For 31 years the editors of Condé Nast Traveler have been compiling this annual compendium of hotels and cruises we’ve discovered, or fallen in love with all over again. We highlight them not only for their beauty, comfort, or impeccable service, but also because we’ve developed deeply emotional relationships with them: These are the hotels and cruises we recommend to our friends, that we tell stories about later. And this year, for the first time, we’re telling those same stories in video form, too. Below are the best cruises in the world, according to our editors.

Aqua Mare

In the morning we plunge into the 60-degree sea to snorkel with penguins. In the afternoon we scramble up cliffs and watch albatross chicks stretch their wings into the wind. In the evening we take a culinary tour through Ecuador and Peru during our family-style dinner on the aft deck. Such is a day on Aqua Mare in the Galapágos. With seven suites for just 16 guests, Aqua Mare isn’t your typical Galápagos cruise ship but a true superyacht—one that you can book by the cabin rather than charter. Built in 1998 by CRN Yachts and designed by Francois Zuretti, and refurbished in 2021, Aqua Mare has all the Italian-inspired glitz and glam you’d expect from that partnership, including glossy walnut-veneer walls and Carrara-marble tables and bath. As much as I enjoyed the sun deck with its whirlpool and the beach club with its swim platform, the experience is all about the Galápagos. With two local guides for 16 guests, it feels as if you’re seeing the archipelago on a private tour. And that’s what Aqua Mare is all about. Seven-day sailings from $10,920 per person.

Celebrity Edge

Standing on the literal edge, I take in the ever-changing colors of the Caribbean from the Magic Carpet, a cantilevered platform dangling like a necklace pendant off the ship’s side. It moves like an elevator, maximizing the views as you clink glasses of sun-soaked Veuve Clicquot. Although, these days, the Celebrity Edge has swapped Mediterranean and Caribbean island-hopping scenery for summertime glacier spotting in Alaska and Aussie coastal landmarks in (northern) winter. The vessel’s first-of-its-kind Infinite Verandas, found in the Edge Staterooms, are tailor-made for Alaskan voyages, during which brisk temperatures might send you scurrying inside. One touch of a button, and my electronic glass panel slides closed, transforming balcony back into stateroom while satisfying comfort and Instagram simultaneously. Come sunset, Eden restaurant calls like a siren with its curvaceous sculptures guiding you into a sexy Patricia Urquiola–designed greenhouse lounge. Live music and hypnotic cocktail menus send fellow sailors to the dance floor by round two. Not the party type, I turn the corner for the water-facing swing chairs, suspended from the ceiling by a chain, to get lost in the magic of being at sea. The beauty of Celebrity Edge is its design-forward edginess. Instead of deciding which amusement park ride or superlative-inducing waterslide to wait in line for, my decisions are simpler: fresh oysters, Greek kebabs, or sushi? The right answer is all three. Eleven-night sailings from $1,589 per person. —Ramsey Qubein

Crystal Symphony

Fresh off a down-to-the-steel refurbishment, Crystal Symphony returns with luxe touches everywhere: plush carpets, polished stonework, and fascinating art. And no two spaces on the ship give off the same vibe. In the tony Connoisseur Club, while sunk into a tufted leather banquette, you might savor a limited-run Irish whiskey. Or in the sunlight-flooded Palm Court, you can luxuriate on an oversized lounger, with afternoon-tea views over the bow. Indulgent comforts don’t stop at public spaces. Sapphire Veranda Suites have walk-in closets and marble showers so spacious you could almost host a cocktail party in them. Butlers are on hand to memorize preferences (order that iced Americano just once, and it’s at the door on a silver tray at the same time each morning). But the best part is the space—more of it than virtually any ship afloat, making a fully booked sailing feel like it’s all to yourself. Seven-day sailings from $4,300 per person. —Scott Laird

Disney Wish

While you may think of families when you think of Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Wish is ideal for Disney-loving adults who may or may not be cruising with youngsters. The glittering 4,000-passenger ship highlights Disney royalty around every corner, and once you step on board, you feel like the king or queen of the ship too. Luxe adult-only spaces are found all around the vessel, from wake-facing infinity pools in the Quiet Cove to the signature extra-charge restaurant, Enchante, with a menu by chef Arnaud Lallement of the three-Michelin-starred L’Assiette Champenoise. Alternatively, head to the included rotational dining restaurant, 1923, for a steakhouse-caliber meal without the extra charge. Sip on a nightcap at the Cinderella-themed Nightingale’s piano bar, where whimsical cocktails inspired by bubbles are served—we love the Chocolate Frozen Bubbles, a decadent mix of Baileys Salted Caramel, Absolut Vanilia, and chocolate, served in a hollow ice sphere that you get to break open with a tiny metal hammer. Between the adult escapes, go to the Walt Disney Theater for a Broadway-style retelling of the Disney animated classic The Little Mermaid, play the interactive Disney Uncharted Adventure game, or even head to the kids club during open house hours to virtually build and ride your own roller coaster in the Walt Disney Imagineering Lab, and view once-a-cruise fireworks at sea. And besides all of this, at any moment during the voyage, you may find yourself face-to-face with Mickey Mouse himself. Four-night sailings from $2,018 per person. —Megan duBois