Wondering what it’s like to sail on the most opulent cruise ships, waited on by butlers and sleeping under 3,000-thread count sheets in suites designed by Ralph Lauren? Wonder no more – we’ve got the lowdown on the world’s most luxurious sailings, whether it’s expedition ship-based explorations of the Arctic or Champagne-soaked floats around the Caribbean.

No expense has been spared when it comes to suite decor on luxury ships. For ultimate opulence, opt for the Owner’s suites which you’ll find on Oceania Cruises' ships. These cover 1,991 square feet (185sqm), have two walk-in closets and entrance foyers with a grand piano and a mahogany bar. A 15-day Svalbard & Arctic Passage cruise with accommodation in the Grand Owner’s suite costs from £18,669 ($23,044) per person.

We’re increasingly seeing bigger budgets for ships’ decor. Huge amounts of cash are being splashed on sprucing up interiors, and one example of this decadence is Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Seven Seas Explorer, which has 473 Swedish-designed chandeliers, 45,876 square feet (4,262sqm) of marble, Versace-designed dinnerware, crystal glasses from Eastern Europe and a £10 million art collection which includes several Picassos.

After launching the world’s most luxurious train 140 years ago, Orient Express will launch an opulent ship to match. Orient Express Silenseas, which will take to the waves in 2026, will have 54 suites (including a 15,231-square-foot/1,415sqm Presidential Suite), two swimming pools, two restaurants and a speakeasy bar. Oh, and a recording studio. Prices are to be confirmed (but will inevitably be eye-watering).

Sail on Windstar Cruises’ Star Legend and you can book a suite inspired by exotic destinations and hotels. We recommend the suite inspired by the Sea Island resort in Georgia. Expect ocean-inspired colourways and plenty of sea-glass green. A Treasures of the Greek Isles cruise with Windstar starts from £3,036 ($3,745) per person.

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Book a sailing with Silversea and you’re guaranteed your own butler. They'll be on hand to help with everything from the unpacking of luggage to the opening of the Champagne bottles. They’re not just any butlers, either – they’ve undertaken a 108-point training programme created for the cruise line by the London-based School for Butlers. An 11-day Mediterranean Cruise in 2024 costs from £6,553 ($8,092) per person.

An abundance of onboard kit means that luxury ships don’t just help passengers get to the world’s most remote places – they help them get below the waves and into the skies too. Take Scenic Cruises – their Scenic Eclipse ship recently became the first vessel to offer both helicopter flights and submarine dives in the Canadian Arctic. An Antarctica in Depth cruise costs from £13,210 ($16,310) per person.

Love a session in the spa but value your personal space? Book Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Regent Suite, which you’ll find on Seven Seas Grandeur, due to launch in November 2023. Highlights include the two enormous bedrooms and the whirlpool bath on the balcony, although the pièce de resistance is the suite’s very own spa retreat.

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Set sail on one of SeaDream Yacht Club’s yacht-style vessels and you’ll be able to spend a night under the stars. At night, staff transform the upper deck’s huge Balinese day beds by adding luxurious bedlinens and fluffy pillows, allowing you to drift off to the sound of the ocean. Expect to pay around £3,000 ($3,700) for a seven-day cruise.

Love being waited on hand and foot? Both of SeaDream's yachts (SeaDream I and SeaDream II) accommodate just 112 guests and have a crew of 95, which means more than enough staff to ensure your Champagne glass is topped up at all times.

Zodiacs – small, fast boats carried on ships – make it easy to explore different landscapes, whether it’s the frozen tundra or the Galapagos’ wildlife-dotted islands. Special mentions go to Quark, which uses environmentally friendly four-stroke engine zodiacs; Silversea, famous for its expert-led zodiac excursions, and AE Expeditions – the line’s new expedition ship Sylvia Earle has 15 zodiacs. A seven-day Spitsbergen sailing with Quark costs from £4,500 ($5,547).

If peering at distant shorelines through binoculars doesn’t cut it, sign up for a sailing with Aurora Expeditions or AE Expeditions. AE Expeditions ships have tech-filled laboratories and lecture theatres, making it easy to gain new perspectives on the destinations in question. Guests can contribute to a wide range of research projects, including ones relating to micro-plastics and sea life. A 15-day Svalbard In Depth sailing starts from £9,836 ($12,137) per person.

Is spaciousness a priority? Consider Oceania Cruises. Their newest ship Vista (which sets sail in May 2023) is tipped as having the largest entry-level staterooms at sea (280 square feet/26sqm, if you were wondering). We’re equally excited about the Dom Perignon Experience – during this six-course extravaganza you’ll sip Dom Perignon Champagnes chosen to suit the various dishes. A 10-day Bangkok to Singapore cruise starts from £4,319 ($5,335) per person.

Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Flora, which has space for just 100 passengers and is based permanently in the Galapagos Islands, is a pint-sized ship that can effortlessly access the areas other vessels can’t reach. But our favourite feature is the stargazing platform. Head here for stargazing sessions led by the ship’s onboard astronomer. You’ll pay from £6,313 ($7,796) for a Galapagos Inner Loop sailing on Celebrity Flora.

Simply swinging a bottle against the side of a ship is so passé. In January 2023 Viking christened new luxury ship Viking Neptune. The ship’s godmother Nicole Stott (a retired NASA astronaut) used a traditional Viking broad axe to cut the rope, which sent a bottle of fizz smashing into the ship. A 13-day Mediterranean Odyssey cruise with Viking costs £4,790 ($5,911).

Abercrombie & Kent Luxury Expedition Cruises – previously known as Crystal Cruises – are famous for their onboard experts. The cruise line’s expedition leaders include explorer James McClintock, recipient of the Antarctica Service Medal, and former Royal Marine Commando Russ Manning, who served as base commander in the South Orkneys and earned the Polar Medal. A 14-night Arctic Cruise Adventure with Abercrombie & Kent costs from £14,515 ($17,922).

Not all cruise passengers want to fill their suitcases with ballgowns and tuxedos, and luxury cruises no longer necessarily mean headache-inducing rules relating to what should be worn when. There are no formal nights on sailings with Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and SeaDream Yacht Club. The dress code for SeaDream Yacht Club is simply “country-club casual” although guests are asked to avoid wearing t-shirts or jeans to dinner.

Okay, not the type ridden by Aladdin. We’re talking about Celebrity Cruises’ Magic Carpet – a cantilevered platform which appears to float in thin air, and which glides up and down the side of Celebrity Edge, one of the cruise line’s most luxurious ships. Depending on what level it stops at, the Magic Carpet can become a restaurant, bar or nightclub, although the one constant is breathtaking views.

Dread disembarkation day? Why not simply stay onboard? No, we’re not suggesting claiming squatters’ rights at the end of your cruise, but splashing out on a cabin on The World, described by its owners as a luxury private residence at sea. There are 165 residences available for purchase and the ship sails around the planet – in 2023 it will visit South Asia, the Middle East, the Iberian Peninsula, Greenland, South America and Antarctica. Some residents live on the ship full-time, while others visit throughout the year, and residences start at around £1m ($1.2m).

One of the best examples is Scenic Cruises. Book a sailing with this luxury cruise line and the fare includes absolutely everything, whether it’s international and internal flights or fine dining, butler service and excursions.

Okay, so no cruise ship restaurant has bagged a Michelin star yet, but plenty of Michelin-starred chefs have helped shape the cuisine on cruise ships. Cornelius Gallagher has designed the menus for Celebrity Ascent, which sets sail in September 2023, and Seabourn has worked closely with Thomas Keller in the past. There’s no shortage of innovation, either – SeaDream Yacht Club recently launched the first plant-based menu at sea.

Luxury cruise lines are going all out to provide fascinating insights into the explorers who first mapped these regions. In 2024, Scenic launches several East Antarctic cruises focusing on the routes taken by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. If you sail through the Arctic on Ponant’s Le Commandant Charcot (the world’s only luxury ice breaker), a team of 23 polar experts will help you gain a whole new perspective on these remote regions.

Collaborations between cruise lines and famous names in the world of food and entertainment are common, and now some of the world’s top designers are getting in on the act. Ralph Lauren has teamed up with Oceania Cruises to ramp up the wow factor of the Owner’s Suites on Vista, which launches in May 2023. Expect the design house’s furnishings in the living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms.

What better way to toast your voyage than with vast quantities of Champagne and caviar? For many SeaDream Yacht Club guests, the highlight of every Caribbean sailing is the Champagne & Caviar Splash, when a gourmet barbecue – which mainly consists of unlimited quantities of Champagne and caviar – is served on the nearest sandy white beach.

If you’re planning on a bucket list-worthy sailing on one of the more luxurious ships, you’ll need to bag your spot early on. Take Azamara’s World Voyage, a 155-night, 37-country sailing which takes place in 2024 and is currently sold out (there’s a waiting list of passengers hoping for cancellations). Luckily, spots on the 2025 World Voyage are still available – if you’ve got a minimum of £34,500 ($42,622) to spare.

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