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My love affair with cruising started when I took my first cruise in 1980 aboard the MV Jupiter of Epirotiki Line. It was a seven-day voyage through the Greek Islands and Turkey roundtrip from Athens, and while the ship was tired and old, the experience was spectacular.

Almost three decades later, I just completed my 50^th cruise – this one roundtrip from Los Angeles to the beautiful islands of Hawaii. And in those 29 years, I’ve spent more than 400 days at sea, cruised with just about every major cruise line in the world, and sailed to some of the most beautiful destinations on the planet.

So to mark my 50^th voyage, I thought it was time to look back over the decades and put together a list of my top ten cruises:

1. Greek Islands & Turkey: It’s the perfect combination of history, architecture, and culture set in the picture-perfect waters of the Aegean Sea. Try starting or ending in Athens, Rome, Venice, Barcelona or Istanbul if you want to include an interesting land portion to the trip.

2. French Polynesia: If you want to see South Pacific islands in a natural setting, try cruising to the Society and Marquesas islands. You’ll find coral-fringed lagoons, swaying palms, out-rigger canoes, lush vegetation and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  End or begin your trip by staying in an over-water bungalow on the island of Moorea just across the channel from  Tahiti.

3. South America: The scenery around the coast of South America between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Valparaiso, Chile is incredibly diverse and beautiful. You’ll see fjords, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, emerald lakes, volcanoes, penguins and whales as well as European-style cities, jet-set resorts, fishing towns and pristine beaches. And you’ll get to make the once-in-a-lifetime sail around the infamous Cape Horn at the end of the continent. 

4. Scandinavia/Baltic: This itinerary includes lots of interesting ports like Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Estonia, but the reason everyone takes this trip is to see St. Petersburg. The city and surrounding area is a treasure-trove of palaces, historic buildings, art and museums including the spectacular Hermitage. Pick a cruise ship that stays at least two nights in St. Petersburg, as you’ll need at least that long to see most of the highlights. Going ashore on your own requires a special permit, so take the ship’s shore excursions – they’re good value.

5. Panama Canal: If you’re intrigued by feats of engineering bravado, you’ll love seeing the gigantic locks at both ends of the canal and the spectacular cut though the continental divide that connects them. You can do a partial transit from Florida that goes through the Gatun Locks and then returns to the Caribbean, or you can do a full transit through the canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Either way, you’ll get to see one of the greatest engineering marvels of the modern world.

6. Caribbean: There’s no better place to escape for sun and sand, especially when temperatures dip below freezing. The Southern Caribbean is my favourite itinerary in this region because it calls at islands like Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua, Martinique, and St. Barts that I find the most interesting and beautiful. They’re also better protected in winter against the arrival of cold fronts. However, there are a lot more Eastern and Western Caribbean departures to choose from, and they don’t take as long to get to.  

7. Hawaii: From verdant valleys to thundering waterfalls, the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii offer some of the most stunning scenery in the world. NCL offers 7-day inter-island cruises roundtrip from Honolulu, which provide a good overview of the major islands and plenty of time to see them. Several cruise lines offer 14-day cruises roundtrip from Los Angeles and Vancouver, which are great if you don’t like long flights over the ocean.

8. European River/Barge Cruise: There are a number of small river boats and barges that cruise the main inland waterways and canals of Europe. My trip was along the Burgundy Canal from Dijon aboard a 22-person barge called the Lafayette. We had our own private chef who went to the market each day and prepared gourmet meals three times daily. During the day we visited the major wine producing towns, toured wineries, cycled along the canal’s tow path, and watched our barge navigate the extensive series of locks.

9. Alaska: The weather can be unpredictable, the ports are small, but the scenery is always spectacular.  You’ll see beautiful fjords, colossal glaciers giving birth to giant ice bergs, and lots of wildlife including bald eagles, black bears, seals and whales. Some of the shore excursions are fabulous, including a helicopter ride to the top of a glacier.  If you have the time, take a one-way cruise and extend your trip with a land trip into the interior of Alaska.

10. New England/Canada: Pretty seaside towns like Newport, Bar Harbor and Portland are bookended between fabulous big cities like New York, Boston, Quebec City and Montreal. Most people like to take this cruise during the fall when the leaves turn into a kaleidoscope of yellow, orange and red, but some lines offer the itinerary all summer long. If you like lobster, lighthouses, French bistros, and great shopping, you’ll love this itinerary.

While that’s my list of top ten cruise destinations, I have to admit that I’ve yet to cruise in Australia, Asia, India and the Middle East. However, there’s always next year!

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