Forbes Feature! Top 20 Best Cruises to Take in 2019

By March 14, 2019Posts

If you’re planning a cruise, you’ll want to take a look at this list of Top 20 Best Cruises to Take in 2019!

We were featured in Forbes with our recommendations – find out our top recommendations below.

Find more cruise recommendations selected by Laura Begley Bloom, former deputy editor Travel + Leisure, who shares, “Cruising has never been hotter.  According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 30 million people are expected to sail the high seas in 2019 — that’s up from 17.8 million in 2009. And a whopping 21 ships are launching in 2019, adding to an already crowded marketplace. The good news is that you can find a ship for every personality, whether you’re a woman traveling solo or a multigenerational family on the go with the whole crew. But where to start? I tapped into a handful of women travel experts and influencers and got them to share the cruises they’re most excited about for 2019, from new ship launches to exciting destinations to classic vessels that are worth a second look. Plus, you’ll find perks like Dom Perignon dinners, private-island escapes, F1 simulators and more. It’s going to be a very good year.”

WINDSTAR CRUISES

The Wind Spirit in Tahiti.PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA STONE/@GLOBAL_ADVENTURESS INSTAGRAM

Sailing and Gastronomy in French Polynesia: Windstar

Chosen By: Patricia Stone founded Global Adventuress and grew up in Tahiti. She has traveled to 166 countries and seeks out unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations for solo, girlfriends, couples and family travel. Her award-winning site has been featured in Forbes, the L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Toronto Star and USA Today. Follow her on Instagram @global_adventuress. (You can also read Stone’s tips on the Cheapest Places to Travel in 2019 here.)

Why: Tahiti welcomes its visitors with a warm “Ia Ora Na,” gentle smiles and tiare flowers. There are 118 islands in French Polynesia, and Windstar Cruises is the best way to visit some of the most stunning islands in the world. (Windstar also offers excellent deals on luxury trips.) A bonus: Windstar has a new partnership with the James Beard Foundation, so guests may savor a culinary-themed cruise presented by expert chefs and sommeliers. Choose the seven-day Tahiti cruise with stops at Raiatea, Huahine, Bora Bora and Moorea, or the 11-day voyage where you can visit seven islandsincluding the coral atolls Fakarava and Rangiroa in the Tuamotus. Windstar’s ship, Wind Spirit, is small enough to navigate tight passageways and anchor near deserted islands, motus and shallow lagoons. You’ll find slices of paradise at every turn — black-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters, white sandbanks, waterfalls, lush rainforest, coral gardens, majestic valleys and massive mountains. Active cruisers will love the watersports platform on the ship, for snorkeling, swimming and kayaking. Some activities not to miss: Learn the Tahitian dance, the Ori Tahiti. Buy a flower lei and a pareu (a Tahitian fabric sarong) at a local market. Harvest your own black pearls. And take a helicopter flight from Tahiti to Moorea to get a bird’s eye view of the rugged beauty of these islands.

HOLLAND AMERICA

In the center of Havana on a cruise with Holland America Line.PHOTO COURTESY OF PATRICIA STONE/@GLOBAL_ADVENTURESS INSTAGRAM

Cultural Immersion in Cuba: Holland America

Chosen By: Patricia Stone founded Global Adventuress and grew up in Tahiti. She has traveled to 166 countries and seeks out unique, off-the-beaten-path destinations for solo, girlfriends, couples and family travel. Her award-winning site has been featured in Forbes, the L.A. Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Toronto Star and USA Today. Follow her on Instagram @global_adventuress.  (You can also read Stone’s tips on the Cheapest Places to Travel in 2019 here.)

Why: The best time to visit Cuba is now with Holland America Line’s 10-Day Authentic Cuba cruise on the ms Veendam, which sails in and our of Fort Lauderdale. This tropical island nation is a feast for the sense: You’ll follow your nose to a cafe where Cuban coffee beans are roasting, and your eyes will delight in the cobbled plazas, pastel houses, 16th century Spanish-colonial architecture and vintage cars. Holland America offers one of the easiest and most affordable ways to visit Cuba and will arrange for the Cuban Visa Tarjeta de Turista(Visa Tourist Card) and help guests plan their time. The cruises start as low as $999 per person for a seven-day cruise — a great deal, considering how much it would cost and how much effort it would take to travel to Cuba on your own. Every itinerary stops in Havana. Explore Old Havana’s main squares, meander through its cobblestone streets lined with cafes, boutiques and galleries. Engage with the Cuban people and listen to bands perform along the Obispo pedestrian street. Take a ride in a classic car along Havana’s ocean boulevard, the Malecon, where fishermen, musicians and lovers pass the time into the evening hours. Holland’s Cuba itineraries vary and can also include other Caribbean ports (Cozumel, the Bahamas, Jamaica, Cayman Islands).

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