Cruise Critic announced the 2023 Best Cruise Lines of The Year
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Whether your next vacation is with your family, your partner or solo, there's a ship that’s right for you. The best cruise lines offer promotions regularly, so keep an eye out for specials that match your budget. Couples looking for the best cruise lines for a romantic adventure should make reservations with Viking Ocean Cruises.
Best cruise lines for families: Disney Cruise Line
The idea is that the latter three brands offer a "premium" product to the first four. Such nomenclature is a throwback to the early days of cruising that I believe doesn't have much relevance anymore. But the world of cruising also includes companies that operate far smaller, more intimate vessels that carry a few dozen to a few hundred people. They're more like small boutique hotels that happen to float from place to place. We used an online cruise insurance marketplace to get a quote for a family of four (two adults and two kids) for a seven-day cruise to the Bahamas.
Best cruise line for families
The Best Cruise Lines rankings utilize rigorous and transparent methodology, incorporating expert evaluations of ship quality, traveler ratings, and health assessment results. This thorough approach ensures rankings offer reliable and unbiased information for travelers planning their next cruise adventure. Dating to the 1800s, U.K.-based Cunard is particularly known for its transatlantic sailings between New York and Southampton, England. Operated by the iconic Queen Mary 2, the sailings are a throwback to the days of grand ocean liner travel. Cunard also is known for its annual around-the-world sailings that include stops in dozens of countries.
Best for Adults-Only Cruise: Virgin Voyages
They typically boast more sophisticated amenities, too, like art collections and educational classes on sea days. Unfortunately, Virgin Voyages doesn’t offer an alcoholic drinks package like other cruise lines. However, to offset this drawback, drink prices are reasonable ($5-6 for a beer and $9 for basic cocktails), including the tip. It doesn’t matter if you want adventure, relaxation or a combination of both, the best cruises offer a convenient and all-inclusive way to explore multiple destinations without the hassle of planning individual itineraries. Some of the brands — Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, in particular — operate massive vessels that are like giant floating resorts with deck-top water parks and other over-the-top amusements.
Best cruise lines for families
As with other luxury lines, Seabourn offers a wide range of itineraries around the globe. It also recently jumped into more adventurous, expedition-style cruising with two new 264-passenger vessels designed to operate in polar regions such as Antarctica and the Arctic. Carnival cruises may be low priced, but they’re high on guest satisfaction. The ships are packed with activities, from water slides to game shows to the thrilling SkyRide, a pedal-powered bike 150 feet above the top deck. There’s plenty to keep kids busy, so you can spend some guilt-free quiet time at the Serenity Adult-Only Retreat. You’ll also find lots of great included dining options, such as Guy’s Burger Joint from Food Network star Guy Fieri.
Best cruise lines in the Caribbean
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Others operate vessels that are as luxurious as any upscale resort found on land. A few small luxury players such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises have ships with lavish suites that'll cost you as much as $11,000 a day. By definition, small ships hold fewer than 1200 passengers, usually making the cruise experience more intimate with more individualized service. A unique, fun and educational option for families with older kids who want to experience nature with a touch of Disney magic, these expedition cruises are the stuff of lifelong memories. Small, purpose-built ships are designed to access the remote landscapes of the Polar Regions and the Galápagos Islands—and to appeal to both kids and adults.
The list of brands includes everything from giant companies such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, which are household names, to lesser-known small operators such as Windstar Cruises. Pre-pandemic, 62% of people who had never cruised indicated they wanted to try it. News' six categories, this time for its presence in the Mediterranean. In every instance, it is followed by Seattle-based Seabourn Cruise Line, Carnival Corporation's ultra-luxury brand. Living up to its name, the Miami-based Celebrity Cruises partners with well-known names in the arts and entertainment industry.
Its ships lack the range of higher-priced suites aimed at upscale travelers that you'll find on, say, a Royal Caribbean vessel. But, in general, Carnival doesn't operate vessels quite as big and venue-packed as the big ships of Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and MSC Cruises. In recent years, until the arrival of Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, it didn't have a single vessel among the top 30 biggest cruise ships in the world. If you are cruising for the first time, you will likely travel with one of the above brands — if only because they dominate the market for cruises among North Americans and, indeed, the world. As you can read in our ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean, this single brand alone accounts for nearly 20% of all cruises taken worldwide.
What cruise ports are on the east coast?
And they’ve won numerous awards for not just being LGBTQ-friendly but for being totally inclusive and wholeheartedly embracing and encouraging diversity. Surrounded by their favorite characters—led, of course, by Mickey and Minnie—children will love made-for-them activities like the AquaDuck Water Coaster and Nemo’s Reef Splash Zone. When you’re not out exploring a new port of call, you can take cooking classes, book a spa day or fitness class, enjoy evening entertainment or gamble at the casino, among other activities. When you dine aboard a Regent cruise, you'll experience world-class chefs as well as sommeliers to pair your wine to your meal. Dining options include a variety of restaurants serving French cuisine, Pan-Asian dishes, Italian specialties, steak and more.
All four Azamara ships and the four oldest Oceania ships have relatively small cabins compared with cabins on today's luxury ships. For the most part, these lines operate ships nearly as small and intimate as the luxury lines' ships. Oceania vessels carry around 700 to 1,250 passengers, for instance, while Viking ships carry 930 passengers. (We're talking about the line's ocean ships; Viking also operates river ships, which we'll discuss below.) Windstar vessels are even smaller, with room for 148 to 342 passengers.
From pools, waterslides and mini golf for kids to spas, shows and nightclubs for adults, there is something for everyone on a cruise ship. Compared with mass-market cruise ships, luxury cruise ships typically offer bigger cabins (often every cabin is a suite), more elegant dining and high levels of service. It's not uncommon for luxury ships to have nearly as many crew members as passengers. Despite a rocky couple of years due to the pandemic, cruising is back, and it’s stronger than ever. In fact, travel insurance comparison site SquareMouth.com reported a 41% increase in the number of travelers taking cruises in 2022 compared with 2019.
That’s not to mention all the regular activities and excursions Norwegian offers, from rock climbing and bowling to spa treatments to boxing classes. Yacht Club guests get 24-hour butler service and their own dedicated concierge, plus a premium drink and internet package. They also enjoy complimentary access to the ship’s spa as well as other perks like a luggage packing and unpacking service and priority check-in and check-out. MSC is a European cruise line that offers itineraries in the Caribbean as well as to popular destinations in Europe like the Mediterranean and Norway. Those who are watching their spending closely should be careful, though. Extras like shore excursions and souvenirs can add up quickly, as can certain on-board activities.
For travelers whose vacation budgets have no limits, consider upgrading to "the most exclusive address at sea" — the Regent Suite. It features a 4,000-square-foot stateroom with top-notch amenities. These include a private car and driver in every port, an exclusive private dining experience and an in-suite spa with unlimited treatments. Pioneered by Norwegian Cruise Line, solo traveler cabins are becoming more common across the industry. Whereas for many years solo cabins were usually interior grade, there are now oceanview and even balcony cabins available for solo travelers on some lines. About Cruise CriticCruise Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travellers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruise enthusiasts.
Below, you'll find our quick guide to some of the most popular cruise brands. As you'll see, it's not meant to be an in-depth review of the lines. It's just a short overview — enough to give you a sense of which particular cruise operator might best appeal to you. There are more than two dozen lines marketing to North Americans — no two alike. Though mass Covid-19 outbreaks early in the pandemic exposed health concerns surrounding cruising, a new survey indicates travelers may not abandon ship travel after all. U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday published its ranking of the "best" cruise lines of 2022.
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