You can fly most anywhere nowadays. There’s just one problem. You will be miserable the entire way there, because you will be inside the two worst places there are: an airport, and an airplane.
That’s part of what makes cruises so special. Sure, faster and more direct forms of transportation are available. But instead of being made to feel like a despised tinned fish, boat travel lovingly welcomes you to feel like a spoiled yet dignified princess. Or prince. You get it. It’s nice.
If you’ve not yet felt the relaxedness and grandeur that sit at either side of a topside chaise lounge, let 2025 be your year of ascension. But you can’t just cruise about aimlessly. Your vacation demands nothing less than a thrilling and memorable destination!
Thrilling and memorable destinations just so happen to be our specialty here at Cruise Planners of Eden Prairie. If you’re excited to cruise but still ambivalent about where, then we extend our top five picks for your consideration.
The Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands hold quasi-religious importance to biologists. It is where Charles Darwin got the very clever idea that life has not always been like it is today.
It’s easy to see how he got that notion. The Galápagos Islands look as though they were plucked straight out of the Mesozoic era and deposited in the Eastern Pacific. There are volcanic peaks, lava fields, emerald bays, cloud forests, and picturesque inlets. Really, the entire landscape looks like something Dr. Seuss would have come up with if you’d told him to go nuts.
Ecuador, which the islands belong to, has enacted strict conservationist laws to protect their famed biodiversity. Giant tortoises. Marine iguanas. Sea lions. Adorable penguins. The blue-footed booby, in all its blue-footed splendor. No place has more remarkable wildlife than the Galápagos Islands.
Australia & New Zealand
Boat rides to Australia used to be doled out exclusively as punishment. Today they are the pinnacle of luxury. Funny, what a couple of centuries can do.
Most Americans know Australia for three landmarks: the Sydney Opera House, Ayers Rock, and approximately 53 billion square miles of uninhabitable desert. But the Down Under is so much more! The tropical and mostly uninhabited Whitsunday Islands. Lucky Bay, a thin ribbon of bright white sand lining an azure blue sea (and a popular sunbathing spot among local kangaroos). The Kimberly, which comprises Western Australia’s northernmost regions, where you can cruise through immaculate ochre-colored gorges lined by waterfalls. And these are just three of the thousands of shrimp on the Australian sightseeing barbie!
Australia’s close proximity to New Zealand makes it even more appealing as a cruise destination. Auckland is known as the “City of Sails” for very good reason, and is gorgeous from its harbor at any angle. Venture inland to explore the Glowworm Caves, which really and truly are lit up by glowworms, or the ever-popular Hobbiton – the set from The Lord of the Rings, preserved intact.
The Caribbean
We know, we know – the Caribbean hardly ranks as one of the most original cruise destinations. But you know what? It’s cliché for good reason.
The sprawling chalk-colored beaches of St. Lucia. The virgin coral reefs, unbelievably delicious food, and surprisingly large donkey sanctuary of Aruba. Roatán, Honduras, where endless lush jungle and the world’s second largest barrier reef await hikers and snorkelers, respectively. All 76 square miles of the Cayman Islands, which are replete with secluded beaches. And let us not forget Curaçao – the island, not the liqueur, and yet another of the Caribbean’s 700 sun-kissed patches of tropical paradise. Each is a perfect excuse to follow convention. Caribbean cruises are bliss.
South America
Keep going south past the Caribbean and you’ll hit South America. Can’t miss it. It’s well worth going the extra miles for, because it boasts some of the finest cruising the world has to offer.
We recognize that an entire continent is a somewhat broad choice for a cruise destination. If we were forced to narrow it down to three, then we’d have to recommend:
Punta del Este, a glamorous resort town in Uruguay with world-class surfing and nightlife to match
The hundreds of miles of scenic fjords and fjord-like channels between Cape Town and Reloncaví Estuary in Chile
The Falkland Islands, where visitors are enthralled by stunning landscapes and exotic wildlife
Southeast Asia
Ah, Southeast Asia – our favorite intercardinal direction of Asia. So long as you bear its drenching monsoon season in mind (May through October), a cruise there will treat you to some of the most brilliant cultural diversity, natural beauty, and affordable travel you’ll ever encounter.
Southeast Asia contains thousands of miles of bright blue threads: rivers surrounded by rainforests, mountains, and some of the greatest cuisine you’ll ever try. But if you only stick to its islands, Southeast Asia still won’t disappoint. There is Phú Quốc, Vietnam’s most popular destination for water sports, where you can hike through a jungle and repose on white sand over a span of minutes. There is Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, and a gem of natural beauty set against the pristine Andaman Sea. And if you’re looking for some of the world’s most fabulous nightlife, then Koh Rong – aka "The Maldives of Cambodia" – will not let you down.
Delicious crab in Cambodia, too.
Book Your Cruise With Cruise Planners of Eden Prairie
Are you ready to depart on a cruise that you’ll wish never ended? Then we invite you to reach out to Cruise Planners of Eden Prairie today. You may also call our Minnesota cruise agency directly at (952) 452-8941.