Cruising hit a record 37.2 million passengers in 2025, and the trend is clear: people want bigger, rarer, more ambitious voyages. A recent round-up of dream sailings highlights six itineraries that push well beyond the standard week in the Med.

For active travellers, Sail Croatia runs a seven-day cycling and sailing trip from Split aboard the MS Princeza Diana, a small luxury ship carrying fewer than 40 guests. Days alternate between pedalling across Brač, Hvar, Korčula and Mljet — think hill climbs above Golden Horn Beach, a swim or kayak in Mljet National Park, and a wander through Stari Grad, founded in 385 B.C. — before finishing in Split with a look at Diocletian's Palace.

At the far end of the scale, Terra Nova Expeditions pairs a 20-day Antarctic voyage with two vessels: the expedition ship St. Helena and the polar yacht Icebird. After crossing the Drake Passage from Ushuaia, passengers snowshoe, kayak among icebergs and watch humpback and minke whales, then spend six days aboard Icebird threading narrow waterways rarely seen by larger ships, with Zodiac landings, hikes and an optional polar plunge before stops at Brown Bluff and Paulet Island.

If only the longest itinerary will do, Silversea's Grand Mediterranean voyage aboard Silver Dawn covers 48 ports in 12 countries over 60 days, departing Lisbon and calling at Gibraltar, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Naples, Dubrovnik, Mykonos and İstanbul, among others. Standouts include the S.A.L.T. culinary programme — a family winery visit in Mallorca, a live cooking lunch in Palma — and a private concert for Silversea guests at Ephesus in Türkiye.

Swan Hellenic's Pearls of the Pacific combines two hot destinations in 10 nights, sailing from Manila aboard SH Minerva. Highlights include Hundred Islands National Park with its 1,800-foot island-to-island zip line, UNESCO-listed 16th-century Vigan City, and Japan's Okinawa islands — coral-ringed Miyakojima, snorkelling at Zamami, and Naha's excellent prefectural museum — before ending in Hiroshima at the Peace Park and Museum.

For history lovers, Extraordinary Journeys' 14-day Egypt sample itinerary pairs Cairo's new Grand Egyptian Museum, the pyramids and Khan el-Khalili bazaar with a Nile sailing aboard SS Sudan, the oldest operating steamboat on the Nile, built in 1885 with original teak decks and Belle Époque décor. The route covers Luxor, Abydos, Dendera, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Aswan and Abu Simbel, closing with a private dinner at Alexandria's Royal Jewelry Museum.

Finally, Seabourn Pursuit's 10-day Kimberley Expedition runs from Darwin to Broome, taking in the 250-foot twin King George Falls, Gwion Gwion and Wandjina rock art, croc-spotting on Porosus Creek, a welcome ceremony with the Worrora people at Freshwater Cove, and the Horizontal Falls at Talbot Bay.

Why it matters: whether your style is e-bike hills, icebergs, pharaohs or reef, there's now a small-ship itinerary built around it — the hard part is choosing one. Story sourced from Global Traveler.