1. Luxury on the Nile - Caroline Hendrie's stylish Nile cruise could not have been more different to the mainstream cruise world of shared tables, green nylon and gilt

2. Ship shape in the Caribbean - is it a millionaire’s yacht? Is it a cruise ship? No, it’s both. David Wickers is impressed by the hybrid ship that offers the best of both worlds

3. Island hopping in the Seychelles - Stephen Bleach discovers the Seychelles archipelago the way the explorers did: by sea; and suggests three other intimate island cruises

4. Boat du Rhône - Jill Crawshaw samples luxury on a hotel-boat on the River Rhône, and suggests four more ideas for river cruising breaks in Europe

5. Cruise with the Queen - her Royal Highness celebrated her 80th birthday aboard the ultimate country house vessel, the Hebridean Princess — a former MacBrayne ferry refitted as a luxury cruise ship. Maria Harding took a peek onboard

6. All aboard for a wine-tasting cruise - fancy a wine tour, without the driving? The solution, says Terry Ramsey, is a cruise for non-experts to Rioja, Bordeaux and the Loire

7. Cruising Bulgaria, birds and Byzantium - on the 13-night Pearls of the Black Sea cruise, Caroline Hendrie found peace and a twitcher's heaven

8. Cruising the wilderness of Antarctica - for Chris Haslam, the vast emptiness was as thrilling as the wildlife in the glittering wilderness of Anatarctica

9. Under sail and stars in the Indian Ocean - Libby Purves took a luxury tropical cruise like no other, from Singapore to Phuket via the Thai islands

10. Three Gorges in the mist - a Yangtze cruise offered a welcome respite from China’s ceaseless hustle for George Brock, but the dead bodies and alligators in the water were a little disconcerting

Times recommends

• October: the time for foodie breaks to France
• The 10 best winter sun music festivals
• Your Say Pick of the Week – Oct 6