Nothing makes us more excited to get up and go than putting together our annual Hot List, now in its 27th year. This edition's curated collection of the world’s best new cruises includes a ship that ups passengers’ access to places like Greenland and Antarctica. Plus, there are brand-new itineraries and classic options alike for hitting all your favourite destinations – from a Nile River option to an exciting new circuit of the South of France. Here are the best new cruises you shouldn't wait to book.
Click here to see the entire Hot List for 2023.
Virgin Voyages Valiant Lady
During summer, the second ship in Sir Richard Branson’s hip cruise line charts a route from Barcelona to Ibiza via lesser-known ports such as Carrara, Italy, where the marble shines as it did when Michelangelo sourced the slab that became David (in winter the ship hits the Caribbean). Virgin is all about disrupting the status quo, and the aim here is to attract the sort of passenger who wouldn’t normally consider a cruise. Does it succeed? Yes. On the inaugural voyage, the passengers were as diverse as the crew, drawn by drag queen performances and all-inclusive menus from restaurants that include a mezcal bar, a test kitchen, and a Korean barbecue joint. Peer beyond the on-brand red to encounter moments of genuinely outstanding design, such as the Roman and Williams-designed Wake Restaurant. This is a real showstopper. Rick Jordan
Silversea Silver Dawn
A plush robe and slippers are status symbols for the passengers gliding aboard the Silver Dawn. After all, this is one of Silversea’s three ships with Otium, the line’s newly imagined wellness concept, which weaves tranquil moments into the entire onboard experience, even beyond its smashing new spa with Roman-style baths. In the rooms, guests can sink into a fig-and-cedar-scented aromatherapy bath as Bach plays softly in the background and candles flicker. Peckish? Your tux-clad magic maker can score you spa-menu favourites, like lobster brioche or truffled popcorn. Culinary venues popular on other Silversea ships – like S.A.L.T. Kitchen and upscale French La Dame – have been expanded here. Coupled with foodie-focused shore excursions that whisk you to beloved local hangouts, they make this vessel a luxury-ship game changer. Janice Wald-Henderson
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Evrima
The Ritz-Carlton’s foray into cruising melds small-ship (or mega-yacht, depending on your past sea experience) sailing with plenty of scenery options: The European Mediterranean routes range from springtime through fall in Europe (Turkey to the Canary Islands) to winter in the Caribbean (San Juan to St. Barts). The Evrima is the first in a fleet of three ships emerging over the next few years and an antidote to the water-slide-strapped mega-cruises of the world. Eight of the nine deck levels open to guests hold six restaurants, 149 suite-style cabins, two pools, a cigar humidor, six bars (the interior Living Room and top-floor alfresco Observation Deck, Mistral, The Bar, The Pool House, and The Marina Terrace), a fitness centre, a beauty salon and spa deck, and a water-level marina terrace with water toys. Itineraries go deep on less-explored ports, like the small French village of Sanary-sur-Mer, though greatest hits like Bridgetown in Barbados can feature too. The clear focus on cuisine, relaxation, and small entertainment offerings like live music trios and high tea is a page right out of the Ritz-Carlton playbook, making each sailing feel like a luxury hotel that just so happens to be floating in the ocean, with views on the blues drifting past – all suites here have balconies facing out to the ocean. Not an inward-facing room on site. Shannon McMahon
Viking Osiris
Sailing with just 82 passengers and replete with sophisticated Scandinavian design elements, Viking Osiris has the look and feel of a boutique hotel on the Nile. Cosy up with a coffee in the airy two-story atrium at the heart of the ship – a rarity for river vessels – and watch lush scenery like date palms and mango groves pass by the floor-to-ceiling windows. Elsewhere on board are brand-favourite amenities like the Aquavit Terrace and Sun Deck, where travellers can grab a quick bite alfresco in the elegant-yet-unfussy atmosphere for which the line is beloved. Throughout the ship are rare photographs of George Herbert, Lord Carnarvon – the benefactor of the archaeological dig that unearthed Tutankhamun’s tomb in the 1920s. The photos show Lord Carnarvon at work in the Valley of the Kings and evoke a strong sense of place. Purpose-built for the Nile, Viking Osiris sails to well-known highlights of the region like the Valley of the Kings, Luxor Temple, and the city of Aswan, as well as smaller riverside villages like Qena and Esna. After a long day exploring ancient sites in the Saharan sun, expect to be greeted by the cheerful staff with cool hand towels and hand-squeezed juice. Once you’re feeling refreshed, head to the ship’s aft with a cocktail to laze by the plunge pool and watch the sunset or simply retire to your stateroom’s private veranda to enjoy the sound of the river gently lapping below. Jessica Puckett
Windstar Star Pride
When this all-suite ship was renovated in 2022, it was stretched to add new restaurants, a larger, refreshed spa, and refurbished staterooms. But with just 312 passengers, the new Star Pride still feels intimate enough to be categorised as a yacht. In fact, the compact ship is able to squeeze into smaller, less busy ports and through scenic waterways, like Greece’s Corinth Canal, which is typically reserved for those with private vessels. During your sailing, expect perks you’d otherwise find only on charter yachts, too, like a swim platform that unfurls on certain anchorings. Take out a paddleboard or simply take a dip in the sea. In larger ports, you’ll want to try Windstar’s Shop with the Chef shore excursion, which allows a small group of passengers to accompany the yacht’s culinary team to local markets, where they source provisions for that night’s dinner service. Local market picks notwithstanding, you won’t be left wanting for a good meal aboard Star Pride. The yacht has four restaurants, but the standout is Cuadro 44, its new Spanish tapas dining concept. Sit at the bar, watch the chefs prepare dishes like charred octopus, patatas bravas, paella croquetas, and grilled chorizo, and pass them directly to your plate. JP
Seabourn Venture
With its yachtlike profile and forest-green hull, Seabourn’s first purpose-built expedition vessel cuts a stylish figure in the remote areas it’s designed to go to. Launched last July, the ship (along with sister Seabourn Pursuit, set to sail later this year) demonstrates the American luxury operator’s new interest in the Arctic and Antarctic regions, and while the onboard entertaining has been scaled down for these smaller sailings, Seabourn’s signature pampering has not. Each of the 132 staterooms comes with a balcony, a walk-in closet, and a separate shower and tub, and even the 355-square-foot basic suites feel spacious – as does the ship itself, even at its full capacity of 264 passengers. The four bars, two full-service restaurants, abundant caviar, and various outposts for treats like sushi and fresh pastries make indulging easy. This is how to do an adventure cruise for creatures of comfort, especially because designer Adam Tihany’s faux-fur-accented interiors have the warm, natural vibe of an Aspen ski chalet, creating extra cosiness among the Arctic elements. JWH
Aurora Sylvia Earle
If you’ve ever dreamed about skiing, scuba diving, or mountaineering in Antarctica or the Arctic, book a trip on Aurora Expedition’s Sylvia Earle. The 132-passenger expedition ship, dedicated to the famed marine biologist with whom it shares a name, is an upscale home base for extreme outdoor activities. Aurora was founded some three decades ago by intrepid mountaineer Greg Mortimer, so it comes as little surprise that Aurora is all about dynamic adventure led by highly experienced guides – many of whom hold doctorates, scaled the world’s highest peaks, or have paddled rivers and seas in the world’s most remote regions. But while in the past, such expeditions were relegated to bare-bones accommodations on no-frills former research ships, a voyage on Sylvia Earle is all about creature comforts, from outdoor hot tubs to an onboard steakhouse. The ship’s bow is even designed to minimise the effects of rough seas for smoother passage. Moreover, this ship honours women – each deck is named after a pioneering female in the marine sciences. Stefanie Waldek
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MSC World Europa
The newest mega-ship at sea, MSC World Europa is the largest vessel in the fleet of Italian cruise line MSC, capable of housing nearly 7,000 guests. As you would expect from a ship of this size, the range of onboard amenities is vast, from 33 restaurants and bars to 14 hot tubs to the world’s tallest dry slide at sea. Highlights include those dining venues – particularly the Chef’s Garden Kitchen, where in-restaurant hydroponic gardens provide microgreens for the dishes, and the onboard brewery that makes beer with seawater – as well as the thermal circuit in the Aurea Spa, which includes a snow room and a salt room. MSC World Europa is also the fleet’s first ship to be powered by liquified natural gas (LNG), a fuel that emits less carbon than other fossil fuels, as well as a testing ground for a new, more efficient fuel cell – ultimately, these measures are part of MSC’s quest to become carbon neutral by 2050. SW
Silversea Silver Endeavour
While sipping complimentary champagne in a solarium hot tub, ogle gentoo penguins standing single file atop a turquoise ice floe through two-story glass walls. They dive into Antarctic waters one by one like some choreographed chorus line in 1930s flicks. Back in your sumptuous suite, celebrate that sighting with complimentary caviar as a tux-clad white-gloved butler stirs a three-olive martini. Next up? A lavish lobster dinner, served here, there – well, everywhere. Just a typical day on the 200-passenger, polar-class expedition ship Silver Endeavour. JWH