, The Sunday Times
Stretching from the frozen Arctic to the steamy heat of the tropical rainforests of Central America, North America has the greatest climate variation of any other continent making a vast choice of cruise itineraries possible. Whether you dream of wine tasting, glaciers or the Great Lakes, skyscrapers or surf-friendly beaches, here are nine of the best cruises to the US and Canada for 2026.
1. Sail Hawaii’s islands
The Na Pali coast in Kauai, Hawaii
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Norwegian is the only cruise line that visits four Hawaiian islands in just seven days year-round. Sailing a return trip from Honolulu, the 2,180-passenger Pride of America calls at Kahului on Maui, Hilo and Kona on Hawaii and Nawiliwili on Kauai, with overnight stays in both Maui and Kauai to make the most of island life. Along the way you can expect mist-wrapped volcanoes, kaleidoscopic coral reefs, steamy rainforests and some of the world’s most famous surfing beaches. There’s also the chance to join a luau (a traditional Hawaiian party) with fire dances, hula, storytelling and local dishes including a pig roasted over a fire pit.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,355pp, departing on January 24 (ncl.com). Fly to Honolulu
• Read our full guide to the US
2. Explore with experts on the Great Lakes
Take an excursion to Niagara Falls
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Get to know all five of the Great Lakes with this Ponant voyage from Toronto to Milwaukee, in association with Smithsonian Journeys. Two onboard Smithsonian experts will bring the area’s nature, culture and history to life in daily lectures, while complimentary shore excursions include a trip to Niagara Falls and a visit to Mackinac Island with its horse-drawn carriages and preserved Victorian architecture. You’ll sail on the 184-passenger Le Bellot, which has cool, contemporary decor, a sauna with a view, a Clarins spa and the Blue Eye observation lounge below the waterline. Better still, there’s no single supplement for solo travellers.
Details Eight nights’ all-inclusive from £6,990pp, including transfers and shore excursions, departing on August 11 (uk.ponant.com). Fly to Toronto
• 10 of the best cruises with fewer than 200 passengers
3. Southern history on a river cruise
The Gateway Arch and the Old Courthouse in St Louis
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The 386-passenger Viking Mississippi first sailed in 2022 and is one of the newest ships on the river. Scandi-sleek staterooms have verandas with floor-to-ceiling glass doors to watch the southern states slip by and there’s also a sun terrace with plunge pool, a two-deck-high observation lounge and an alfresco dining area serving American barbecue dishes. Departing from New Orleans, you’ll sail through Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri before arriving in St Louis. Ten excursions are part of the package, including trips to the Memphis Rock ’n’ Soul Museum and Cape Girardeau’s Bollinger Mill State Historic Site, which showcases life on the frontier in the early 19th century.
Details Fourteen nights’ all-inclusive from £8,195pp, including flights, transfers and shore excursions, departing on July 18 (vikingrivercruises.co.uk)
4. Get back to nature on a small ship
The waterfront town of La Conner in Washington
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The connected waterways of the Puget Sound estuary on the coast of Washington state are paradise for nature lovers, with their uninhabited islands, snow-dusted mountains and abundant wildlife including whales, bears and eagles. Visit on this April voyage and your trip will coincide with North America’s largest tulip festival in Skagit, when brightly coloured flowers bloom all over the region. Cruising on the 130-passenger American Constellation with historians and indigenous guides, you can join a range of complimentary excursions including a historical tour of Port Townsend, a trip to the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor and a visit to the pretty waterfront town of La Conner.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £3,672pp, including shore excursions, departing on March 30 (americancruiselines.com). Fly to Seattle
5. Autumn colours in Canada and New England
The forest of Cape Breton Highlands National Park
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Set sail as the leaves turn 50 shades of gold on this week-long round-trip from Boston on the 1,964-passenger Zuiderdam. Stops include Eastport in Maine for freshly caught seafood and its famous lighthouse and Saint John in New Brunswick, where there’s a produce-packed market and craft breweries. In Nova Scotia’s provincial capital, Halifax, you can join excursions to wineries or search for fossils on the exposed ocean floor at the Bay of Fundy, location of the world’s highest tidal swing. There’s also leaf-peeping galore at the White Mountains near Portland, and in the dense forests of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,149pp, departing on October 3 (hollandamerica.com). Fly to Boston
• 10 of the best cruise lines for first-timers
6. Classic California coast
Visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on your way to Sonoma Wine Country
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Princess Cruises offers inventive and largely affordable shore excursions that make it easy to pack in wish-list experiences on this sailing to California’s must-see cities. On a week round-trip from LA on board Emerald Princess, you can opt to visit the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco en route to wine tasting in Sonoma Wine Country, go whale-watching on a catamaran from Santa Barbara, join a food tour in San Diego or take part in a staged Day of the Dead celebration in Ensenada in Mexico. There are also two full days at sea to make the most of the ship’s freshwater pool, spa and outdoor movie screenings.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £699pp, departing on April 4 (princess.com). Fly to Los Angeles
7. Northern lights adventure
See the northern lights above Greenland
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Autumn in the Arctic is one of the best times to spy the aurora borealis thanks to clear, dark nights and mild temperatures. Improve your chances of spotting the northern lights by leaving the brightness of the shore behind aboard the 189-passenger Ocean Albatros, which has a carbon footprint that’s 50 per cent lower than traditional expedition vessels. This two-week trip from Nuuk to Nova Scotia takes in the glacier-carved fjords of Greenland, the Inuit hamlets of Nunavut and remote islands off the coast of Quebec, before following the coast of the Canadian Maritimes to Halifax. Several hikes and Zodiac excursions are included and an onboard expedition team delivers daily lectures and workshops.
Details Fourteen nights’ full board from £9,743pp, including excursions, afternoon tea and drinks with dinner, departing on September 14 (albatros-expeditions.com). Fly to Nuuk
8. Alaskan cruise and train package
Travel on the luxury Rocky Mountaineer train
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Jaw-dropping landscapes are the focus of this fortnight-long trip to Canada and Alaska. Starting with a four-night hotel stay in the Rocky Mountains, you’ll visit the glacier-fed Lake Louise and the mountain resort of Banff before boarding the luxury Rocky Mountaineer train. Travel in glass-domed carriages past the canyons and cliffs of British Columbia for a night in Kamloops, before continuing by train towards the temperate rainforests of the Pacific coast for two nights in Vancouver. Your second week is on board the 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice, cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage past serene fjords, dense forests of spruce and hemlock and towering glaciers. Stops include Juneau and Ketchikan for whale-watching and bear-spotting.
Details Fourteen nights — seven full board on the ship and seven B&B in hotels — from £5,799pp, including flights, all rail and coach travel, some excursions and some extra meals, departing on May 17 (greatrail.com)
• 20 of the best Mediterranean cruises for 2025
9. Key West mini cruise
Key West is ideal for beaches and snorkelling
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You can expect a four-night party on this round trip from Miami aboard Virgin Voyages’ 2,762-passenger adults-only Scarlet Lady. Florida’s Key West is the first port of call for the chance to snorkel, parasail, visit Ernest Hemingway’s house, or join a guided downtown pub crawl. Virgin Voyages’ private beach club at Bimini in the Bahamas is the next stop for poolside DJs and a beach barbecue. You’ll also squeeze in a day at sea to enjoy the ship’s meditation classes, spa and glitzy two-deck nightclub, choosing between more than 20 places to eat including a taco shack, a 24-hour American diner and a Korean barbecue where every meal starts with a complimentary shot of soju.
Details Four nights’ full board from £533pp, including some non-alcoholic drinks and fitness classes, departing on May 7 (virginvoyages.com). Fly to Miami
