Best of Cruising - Find Your Perfect Cruise Match

Join Ryan and Julie from Wonder and Beyond Travel for their milestone 300th episode as they break down the best cruises for every type of traveler. Whether you're a first-timer or seeking deep cultural immersion, this comprehensive guide will help you find your ideal cruise experience.

What You'll Discover:

Best Cruises for First-Time Cruisers: Looking for familiar destinations with clear daily routines and minimal stress? Perfect options include:

• River Cruising: Viking River Cruises (adults-only calm energy, straightforward inclusions) and AMA Waterways (small ships, intuitive layouts, guided touring included)
• Ocean Cruising: Celebrity Cruises (modern design, balanced activities), Princess Cruises (strong Alaska partnerships, clear experiences), and Royal Caribbean (variety of ships and activities)

Best Cruises for Immersive Exploration: For travelers who want destinations to take center stage with meaningful, unhurried experiences:

• Riviera Travel: Elegant European-style river cruising timed to special events (tulip season, Oktoberfest)
• Azamara Cruises: Longer port stays and overnight stops for true destination immersion, plus signature "AzAmazing Evenings"
• Lindblad Expeditions: Deep exploration to Alaska, Galapagos, and Antarctica with naturalists and experts onboard

Best Value Cruises: Understanding what's included and maximizing your return on investment:

• River Options: AMA Waterways and Viking (nearly all-inclusive experiences)
• Ocean Options: Royal Caribbean (wide variety for families and groups), Disney Cruise Line (premium service eliminates mental load for parents)
• Domestic: American Cruise Lines (U.S. rivers, nearly all-inclusive, drive-to embarkation)

Bonus Feature: Julie shares an exciting Ireland trip she planned around a Luke Combs concert at Slane Castle, including Guinness tours, Jameson Distillery, and unique experiences like a sheepdog demonstration at a thousand-year-old fort.

This episode celebrates finding the cruise style that matches your travel personality—not ranking cruise lines, but helping you discover where you belong on the water. Perfect for anyone considering their first cruise or looking to try a different cruise experience.

Episode 300 of All Things Travel, hosted by Ryan and Julie, your travel experts from Wonder and Beyond Travel

Transcript

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 0:00

Hello and welcome to All Things Travel. To start off the new year, we're going to be doing some best of series, and today we're gonna talk about the best of cruising. No matter what type of cruiser you are, we have some suggestions for you.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 0:15

Listen in with Ryan and Julie, your travel experts from Wonder and Beyond Travel. He is your travel professor teaching you everything you need to know to have a magical vacation. And I'm a Disney loving Maryland mom of three and a specialist in family travel. Whether we're discussing incredible destinations, top vacation tips, or sharing personal stories, it's always all things travel.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 0:41

So Julie, this particular episode has quite a distinction. Do you know why

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 0:48

What is it?

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 0:49

it's episode number 300?

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 0:52

Woo hoo.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 0:53

So I just wanna pat ourselves on the back just a little bit because we have been putting out an all things travel episode first with Shane and myself, and then with me by myself for a little while. And then with the two of us since July of 2020.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 1:12

Impressive. Impressive.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 1:14

and here's a little stat that most people don't know. the majority of podcasts do not make it past episode seven.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 1:21

What?

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 1:22

Yeah. That I'm a hundred percent. as researched by Buzz Sprout, which is a, Podcasting company that we work with, and they track different podcasts. Number seven, tends to be the tipping point. And so getting to episode 300, I'm super pumped. So for almost half of those episodes, you've been with us, haven't you? You started, what episode did you start?

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 1:45

It was 172 aired in, August of 23.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 1:53

what I've loved most is a lot of our episode ideas have come from listeners. I know we have listeners that have been with us for years. And that's just really cool. We've had clients, come from this podcast that have traveled all over the world. That's always fun. We've had clients and other travel advisor friends on the shows to share their experiences. I just love talking travel and Julie, all things travel's been a great way to do that.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 2:22

It has been, and it led us to starting our own agency.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 2:26

Absolutely.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 2:26

it's, I, I'd say it's been fun. Yeah.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 2:31

Okay. All right. Well on that, uh, on that glorious note, that's about as much affection as Julie ever shows me in our friendship. Um, yeah, it's okay. I guess, whatever.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 2:43

Okay, so today we're talking about the best of cruising and like Ryan mentioned earlier, we thought it would be fun to do a best of series and we're gonna pick different destinations. this is the best of this and the best of this.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 2:56

Yeah.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 2:57

is all about cruising.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 2:58

And when it comes to cruising, best of does not mean one cruise line or one style of cruising. Really, what we're gonna talk about today is a way to kind of find your personality and yourself in cruising, because cruising today can span anything from, highly immersive to weekend party. And so really, you know, what are you looking for when it comes to cruising? We are not ranking anything. This is not a top 10. This is suggestions based on how you want to cruise. So Julie, let's talk about the first best of when it comes to cruising.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 3:36

All right, so we are gonna talk about the best cruises for first time cruisers. And when we think about a

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 3:44

Okay.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 3:45

cruiser, they usually want a clear daily rhythm. And what we mean by that is they can easily understand what is going on day to day. They feel comfortable navigating the ship, it's going to some familiar, safe and comfortable destinations.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 4:00

this is the classic Caribbean cruise. I know what I'm getting myself into. I've seen this before. I've had friends that have gone on this. it's familiar.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 4:09

agreed. it can also be minimal stress, not a lot of decision making, which I think also goes into like those familiar destinations. So, Ryan, can you give us some examples

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 4:19

Sure.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 4:20

these first time cruisers

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 4:21

Well, and, and today I'm gonna talk about river cruising and ocean cruising we often think of just ocean cruising. But river cruising is always there. And the first and foremost is Viking River Cruises. If anyone knows anything about river cruising, Viking is the one that they think of. because of their advertising, because of their reach out. why do people choose this even if they're first time cruisers? It's adults only. It has a calm, onboard energy. They're straightforward inclusion, so there you're not getting on board and being nickel and DMed about anything. You know exactly what you're paying for and what's already included. There's also a strong cultural content for beginners. if you want to learn about the destinations, if you want be educated, Viking is a really strong way to do that.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 5:08

Agreed. And actually any first time River Cruiser I've had has always booked

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 5:14

yes. Or the next one, which you know, is my favorite, Amma Waterways. the reason why this is great for first time cruisers, they're small ships, it has intuitive layouts. guided touring is included. You don't have to worry about, Finding things once you've selected on the app, your experience. It's already included. It's ideal for travelers who like structure but without rigidity. So they let you do what you want, but they're also gonna gonna provide you lots of things to do throughout the day. If we're talking about ocean cruises, the first I wanna talk about is celebrity. And I chose celebrity here. Celebrity's kind of the big brother to Royal Caribbean. They're the same company. but celebrity, I think in most areas just kind of has a little step up, when it comes to food, when it comes to decor, when it comes to activities. And so I think for first time cruisers, it has a lot of bang for buck. With its modern design, its easy flow of ship layout. It has a balanced mix of dining, entertainment, and downtime. it has a really good get on the ship and just everything's taken care of, feel to it.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 6:21

Yeah, and I will throw a quick call out here. I have some cruisers who are very, very loyal. Royal Caribbean, I mean. times a year. World Caribbean cruisers. And they did their first celebrity cruise, in November, she got off the ship and was like, I missed that ship already. so it was just really funny to hear that'cause they've been on so many rural Caribbean ships and I was really happy for them that they enjoyed celebrity as well. that just says to me, you know, this is a lovely experience.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 6:53

is, it really is. And to be honest, even when my kids went as younger teenagers, that was their favorite cruise line. So it's not just for adults. it's very much for the entire family. I also put Princess on this list primarily because Princess has. Some very good relationships with destinations, particularly Alaska. And so they get to do things that not every cruise ship gets to do. Alaska, Europe, Panama Canal, they're very, straightforward when it comes to what they can do, what's included. So I think for a first time cruiser, they would feel very comfortable on Princess.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 7:32

And I also like that you mentioned it's a pretty clear and upfront cruise experience, but you're not overloaded with activities to do. I know sometimes clients want a lot to do on the ship, but once you board that ship, that can feel very overwhelming. so I like that Princess is kind of a good middle of the range between like these mega ships. And the older, smaller ships.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 7:55

So the second category of best of Julie is Best Cruise for immersive exploration. these are people that really want to use their cruise time to learn, explore, and really get into where they're going. destinations take center stage. They want a really nice cruise experience, but really they wanna be there because they want to visit this island in Greece or they want to go on this type of itinerary. They wanna see the A, B, C islands and in the Caribbean, because they've done the general. Tour, or maybe they wanna do something completely different and immerse themselves in a European country. So the destination is the center stage. So that time in port really matters. a lot of times the, at least the examples I'm going to to show. the ships are smaller, but they don't sacrifice space and service. In fact, they use that to their advantage because there's less people, and these types of folks really want to have meaningful travel and not feel rushed.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 9:01

Yes, and I will also toss in don't be surprised if these are cruise lines that you haven't necessarily heard of, because these are not the ones that you see on TV all the time.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 9:09

Yeah. And in fact the first one is gonna be a river focused option, which is Riviera Travel. for our North American listeners, they haven't even heard about this cruise line till this year.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 9:19

Mm-hmm.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 9:20

it's primarily a British cruise line, but I've had folks go on river cruises with them that absolutely fell in love and they are definitely opening the market up. To, people from around the globe. When we're talking about Riviera, we're talking about elegant, understated, European style, excellent cultural enrichment. So having things both on the ship and off the ship that helps you learn and understand the destination. And it appeals to thoughtful, experience driven travelers. one of the things I like about Riviera, which makes it challenging for my job, but I like it from a travel experience, is they don't travel everywhere all the time. So they're only in the Netherlands when it's tulip time, or they're only in this area of Germany when it's October Fest. So they really maximized being there as part of the experience.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 10:12

Yeah, and I think that just speaks volumes to what their goals are for their travelers. They really want you to experience Things that they think are special.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 10:22

So what could we look at as far as an ocean cruise line that focuses on this immersive experience? Julie?

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 10:31

This one, we're gonna say Aza Mara Cruises. And again, probably not a cruise line you've heard of, but we have certainly heard of

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 10:37

Yes.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 10:38

their signature is that they have longer ports, days, and. Overnight port stops as well, a lot of times you will go on a cruise and your time in port will be like six hours, which is not a lot of time when it's your first time at a new European destination. So to have an overnight. That longer port stay is really, really special. There is a lot of destination immersion going on with Zamara they really focus on slow travel biases. You're definitely, you're not rushed, you're very immersed. Zamara also treats their guests to what they call an ZA Amazing evening,

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 11:16

Yep.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 11:16

like a specialty party in destination, very culture forward. Just a really lovely immersive experience.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 11:25

And then when we're talking about immersion, we're getting into that expedition style. So I'm looking at a company like Linblad Expeditions, who often partners with National Geographic, this can be for the adults, but it can also be for the family through programs like Adventures by Disney. And with Linblad, you're doing. Deep exploration places like Alaska, the Galapagos, even Antarctica, you're having daily learning and active exploration. So you may have naturalists on board or geologists on board that are running lectures or lab time, if you will. And the luxury for these types of trips are defined by access and expertise, not formality, but to say that you're also not sacrificing anything when you get back on the ship. These ships are gorgeous and the service and attention to detail is top notch.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 12:19

The one thing that's always stuck with me about these ships that do the expedition cruising is it's like you're going out and having this amazing, experience, in the field, but you're coming back to this luxury experience where you can just feel completely comfortable again. It's like you're getting out of your comfort zone and then they really wanna make sure you're comfortable back on the ship.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 12:39

Absolutely a hundred percent. I've got one more type of cruise to talk about the best of, but first, Julie, I wanna know where in the world is wonder and beyond travel with your clients.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 12:52

All right. I'm gonna highlight a really fun Ireland trip that I just booked for some clients, and they came to me with their idea for this trip because they're actually going to see Luke Combs live at Slain Castle. this is not the first time this year. I've had a client approach me to plan an event, like a concert.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 13:10

huh.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 13:11

is such a cool way to, do something you really love and be like, you know what, I'm just gonna go for it and make a whole trip around this. So this is two young adults traveling. It'll be their first time in Ireland and they're going this July, and they're doing a really unique itinerary. So they're starting in Dublin, making their way to Cork and then to Galway. And they are doing, you know, some of the traditional things like, Going to St. Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin. They're going to the Jameson Distillery. They're going to the Blarney Castle, and the Cliffs of Moore. But some of the more unique things they're doing is they're doing a self-guided Guinness storehouse tour with tasting. They're also doing a self-drive up to a town called Dundalk Ireland, because they are from Dundalk, Maryland. it's actually kind of near where the concert is. that worked out really well. They're also going to the Titanic experience, which sounds amazing and not what I would think to do in Dublin. It's actually a virtual journey, starting with boarding the tenders and then joining the Titanic for the maiden voyage. that just sounds like such a cool like cinematic experience that they're gonna get to have and another unique thing they're doing. Is a sheep dog show and a with a fort tour. they're gonna go see those, the border collies and doing demonstrations. And then right behind that is the thousand year old fort. Like just sounds really unique and very much like Ireland esque, if that makes sense. So that just sounds like a really fun itinerary and I love that they're pairing that with seeing Luke Combs at Slain Castle.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 14:53

That sounds like a great trip. if they're into whiskeys, make sure they also go to teling. In, in, in, in Dublin. Yep. Absolutely. So, so, no, the, this sounds like a great trip, man. I've been jonesing for Ireland lately. I don't know why, but I'm just excited to hear all about this. we love celebrating with our clients, based on where they're headed. It inspires curiosity in both them and us. we can't wait to hear about their trip when they return. And especially combining this Ireland trip with this concert, I think is gonna be amazing. And if you work with Julia or myself, who knows, maybe your trip will be featured next. All right, Julie. the next area of best of has to do with best value crews. Now, when you hear value, I am not talking about cheapest. I'm talking about knowing what's included and getting the value for the price you're paying. What's your return on investment? What's your return on cruise, if you will? knowing what's included and what adds up later, having predictability with that and the value can show up in how relaxed you feel during the trip. You're not having to constantly think about, can we do this? Can we not do this? How much is this adding? I want to start with my favorite, and that's Amma waterways On my last cruise, Julie, I did an entire week on the Danube, and my total bill afterwards was the gratuities that I paid to the, crew, the cruise before that, that I did. The only thing I paid for after paying for the package was the gratuities and a shirt that I had bought in the gift shop. And on this last cruise, my flights and transfers were factored in already. So really, I went having prepaid, 95% of my trip.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 16:50

Yeah, and that's such a good feeling when you come off a vacation and you don't have to look at your credit card statement.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 16:58

And I would also put Viking in that category as well. very upfront with their pricing. You know what you're paying for. You know what you're gonna have to pay for once you're there. Or you can prepay for things like gratuities or excursions So that, again. It's all taken care of ahead of your trip, not during or after your trip.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 17:19

absolutely prefer that.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 17:20

what are some options when it comes to ocean cruising?

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 17:23

So for ocean cruising, we're gonna highlight a couple different cruise lines and the first one will be no surprise, and that's Royal Caribbean. This is a really great value, especially for families and for groups, mostly because

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 17:36

I.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 17:36

such a wide variety of itineraries and ships to choose from. if you wanna go on the newest ship, you absolutely can do that you know though, you're paying to go on the newest ship. But if it's your first time cruising or you're ready for something that is a little more, affordable, you can choose a smaller ship that's still going to the same destinations There are also a ton of dining and activity options on the ship. So when you think about the cost of what you're pegging and, what you're getting back, you could do the escape room, laser tag, you can do the flow rider, you can do zip line, you can do the waterparks. There is so much that is already included in the price of what you're paying for that cruise.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 18:16

what about when it comes to families and multi-generational trips? Are there some good value cruise lines?

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 18:23

So I'm gonna say yes, and I'm gonna say Disney Cruise Line, and

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 18:27

Shocker.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 18:28

that. know it is. It is so surprising and let me tell you, Ryan, I think I price a Disney cruise for my family probably four times a week.'cause I just dream about it. by value with Disney Cruise Line, I really just wanna emphasize. When I board that ship, I don't feel like I have a mental load. As a parent, it just goes away and it feels like more of a vacation. It can be a high upfront cost for that cruise, but the experience is absolutely top notch. The service is amazing. The shows are amazing. What your daily itinerary options are, are just nonstop. If you want it to be, all the entertainment is included. Majority of dining and drinks are included. There's not dining packages to choose from. I think you absolutely get your money's worth with Disney cruise line.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 19:18

And lastly, I put in American cruise lines under this. And for those not familiar with American Cruise lines, it is a river cruise company that runs exclusively in the United States. almost everything is included When you book with American Cruise Lines, and even if you're adding excursions in, we're talking like$20 a person. these are small. Add-ons. It's great for travelers who want to see a lot of things. Without the international logistics, a lot of folks can drive and pick up a ship, it's often appealing to multi-generational groups because it allows them to come together more easily, rather than international trips, and then also learn, portions of history or seeing different parts of the country while they're together.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 20:04

Yeah, I love that. when you think about pulling your kids out of school to go on vacation, this is really in the alley of an educational trip.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 20:13

So as we wrap up, Julie, when we talked about Best of Today, for first Time Cruisers, they're wanting clarity and transparency when it comes to knowing what they're getting and what the cruise is gonna be like. Immersive Travelers want depth. They want to know that they're gonna see the destination. feel the destination, and learn about the destination. And then our value driven travelers want ease and transparency when it comes to what they're paying why they're paying and when they're paying.

j_1_01-05-2026_152302: 20:42

The world is full of wonder and your next great adventure is waiting at Wonder and Beyond Travel. We work with you to create a one of a kind journey, taking the stress off your plate so you can focus on the joy of exploring and the memories that will stay with you forever. you're ready to start planning or just want to dream a little bigger, head over to Wonder and beyond travel.com. We'd love to help you get started.

ryan_2_01-05-2026_152302: 21:08

We look forward to talking to you next week on all Things Travel, When we discuss traveling during the off season versus the peak season, and we'll do the math to show you the difference.