January is one of the best months of the year to be on a ship. The Caribbean is in its dry season, the Canaries are warm while Britain is grey, Antarctica is at the height of its short summer, and the long Arctic nights in northern Norway give you the best chance of seeing the Northern Lights. It is also when many of the great world cruises leave Southampton.
To build this list we went through every cruise departing in January 2027 in our own cruise search, more than 2,000 sailings across over 60 cruise lines, and picked the ten ideas we think are the strongest, each with one or two real departures you can book. Fares shown are the lowest per-person prices in our search when we checked in October 2026. They change daily, so treat them as a guide and ask us for the current price.
| Best for winter sun | The Caribbean (1, 2 and 4) and the Canary Islands (3) |
| Best without flying | Canaries and Caribbean voyages from Southampton (3 and 4), world cruises (5) |
| Best for the Northern Lights | Norway’s coastal voyages (6) |
| Best for history and culture | The Nile (7) and the Mekong (8) |
| Best for wildlife | Antarctica (9) |
| Best for a long-haul summer | Australia and New Zealand (10) |
1. The Caribbean on a fly-cruise from Barbados
P&O Cruises, Arvia · 14 nights from 2 January 2027 · round trip from Bridgetown, Barbados · from £1,299 pp
Martinique, St Kitts, Tortola, Sint Maarten, Antigua, Grenada and St Lucia
Marella Cruises, Marella Explorer 2 · 7 nights from 14 January 2027 · “Cocktails and Coconuts” from Bridgetown · from £1,742 pp
Antigua, Sint Maarten, Tortola, St Kitts and Guadeloupe
January sits right in the middle of the Caribbean’s dry season, which runs roughly from December to April: warm, sunny days, low humidity and the lowest risk of storms all year. Barbados is the classic starting point for UK travellers because of its direct flights, and a round trip from Bridgetown lets you see a different island almost every day.
The P&O Arvia sailing is the one to pick if you want two full weeks and a big, modern ship with plenty of restaurants and entertainment. Marella’s week-long Cocktails and Coconuts route suits a shorter break and is popular with UK holidaymakers who like a relaxed, inclusive feel. Both make it easy to add a few nights in a Barbados hotel before or after.
2. The Caribbean under sail
Star Clippers, Royal Clipper · 7 nights from 9 January 2027 · “Grenadine Islands” from Bridgetown · from £2,385 pp
Grenada, the Tobago Cays, St Vincent, Bequia, Martinique and St Lucia (Marigot Bay and Soufrière)
Windstar Cruises, Wind Surf · 7 nights from 9 January 2027 · “Classic Caribbean” from Sint Maarten · from £2,371 pp
Îles des Saintes, Mayreau, Dominica, St Kitts and St Barts
If the idea of a big ship does not appeal, January is the perfect month for a sailing-ship cruise. The trade winds are steady, the sea is usually calm in the sheltered Grenadines, and small ships can anchor off islands the big ships cannot reach.
Royal Clipper is a five-masted, fully rigged tall ship, and her Grenadines week is the dreamy one: snorkelling in the Tobago Cays, the yachting harbour of Bequia and the twin Pitons of St Lucia. Wind Surf is a more modern motor-sail yacht with a more resort-like feel, and her route includes chic St Barts and wild, green Dominica. Read our guide to small-ship and sailing cruises for more options.
3. Canary Islands sunshine, straight from Southampton
P&O Cruises, Ventura · 14 nights from 25 January 2027 · round trip from Southampton · from £899 pp
Madeira, La Palma, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Cádiz and Lisbon
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Balmoral · 14 nights from 6 January 2027 · “Canary Islands & Madeira Winter Warmth” · from £1,499 pp
Vigo, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, Madeira and A Coruña
For a winter escape without an airport, the Canary Islands are the obvious answer. After a couple of days crossing the Bay of Biscay, you reach islands where January daytime temperatures are typically around 20°C, warm enough for walking, sightseeing and lunch outdoors, if not always for lazy beach days.
The Ventura voyage is the value pick on this whole list: two weeks, six ports including Lisbon and Cádiz, from under £900. Fred. Olsen’s Balmoral is a smaller, more traditional ship with a loyal British following and a calmer pace. See our guide to no-fly cruises from the UK for more ideas.
4. A month in the Caribbean, no flights needed
Cunard, Queen Mary 2 · 34 nights from 11 January 2027 · round trip from Southampton · from £3,529 pp
Madeira, Tortola, Barbados, St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, St Kitts, the Dominican Republic, Sint Maarten and Tenerife
P&O Cruises, Iona · 35 nights from 4 January 2027 · “Caribbean Discovery” from Southampton · from £2,999 pp
Tenerife, St Kitts, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, Sint Maarten, Antigua, Gran Canaria and A Coruña
These are the voyages for people with time: leave Southampton in the depths of winter, cross the Atlantic, spend a couple of weeks island-hopping in the sun and sail home again, all without a single flight.
Queen Mary 2 is built for exactly this: she is an ocean liner rather than a cruise ship, designed to handle the Atlantic in comfort, and Cunard’s traditions of afternoon tea and gala evenings fit a long crossing perfectly. Iona is one of P&O’s largest and newest ships, with more choice of dining and entertainment and a slightly lower fare.
5. A world cruise from Southampton
P&O Cruises, Arcadia · 106 nights from 6 January 2027 · “Western Circumnavigation” · from £12,999 pp
Westbound via Barbados, the Panama Canal, San Francisco, Hawaii, Fiji, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Cape Town, back to Southampton
Cunard, Queen Victoria · 108 nights from 10 January 2027 · “Full World Voyage” · from £14,669 pp
Via New York, the Panama Canal, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Fiji, New Caledonia, Sydney and the Great Barrier Reef coast
January is world cruise season. The great voyages leave the UK in the new year so that they reach the Pacific, Australia and Asia in the southern summer and are home again in spring.
P&O’s Arcadia is an adults-only ship, which suits a voyage of more than three months, and her route goes fully around the globe. If 106 nights is too long, the same departure can be booked in shorter sections, for example the 63-night “Epic World Explorer” to Sydney from £6,679 pp. Cunard’s Queen Victoria offers the classic Cunard world voyage, with a celebrated call in New York on the way out. Both make it possible to see the world without ever packing for a flight.
6. Chasing the Northern Lights on Norway’s coast
Hurtigruten, Coastal Express round voyage · 11 nights from Bergen · departures through January, e.g. MS Richard With on 1 January 2027 · from £2,233 pp
Bergen to Kirkenes and back, calling at more than 30 ports including Ålesund, Trondheim, the Lofoten Islands, Tromsø and Honningsvåg (for the North Cape)
Havila Voyages, Havila Capella · 5 nights from 9 January 2027 · “Voyage South”, Kirkenes to Bergen · from £699 pp
The full coast southbound from the Russian border to Bergen
The Northern Lights can be seen from northern Norway from autumn to early spring, and January is one of the best months because the nights are so long. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun barely rises in early January, so the sky is dark for much of the day and the chances of a display are excellent whenever the weather is clear.
The coastal voyage is the best way to see it because the ship moves every day, giving you a fresh chance under different skies, and the crew will usually announce it if the aurora appears. Hurtigruten’s full round voyage is the classic; Havila’s shorter one-way options are a good choice if you want a taste in under a week. Our Hurtigruten vs Havila comparison explains the differences.
7. Egypt and the Nile in the cool season
Uniworld, River Tosca · 11 nights from 2 January 2027 · “Splendors of Egypt & the Nile” · from £5,949 pp
Cairo, then Luxor, Dendera, Kom Ombo, Aswan and Esna
Travelmarvel, Travelmarvel Sirius · 7 nights from 9 January 2027 · “Treasures of Egypt and the Nile” · from £4,095 pp
Cairo, Luxor, Edfu, Abu Simbel and Aswan
In summer, Upper Egypt can be fiercely hot. In January it is at its most comfortable, with warm, dry days ideal for exploring the temples of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and the monuments around Aswan.
Uniworld’s River Tosca is one of the most elegant ships on the river, and the trip includes time in Cairo for the Pyramids. Travelmarvel’s itinerary includes Abu Simbel, the giant temples of Ramesses II, which many Nile cruises leave as an optional extra. Our guide to the Nile, Mekong and Amazon compares the options.
8. The Mekong: Angkor Wat to the Mekong Delta
Emerald Cruises, Emerald Harmony · 14 nights from 3 January 2027 · “Wonders of Cambodia, Vietnam & the Mekong” · price on request
Siem Reap (for Angkor), Phnom Penh, then across the border to the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City
Scenic, Scenic Spirit · 12 nights from 2 January 2027 · “Treasures of the Mekong” · price on request
Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh, Sa Déc, Cái Bè and Ho Chi Minh City
January falls in the dry season in Cambodia and southern Vietnam, with clear skies and comfortable temperatures, and it is one of the most popular months to visit Angkor Wat. A Mekong river cruise links the temples of Angkor with the Cambodian capital and the floating markets and villages of the Mekong Delta, a journey that would be hard work by road.
Both itineraries start with time at Angkor before joining the ship. Emerald’s is slightly longer and has a more relaxed, contemporary style; Scenic’s is all-inclusive with a smaller, more luxurious ship.
9. Antarctica at the height of summer
Ponant, Le Boréal · 10 nights from 15 January 2027 · “Emblematic Antarctica” from Ushuaia · from £13,990 pp
Across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula and back
Swan Hellenic, SH Minerva · 17 nights from 6 January 2027 · Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia · price on request
The Falklands (West Point, Saunders Island and Stanley), South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula
The Antarctic season only runs from about November to March, and January is its peak: the longest days, the mildest temperatures and penguin colonies busy with chicks. It is also when demand is highest, so the best cabins go early.
Ponant’s 10-night voyage is the classic Antarctic Peninsula trip on a stylish French expedition ship. If you can spare more time, Swan Hellenic’s 17-night itinerary adds the Falklands and South Georgia, home to some of the largest king penguin colonies on earth, which many seasoned travellers rate as the highlight of the whole region. See our Antarctica cruise lines compared.
10. Australia and New Zealand in their summer
Silversea, Silver Moon · 14 nights from 17 January 2027 · Sydney to Auckland · price on request
Hobart, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Stewart Island, Dunedin, Akaroa, Wellington, Napier, Gisborne and Tauranga
Holland America Line, Noordam · 14 nights from 3 January 2027 · “Australia & New Zealand” · price on request
Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart, Milford Sound, Dunedin, Christchurch, Picton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga and Auckland
While we shiver, it is high summer down under, and a cruise is one of the best ways to see New Zealand in particular, whose most spectacular scenery, the fiords of the south-west, is best seen from the water.
Silversea’s Silver Moon is an all-inclusive luxury ship with a smaller guest count, and her route includes both Milford and Doubtful Sound. Holland America’s Noordam offers a similar route at a more accessible price point, with Melbourne added. Both are easy to combine with a stopover in Singapore, Dubai or Sydney on the way out.
How to book a January cruise
January sailings, especially world cruises, Antarctica and the best Caribbean dates, are often booked a year or more ahead. A few practical tips:
- Book flights early for fly-cruises. Barbados, Ushuaia and Asian gateways fill up quickly in peak season. We can package flights and a pre-cruise hotel night, which we recommend for any long-haul start.
- Check what is included. A low fare on a big ship and a higher fare on an all-inclusive luxury line can end up closer than they look once drinks, tips and excursions are added.
- Leave some flexibility. Ships, prices and occasionally ports change. Every sailing on this page was checked against our live cruise search in October 2026, and we will always confirm the latest details before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Where is warm for a cruise in January?
The Caribbean, the Canary Islands, South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South America are all warm in January. The Caribbean is in its dry season, and the Canaries typically reach around 20°C by day.
Can I cruise somewhere warm in January without flying?
Yes. Several lines sail from Southampton to the Canary Islands and Madeira in January, usually for around 12 to 14 nights, and there are longer voyages to the Caribbean of around five weeks.
Is January a good time for a Northern Lights cruise?
It is one of the best. Long nights in Arctic Norway mean many hours of darkness, so whenever the sky is clear you have a good chance of seeing the aurora. Norway’s coastal voyages run all year round.
Is January a good time to cruise to Antarctica?
Yes, January is the peak of the Antarctic season, with the longest days, the mildest weather and penguin chicks in the colonies. It is also the busiest and most expensive time, so book early.
When do world cruises leave the UK?
Most world cruises depart Southampton in early January and return in spring. Many can also be booked in shorter sections if you do not have three or four months to spare.
Plan this voyage with us
Our Travel Designers can check live availability, compare suites and add flights and hotels before or after you sail.
Keep planning
- Search every cruise we sell
- The best Caribbean cruises from the UK
- The best no-fly cruises from the UK
- Antarctica cruise lines compared
- Hurtigruten vs Havila
Ship and itinerary details are taken from our live cruise search and the cruise lines’ own information and were correct when we wrote this in October 2026. Cruise lines do change ports, dates and ships, so we confirm everything with you before you book.
