There's so much more to cruising in 2019 than the Caribbean

For cruise passengers, 2019 is shaping up to be a particularly exciting year. Not only are ships returning to places that have been perceived as politically sensitive in recent years, but they're also heading on increasingly remote voyages, to places that feel like the ends of the Earth. Here, the seafaring trips to prioritize in 2019.

Havana has been drawing hundreds of thousands of mass-market cruisers since restrictions on U.S. travel were eased in 2016. This year luxury lines join the party, offering deeper experiences and spending more time in ports than the larger ships. SeaDream Yacht Club — known for its casual atmosphere and extreme pampering from the crew — heads to Cuba this month with the 112-passenger SeaDream II, sailing between Havana and the French-founded city of Cienfuegos. Among its port calls is Isla de la Juventud, Cuba's second-largest island, where you can snorkel among sponges and corals in the Punta Frances Marine National Park before returning to your ship for a stand-out Thai massage.

SeaDream is hardly the only plush way to visit Cuba by ship. Silversea launches a series of five voyages in February, and Seabourn begins sailing to Cuba in the fall. Bonus: Havana celebrates its 500th anniversary in November, making for tons of festivals, concerts, art exhibitions and other special events. (SeaDream II sailing, from $5,999 per person for seven days.)

While the country is rebounding from a tourism slump that began with 2011's Arab Spring, this year luxury lines are returning to Egypt, meaning your World Cruise or Middle East itinerary will actually stop there rather than just pass through via the Suez Canal. Ocean lines such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises and Silversea will call on Safaga, with access to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings — albeit on a dusty 124-mile bus transfer from the Red Sea through the desert — in the spring and fall.

River lines are exploring farther afield, stopping not just in Cairo and Luxor, but in archaeologically spectacular Aswan, as well. Book a top suite on the 42-passenger Oberoi Philae, a steamwheeler replica that's chartered by companies such as Lindblad Expeditions, and you can lounge in your own open-air whirlpool while pretending you're Cleopatra on the Nile. (Passage through Egypt sailing with Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic on the Oberoi Philae, from $8,480 for 13 days.)

One of the most remote places on Earth, Arctic Greenland will be a hot spot with cruisers in 2019. Until recently it's only been possible to explore the area's untouched fjords, glaciers, colorful towns and Viking sites on basic expedition ships. Now, new ships are being purpose-built to serve as base camps in icy waters. Among them, Norway-based Hurtigruten's hybrid electric, 500-passenger Roald Amundsen has a nifty underwater drone delivering video from down below and an infinity pool up on top. From either of those vantages — or even closer-up on excursions — you'll be able to spot humpbacks and other whales, or see the Northern Lights high above. (Viking Heritage Cruise, from $7,305 for 14 days.)

Cruising has always been the best way to see these remote islands, where you can snorkel and kayak with sea lions, get up close to sea iguanas, and go eye-to-eye with blue-footed boobies — animals that are seemingly unfazed by your presence. And while there's no need to rough it, this year offers several small ships to make the trips even more intimate. Most notable is the 100-passenger, all-suite Celebrity Flora, which premieres in June with special cabanas for overnight glamping. If you want to go even smaller, check out the new 16- to 20-passenger yachts available from Adventure Life. (Celebrity Flora sailings, from $8,999 for seven days.)

Princess Cruises is celebrating 50 years of bringing guests to see the flowing ice; Cunard returns after 20 years away; and Viking Ocean and Azamara Club Cruises are both making their debut in the Last Frontier State. (Pick Viking if you want more inclusions, Azamara if you're looking for an intimate sailing experience, Cunard for its old-world glamour.)

Alaska-bound fans of giant ships with whiz-bang amenities will find two new options this season, as well: the Norwegian Joy, with its top-deck racetrack, and the Ovation of the Seas, complete with robot bartenders. (Cunard's Queen Elizabeth sailings, from $1,549 for 10 days.)

After an attempted military coup in 2016, most cruise companies diverted their ships from Turkey to Greece. That pattern is slowly being reversed as tourism to Turkey picks back up. On the cruising front, that may have something to do with Turkish government financial incentives, which now run from $25 to $45 per passenger, according to ports operator Global Ports Holding.

See the impressive Blue Mosque and Roman Hippodrome with all-inclusive luxury line Regent Seven Seas, and you'll still have time to go on a shopping spree at the Grand Bazaar. Or try Regent, Holland America Line or Royal Caribbean, all of which are adding back stops in Kusadasi; you'll get to see the Greco-Roman city of Ephesus and walk the same marble streets as Mark Antony. (Athens to Venice on Seven Seas Voyager in June, from $8,999 for 11 days.)

Even for travelers who feel they've seen it all, the prospect of sailing the remote far west Pacific sounds like a thrilling opportunity to encounter communities far removed from the modern world. Australian small-ship line Coral Expeditions will make that prospect a reality when it unveils its 120-passenger expedition ship Coral Adventurer in May, sailing from Darwin to West Papua, Indonesia. The route is identical to the one Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman took 375 years ago, on his second great voyage. Additional itineraries add Papua New Guinea, the other half of the jungle-covered island, where you can learn about spirit masks and dip in hot springs before retreating to the tasteful comforts of the ship, whose wine cellar includes vintage Australian reds.