The 10 Most Unique Cruises in the World

Aranui 5

First up on our wanderlust list is a cruise we heard about a few years ago when we were in the South Pacific. We met a man who was about to board a cruise called Aranui 5 by Aranui Cruises. This is not a typical cruise ship, but a custom-built, passenger, and freighter ship with a dual purpose, to provide a comfortable small vessel cruise experience for 230 passengers while dropping off shipped supplies to islands on the route. It’s an eleven-day cruise through the Marquesas Islands. This company offers other island routes, but they are all unique cruises that combine freight delivery for an unbelievable cruising experience. To learn other things to do in Tahiti, check out our travel guide to Moorea.

The Kimberley Expedition Cruise

This cruise is on Coral Expeditions and is called The Kimberley Cruise. It casts off for a 10-night all-inclusive cruise in Darwin or Broome and hugs the northwestern coast, making stops in Zodiacs and and Xplorers to examine bays and hike. It is a true expedition cruise. Of all the unique cruises we’ve heard about, this is the one that many Australian travelers rave about.

Christmas on the Rhine

Our next cruise is a holiday river cruise from Viking River Cruises which begins in Amsterdam, Netherlands and ends in Basel, Switzerland. It is through this eight-day journey that you sail through storybook villages partaking in yuletide treats and Christmas traditions while visiting Christmas markets along the Rhine River. This is an eight-day voyage with festive cheer while celebrating the Season of Joy.

Dewi Nusantara

The cruise on our list is the Live Aboard, Dewi Nusantara. It offers a five-star luxury experience while transporting you around a few of the 17,000 islands that make up the country of Indonesia. The crew of nineteen includes four dive masters. The ambience is of a bygone era, luxury from top to bottom on this wooden schooner. They offer eight deluxe staterooms and a master suite.

Raja Ampat is Bev’s favorite place in the world. This area of Indonesia is the world’s best scuba diving location. This area is called the Coral Triangle and it reaches from the Philippines through Indonesia and down through Papua New Guinea, boasting more marine biodiversity than anywhere in the world. It is a remote area that doesn’t suffer from over tourism because it is hard to reach. Be sure to check out our Raja Ampat travel guide.

El Nil Dahabiya

Our next cruise is a sailboat down the Nile river in Egypt in a traditional dahabiya with the cruise line Nour El Nil. The cruise we are interested the El Nil, which gently sails its way down the Nile in luxury, stopping to explore the archeological sites at a smooth and slow pace. This is a six-night unique cruise and the dahabiya transports 20 passengers at a time. The cruise begins in Esna and ends in Aswan.

The Great Lakes Collection

Our next cruise is a little closer to home for us. The Viking Expedition Cruise through the five great lakes. The Great Lakes Collection expedition cruise combines all five of the lakes, or you can divide the experience and do either half. This cruise begins and ends in Toronto, Canada and Duluth, Minnesota. It passes by the thundering Niagara Falls and through the Soo Locks. While on the journey, you will learn about the granite islands and small inlets of the Georgian Bay. There is much to learn about the lake’s ecosystem and the beautiful forests that line the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. We love the idea of taking European River Cruises, but what a wonderful way to experience a Viking Expedition Cruise without traveling far from home.

Journey Across The Northwest Passage

The next cruise on our bucket list is the 23-day journey across the Northwest Passage above Canada on the Seabourn Venture. This ship carries 264 passengers and begins in Reykjavik, Iceland, makes stops in Greenland, and then crosses through the Arctic on it’s way across northern Canada on the famed Northwest Passage and ends in Anchorage, Alaska. This is an expedition cruise, so you can expect many stops where you board zodiacs that get you up close and personal to wildlife. It is billed as an educational cruise with a speaking series, that should be added to your retirement travel plans.

American Revolution Cruise

The next cruise line is one that you might not have heard of, The American Cruise Line. They offer river cruises and coastal cruises in US waters. The cruise we are so excited to take is the one they call, American Revolution. It begins and ends in Washington, D.C. on an 11-day journey as it explores sites and cities that shaped the American Revolution.  Along the voyage you can explore quaint towns and historic cities. This cruise includes Revolutionary War experts, authors, and re-enactors who join the fun in bringing our fantastic story of freedom to life.

This is the perfect cruise in retirement travel that combines a visit to our nation’s capital to see exhibits in the (free) Smithsonian and other historic sites around D.C.

Amazon & Caribbean Adventure

Our next cruise is a 13-day Ocean cruise by Viking Ocean Cruises. It leaves Puerto Rico and makes its way to the southern Caribbean Sea, stopping at two islands before landing in South America at French Guiana. It then makes its way to the Amazon River where it stops a few times before ending in Manaus, Brazil. The cruise includes eight guided tours and six countries. What a great opportunity to learn about the Amazon rainforest and the wildlife that call it home. Retirement travel is a time to keep learning and exploring, and this cruise is a great way to do it.

West Coast of Africa Cruise

The last retirement bucket list cruise is one we recently took. It is the Oceania West Coast of Africa cruise. We started in Cape Town, and disembarked in Lisbon, Portugal. This was the best cruise route we’ve ever been on because it introduced us to a part of the world that we’ve always wanted to explore. The people we met were gracious, and we learned so much about the landscape and sea life. We enjoyed the speaker’s series, too. For us, it seemed like a once in a lifetime retirement travel trip, and we took advantage of excursions at every stop.