Photo: Four Seasons Yachts
If you have already experienced all the luxury vacations there are and flown in every first-class cabin in the world, you probably need the next trend in elite vacations. The new wave in this sector, which has been gaining momentum in recent years, is luxury cruising—now joined by top brands from the hotel industry. Here are a few.
The luxury brand of the Norwegian Cruise Line Group has been operating for over 30 years. Currently, the company has 6 ships with a capacity of only 500-750 passengers (one more ship will arrive next year, and another in 2029).
Regent Seven Seas NavigatorAmong the special services of the ship, you will find shore excursions all included in the price, unlimited food and drinks of premium brands, a free spa, room service including meals to your cabin, a mini bar, laundry services, and more. For an additional fee, you can also have your own personal assistant.
With Grandeur Seas Seven, one of the company's flagship vessels, you can cruise next March from Miami to Barcelona on a 14-day voyage. Prices start at $7,200 per person.
The company, which has over 30 years of experience, was founded in Monaco and unsurprisingly targets lovers of the good life. Offering free-flowing wines and other alcoholic beverages, a gourmet kitchen led by renowned chefs, a personal steward for every suite (all-inclusive, of course?), all along exotic routes that are just as exciting as the stay on board, alongside 250-700 other guests, depending on the ship.
Photo: SILVERSEAThe prices for SilverSea are very flexible, starting from amounts quite close to those of larger cruise lines, a few thousand dollars per passenger. However, you can cruise for 40 days for $61,000 in South America or 83 days around the world for $74,000 per person. Just decide.
The brand that defines itself as "ultra-luxury-all-inclusive" was established nearly 40 years ago in Seattle and specializes in cruises to particularly exotic destinations. But before talking about the destinations, let us mention that the brand's exclusive flagship, Seabourn Pursuit, hosts only 264 guests and includes—attention: experiential submarines that allow you to dive into the waters.
Photo: SeabournAmong other things, on the brand's ships, you will find more "standard" experiences like a spa, broadening excursions, cooking workshops with professional chefs, conversation evenings with special guests, and more.
Photo: SeabournOn Seabourn Pursuit, you can take an 18-day cruise next April from French Polynesia east to the Pacific Islands for $20,000 per person or $74,000 for a garden suite, meaning $149,000 for a couple. No big deal.
This year saw the launch of the first yacht from The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, a luxury hotel brand that is expanding into the sea. The yacht features two restaurants inspired by chefs holding Michelin stars (alongside additional restaurants), with 5 to 7 courses at each meal.
Infinity pool. Photo: Ritz Carlton Yacht CollectionOnboard, you can also find unique boutique shops, an infinity pool, and a host of luxuries for the elite. The Ritz-Carlton yacht has managed to surprise us with its pricing, relatively to the other cruises in this article.
How much? For seven nights in the Caribbean (including six stops), you will pay starting from $6,700 per person. If you desire suites, you can upgrade and upgrade until you reach $39,000 per person. For the week.
One of the luxury cruise companies comes from Basel, Switzerland, and has been operating for nearly 30 years. Here, we talk about much smaller ships, with capacities of less than 200 passengers and fewer than 100 rooms on average, making the ships suitable for popular river cruising in Europe.
Some of the company's cruises cater to an adventurous audience unafraid to reach Antarctica. If this excites you, you can book the company's cruise that lasts 87 days from the North Pole to Antarctica, passing through most of North and South America, for a wallet-friendly price starting at $75,000.
It is one of the younger companies, operating for just over 20 years. But Oceania has established a reputation primarily in the United States over the years, and some of its ships have fewer than 350 rooms.
Oceania CruisesOn the ships themselves, you will find a particularly large selection of restaurants in different styles, and unlike others, you can find it in our region, the Mediterranean Sea (though not from Israel in the coming years, but close enough). While prices can soar as well, the base prices stand at just a little over $3,000 per person for a ten-day Mediterranean cruise. Cheaper than a luxury hotel.
After luxury hotels around the world, the top brand plans to launch "Four Seasons Yachts" in January 2026. Luxurious yachts that will sail the world for a particularly exclusive audience, for those who can pay.
Photo: Four Seasons YachtsThe yachts will include large suites, 11 restaurants, spa treatments, and a staff-to-guest ratio of 1:1, meaning that for each guest (about 200 only in 95 rooms), there will be one staff member. Among the first cruises to be relatively close to us, you can catch the yacht in the Mykonos area in April 2026. If you wish to join, you will have to part with more than $23,000 per person.