Spend 2025 on the Water: The Best Cruise Sailing Each Month of the Year
The cliché of cruise ships being solely about sunbathing around a crowded, kid-filled pool and eating absurd amounts of lackluster food from a bottomless buffet is an outdated one. There are as many types of cruises out there as there are types of travelers. Yes, some cruises focus on providing their guests with a place to fully relax and eat delicious food (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but many others concentrate on adventures that would be otherwise impossible.
The best cruises in 2025 are a mixed bag of experiences: a multi-stop, aurora-chasing voyage; a short Caribbean cruise on a new megaship; a wildlife-watching, zoologist-led experience in the Arctic; and even a transatlantic crossing aboard a windjammer. There’s something for everyone to have a good time on the high seas in 2025 if you book the right ship in the right month.
Happy sailing,
Morgane Croissant, deputy editor
February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December
February: Explore Norway’s coastline with Hurtigruten
- Highlights: 34 stops along the coast of Norway with a guaranteed aurora sighting
- When: 11 days, multiple start dates throughout the month and year
- Ship Capacity: About 490, depending on the ship
- Starting Price: From $3,522 per person
March: A transatlantic crossing from London to Boston with Norwegian Cruise Line
- Highlight: The Norwegian Aqua’s maiden voyage
- When: Seven days, starting March 28
- Ship Capacity: Norwegian Aqua accommodates up to 3,571 passengers
- Starting Price: From $2,803 per person
April: Take a Caribbean cruise aboard MSC’s new ship
- Highlight: Maiden voyage around the Caribbean of the MSC’s new ship, the MSC World America
- When: Seven or 14 nights, starting April 12
- Ship Capacity: MSC World America accommodates up to 6,764 passengers
- Starting Price: From $994 per person for the seven-day sailing, and from $2,355 per person for the 14-day sailing
May: Go on an expert-led Arctic adventure with Wildlife Worldwide
- Highlight: Wildlife-watching cruise in the North Atlantic and High Arctic with world-famous zoologist and photographer Mark Carwardine
- When: 16 nights, starting May 27
- Ship Capacity: M/V Ortelius accommodates up to 108 passengers
- Starting Price: From $10,390
June: Sail the North Atlantic with Atlas Ocean Voyages
- Highlights: A new route from Edinburgh to Trondheim, Norway
- When: 12 nights, starting June 17
- Ship Capacity: The Atlas Ocean Voyages World Voyager can accommodate up to 198 passengers
- Starting Price: From $6,199 per person
July: Celebrate July 4th in Alaska with Holland America
- Highlight: Spend Independence Day in Juneau, the capital of Alaska
- When: Seven days, starting July 2
- Ship Capacity: Zaandam can accommodate up to 1,432 passengers
- Starting Price: From $1,139 per person
August: Take a trip aboard a tall ship from the Azores to Amsterdam with Bark Europa
- Highlight: Sail to Amsterdam to celebrate the city’s 750th anniversary and attend the Sail Amsterdam 2025 event
- When: 20 days, starting August 2
- Ship Capacity: Bark Europa can accommodate up to 48 passengers
- Starting Price: From $3,385 per person
September: Discover Eastern Canada’s natural landscapes and wildlife with Ponant
- Highlights: Visit three Canadian provinces and one French archipelago
- When: 12 days, from September 17 to September 28
- Ship Capacity: Le Lyrial can accommodate up to 244 guests
- Starting Price: From $11,200 per person
October: Take a new National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions route in Egypt
- Highlight: Sail along the Nile River to see Egypt’s treasures accompanied by Egyptologists
- When: October 17 to October 25
- Ship Capacity: Sun Goddess can accommodate up to 60 guests
- Starting Price: From $9,127 per person
November: Relax for two weeks at sea with Sea Cloud Cruises
- Highlight: Cross the Atlantic in a modern windjammer by following the trade winds from the Canary Islands to St. Marteen
- When: 16 nights, starting November 11
- Ship Capacity: Sea Cloud Spirit can accommodate up to 136 passengers
- Starting Price: From $10,455 per person
December: Visit East Antarctica in the footsteps of a legendary explorer with Aurora Expeditions
- Highlight: Spend the holidays on a polar expedition to East Antarctica aboard a new ship
- When: 24 days, starting December 11
- Ship Capacity: The Douglas Mawson can accommodate up to 130 passengers
- Starting Price: From $26,770 per person
CREDITS
Editorial lead
Morgane Croissant
Editor
Nickolaus Hines
Contributors
Morgane Croissant, Katie Gavin, Tim Wenger