Cruising Guide: 10 ships making a splash

AquaDuck, the first-ever shipboard water coaster, aboard Disney Fantasy. Picture: Jimmy DeFlippo

One of the great delights of ocean cruising is the great ships, with their comfortable cabins, sundecks, pools, spas and amazingly varied entertainment. In this guide, Niall McIlroy looks at 10 ships which are destinations in themselves with amazing amenities and individual character.


Allure of the Seas
Launched in 2010, this Royal Caribbean cruise ship is the world's biggest, with a total of 25 bars and restaurants.


Carnival Legend
Ahead of its first season Down Under, this ship was thoroughly "Aussiefied" to satisfy local tastes.


MS Nieuw Amsterdam
Maritime traditions run deep on Holland America Line, and passengers who enjoy traditional ocean cruising will love it.


Disney Fantasy
If the kids are happy so are the parents, and on a Disney Cruises voyage there's every chance Mum and Dad will also have a ball.


Celebrity Silhouette
As the name suggests, Celebrity cruises are for passengers who like a bit of glitz, style and pampering.


Seven Seas Voyager
If opulence on the ocean floats your boat, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a ship for you with all-suite, fully inclusive cruising.


Queen Mary 2
Cunard's flagship is the model of the grand tradition of ocean liners, with formal dining, ballroom dancing and captain's events.


MSC Orchestra
This MSC ship will bring Italian flair to our shores when it cruises to Fremantle in March.


Pacific Jewel
Refurbished in 2013, this P&O ship is specially suited to Australian passengers - and nowhere more so than its restaurants.


Regal Princess
Princess Cruises' newest ship has pushed the boundaries on passenger experience, bringing modernity and a cruise-ship chic..