Ways to cruise
Seven hundred to twelve hundred guests, every one in a suite. The ships with the restaurants, pools and connecting cabins that make a family of twelve work.
Free initial consultation · Personally planned · No obligation
A larger luxury ship is not a large ship. Explora, Regent and Oceania carry a third of the guests of a mainstream vessel of the same size, which is why there is room for nine restaurants, several pools and suites that connect. It is also why three generations can share a week without living in each other's pockets.
This is where we start for most multigenerational parties, for families with children of mixed ages, and for first-time cruisers who are nervous about feeling 'cruisey'. For a couple who want a house-party feel, we would point you to a small ship or a yacht instead.
Is this your kind of ship?
Tell us who's travelling. We'll say whether larger luxury ships is the right way to cruise for your party, and if it isn't, what is.
Ask a Cruise SpecialistThree generations at once: real children's spaces, more restaurants, connecting suites and room to disappear. Still all-suite and quiet by design.
Couples who want an intimate ship where the crew know everyone, or ports only a yacht can reach.
Cruise lines
Honest ratings on every line page, including who each one isn't for.
Modern, relaxed, generous with space, and genuinely happy to see children.
The most inclusive fare at sea, on all-suite ships that take elegance seriously.
Calm, adults-only ships with Scandinavian design and an excursion included in every port.
Food-led, country-club casual ships of around 670 to 1,200 guests at an accessible luxury price.
Luxury doesn't mean every ship suits every traveller. We'll tell you if we think a cruise isn't a good fit, even if that means recommending something else.
Where we'd sail
The easiest great cruise there is: short flights, famous ports, and a ship for every kind of family.
Small ships, island overnights, and a late season that runs into October.
Winter sun for the whole family, on ships that make Christmas and half-term easy.
Glaciers, whales and bears from a small ship, with a pre-cruise stop in Vancouver.
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn and Helsinki in a week, with culture the whole way.
Cruise ideas
Planning figures per person, not quotes. Final price depends on sailing date, suite and availability.
Barcelona to Rome with connecting suites, a real kids' programme and nobody dressing for dinner.
Athens round trip with excursions, drinks, speciality dining and flights in the fare.
Portugal, Andalusia and the Spanish coast with the best restaurants at sea, at an upper-premium price.
How it works
No obligation. No pressure. Just a conversation about what would work for your party.
Two to five minutes online, or a call. Who's travelling, roughly when, and what matters most.
A cruise specialist talks it through: the party, the occasion, the budget, and anything that worries you.
Not forty options. Two or three we'd actually recommend, with the reasons, and the ones we'd avoid for you.
Cruise, suites, flights, hotels before and after, transfers, excursions, dining and any celebration on board.
Nothing is booked until you're happy with the plan and the price.
Documents, confirmations, requests to the ship, and one person to call before and during the voyage.
Good to know
No. They carry far fewer guests than a mainstream ship of the same size, so the space per guest is among the highest afloat. The feel is a large resort hotel, not a theme park.
Explora Journeys for mixed ages and teenagers, Regent Seven Seas for inclusive excursions and older children, Oceania for food-minded families. Our line pages give the honest rating for each.
Yes, and this is the main reason to choose a larger luxury ship. Connecting pairs are limited and sell first, so for school holidays we start nine to twelve months ahead.
Why Blackbury
Hundreds of sailings, a handful worth your party's time. We do the narrowing down.
01
Not all luxury cruises are alike. We know the difference between the lines and find the ship that actually suits your party, travel style and budget.
02
Flights, suites, hotels before and after, transfers, excursions, dining and special requests, handled together as one plan.
03
One specialist owns your trip from the first conversation to the day you get home. You are never passed around a call centre.
04
Travelling with three generations? We plan around different ages, interests, energy levels and mobility needs.
Cruise guides and inspiration
Our own planning notes on the lines in this style.
Which ships work when the party spans seventy years, what to look for in a children's programme, and the itineraries we would start with.
The order to decide things in, the questions that save arguments later, and what a specialist does that a booking site cannot.
Crowds, buffets, seasickness, feeling trapped, dressing for dinner, children underfoot and the price. What is true of a 3,000-guest ship is mostly untrue of a 300-guest one. Here is what we tell first-time guests.
Other ways to cruise
Couples and small parties who want a private-club feel, small harbours and the least 'cruise' of any cruise. Few children's facilities.
Grandparents, couples and adult families: calm, polished, ports the big ships cannot reach. Limited provision for younger children.
First-timers and anyone who dislikes open sea: a new town every morning, no tenders, and the whole boat small enough to feel like a house party.
Antarctica, the Arctic and the far north with a luxury ship under you: zodiacs and naturalists by day, a proper dinner by night. Best for active grandparents and older teenagers.
Don't spend thirty hours comparing forty ships, cabins, dates, flights and hotels. Give us five minutes and we'll narrow it down to what is worth considering.