Most travel advisors will tell you which cruise line fits your style. I’d rather show you. Over the past year, I’ve set out to sail across the full range, from a mega-ship with thousands of passengers (Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Sea) to a two-week luxury suite with complimentary laundry service and excursions, so that when I recommend a line to you, I’m speaking from experience, not a brochure. My focus is premium and luxury travel, so that’s where most of this series lives, but it helps to have a mainstream baseline to compare against.

Here’s where I’ve been so far, and where I’m headed next.

Where I’ve Been

Virgin Voyages & MSC Yacht Club: My First Steps Into Premium/Luxury

Sailing on Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady taught me that “premium” isn’t about being fancy or traditional. It’s about how a cruise makes you feel: relaxed, valued, and looked after. From there, I explored MSC’s Yacht Club, a private enclave tucked inside a much larger ship, complete with its own lounge, pool deck, and butler service. It’s a smart bridge for travelers who want big-ship energy with a taste of exclusivity. Read the full recap →

Azamara Quest: Small Ship, Big Impression

Azamara sits in that space between upper-premium and entry-level luxury, and sailing on Azamara Quest showed me why people who try small-ship cruising rarely go back to mega-ships. The crew learned my name by day two. White Night on deck was a genuine highlight. My one honest note for clients: standard cabin bathrooms run small, and I’d rather tell you that upfront than let you find out at check-in. Read the full review →

Regent Seven Seas: Two Weeks of All-Inclusive Luxury

Two weeks aboard Regent Seven Seas Grandeur, sailing from Barcelona through the Greek Isles and Egypt to Istanbul in an F2 Signature Suite, taught me more about what “all-inclusive luxury” really means than any amount of research could. This is the category where the details disappear and the experience takes over. Read the full review →

Where I’m Headed

August: Celebrity Cruises. A step back into contemporary cruising, and a good chance to see how it holds up against the premium and luxury lines I’ve been sailing.

September: Ireland with CIE Tours. I’ll be hosting a group on a guided tour through Ireland, a different kind of trip entirely, and a chance to show what having an advisor along on a land tour actually adds.

November: Viking, France. This one’s a first for me in more ways than one, my first time sailing with Viking, and my first river cruise ever. I’m looking forward to comparing the pace and feel of river cruising against everything I’ve experienced at sea so far.

December: MSC Meraviglia. Back to a mega-ship, this time to properly experience MSC outside the Yacht Club enclave.

April: Explora Journeys, inaugural sailing for the Explora IV, Genoa to Lisbon. A brand-new ship for this luxury line. There won’t be much firsthand information out there yet, so this one, I’m especially looking forward to sharing.

Why This Matters for You

Every line markets itself as the best choice. While I can research each line and sell them with confidence, experiencing them myself, seeing first hand the difference in the pace, the service, the size, the little details that never show up in a brochure. That’s the whole point of this series: fewer assumptions, more firsthand answers.

Follow along as each trip gets its own recap, and feel free to reach out anytime with questions about where you might fit into all of this.