Despite its origins as a late-in-life dash to fulfill one’s dreams before kicking the bucket, having a bucket list is now a thing for travelers of every age—even young kids pleading with their parents to take them on a Disney cruise. Make it an Alaska sailing to check off two list entries at once! Other highly coveted Disney itineraries for young cruisers: Hawaii and the Caribbean.

For twentysomethings with post-college travel dreams, cruising offers an easy way to visit Instagram-worthy islands inaccessible with that old standby, the Eurailpass. A week aboard a ship in the Mediterranean—home to Ibiza, Mallorca, Corsica and Sardinia—is a fun and social way to island-hop. Virgin Voyages’ new Valiant Lady will offer seven-night The Irresistible Med sailings from May 2022.

If your bucket-list aspirations include remote locales that are mostly covered in ice and snow—notably Antarctica and the Arctic—and you dream of doing more than just staring at the beautiful scenery, make it a priority to get there while you’re still fit enough to explore on hiking, kayaking and other high-energy excursions, such as this one with Silversea Expeditions on South Georgia Island.

Even warm-weather ports, including some in French Polynesia, don’t always have cruise terminals. Rather, you’ll be “tendered” ashore in lifeboats and getting in and out can be daunting if you’re hampered by a bum knee, worn-out hip or arthritis. For optimum enjoyment, check off remote tropical islands before mobility is an issue. You can cruise Tahiti’s islands with Paul Gauguin or Windstar.

Traveling with friends (or making new ones while traveling) is one of cruising’s most appealing perks. Book a bucket-list sailing—such as the 7-night Galapagos Outer Loop aboard Celebrity Flora to see blue-footed boobies and giant tortoises or Oceania’s 26-day Southeast Asia Quest to tour ancient temples in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam—and the moments you’ll share will be especially memorable.

The ultimate bucket-list itinerary for many cruise-lovers is a world voyage: 120-plus days of circling the globe and checking off far-flung destinations, from deserts to jungles to the African savannah. Aside from crossing oceans, circling continents and visiting remote islands, you’ll gain new friends for life. Holland America Line has two Grand World Voyages in 2022 and 2023 aboard Zaandam.

Wildlife, rainforests and glaciers are all endangered by climate change. Is seeing polar bears and belugas in the wild a priority? Book a summer 2022 Spectacular Svalbard & Greenland cruise aboard the new Seabourn Venture. Prefer to experience the wonders of the Amazon? Aqua Expeditions offers Amazon River cruises combining adventures such as piranha fishing with superb regional Peruvian cuisine.

One of the most surreally blue places on Earth, the Maldives, faces a growing threat from rising sea levels. Some of the 1,190 tiny islands—most no more than three feet above sea level—could disappear into the Indian Ocean later this century. Experience them (and the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Sri Lanka and Kenya) in 2023 on the 14-night Sanctuaries & Spice Routes sailing aboard Crystal Serenity.  

Egypt ranks high on many bucket lists, so what better way to experience it than a milestone birthday cruise that makes turning 40, 50 or 60 truly extraordinary? Uniworld’s 12-day Splendors of Egypt & the Nile River itinerary combines pre- and post-cruise tours of Cairo and the Great Pyramids with visits to Luxor, Aswan, the Temple of Karnak and more aboard River Tosca or the new S.S. Sphinx.

Is a special anniversary the reason you want to check off a place on your bucket list? If so, cruising is one of the most enjoyable ways to experience two of the world’s most romantic destinations: Greece and Italy. Norwegian Escape sails a 10-night itinerary from Rome in 2022 and calls on Florence, Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, Corfu, Sicily, Naples and Malta.   

Mention Pitcairn, Madeira, Tristan da Cunha or Cape Verde and those who aren’t passionate or adventurous travelers might shrug. But if a remote island is on your must-see list, a cruise is a convenient way to get there. Most cruise lines offer itineraries that cross oceans and hemispheres to visit out-of-the-way places, such as this 16-night Portuguese Pursuit itinerary aboard Azamara Pursuit.

Expedition cruising is now one of cruising’s hottest categories, and tops on the expedition bucket list for many travelers is Antarctica. Norway-based Hurtigruten has an array of itineraries there, such as the 12-night Highlights of Antarctica. If it’s an epic experience you’re after, check out the 18-night Antarctic Circle Expedition. Both are aboard Hurtigruten’s newest ship, MS Fridtjof Nansen.

Another Southern Hemisphere spot that’s on plenty of bucket lists is Australia. Cruising is a convenient way to see this large continent, especially on Holland America Line’s 35-day Australia Circumnavigation aboard Noordam, which also calls on Komodo Island. Or you can explore one of its most scenic island destinations on Princess Cruise Lines’ 7-day Tasmania sailing aboard Sapphire Princess.

A safari and a cruise in one vacation? Be the envy of your friends as you visit three African countries—Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique—on Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 15-night Wine, Dunes and Wildlife itinerary, roundtrip from Cape Town aboard Seven Seas Voyager. Sip local wines, climb (or photograph) Namibian sand dunes and spot wildlife on South African game reserves on this 2022 sailing.