Luxury Expedition Vessels: The Ultimate Fusion of Adventure and Opulence

The newest frontier in luxury cruising is the purpose-built expedition vessel — engineered to reach the most remote, spectacular places on Earth without sacrificing a single ounce of five-star comfort. These are not converted cargo ships or repurposed older vessels. They are purpose-designed, ice-class ships built from scratch to handle Arctic pack ice, Antarctic storms, and the wild Patagonian shores, while offering their guests gourmet meals, spacious suites, butler service, and — in some cases — personal submarines. The major luxury lines have now all entered this space, each with their own extraordinary flagship.

Seabourn Venture & Seabourn Pursuit — Submarines Included

Seabourn launched not one but two ultra-luxury expedition ships — Seabourn Venture (2022) and Seabourn Pursuit (2023). Each carries just 264 guests in 132 all-suite accommodations, maintaining the intimate scale Seabourn is famous for. Both ships are built to PC6 Polar Class standards, meaning they can safely navigate Antarctica and the Arctic. The headline feature: each ship carries two personal submarines, each accommodating six passengers plus a pilot, allowing guests to descend beneath the polar ice and observe marine life in total silence. On deck, 24 Zodiac inflatable boats are carried for shore landings and wildlife excursions. An onboard team of 26 expedition experts — marine biologists, glaciologists, naturalists, and historians — lead every outing. All the full-service Seabourn luxury comes standard: open bar, butler service, fine dining, and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout.

Viking Octantis & Viking Polaris — Science at Sea

Viking entered the expedition market in 2022 with Viking Octantis and followed immediately with sister ship Viking Polaris. Each carries 378 guests and is built to Polar Class 6 standard. The ships are distinguished by their extraordinary “The Hangar” — an aft bay housing a fleet of Zodiac RIBs, kayaks, two high-speed special operations boats, and two bright yellow Cruise Sub 7-300 submarines (nicknamed “John” and “George”). A 26-metre custom stern slipway launches all water equipment directly into the sea. “The Aula” is a soaring two-deck auditorium with glass walls on three sides — inspired by Oslo’s Nobel Peace Prize ceremony hall — used for lectures by world-class scientists. Uniquely, Viking’s ships carry an onboard science laboratory in partnership with NOAA, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the University of Cambridge. Viking Octantis is even the first civilian ship sanctioned to launch weather balloons. Itineraries include Antarctica, the Arctic, and the Great Lakes — a route the ships can handle because they were specifically designed to fit through the Welland Canal.

Silversea Silver Endeavour — The World’s Largest Ice-Class Expedition Yacht

Silversea acquired the Silver Endeavour (formerly Crystal Endeavor) in 2022 — the world’s largest ice-class expedition yacht, rated PC6. Originally built as the world’s first purpose-built Polar Class mega-yacht for the luxury market, the ship carries just 200 guests in all-suite accommodations with butler service. The Silver Endeavour features a personal submarine (U-Boat Worx Cruise Sub) plus a remote-operated underwater vehicle that streams live footage to screens in every suite — so even guests staying aboard can watch explorers dive in real time. A full Zodiac fleet, kayaks, and a team of expedition scientists complete the offering. Silversea Expedition cruises cover Antarctica, the Arctic, the Amazon, and the Galápagos, all with the line’s signature all-inclusive Door-to-Door experience that includes private car transfers, pre- and post-cruise hotel stays, and complimentary airfare. The ship was dramatically christened in the Lemaire Channel in Antarctica — the first ship ever named on the ice.

What all three lines share is a commitment to making the world’s most extreme destinations accessible in total comfort. Every expedition vessel carries expert naturalists and scientists who lead daily shore excursions — guided hikes across glaciers, Zodiac tours past penguin colonies, kayaking among icebergs, and submarine dives to explore the ocean floor. Days at sea are filled with lectures, photography workshops, and science demonstrations. Evenings return you to a spacious suite, a gourmet dinner, and an open bar. It is, genuinely, an ocean-going safari — and Military Cruise Deals can apply your military or veteran discount to all of these sailings.

The newest thing in luxury cruising is ‘purpose-built expedition vessels’ — designed to provide an ocean-going safari experience in pure luxury. They have amazing technology: they can track polar bears from a distance so they know where to guide the ship.

The new Seabourn Venture has submarines.

Sea Dream Yacht Club — their slogan is “It’s Yachting, Not Cruising. Enjoy the Difference.” And indeed, a normal cruise ship doesn’t have water sports off the stern, but yachts do!

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Then there are the “Expedition” lines that specialize entirely in this type of experience. Those include Lindblad Special Expeditions and Quark Expeditions.

A word about Regent — the best of the best cruise lines.

This cruise line is as uber-luxury as it gets. Their specialty is long cruises with fabulously interesting itineraries — like a 23-day sailing from Lisbon to Cape Town.

Prices start at $3,299 for a tiny 7-day Caribbean cruise and up to $100,000 for a World Cruise in the suite shown above — per person. But 60 free shore excursions are included, as is free Business Class Air. Everything is included: drinks, laundry, shoe shine, and more.

You’ll get a $3,800 savings per person if you arrange your own flights and transfers.

How to Get Your Luxury Cruise Military Discount

Our site uses the world’s most advanced cruise search technology to display up-to-the-minute pricing and cabin availability for every cruise line — including all luxury lines.

For most cruise lines, our military discount is built right into our online pricing. With some luxury lines, that’s not the case — you can use our site to browse what’s available, but once you know what ship and sail date you prefer, contact us to make sure your maximum discounts and benefits are applied.

The way this works is simple: we get the lowest rate available from the cruise line, then add our additional discount, perks, and benefits on top. You get everything the cruise line is offering, and everything we offer — at no extra charge. We charge no fees whatsoever. Booking with us is the same as booking direct, except your rate is lower and your luxury cruise military discount is already built in. Excellent customer service, 15 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Contact us today for help finding the best luxury cruise discounts for military and veterans.

Your luxury cruise fare may cover all the extras you’d normally pay at the end of a cruise: gratuities, alcohol, spa treatments, airfare, internet, shore excursions, specialty dining, or all of the above. See the chart at the bottom of this page for a breakdown of what’s included by each cruise line.

Which cruise lines are considered “luxury?”

Oceania, Silversea, Seabourn, Viking Ocean, Sea Dream Yacht Club, Regent Seven Seas, and Azamara are the most popular options.

Silversea recently upped its game to compete for the top 3 luxury cruise brands. Most of its ships have been recently refurbished to create super chic, large suites that didn’t exist before. They are now including airfare, free pre- and post-cruise hotels, and private car service — calling it Door-to-Door Service — along with some free shore excursions, drinks, WiFi, and gratuities.

What makes a cruise line a luxury line?

A luxury cruise line has smaller, more intimate ships with larger staterooms and a high staff-to-guest ratio. These ships travel to more exclusive destinations, and the food and drink onboard are of a higher caliber. Alcohol, gratuities, and many other extras are included in the price.

Are drinks included or will I need a drink package?

Coffee, tea, milk, hot chocolate, and lemonade are provided for free all day on all luxury lines. Additional beverage packages are available from select lines.

Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Paul Gauguin, Silversea, and SeaDream provide a complimentary open bar.

Viking Ocean Cruises provides complimentary beer and wine.

Oceania, Hapag Lloyd, and Windstar provide a stocked mini-bar with water and soft drinks.

Are there different grades of luxury? Yes — very much so.

There are true luxury cruise lines such as Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, Sea Dream, Crystal, and Paul Gauguin — and then there are “luxury lite” lines such as Oceania, Windstar, Hapag Lloyd, and Azamara.

Luxury lines include more extras in the initial price for a complete all-inclusive experience. Luxury lite lines also offer gourmet dining and exquisite service, but they’re less expensive since they’re not quite as fully all-inclusive.

Does a luxury cruise include more things than a regular cruise?

Far more. Luxury cruises include lectures, onboard cooking classes, cultural events, caviar and champagne toasts, tea times, snorkel equipment and water toys, zodiac outings, and dances under the stars.

Are the cruise cabins on luxury cruise ships really much better?

Absolutely. It’s like the difference between a $120-a-night hotel and a $300-a-night hotel — the furniture, fabrics, finishes, artwork, bedding, pillows — everything is higher quality. The vast majority of cabins are balcony staterooms, and they’re usually at least twice the size of cabins on non-luxury lines.

Are the food and service better on a luxury cruise ship?

While all cruises are known for excellent service and abundant food, luxury cruise lines definitely step it up a notch.

Champagne will be brought to you as you are ushered into your suite. Turndown service includes the option to select your pillow and have fresh flowers. 24-hour room service is complimentary and your mini-bar is restocked with your favorite beverages each evening. Everyone on the ship knows your name, and with a high staff-to-guest ratio, your wishes are attended to immediately.

All dining venues are included in your cruise fare — gourmet, high-quality food in every location without paying extra for “specialty dining.” Expect perfectly grilled steaks, tasting menus, scrumptious lobster, Margherita pizza, and regionally inspired dishes. Oceania even has Jacques Pépin as their culinary director.

On most luxury lines, most cabins have an assigned butler — different from a room steward who simply cleans your room. A butler makes dinner reservations, runs a bath, handles your luggage, shines your shoes the night before disembarkation, and brings ice and your favorite drink at 5 p.m. without being asked.

What are the people like on a luxury cruise?

Generally couples over the age of 40 — simply because that’s who typically has the desire and ability to take a luxury cruise. Kids are rare.

Is there anything for kids to do on a luxury cruise ship?

Most luxury lines say flat out — don’t bring children. But even those that don’t encourage kids will make accommodations, such as Star Clippers and Silversea. On a Silversea cruise, a couple of families were aboard with about 6 kids under twelve. The crew assigned staff to those kids and created activities for them around the ship. It was charming to watch.

Do luxury cruises go to more exotic destinations or ports?

Absolutely. Luxury cruise ships are smaller and sail longer itineraries, giving them access to smaller, far-away ports. There are Galapagos tours, Antarctica / South American Coastal tours, and extended world tours to enjoy.

Since luxury ships are smaller, they can often dock right at the port rather than requiring a tender. Many luxury lines also provide a complimentary shuttle to the town center if it isn’t easily accessible from the port.

When can you get the best deal on a luxury cruise?

Like any cruise line, off-season is typically October, early November, or early December (non-holiday weeks).

What’s the secret to getting an upgrade on a luxury cruise?

If you book during off-season, about a month before your cruise you’ll often start receiving upgrade offers to higher categories — for example, upgrading your regular suite to a penthouse suite for a few hundred more per person. It’s almost always worth it. We recommend you do it — because you’re worth it!

Are there any luxury experiences on the mainstream cruise lines?

Yes! MSC has the Yacht Club, Norwegian has the Haven, Royal Caribbean has the Suite Class, and Cunard has the Grills experience. These are large spacious suites with private pools, private concierges, and a private dining room — separated from the rest of the ship for a more serene experience, attended by a butler just like the suites on full luxury lines.

Royal Caribbean even has “genies” who learn details about you before you board to personalize your experience.

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★ Why Book Your Luxury Cruise With Military Cruise Deals? We’re Mitch, Kevin, and Hope — a military-family-owned agency specializing in cruise discounts for active duty, veterans, and their families since 2001. We’ve personally sailed on Silversea, Celebrity Flora in the Galapagos, and dozens of other cruise lines, so the advice we give comes from real experience. For most luxury lines, our discount stacks on top of whatever the cruise line is currently offering. For lines where pricing requires a call, we’ll find you the best available rate and make sure every perk is applied. We charge no fees — ever. We’ve helped over 50,000 military families book cruises and have 800+ five-star reviews. Ready to plan your luxury cruise? Call us toll-free at 866-964-5482 or send us a message.