The Burrow
Jul 4, 2025
Cruises can be amazing holidays. For some, enjoying the cruise amenities while on the open water is the best part of their trip. For others, the various ports of call are the highlights, affording them opportunities to experience a wide array of cities and cultures.
To help determine which cruise destinations are the best, the travel insurance experts at Compare the Market Australia have created an index, cataloguing the most frequented cruise ports across the world and comparing them based on seven key factors, including user review scores, activities per capita, annual precipitation and more.
It’s important to note that the ‘best’ cruise destination will vary depending on personal preferences, but this serves as a general guide for ideal cruise stops.
Here’s what we found.
Emerging as the top spot in the index is Mina Rashid, attributed largely to the port dominating the index in terms of activities per 100,000 visitors. Travellers to this port can generally expect a sunny, warm trip and a low level of annual rainfall. The port also performed well with user feedback online.
Mina Rashid struggled with general visibility, attributed to fog and dust events common around the city.1 Due to a majority Islamist culture, alcohol is not common within the region, leading to high alcohol prices for tourists with the city.2
Canada’s Port of Victoria came in as our second-best cruise port, boasting relatively high scores across six of the seven metrics studied. The Canadian ports’ strongest area was annual precipitation, where the location was the eight-lowest in the index. This was followed by a strong online review score, as well as other ideal weather conditions.
Port of Victoria’s performance within the index was stunted due to the lower number of activities and attractions present for cruise passengers to take part in, compared with other destinations.
Another Canadian port, Port of Quebec came in third place in the index. Similar to Port of Victoria, Port of Quebec placed with broadly high scores across six of the seven metrics. The Québécois port of call had the highest online review score of the index, with a rating of 4.7 out of a possible five.
Much like Port of Victoria, Port of Quebec’s worst performing metric was the relatively low density of activities and entertainment within the vicinity.
| Rank | Port | Country | Online Review Score (out of 5) | Activities per 100,000 Visitors | Annual Precipitation (mm) | Average Wind Speed (km) | Average Visibility (km) | Average Imported Beer Cost (USD) | Average Taxi Fare (USD per km) | Index Total (out of 10) |
| 1 | Mina Rashid | United Arab Emirates | 4.5 | 3,610 | 134 | 24 | 9 | $13.61 | $0.68 | 6.66 |
| 2 | Port of Victoria | Canada | 4.4 | 78 | 687 | 17 | 36 | $6.55 | $1.43 | 6.51 |
| 3 | Port of Quebec | Canada | 4.7 | 130 | 687 | 25 | 28 | $6.19 | $2.41 | 6.17 |
| 4 | Port of Oslo | Norway | 4.4 | 235 | 1,384 | 19 | 44 | $10.89 | $1.58 | 6.15 |
| 5 | Port of Split | Croatia | 4.4 | 89 | 1,048 | 28 | 30 | $4.55 | $2.28 | 6.02 |
| 6 | Port of Vancouver | Canada | 4.4 | 124 | 687 | 24 | 30 | $7.28 | $1.53 | 5.96 |
| 7 | Port of Cartagena | Spain | 4.4 | 1,010 | 705 | 25 | 13 | $3.41 | $1.34 | 5.93 |
| 8 | Port of Lisbon | Portugal | 4.4 | 1,351 | 774 | 27 | 10 | $3.98 | $0.91 | 5.90 |
| 9 | Port of Venice | Italy | 4.5 | 1,143 | 1,148 | 16 | 9 | $5.41 | $1.57 | 5.88 |
| 10 | Port of Madeira | Portugal | 4.6 | 465 | 774 | 34 | 19 | $3.98 | $1.41 | 5.82 |
To view the full dataset, click here.
If there are certain things you’re looking to find or avoid in a cruise destination, these are the highest and lowest ranked performers from each category.
Executive General Manager of General Insurance, Adrian Taylor, notes the importance of having travel insurance that covers cruises while on your trip.
“Depending on the insurer, cruise cover can be either included in a typical international travel insurance policy, or as an optional add-on,” Mr Taylor said.
“Cruise cover affords you an extra level of peace of mind while on your cruise and can cover you for a wide array of things from repatriation and on-board medical treatment to missed ports and unused excursions, depending on your policy.
“When booking your cruise holiday, it’s a good idea to look into your cruise cover at the same time, to ensure you’re covered for any delays or cancellations that may occur in the lead up to your planned departure.
“It’s important to compare different policies to find the right cover for you, your needs and your holiday.”
Always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) to check for the inclusions, limits and restrictions before purchasing
Across our study of 101 ports, data was collected across seven categories. These scores were then indexed and averaged into the final ‘index total’. The categories and sources included:
Additional Sources