Explore the globe with these six world cruises, offering luxurious itineraries filled with iconic destinations. Photo / Oceania Cruises
Explore the globe with these six world cruises, offering luxurious itineraries filled with iconic destinations. Photo / Oceania Cruises
Dreaming of the holiday of a lifetime? Here are six of the best world cruises, packed with bucket list destinations and overnight stays, so you can experience the holiday of your dreams onshore as well, writes Tiana Templeman
Princess Cruises | World Cruise
If you need time to relax and regroup, this 114-night round-trip world cruise from Auckland is perfect, as multiple days are spent at sea. From a six-night cruise from Brisbane to Bali to seven nights sailing from Colombo in Sri Lanka to Jordan before Crown Princess transits the Suez Canal, this voyage is big on relaxation. You’ll also stay overnight in New York City, visit Sydney in both Australia and Canada, and have three days in Iceland with port calls in Akureyri, Isafjordur and Reykjavik. On your way back to New Zealand, Crown Princess spends a leisurely 10 days sailing to Tahiti where there’s a day to explore Papeete and Moorea before your voyage comes to an end.
You can spend up to 10 days at sea on Princess Cruises’ voyage from Tahiti to New Zealand, perfect for relaxation. Photo / 123rf
Oceania Cruises | Kaleidoscope of Your World
Setting sail from Miami on a 200-night world cruise to New York offers plenty of variety, from exploring the Amazon River to overnight stays in destinations such as Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Bora Bora, Honolulu, Bangkok, Saigon and Phuket. Oceania Cruises’ Insignia is one of the line’s smaller ships and offers a boutique world cruise experience shared with less than 700 passengers. With a week spent sailing around New Zealand, you’ll get an overnight stay in Auckland and time to catch up with family and friends before your grand journey continues. Amenities such as dining at all speciality restaurants, WiFi, and barista coffee are included in the fare. If you want to join this incredible voyage, you’ll have to go on a waiting list and keep your fingers crossed.
Priced from NZ$90,346 pp twin share. oceaniacruises.com
Oceania Cruises’ Insignia holds fewer than 700 passengers, providing an intimate cruise experience. Photo / Oceania Cruises
MSC Cruises | World Cruise 2026
Explore 47 destinations and travel through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Mexico on this 118-night round-trip sailing from Genoa in Italy. MSC Magnifica will take you to San Diego and San Francisco, plus Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa and Fiji. You’ll also stop along Australia’s east coast on your way to Manila and Japan, where you’ll visit ports such as Okinawa Island and Tokyo. From here, it’s off to South Korea, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore. After you’ve explored Malaysia and Sri Lanka, you’ll head back towards Europe via the Red Sea with stops in Dubai, Oman and the Suez Canal and port calls in Jordan, Egypt and Greece before you return to Italy.
Priced from NZ$33,605 pp twin share. msccruises.co.nz
Spend Christmas 2025 exploring the world on a 138-night sailing from Fort Lauderdale to London onboard Viking Sky. Highlights include overnight stays in Papeete, Sydney, Cairns, Bali, Java, Singapore, Casablanca, Lisbon and London. There are also (for-a-fee) overland adventures created to tie in with the itinerary that allow you to spend an extended time off the ship. For example, you could opt for the six-night Overland to India’s Golden Triangle tour and disembark in Colombo, seeing Jaipur, the Taj Mahal, New Delhi and much more, before rejoining the ship in Male. In addition to all the usual luxury perks, your fare also includes extras like business class airfares, up to US$4,000 onboard credit and a Silver Spirits drinks package so you can toast your adventures with premium drops.
Priced from NZ$121,045 pp twin share. vikingcruises.com.au
Viking Ocean Cruises offers a six-night overland tour to India’s Golden Triangle as part of its world cruise. Photo / Viking Ocean Cruises
Holland America Line | Grand World Voyage
If you’ve ever wanted to tick Antarctica off your bucket list, this aptly named 132-night Grand World Voyage spends four days here (weather permitting). On this round trip sailing from Fort Lauderdale on one of Holland America’s classic ships, you’ll also see Easter Island, a destination rarely visited by mainstream cruise lines, and travel through the Suez Canal. Another voyage highlight is an overnight stay in Alexandria, a handy jumping-off point for Cairo. There’s also time to soak up the sun thanks to multiple port calls in Tahiti, including an overnight stay. Plenty of sea days will give you time to relax and socialise between ports before the ship returns to the United States.
Priced from NZ$49,385 pp twin share. hollandamerica.com
Mosque in Morocco. Photo / Viking Ocean Cruises
Silversea | Controtempo
Looking for something a little different? This 136-night 2025 world cruise from Tokyo to New York on Silver Dawn breaks with tradition by beginning in winter in Japan (an ideal destination for a pre-cruise stay) and travelling from east to west. The name of the cruise means “off-tempo” and refers to this sailing’s many off-the-beaten-track destinations, such as Xiamen in China, Praslin in the Seychelles and Hambantota in Sri Lanka. Overnight stays in diverse destinations like Istanbul, Oslo, Osaka, Halong Bay, Helsinki, Ho Chi Minh City, Stockholm, Rouen, Singapore, Boston and Bordeaux are another feature of this unique itinerary. Silver Dawn offers an intimate and refined cruise experience, with free-flowing Champagne, caviar and butler service for all, so you can sail in style.
Priced from NZ$136,713 pp twin share. silversea.com
Silversea's world cruise features off-the-beaten-track destinations like Xiamen in China. Photo / 123rf
