The 15 coolest ports and places to visit by ship in 2026

Top destinations for 2026: Cruise ports and places

More people than ever are hopping aboard cruise ships, and their options are expanding in every corner of the globe. Here are 15 trending port and cruise destinations.

Persian Gulf

Good tourism infrastructure and airline connections, a predictable climate, distinctive culture and conveniently close ports: about time this region got some cruise attention. And indeed, Dubai’s cruise terminal is now a major hub, and other new terminals grace the harbourfronts of Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait, Doha and Abu Dhabi. MSC Cruises is a regional regular and homeports MSC Euribia in Dubai over the winter cruise season. Small-ship company Celestyal Cruises has extended its Persian Gulf options, and Explora Journeys is arriving in the 2026-27 season for itineraries across the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula. Expect more to come. See explorajourneys.com; celestyal.com; msccruises.com.au

East Antarctica

Almost all ships that visit this vast frozen continent limit themselves to the Antarctica Peninsula below South America’s tip. No more, with limited but increasing options that now allow explorations of East Antarctica and the Ross Sea, a long sail south-east of Australia. The cruise lines heading there over the next couple of seasons are Aurora Expeditions, Heritage Expeditions, Ponant and Scenic, with departures either from Hobart or various New Zealand ports. Apart from Antarctic glacial and wildlife attractions, visitors can visit Sir Douglas Mawson’s historical exploration base. See explorajourneys.com; aurora-expeditions.com; heritage-expeditions.com; ponant.com; scenic.com.au

India

Since 2024 the Indian government has been on a mission to increase India’s cruise presence and is building a half-dozen new ocean-cruise terminals, and more than 100 on rivers. The epicentre is Mumbai, where a new terminal that can process a million passengers annually opened in April. Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean have signalled keenness to boost passenger numbers and are courting domestic cruisers: last year India produced a record 374,000 cruise passengers. Meanwhile, Indian company Cordelia Cruises homeports in Mumbai and will soon be operating three ships. See cordeliacruises.com; costacruises.com; msccruises.com; ncl.com; royalcaribbean.com

Douro River, Portugal

The Douro fleet has been growing steadily. In 2024 new ship MS Estrela launched for APT and Travelmarvel, Porto Mirante sailed out for Riviera Travel, and Avalon Alegra for Avalon Waterways. This year it was the turn of Riviera Rose, AmaSintra and Viking Glyda; new Uniworld and Tauck ships arrive in 2027. More than 20 companies now operate on the Douro and sailing dates have been extended into late autumn. Cruises usually sail return from Porto to the Spanish border, with an add-on land excursion to Salamanca and stops at vineyards, baroque towns and palaces along the way. See visitportugal.com

Lisbon, Portugal

Talking of Portugal, Lisbon broke all kinds of cruise records in 2024, including the most annual passenger visitors (763,752), the greatest number of cruise-ship visits (369) and the most cruise ships (133), of which 15 were visiting Lisbon for the first time. It seems investment in its new cruise terminal, inaugurated in 2017, is finally paying off after the pandemic pause. Thanks to its climate, culture and cuisine, Lisbon has also surged in popularity with holidaymakers; it was named Europe’s leading city destination by the World Travel Awards in 2024. See visitportugal.com

Japan

Japan was on our Hot List last year for its rise in expedition cruising. But its popularity shows no sign of abating, and it now gets a shout-out for its big-ship boom. This year 2.5 million cruisers are expected in Japan, a record number. Norwegian Cruise Line ran almost triple the number of Japan voyages this year, Princess Cruises is expanding its season next year and again in 2027, and Carnival Cruise Line is visiting ports such as Osaka and Fukuoka for the first time in 2027. Meanwhile, Disney Cruise Line is planning to have a ship permanently in Japan from 2029. See carnival.com; disneycruise.com; ncl.com; princess.com

Alaska

Alaska has long been a cruise staple, but cruising has been going off recently, with a record season in 2024 and more cruise lines than ever set to visit over the next couple of years. In 2026 MSC Cruises and Virgin Voyages arrive for the first time, Azamara returns after a seven-year hiatus, and Royal Caribbean and Princess will have their biggest seasons ever. Other ships such as Oceania’s Regatta are arriving for the first time. How residents will react to the invasion remains to be seen, with increasing pushback against cruise-passenger numbers in ports such as Juneau. See travelalaska.com

China

China wants to grow its cruise market and, while its sights are on its huge domestic market of growing middle-class consumers, it is courting international passengers, too. A wide range of cruise lines from budget to luxury increasingly call at Chinese ports on trans-Asian voyages. MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean notably homeport ships in Shanghai and a second Royal Caribbean ship will be based in Tianjin soon. Shanghai is now the world’s sixth-busiest cruise port. Meanwhile, Viking Cruises has become the first major cruise line to offer entirely domestic sailings to international customers. See msccruises.com; royalcaribbean.com; vikingcruises.com

Europe in winter

Cruising has long been associated with sun, but Mediterranean crowds, bushfires and heatwaves are encouraging cruisers to consider the off-season. The Mediterranean season has been lengthening, with many cruise lines now sailing over part or all of the winter. New ship Oceania Allura sails its first winter season in 2027-28 and new Explora V in 2027-28. Even the Baltic has seen a surge in winter wanderings. Copenhagen received more than 50 cruise calls between October 2024 and April 2025, previously a dead season. Cruises to view the Northern Lights in Norway are also on the rise. See oceaniacruises.com

South Pacific

For too long most cruises in the South Pacific, operated by budget ships from Australia, have been confined to New Zealand, Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu, while luxury vessels have loitered mostly in French Polynesia. But cruise lines are slowly beginning to visit alternative ports in those destinations and extend their sailings to nations such as Tonga and the Cook Islands. Meanwhile, trans-Pacific cruises are increasingly visiting Samoa and American Samoa, and expedition ships are turning their attention to Micronesia, the Solomon Islands and Guam. French Polynesia’s remote Austral Islands have also been added to expedition-ship itineraries. See cookislands.travel; tongatourism.travel; visit-micronesia.fm

Private islands

Are these destinations or anti-destinations? It seems some big cruise lines want to keep their passengers away from regular life all together. Disney, Carnival, Holland America, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean now operate private islands in the Bahamas that have become resort and theme-park extensions of ships. Passengers can spend their whole day in such locations and cruise companies reap the economic benefit through add-on spending on food, drinks and activities. It’s working: Royal Caribbean says Coco Cay is its highest-ranked Caribbean destination in passenger surveys. In Mexico, it is developing Perfect Day, slated to open in 2027. See carnival.com; disneycruise.com; hollandamerica.com; ncl.com; royalcaribbean.com

British Isles

The Brits have become increasingly keen on local cruises, which is good news for those seeking more itinerary and ship choices in Britain and Ireland, plus occasional ports in other places such as the Channel Islands. Cruises take in cities such as Liverpool, Dublin and Edinburgh but also smaller ports and Scottish islands; the latter are attracting increasing expedition cruising. Most major cruise lines and numerous small and luxury ones now offer British Isles cruises, as do British companies Ambassador Cruise Line, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and P&O Cruises UK. See ambassadorcruiseline.com; fredolsencruises.com; pocruises.com

Greenland

Demand for Arctic cruising continues to grow, with Greenland a particular hotspot thanks partly to the international attention drawn to it by president Donald Trump. The 2024 opening of an international airport in Nuuk has also made getting there easier and cruise numbers have doubled compared to pre-pandemic levels. While the Greenland government is keen to diversify its economy, it has expressed wishes to manage the impacts on a fragile environment that comes with overtourism, and locals have staged protests about too much shore-excursion profit going to cruise lines. It remains to be seen how well cruising will go in this coldest of hot destinations. See visitgreenland.com

New England and Canada

When the Massachusetts Port Authority announces a record-breaking $US100 million investment in Boston’s Flynn Cruiseport, as it did in late 2024, you know something is afoot. And indeed, in 2024 annual passenger numbers in Boston surged 29 per cent to 480,000, with 167 cruise ships stopping by, 13 for the first time. Some of those ships are on wider itineraries to the Caribbean, Central America and the Arctic, but autumn cruises through New England and Canada’s St Lawrence Seaway are booming; Quebec City saw 42 cruise ships from 23 cruise lines visit. See bonjourquebec.com; visittheusa.com

Miami, US

During the pandemic many predicted the demise of big cruise ships, but they’re doing better than ever. Nowhere is that more evident than in Miami, which processed 8.23 million cruise passengers in 2024, most off very large ships. This year saw the opening of Terminal AA, the world’s largest cruise terminal, capable of handling 36,000 passengers a day. And Miami isn’t done yet, with Terminal G expected to open in 2027. Miami saw a record 28 million visitors in 2024, drawn by festivals, Formula One and other events. The FIFA World Cup comes to town in 2026. See miamiandbeaches.com

Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter

Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.