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I recently ordered a cruise map from a lovely company called The Cruise Maps. It’s a great conversation starter when people come round and I always love starting conversations about cruises!
The Cruise Maps is a company that makes customised maps of cruise itineraries. I first became aware of the company in 2024 and have been lucky enough to meet one of the founders who loves cruising as much as us!
These maps aren’t just printed to show the standard scheduled itinerary of your cruise they use real satellite data which is so much better. The quirky itineraries are so interesting.
If your cruise itinerary is changed for any reason – missed ports, bad weather, medical emergencies – the change of route will be shown on your personalised cruise map
Relive your cruise forever with a custom print of your exact cruise itinerary. It's created using satellite data!
Postage is always free and the maps are available in multiple sizes.
I have a lovely map of my cruise to Spain on P&O’s Arvia.
Towards the end of the cruise, we had to make a late-night diversion to A Coruna, a port in the Galicia region of northwest Spain. My map clearly shows the detour that the ship made.
The Maps – Real Itinerary (Including Changes)
The maps themselves come in two different sizes, you can choose whether you would prefer landscape or portrait orientation, and whether you would like your map framed.
If you choose a frame, it will be made from pine with a black finish and durable clear plexiglass covering the map. This is what I have in the picture above.
Every frame is completely hand-made to order, with the framing carried out by professional framers.
They use FSC-certified museum-quality paper to provide an ultra-durable matte finish for the map. I didn’t know that museum-quality paper was a thing before ordering this, but it looks great.
The maps include a written port label for every port that you stopped at on your cruise.
General place names outside of the cruise route aren’t shown on the map. I talked to the team about this and they said that they was felt that would clutter the design too much and make it less attractive and I agree.
If you don’t want port labels on your map, you can opt out of these when you place your order.
“I love these maps! I got one for my Greenland cruise that didn’t go to Greenland last year! It was pretty funny, since we just bopped around Canada”
@deniseyoung3738
I love the interesting itineraries and given that around 1/4th of the cruises I’ve taken have had a chance from the advertised route at some point, I’ve got lots to catch up on!
To find out why this happens, check out this post: 4 Reasons Your Cruise Itinerary May Change
How To Order – It’s Easy Peasy
In order to produce your personalised map, the company need some information from you. You will need to enter:
- The name of the ship
- The starting port and the date the cruise began
- The end port and date the cruise finished
They have the data all the way back to 2015. It may be possible to find cruises before this but it isn’t guaranteed, they’ll try though!
You can also give your map a personalised title if you wish, or add a personalised message which I did. I called this cruise ‘seeking sunshine’ because we went all the way from the UK to Spain.
If you have got engaged, renewed your wedding vows or had a special birthday on your cruise, you can let them know the event and the location by email ([email protected]) when you order, and they can include it in your map which I think is very nice.
Because you can personalise the map, the maps are also great presents.
The website is well-designed and easy to use. This makes ordering your personalised cruise map an easy experience.
Free Shipping
The Cruise Maps deliver maps globally, at no extra charge.
The length of time taken for delivery depends on your location. In the UK/Europe/North America, it can be as quick as 3 business days.
You can always track your order via the link in your order confirmation email.
Safe Credit Card Payment
The company use Shopify Payments to handle all transactions so it’s very easy to use.
It’s the same thing I use for my store EmmaCruisesShop.com.
This has a certified, secure encryption, and the company do not store the credit card details themselves. This makes paying online as safe as possible.
Refunds – Nice to Have
I’ve never found anybody who’s had a problem with a map but it’s still good to know they offer refunds.
If there is any problem with the print – the route the ship took isn’t 100% accurate, or in the unlikely event you are not delighted with the quality, you will be able to get a full refund.
The company will understandably not give you a refund if you change your mind. The personalised map will have been printed for your cruise route, they can not sell it on to anyone else.
If you have any issues at all with your map, contact the company at [email protected]
How Is The Map So Accurate?
The company use the latest AIS satellite ship tracking technology, which gets a position report for your ship every 15 minutes for the dates you were travelling.
Having a permanent reminder of your cruise holiday is so cool.
It’s also a wonderful talking point – you might be able to convince your non-cruising friends what a perfect holiday/vacation cruising is!
As the maps use AIS satellite tracking data – they show where the cruise actually went – and can only be created after the cruise has finished
The company are happy to take pre-orders for your upcoming cruise, the maps will then be created and delivered to you after you disembark.
The maps can actually be created for cruises going back as far as 2015.
I absolutely love my map of my Arvia cruise to Spain. I took that holiday with my parents, brother, nieces and extended family. We had such a wonderful time. My map always makes me smile because it is such a great reminder of that wonderful, if eventful trip!
As well as the late-night stop to disembark a passenger for a medical emergency, we also stopped at Gibraltar instead of Lisbon due to bad weather – and had to circle back around to rescue a lost (empty) lifeboat!
Relive your cruise forever with a custom print of your exact cruise itinerary. It's created using satellite data!
Postage is always free and the maps are available in multiple sizes.
Special Events
The Cruise Maps have a partnership with Cunard and so recently made limited additional route maps for the first sailing of Queen Anne.
I have friends who were onboard and have the map, which is a great collectable. I could see this being the start of a collection.
The maps have great online reviews, and members of my Facebook and YouTube channel who have ordered them have been very pleased with their finished Cruise Maps.
Don’t forget to use code EMMACRUISES for 10% off and please send me a photo to [email protected] when yours arrives! I’d love to see them.
Before You Go
Find out why your cruise ship itinerary might be changed at the last minute in the post below:
4 reasons your itinerary may change
Find out more about the lost lifeboat that P&O’s Arvia rescued here:
The Truth About Cruising in a Storm (We Found a Lost Lifeboat!)
Free Insiders Cruise Line Guide
Ever wondered how the mainstream cruise lines compare? Cruise lines won’t tell you this, but I will.
This FREE guide shows you everything you need to know to find your perfect cruise line.