Best luxury cruise lines for 2026: small ships and suites worth the fare

How we picked

We ranked lines, not individual ships, because the line sets the fare structure, the service style and the size of ship you’ll be on. Each pick is scored on the criteria in how we rate cruises, weighted toward ship size, what the fare includes and service. From-prices come from our monthly snapshot and show the date they were checked. Compare them with care: a luxury fare that includes drinks, tips and excursions isn’t directly comparable with a cruise-only fare.

The best luxury cruise lines for 2026

1. 1

   Best luxury cruise line overall

   Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seven Seas Explorer or Seven Seas Grandeur (Explorer class)

   Why: The most inclusive fare at sea: drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, specialty dining and unlimited shore excursions. All-suite ships of roughly 500 to 820 guests, with Seven Seas Prestige, the largest, due in December 2026.

   Watch out: The highest headline fares on this list, and flights are no longer included for U.S. and Canadian guests. If you rarely drink or skip most excursions, you pay for inclusions you won't use.

   From $6,199 per personChecked September 2026
2. 2

   Best for luxury expeditions

   Silversea, Any ship in the classic or expedition fleet

   Why: Butler service in every suite, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi included, and one of the strongest expedition programs, from Antarctica to the Arctic and the Galapagos, on ships of 100 to about 275 guests.

   Watch out: The standard fare is port to port: excursions and flights are extra unless you book the All-Inclusive Plus fare, which adds excursion credit (or all excursions on expedition voyages). Compare like with like.

   From $13,950 per personChecked September 2026
3. 3

   Best relaxed luxury

   Seabourn, Seabourn Encore (Alaska, May to September 2027)

   Why: Polished but unstuffy service, drinks, Wi-Fi and every restaurant included, and tipping isn't expected. Its two expedition ships, Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit, are polar-class.

   Watch out: Most shore excursions and flights cost extra, so the total can end up close to Regent's.

   From $12,163 per personChecked September 2026
4. 4

   Best modern luxury ships

   Explora Journeys, Explora III (delivered July 2026)

   Why: Resort-style ships where every suite is ocean-front, with many restaurants and pools, and drinks, tips and Wi-Fi included. More space and venues than the classic luxury lines.

   Watch out: Larger than the other luxury ships here, and Anthology, Chef's Kitchen, Chef's Table and The Cellar cost extra. It feels less like a small ship.

   From $2,695 per personChecked September 2026
5. 5

   Best small ships and sailing yachts

   Windstar Cruises, Wind Surf, or Wind Spirit in the Adriatic in summer 2027

   Why: Some of the smallest ships on this list, from 148-guest sailing yachts to 312-guest Star Plus-class ships, reach little harbors in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Tahiti that bigger ships can't.

   Watch out: Casual rather than luxurious, and drinks and gratuities aren't in the base fare. Windstar's all-inclusive package has been sold as a promotion on select voyages.

   From $2,878 per personChecked September 2026
6. 6

   Best port-intensive value

   Azamara, Any of its four ships (about 700 guests each)

   Why: Four ships of about 700 guests each with late nights and overnights in port, plus select wines, beers, spirits, gratuities and, on most voyages, an AzAmazing Evening event in the fare.

   Watch out: Older ships with fewer venues than the luxury lines. Treat it as upper premium, not ultra luxury.

   From $1,189 per personChecked September 2026
7. 7

   Best upper-premium value

   Oceania Cruises, Vista or Allura (newest ships); Insignia or Nautica for small ports

   Why: Ships of about 670 to 1,250 guests, with specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi and gratuities included in every fare, and port-heavy itineraries. The nearest thing to a luxury line at a lower fare, from the same parent company as Regent (Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings).

   Watch out: Cocktails and spirits cost extra, and you choose between excursion credit and wine and beer with meals. Entertainment is low-key.

   From $3,120 per personChecked September 2026

Other names you’ll see: Crystal, relaunched in 2023 with Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony and building a new ship due in 2028, and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, with three yachts (Evrima, Ilma and Luminara), both sell luxury at similar prices.

Luxury suites on big ships

If a luxury line’s fare is out of reach, a ship-within-a-ship suite area gets you private space, better dining and priority service on a big ship. You still share the ports, the public decks and the crowds with thousands of other guests, so it’s a different trip from a small ship.

• Best overall: MSC Yacht Club. A gated area with its own restaurant, sundeck and pool, the Top Sail Lounge, a butler for each suite, and MSC’s Premium Extra drinks package included across the ship.
• Best on a resort ship: Norwegian’s Haven. Private suites, a private pool and sundeck, a 24-hour butler, and a Haven-only restaurant on the Prima, Epic, Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships. Drinks aren’t generally included.
• Best food: Celebrity’s Retreat. The Retreat Lounge, a private sundeck on Edge-class and revolutionized ships, the Luminae restaurant, a premium drinks package and a butler, on modern ships with good dining across the board.

Small ship cruises: what counts

There’s no official cutoff, but in practice “small ship” means under about 1,000 guests, and the best small-ship cruise lines keep most ships far below that. The benefits are practical: you can dock at small ports and anchor in bays big ships can’t reach, lines at the gangway are short, and the ship can linger in port late. The trade-off is fewer restaurants, less entertainment and more motion in rough seas.

For comparison, the mainstream ships on our best cruise lines ranking typically carry several thousand guests.

Category winners

• Ultra luxury with nothing left to pay: Regent Seven Seas, where drinks, tips, Wi-Fi and excursions are in the price. See how it compares in our all-inclusive cruise guide.
• Luxury Antarctica and Arctic expedition cruises: Silversea and Seabourn, alongside expedition specialists such as Ponant and Lindblad Expeditions. Expect small ships with ice-class hulls and landings by Zodiac boat.
• Small ship Alaska cruise: expedition-style lines such as UnCruise Adventures (ships of 22 to 86 guests) and Lindblad Expeditions (ships of about 60 to 100 guests on its smaller vessels) reach coves big ships can’t. Alaskan Dream Cruises has ceased operations. For a larger ship with luxury touches, compare Oceania and our best cruise lines for Alaska.
• Croatia small ship cruises: yacht-style ships and small motor vessels that stop at island harbors most mid-size ships skip. Windstar bases Wind Spirit in Venice and Dubrovnik for summer 2027, with week-long Adriatic itineraries along the Croatian coast.
• Luxury for less: Oceania, owned by the same parent company as Regent, with included specialty dining at an upper-premium fare.
• Luxury suites with kids: Norwegian’s Haven or MSC Yacht Club, where children can sail in the suite and use the big-ship kids’ clubs. In the Haven only the sundeck is limited to guests 16 and older, and MSC sells Yacht Club duplex suites on some ships with families in mind.

Sample sailings

Sample luxury and small-ship sailings in Europe, 2027. From-prices per person, checked September 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Oct 10, 2026	Princess Cruises, Sun Princess	7	7 Night Mediterranean Cruise (from Barcelona, Spain)	$2,299	Check price
Oct 17, 2026	Oceania Cruises, Oceania Allura	14	14 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Istanbul, Turkey)	$9,449	Check price
Oct 22, 2026	Royal Caribbean, Legend of the Seas	3	3 Night Western Mediterranean Cruise (from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy)	$898	Check price
Oct 25, 2026	Royal Caribbean, Legend of the Seas	13	13 Night Spanish Transatlantic Cruise (from Barcelona, Spain)	$1,390	Check price
Oct 29, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Opera	4	4 Night Grand Voyage Cruise (from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy)	$246	Check price
Oct 29, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Sinfonia	2	2 Night Mediterranean Cruise (from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy)	$96	Check price
Oct 29, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Sinfonia	3	3 Night Mediterranean Cruise (from Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy)	$124	Check price
Nov 3, 2026	MSC Cruises, MSC Grandiosa	10	10 Night Mediterranean Cruise (from Funchal, Madeira, Portugal)	$646	Check price
Nov 5, 2026	Princess Cruises, Sky Princess	15	15 Night Europe Cruise (from Southampton, England)	$1,017	Check price
Nov 17, 2026	Oceania Cruises, Oceania Allura	15	15 Night Transatlantic Cruise (from Barcelona, Spain)	$3,815	Check price
Jan 9, 2027	MSC Cruises, MSC Lirica	2	2 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Bari, Italy)	$120	Check price
Jan 23, 2027	MSC Cruises, MSC Lirica	7	7 Night Mediterranean - Eastern Cruise (from Bari, Italy)	$453	Check price

Luxury cruise FAQ

What are the top luxury cruise lines?

Regent Seven Seas, Silversea and Seabourn are the established top three, with Explora Journeys the newest serious rival. Windstar and Azamara sit a step below on price and inclusions, and Oceania sits between premium and luxury.

What is the difference between luxury and ultra luxury cruise lines?

The terms aren’t regulated. “Ultra luxury” is usually used for lines whose fares include drinks, gratuities and nearly everything else, on small all-suite ships: Regent, Silversea and Seabourn. “Luxury” is often used more loosely, including for upper-premium lines and for suite areas on big ships.

Are small ship cruises worth it?

If ports matter more to you than the ship, yes. You reach smaller harbors, spend less time waiting to get on and off, and share the ship with far fewer people. If you want lots of restaurants, shows and activities, a big ship gives you more for the money.

What is the best luxury Alaska cruise?

For a traditional luxury ship, look at Seabourn (Seabourn Encore, May to September 2027), Silversea or Regent (Seven Seas Explorer, sailing between Vancouver and Alaska), and in 2027 Explora Journeys (its first Alaska season, on Explora III) and The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection (Luminara). For the closest-to-the-wildlife version, a small expedition ship of 100 guests or fewer goes where no big ship can.

Can I get a luxury cruise on a mainstream line?

Yes, in a suite complex. Norwegian’s Haven, MSC Yacht Club and Celebrity’s Retreat give you private lounges, restaurants and priority service. You still share the ports and the public decks with thousands of other guests.