Luxury cruising is evolving, with boundary-pushing design and increased focus on health and wellness redefining life at sea.
The most anticipated luxury ship launches of the year are setting the benchmark for what luxury cruising means today, and where it is heading in the future. Read on to discover the most exciting news, trends and ships in luxury cruising right now.
The new ship that feels like a private yacht
EXPLORA III is setting a new benchmark for luxury cruising.
EXPLORA III launched in the Mediterranean in July; it’s the third ship from Explora Journeys, the luxury lifestyle brand of MSC Group. As the line’s first LNG ship, its dual-fuel engines can run on liquefied natural gas and low-carbon fuels to reduce environmental impact.
Billed as the ‘next evolution of ocean travel’, it follows a trend of designs that don’t feel like cruise ships at all. EXPLORA III is intended to evoke the feeling of being on a private yacht, with the sense of space and exclusivity to match; of its 463 suites, 109 are Penthouses and 39 are Ocean Residences.
Luxury hotel brands are launching five-star ships
Orient Express Corinthian launched this year.
The new ship has 54 suites. (Credit: Alixe Lay)
With beautiful interiors, the ship joins other hotel brands creating floating hotels. (Credit: Alixe Lay)
It follows renowned luxury hotel brands, from Ritz-Carlton to Four Seasons, making a splash into the world of holidays at sea with ultra-luxe yachts that present as floating five-star hotels.
Orient Express’s stunning 54-suite Orient Express Corinthian joined the ranks this year and next year sees the anticipated launch of Aman at Sea. The inaugural yacht from the revered luxury hotel brand, Amangati will take Aman’s design-forward philosophy of privacy and peace off land with 47 ocean-facing suites, each with a private terrace and full-height windows providing unfettered ocean views. It will also boast Aman Spa, the largest in luxury yachting.
Wellness is reaching new heights, on and off the water
Oceania Cruises takes wellness seriously off shore and onboard, including at the Aquamar Spa Terrace. (Credit: Oceania Cruises)
Health and wellness now anchor today’s luxury cruise experience, elevated to unprecedented heights. Explora Journeys’ expanded offering onboard its third ship is geared at helping guests stay healthy in mind and body, whether through holistic wellness treatments such as sound healing or a state-of-the-art fitness area including designer reformer Pilates equipment, an extended running track and Sports Court for padel, pickleball and basketball.
After embarking on one of Oceania Cruises’ Wellness Discovery Tours, relax onboard with a spa treatment. (Credit: Oceania Cruises/Deborah Jones)
Oceania Cruises has also recognised the growing interest in wellness experiences among luxury travellers. Its worldwide range of Wellness Discovery Tours sees guests releasing tension with traditional dance in Sri Lanka, soaking in hot springs in Chilean Patagonia, pounding the cliff paths of Spain’s Basque Coast or practising tai chi in a Buddhist monastery in Vietnam.
A chic new sports space at sea
The Solara Pool Deck on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ new ship.
Active wellness will also be at the heart of Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ first new ship class when it launches in December this year. The crowning glory of Seven Seas Prestige will be the all-new Solara Sports Deck, featuring everything from a competition-sized padel and pickleball court, an 18-hole putting green and an area dedicated to sunrise and sunset yoga.
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Imogen Eveson is International Traveller’s Print Editor. She was named Editor of the Year at the 2024 Mumbrella Publish Awards and in 2023, was awarded the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) Australia’s Media Award. Before joining Australian Traveller Media as sub-editor in 2017, Imogen wrote for publications including Broadsheet, Russh and SilverKris. She launched her career in London, where she graduated with a BA Hons degree in fashion communication from world-renowned arts and design college Central Saint Martins. She is the author/designer of The Wapping Project on Paper, published by Black Dog Publishing in 2014. Growing up in Glastonbury, home to the largest music and performing arts festival in the world, instilled in Imogen a passion for cultural cross-pollination that finds perfect expression today in shaping Australia’s leading travel titles. Imogen regularly appears as a guest on radio travel segments, including ABC National Nightlife, and is invited to attend global travel expos such as IMM, ILTM, PURE, Further East and We Are Africa.
Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.
The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.
1. Easy access to good food
Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.
One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.
In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.
In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.
Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.
At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.
While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.
It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.
2. Better sleep options
Sleep deeply with Novotel.
There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.
For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.
The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.
3. More ways to move
Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)
Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.
At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.
Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.
4. Better connections
Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.
One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.
Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.
A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.
Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.
All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.
