How to Choose a Cruise Holiday that Suits Your Style of Travel

Last updated 30 May 2026

Whether it's your first time at sea or you're a seasoned cruiser, there's a style of cruise to match every travel personality. Are you looking for relaxation or an expedition? History and culture on a Mediterranean cruise, or walking on the Antarctic ice? Here's how to find your perfect match.

There are so many advantages to exploring the world by sea that they'll have you coming back again and again. With such variety, it's important to choose the style of cruise that suits you. Cruise lines carefully curate their service to ensure guests love their time onboard between exploring, so matching your interests and personality to a particular cruise line is the best recipe for a memorable holiday. Below we highlight a range of cruise experiences, so you can find the one that's right for you.

Looking for luxury

You're after a high-quality experience that takes care of all the details, so you can relax and enjoy some luxury along the way. If that sounds like you, an all-inclusive luxury or premium cruise line is your perfect match — comparable to leading luxury hotels, offering high-quality service and a consistency of experience when holiday time is at a premium.

Read more about Ultra Luxury cruise lines →

Experience seeker

If ticking off bucket-list experiences is your goal, cruising offers a world of options — authentic experiences that connect your passions with fascinating locations and behind-the-scenes opportunities. Consider expeditions to destinations like Antarctica, the Galapagos, the Amazon, Australia's Kimberley region, Alaska, or the Arctic and Norway's fjords.

Expeditions don't need to be adrenaline-filled, white-knuckle rides — many luxury lines now offer a “soft expedition” style, pairing genuine adventure with the comforts of a luxury ship. Read more in our article, Expedition Cruises: Not Just for the Intrepid Traveller.

River cruises

Alternatively, a European river cruise might be more what you're looking for. These are a wonderful way to really get to know the places and people as you journey through, and they often carry a special-interest theme — classical music, cycling or wine tasting among them. By booking early you can also combine earlybird specials with your plans to save on airfares; the river lines in particular often have air-credit offers of free or discounted flights on selected cruises.

Browse current European river cruises →

World cruises

For travellers with more time who want to experience as much as possible, world cruises and world-cruise segments offer the chance to settle in, unpack once, and wake up to a new port almost every day. Princess world cruises are popular as they offer itineraries that start and/or finish in Auckland, which saves travel time — an international airfare either isn't needed, or is needed on only one leg. Choose a segment of a longer voyage that takes in your top destinations, or experience it all on a full-length world cruise in comfort and luxury.

Explore world cruise voyages of 30+ days →

The OE option

Perhaps you have friends and relatives in the UK or Europe you'd love to reconnect with, or your favourite destinations are in that part of the world. If so, a Mediterranean, European or Scandinavia and Baltic cruise ticks all the boxes. As well as catching up with loved ones, you'll have the opportunity to experience some of the world's top attractions — and by planning ahead you can pair the cruise with a well-priced Business Class airfare to arrive refreshed.

Relaxation all the way

You're looking for a much-needed break, right from the moment you start planning. That means using a trusted provider who can take care of all the booking details and ensure your cruise experience is high-quality at a great price. A luxury or premium cruise is an ideal choice here, with many offering all-inclusive options so you pay one price for everything and planning stays simple. Choose an itinerary that fits your preference: stopping at more ports gives you the chance to explore different places without doing the research yourself, while itineraries with more days at sea give you extra time to relax and unwind.

There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to cruises. Instead, you can choose from a huge range of options to find the combination of destinations, service, onboard style and experiences that's right for you.