The Cruise Report With Cruise Specialists Cruise Reporter Ralph Grizzle

The Top 10 destinations for historical interest, lovely landscapes, super shopping, spectacular cities and village life experiences.

The Middle East may not be at the top of everyone’s list of cruise destinations, and for those who want to loll about and sip drinks on a sandy beach, the Middle East would be a poor choice. It may have sand, and it’s certainly got plenty of sun, but this is not the place for Western-style sunbathing.

Rather, the region is a culturally rich destination that amply rewards those savvy travelers who do make the trip. Chockablock with historic sites, the Middle East, of course, is home to the geographic starting points for Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and over the centuries, the Middle East has provided a stage for some of history’s most dramatic and significant moments.

For these and other reasons, Holy Land cruises, as Middle Eastern itineraries are known, deserves the consideration of any experienced traveler who hasn’t sampled this region of vast deserts and fertile river valleys.

The luxury cruise lines frequently incorporate the Middle East into their world cruise itineraries, transiting the Suez Canal to connect the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, and some lines, such as Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, will make a series of roundtrip cruises that include the Eastern Mediterranean ports in Turkey and Greece. Beyond that, though, there is not an abundance of cruise ship capacity to the Middle East.

To help you choose the best itinerary, we present a series over the next 10 days listing our list of Top Ten Attractions for Middle East cruising. Stay tuned!