A DEEP LONGING TO SET SAIL AGAIN

Good Housekeeping’s Travel Editor and cruise expert David Wickers picks his favourite ever cruises and explains why nothing beats a voyage on the high seas

For the past 18 months I’ve been dreaming of ships. Big and small, they’ve all taunted me at night, promising new adventures and voyages to ports unknown. After having so many travel plans aborted or put on hold, the end is finally in sight. We can all look forward to travelling again and the first thing I want to do is step back on board.

Cruises, like most of the travel industry, suffered terribly during the pandemic, with hundreds of ships left at quaysides or riding at anchor with skeleton crews, all trying to weather the Covid storm.

Now these vessels are setting sail again, with strict new health protocols, so we can rediscover the world in safety. Plus, there’s an armada of new ships. These include two from Celebrity, Apex and Beyond, Virgin’s Scarlet Lady, P&O’S Iona, Princess Cruises’ Enchanted Princess, Tradewind Voyages’ Golden Horizon (the largest square-rigged sailing ship in the world, pictured), Silversea’s Silver Moon, MSC’S Virtuosa, Viking Venus, Holland America’s Rotterdam, Saga’s Spirit of Adventure, Ambassador’s Ambience and Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas.

As well as new ships, there are new voyages and, with so many destinations, the difficulty will be which to choose! So, here are my favourites for the rest of 2021 and 2022 in Good Housekeeping’s ultimate Cruise Collection.

In short, I don’t think anyone can really say, ‘Cruising’s not for me.’ On the rare occasions I do hear that (usually from people who have never been on one), my response is, ‘What’s not to like?’

Cruising, be it on an ocean, river or sea, means being taken (in style) to different destinations without having to re-pack, move hotels, get stuck in traffic, find somewhere to park, or even, in some cases, board a plane.

With amazing on-board activities (which seem to multiply each year) there’s no chance of boredom either. I’ve experienced Thai cookery demonstrations, lectures from famous novelists, salsa classes and bridge lessons, while sailing gracefully between ports.

It’s an understatement to say you’ll never go hungry on a cruise, and some of the world’s best chefs have launched their own restaurants or created signature menus at sea. Among them are Marco Pierre White and James Martin (P&O), Thomas Keller (Seabourn), Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa (Crystal) and Jamie Oliver (Royal Caribbean).

So, my favourite cruise? It’s impossible to say! Highlights include easing through the Panama Canal aboard Holland America’s Zuiderdam – admiring the choreography involved in shepherding ships between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans; sailing into New York at dawn on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2; sharing a bubbling hot tub with my family as we sailed on a Princess ship past glaciers in Alaska; meandering down the Seine on an Avalon river cruiser; exploring the Mergui archipelago in Myanmar aboard one of Silversea’s expedition ships; and playing hide and seek with one of my daughters on a Celebrity cruise (she won).

I’m lucky to have such memories but, after so long adrift, I want to make more. I hope you’ll join me – see you at sea!