If I Could Only Do 10 Cruises In My Lifetime, These Are The Ones I’d Do
If I could only cruise 10 more times in my life… these are the ones I would choose.
After 20+ years and 128 cruises, I’ve discovered that not all cruises are created equal. Some are enjoyable… but others are truly life-changing. In this video, I count down the ocean cruises that stand above all others — the ones I believe every serious traveller should have on their bucket list.
These aren’t just popular itineraries. These are journeys that deliver unforgettable wildlife encounters, breathtaking scenery, iconic maritime experiences, and moments that genuinely change how you see the world.
But there’s a twist.
Along the way, I also reveal why three cruises most people think belong on a bucket list… actually don’t — and what you should do instead.
From dramatic glaciers and remote polar regions, to culturally rich destinations and one-of-a-kind ocean experiences, this is based entirely on what I’ve personally experienced — paying my own way, just like you.
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS VIDEO:
The cruises I would choose if I could only do 10 more
The experiences that truly make a cruise “bucket list worthy”
Key watch-outs that cruise lines don’t always tell you
When to go — and when not to
The surprising cruises I don’t recommend (and why)
VIDEO CLIPS CREDIT
** Fly bridge Antarctica video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOPrKAehiXw by https://www.youtube.com/@intriqjourney1706 check out their channel and their trips
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 120 cruises I have done to date.
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00:00 Start
00:32 Bucket List #10
01:40 Bucket List #9
03:04 Bucket List #8
04:18 Bucket List #7
05:35 Bucket List #6
06:53 Bucket List #5
08:05 Bucket List #4
09:02 Bucket List #3
10:21 Bucket List #2
11:26 Bucket List #1
12:53 Missing Places?
37 Comments
I’ve been to French Polynesia 8 times and I can’t agree with you more about there. Paul Gauguin my favorite there. I did an Antarctica cruise once just before French Polynesia. Talk about Fire and Ice… fabulous.
I embark today finally for my first Panama Canal cruise. LA to Miami.
Should we really be visiting Antarctica and the Galapagos…….amazing I’m sure ,but they are so fragile and don’t really need people tramping all over them or indeed additional air pollution.
I disagree with the Panama Canal Cruise.. because these are usually longer cruises from Florida to California and really only one day that is interesting-the canal.. the rest of the ports are of little interest and a waste of time.. one can fly to Panama City and take a day tour of the canal and locks and see it all in one day.
alaska would be great is they seperated from the US
London Zoo in Regents Park if you want to see penguins. And a hell of a lot cheaper
Have done all of those, but I would add circumnavigation of Africa and around the Mediterranean to that list. Having done several world cruises, our favorite cruise was was an 83 days Ring of Fire cruise around the Pacific Rim. It’s been a pleasure to experience so many different cultures and different natural wonders. Thanks for sharing those!
Wow 128 cruises, we are getting ready to go on cruise number 2, thinking by number 3, I get a free magazine or something from Cunard 😂. I wont do a world cruise far to much sea, even on the 10 night one we are going now, has the same number of ports as our first 7 night cruise. I would like to go to Norway, but so confused as to which cruise to pick. A much much much bigger version of the Falkirk wheel then, really need to do the Panama Canal
Hi, Gary! My wife and I love your channel. Especially after watching this video, we’re considering a cruise of the Norwegian fjords. Per your suggestions, we checked out the local lines of Hurtigruten and Havila Voyages, which seem to offer many options. Can you recommend specific itineraries from each line? Thanks so much! Steve
This may it will be my12 and I will still going back in the future if I can
We’re going on our third Alaskan cruise in 2.5 years come May! I feel like we need to do one per year 😁. I spent 4 months in Iceland 🇮🇸 and can confirm a land trip is EXPENSIVE! This was in 98/99 and I recall a “value meal” was $25 and that was 27 years ago. I lived in Japan for 3 years as well and loved it!!
Panama Canal has been my top bucket list cruise to do for years. Hopefully, someday soon.
Caribbean. Easy.
I don't usually agree with this guy, but on this one, I agree. I have been to most of this list. QEII doesn't interest me as I don't like dressing up. But I loved Norway, Iceland, Greenland, French Polynesia, Alaska, Iceland, Japan etc. Panama Canal wasn't that impressive. I did the Norway cruise all up the coast to Honnigsvag. It was one of my favorites. Japan is also fascinating. I haven't been to Antartica or Galapogas, but I don't snorkel. Going around Cape Horn in South America is also interesting.
Thank you for this video too with the helpful tips from a true expert who acquired his knowledge through his own travels.
Several of the mentioned cruises would also be interesting for me, such as Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Japan, the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic route and French Polynesia. What used to be my dream was a travel with the Queen Elizabeth II from Southampton to New York and back to Europe with a flight with the Concorde. Unfortunately, neither of them exist anymore. But at least there's the Queen Mary 2, the successor to the Queen Elizabeth II. And the return flight would be interesting on the Queen of the Skys, the Boeing 747 or the Airbus A380 or the Airbus A340, all remarkable aircrafts.
What I absolutely wouldn't visit are the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica, because these should be protected areas for nature untouched by humans and there are already far to many people there. Regarding Australia, I completely agree with you; a purely land-based trip is much more interesting, because you can really get into the interior.
Best regards from Germany…
We have done 5 of these and of 3 of the others are on our bucket list, we love TA’s and recently been discussing booking the QM2 so guess we better do that. Great information as always!
We had planned an Iceland cruise but COVID put that on ice. Instead, at the recommendation of our daughter we travelled there on our own, rented an SUV and circumnavigated the island via the Ring Road. Thoroughly enjoyable, nearly impossible to get lost, excellent cell phone coverage everywhere and a friendly population that speaks English better than I do. 🤣
This was very informative, appreciate it.
I live in America where we have so many of Iceland's same features. I really want to cruise around Iceland, but part of me says I should see these same geological type of things in this country first. It's a dilemma.
I detect a strong preference for northern cruises. I think cruise itineraries are very much a personal preference. I know people who would never cruise where you can't swim in the local waters. And I know others who disdain the ports where you will see multiple cruise lines docked there.
Thank you for this information. My husband and I like your videos because you have similar wants/needs for your trips as we do. We've been wanting to try an Alaskan voyage but hadn't thought about the Norwegian fjords or French Polynesian ones. Those both sound truly wonderful. A few years ago I found out about a Viking cruise that went down the eastern seaboard of the United States with stops at various historically and culturally interesting cities that we were eager to go on. Sadly all but the Florida port have stopped allowing cruise ships. We're on a tight budget so we will be saving up for our, likely, once in a lifetime trip, and you are a pleasure to watch and we learn so much. We definitely appreciate the tip on how to avoid children on an Alaskan cruise lol
I've been somewhat lucky to do some of these but not all. Been on 20 cruises. The best part of my list is doing them all with my teenage daughters. We have done Alaska, Full transit of the Panama Canal on NCL, Canadian on Holland America, and Norway, Iceland, Scotland last July on Princess. I've also sailed to Hawaii, Greece, Russia, Egypt and many others but nothing topped the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland. We had perfect weather and warm and it was the two places that I proclaimed that I could have died there happily and it was the best trip I've ever taken and to share it with my family was extra special…. Stunning beauty.
Cunard is a British line. They are dinner jackets or black tie. Tuxedo is an American thing.
As someone who has been on many cruises I have to say Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and South Korea are infinitely better as land trips not cruises.
You are free to arrive outside of the hoards of coaches at the important sights
But most importantly being there you get to enjoy and experience the culture something as a cruise passenger you 100% can't do
They are also very easy to get around
Believe it or not as an independent traveller Japan is one of the best value destinations in the World
Comments:
1) We are doing Alaska for the third and fourth time this year on Cunard, Princess, and HAL. We will also be doing Japan on HAL and Princess this fall.
2) Agree with you on the Panama Canal. That was a blast and we really enjoyed most of the Central American ports including Chiapas.
3) I do not think that we will get to Galapagos or Antarctica (expedition) as we lack the mobility required for such a trip.
4) I think that we will do Norway in October 2027.
We have onlt done 18 cruises on eight lines but will be adding 7-8 more this year.
Could not agree more. Antarctica was truly life changing. I went there when I was in my late 30s. Now, I do not like anything anymore, because nowhere on the planet earth is there anything as beautiful as magnificent and as grandeur as Antarctica.
I agree with all but Japan. We have been twice and do train travel, spending two the three weeks traveling around Honshu. Planning to return again, this time to Hokkaido for a couple of weeks and a week in Tokyo. Japan is a deep dive that cannot be accomplished with a cruise in my opinion.
Iceland isn't that expensive on land. Am pricing up a round island 8 day road trip and staying in the top hotels offered – there are at least 3 companies doing ready made packages. It's about £3.2k (In May) including car hire – plus flights (use BA Avios). Can do for about £2.4k staying in 3 star hotels. OK, only breakfasts included. Just had an offer for a round island cruise (starting and finishing in Reykjavik) – about £4200 pp (including flights) for the same month (May 2027). I will stick to the land trip
A great list of cruises here. I just need to add as an Australian who works in regional/remote locations please do not underestimate the outback. It is a huge country with monstrous distances between towns in the outback and large areas with no cell service.
It’s well worth seeing and land based you get to truely see the beauty of the country properly but it is a serious thing and must be done with respect to that.
An interesting list but a number of those cruises will be beyond the average cruiser's budget I fear. To be fair, Gary offers these as his chouces which are in accordance with his preferences. Everyone will have their own personal versions. (and budgets!) I do agree with some of the comments that many ports of call simply cannot be appreciated in a day and I would find that frustrating, A land based visist at your own pace can be far more satisfying.
I was happy to see I have already checked off three of these and 4th scheduled for October 2027. I really do need to add a Panama Canal cruise. Growing up, our elderly neighbor was one of the engineers who BUILT the canal. I still remember the photos and tales he told of the grueling feat. A must read is The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 By David McCullough,
Great list and I concur. We've done all but #6 & #3. We've been able to do multiple voyages in Antarctica, Alaska, Panama Canal, Norway, & Japan.
National Geographic/Linblad ship to Antarctica was phenomenal. The ship was small and lovely, service great, food fantastic, etc. but it was the marine biologists, volcanologists, geologists, historians, etc that taught us (those that wanted to listen) and made the excursions layered in meaning and authenticity. The overall experience was truly remarkable. I’m a well-traveled person, but that trip had a profound impact on me that I hadn’t experienced before or since.
When people ask me my favorite places I've cruised, I always mention Iceland and Alaska. Japan is on my bucket list in the next couple yearrs.
I’ve only been on four cruises, but they happen to be the first four you mentioned 😊 Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Panama Canal are definitely on my bucket list!
Gross. You’ve done 130 cruises? The most polluting, over consumptive and disgusting way to travel. You should be ashamed.
Thank you for this list! We are planning on doing more cruising in the next few years! I’ll be asking my travel agent to be on the lookout for good deals! 😊🛳️😊
Great List!!! I've done 5 of them and will be working on doing the other 5 over the next few years. Keep up the great work. Cheers.