Destinations

Sit back and enjoy the view. You may want to splurge on an ocean view cabin or balcony stateroom for some of these trips.

Typical 7-night routes travel round-trip from Seattle or Vancouver. Some ships cruise one-way between one of those ports and Juneau or Anchorage via Alaska’s Inside Passage, a series of connecting waterways between the thousands of forested islands. Fishing towns and the occasional small city dot the coast, but otherwise it’s all about nature. Top sights on the weeklong route include Glacier Bay National Park, Tracy Arm fjord, or (mostly for small ships) Misty Fjords National Monument. Much of the coastline is wilderness, with snowcapped mountain peaks, glaciers, and rain forests. You may see whales, eagles, sea lions, sea otters, and mountain sheep (bears aren’t easy to spot from the decks of a megaship).

From your ship’s deck, look out for calving glaciers, when chunks of ice break off and splash into the water. A “flightseeing” tour by small plane or helicopter offers an aerial view of the glaciers, waterfalls, and forested mountains. One cruise excursion includes a helicopter ride over Juneau’s Mendenhall Glacier, followed by a two-hour glacier hike with the chance to bend down and take a drink from the freshly melted ice. Kayaking excursions and forest treks are also a must.

May through September (the rest of the year is colder and rainier).

Hawaii…. Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island, where you can see everything from volcanoes to beaches.

the Big Island’s pair of famous volcanoes: Mauna Kea and the still-active Kilauea. Sailing at night between Kona and Hilo may even offer views of the lava flowing and glowing. On Kauai, the jagged mountain ridge and steep cliffs on the Na Pali Coast are particularly stunning.

temperatures stay in the upper 70s to mid-80s year-round, though it’s slightly rainier between November and March.

Baja California & the Sea of Cortez

Weeklong sailings round-trip from La Paz (the capital city of Baja California Sur) cruise around the Baja Peninsula and visit Bahía Magdelena, Los Cabos, Gorda Banks, Los Islotes, and Isla Espiritu Santo islands. The Baja Peninsula stretches some 800 miles from the U.S. border to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Small ships typically leave from La Paz or Cabo San Lucas to sail on the Sea of Cortez (or eastern) side of the peninsula. Trips focus on up-close encounters with nature.

Top excursions include a bus tour to Bahía Magdelena on the Pacific coast, where guides take you out in small zodiac or panga boats to one of the world’s best whale-watching grounds. Gray whales winter here and breed their young, and you can often get close-up views. Snorkeling and kayaking are also top experiences. On the sparsely inhabited coastal islands, you can also hike the arid landscape and go tide-pooling along the rocky coast.

Credit: Paul Gauguin

A 7-night cruise round-trip from Papeete, Tahiti, visits Raiatea, Motu Mahana, Bora Bora, and Moorea. Bora Bora’s two volcanic peaks, Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia, tower over the teal-blue water. Since most islands are the remains of extinct volcanoes, many are surrounded by lagoons, palm-fringed motus (islets), and barrier reefs teeming with underwater sea life.

Snorkeling and diving here is among the best in the world. Other than the schools of fluorescent-colored fish, you can see everything from fuchsia sea anemones to clam shells ridged with bright purple and green.

This part of the South Pacific is balmy year-around with average temps between 75 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and lagoon water temperatures averaging between 73 and 70 degrees. There is more rain between November and March, so plan accordingly.

Ponant, Lindblad, Swann Hellenic: several options from Ushuaia, Argentina. Lines like Lindblad Expeditions deploy a fleet of Zodiacs and kayaks so passengers can duck into desolate coves, glide next to ice floes, and get within arm’s length of wildlife (Adélie penguins are adorable).

Highlights include passing through the towering blue icebergs of the Lemaire Channel and seeing icebergs with their steep sides and flat tops at the entrance to the Weddell Sea. Kayaking and “beach” landings are a must. November through February; the window is short because the rest of the year is too cold (try 50 degrees below zero!) and too dark.

New Zealand:

Suggested cruising between Sydney and Auckland focuses mostly on ports in the scenic Southern Island of New Zealand, including Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin (and Tauranga in the North Island). You’ll also cruise through the fjords. Highlights include Fiordland National Park in the southwestern corner of South Island, where the brilliantly named Dusky, Doubtful, and Milford sounds reside. Gaze up at the snow-peaked mountains that rise straight up from the sea. On the eastern coast of the South Island, the view from the ship includes dense forests to rolling farmland dotted with sheep and cattle.

Top excursions include kayaking trips through the fjords, where you may spot bottlenose dolphins or seals lazing on the rocks.

Reminder:  November through April, when it’s summer in the Southern Hemisphere and in New Zealand.

Some of the best excursion might be a six-mile hike across the top of Flo Mountain. For this tour, passengers disembark in the tiny port of Hellesylt before the ship moves on to nearby Geiranger to anchor for the day. The three-hour walk winds along a path that weaves along a river, hugs cliffs, and meanders though windswept fields — all framed by mountain ranges in the distance. The excursion ends with a bus ride to the top of the Dalsnibba peak for views of Geirangerfjord down below.

Weather: Summer: May through September for the warmest weather (summers in northern Norway range from 50 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit; winters are cold, with temps ranging between 14 degrees and 35 degrees).