine islands of Azores, Portugal, I like San Miguel Island very much. Look at it below.

The almost eerie silence can be heard even while looking at the picture. On the eating front, I really want to see the cooking of Cozido, the most unique stew of San Miguel. I read the stew is cooked with the steam coming out of a geothermal hole that was created due to volcanic activity.

The pot containing various meats and vegetables would be inserted into the underground natural stove for making the stew.! Incredible!

7.Most Charming Cruise Destinations: Hawaiian Islands

If I hadn’t listed Hawaii as one of the charming cruise destinations in the world, I won’t be qualified to call myself a travel blogger. The Hawaiian Islands are the world’s superb and most beautiful places for cruisers in spite of volcanoes.

The Hawaiian Islands are best appreciated when viewed from the top of a cliff of which there is no paucity. For example, the breathtaking sight is the Na Pali coast when seen from a chopper or from a cliff.

A visit to the Kauai Island is not complete if you don’t make a trip to see the spectacular Waimea Canyon that has a 3000+ feet ravine.

Watch this video fully; view it on full screen. Pause the video when the timer shows 1:57 Spot a tall waterfall in the distance. The water seems to fall in slow motion because of the distance from where you are standing. Brilliant sight!

8. Most Popular Cruise Destinations: Santorini, Greece

The Greek Islands are on every flotilla ship’s cruise schedule. The world’s two most visited cruising countries are Greece and Croatia. One of the Greek Islands is Santorini that is classified under the Cyclades Archipelago comprising 6 islands.

Therefore, you can plan an exclusive cruise holiday to Santorini Island so that you can visit its other islands namely:

• Tinos
• Paros
• Mykonos
• Naxos
• Crete

Island hopping is certainly possible in these 6 Cyclades Islands in the Aegean Sea as there good ferry connections from Santorini but it is not possible to complete your island hopping on the same day because of the ferry schedules. Of course, if you hire an exclusive yacht or a speedboat to yourself, you make a plan a day trip to see all the Greek Islands under the Cyclades archipelago.

9. Most Beautiful Cruise Destinations: Islands near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It’s news to you to know about cruising to the islands in Brazil-right? For your information, there some very beautiful and very diverse islands in Brazil that you can visit once you have reached the Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro.

After keeping your date with Christ the Redeemer, a towering statue of Jesus Christ that seems to guard the city, you can go about starting your cruise to some or all of the islands of Brazil. The names of some the islands of Brazil that come on your cruising path on the Atlantic Ocean are:

• Ilha do Cardoso
• Ilha do Campeche
• The Ilha de Tinhare
• Ilha do Marajo
• The Ilha de Itamaraca
• Ilha do Mel

Most Romantic Cruise Destinations

There are some more places in the world that would suit a seafarer who cannot be urged to get off the ship.

10. The Caribbean Islands
11. Indonesian Islands
12. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
13. Seychelles

If you are inspired by the information on the world’s wonderful Cruise Destinations, you must do your research on the world’s most dependable and experienced cruise ship operator. Or, search for cruise liners that have received positive reviews and make your travel inquiries.