What is the best cruise ship line to go on?

I have been on 7 cruises with three cruise lines. I would have to say I loved them all in different ways. Carnival was a "party" ship with fun stuff to do all the time. Royal Caribbean had a nice balance of fun and class, and Princess cruise lines was very classy much older crowd (we went to Alaska on Princess maybe that was why). I am planning to take my eighth cruise this time taking the kids and doing the Disney cruise.

It really depends on your preference. I have taken around 4 cruises on Carnival and 3 on Royal Caribbean. Family members have taken cruises on Holland America and Norweigan.

Basically it breaks down like this:

For parents with kids, go with Carnival. There is 24-hr pizza, ice cream, and ceasar salad. There is also a camp carnival club that takes great care of the kids with PS2, mac computer games, hands on activities, tours, and the like. The food is not luxury grade but more for bulk eating. It's the kind of stuff kids like, such as pizza, hot dogs, potatoes, etc. All the basic stuff. The cutlery, plates, etc. are all coloured plastic and made to take a beating. It is more of a family fun oriented line, with stuff for everyone - the ship almost never sleeps.

Royal Caribbean is for parents with teenagers (16+), retirees (I'm talking about 50-60), or people who would like to relax. It is still fun and exciting, but the food is better, the cutlery and plates, etc. are higher grade plastic, metal, even silver in the dining room. The ships and rooms are more high-grade and they offer some interesting freebies while onboard. A couple years ago, on a 14-day cruise, they had free characature paintings for people for about 3 days in a row (intensely popular). The whole area is more relaxed, encouraging a social atmosphere as opposed to Carnival's 'get down and boogy' atmosphere.

Holland America should be avoided by young people. Not because it's a bad line, but because it is made for seniors (talking 70+). The whole ship shuts down around 8pm as everyone goes to sleep, and any children running around would get complaints unlike most of the other lines. Dinner is open seating (depends on preference, but we don't like this) and it is almost like staying at a long-term care centre on the water. Don't take me as saying no young people take this line, but I wouldn't encourage parents with children to take this.

Norweigan is basically the same as Holland America, although more tolerance for younger people. I personally haven't been on this one so I can't offer much in-depth analysis, but I've heard no complaints. This and Holland America have high-class cutlery, events catered to adults, etc.


I personally recommend Royal Caribbean for their balance between fun and maturity. They are also the only line to offer repeat-client benefits. Join the Crown & Anchor club and the more cruises you take, the more you get. This includes coupons for the casino, robes to use while on board, invites to private parties and wine tastings, cabin upgrades, preferential debarkation, etc. It's free to join.


I don't want to type too much but if you want more info let me know.

Good luck,
Hope this helps

Penelope Cruise

It really depends on who you are and what you want to get out of the cruise.

Here's a link to a video to help you choose the cruise line that's best for you:

http://www.cruisecompete.com/video_how_to_choose_a_cruise_line.php

The one that floats.

If you want something special but affordable go with celebrity cruises which are now part of royal carribean. They have less people about 1500 compared with royal carribean which can have about 3000.

My parents have been on many cruises with celebrity, P&O and Royal Carribean and they now always go with celebrity. They say the quality is so much better and the passengers on the ships tend to be seasoned pros!

The Titanic

I LOVE Oceania Cruise Line. It's a small line with small ships (about 700 passengers) and each passenger is treated as if they were a queen/king!

I made a Mediterranean tour on Costa Cruises and it was amazing!!!++

I "heard" the Princess Cruise Lines aren't bad!

Adventure-life
http://www.adventure-life.com/cruises/antarctica-cruises
Great if you like cruises to unusual destinations.

Royal Caribbean by far is the best

Depending on your budget and the place that you will like to go to, cruise lines and cruise ships differ from one another but surely, any cruise line will be able to deliver you to the destinations and will give you a great cruise time.

http://www.cruisejobinsider.com/testimonials.html

Hi, I'm a Cruise Specialist of 15 years and have taken 26 cruises, some short some longer. This is a question such as "Do you prefer blondes or brunettes?" There is no best cruise line. Keep in mind there are different classes of cruise lines. The ones I've seen mentioned here are in the "standard" class such as Carnival, NCL, Princess, Royal Caribbean. Then you have a "premium class" including Holland America and Celebrity and others. Then, there are the luxury cruise lines like Crystal, Seabourn, or Cunard.
Some people, even if they could afford a luxury cruise, wouldn't like it. It would be too stuffy or formal.
What I do is qualify a client and find out whether they are laid back or active. If they like days at sea or want to see a lot of ports, etc. It is almost like a dating service. My job is to match the right cruise to each person. I have written articles about cruising and especially new cruisers at my site: www.cruiseone.com/rbarker. Feel free to email me with any question. Glad to help.

I have only selled on royal carribean, I'm thinking about going on carnival cruise. Royal carribean has great food, but entertainment needs improvement, I went when the weather was cloudy and the sea was roaring. Belize is the best place to go! Make sure you have all documents in order, royal carribean makes you pay full price for children as young as 1.

It depends on your age. The young and people with young children would probably enjoy Royal Carribean more. Older people who don't want to be bothered with young children and partiers prefer Holland America and Celebrity. So many cruise lines are owned by just 2 or three major companies. Royal Carribean has this mall type inside, so on bad weather days or days at sea, you can walk around and you don't feel so closed in like you are on a ship. The staff on RC are very lively and friendly

I have only been on Norwegian Cruise Line because I used to work for them. If I took a cruise though, it would probably be with either them or Royal Caribbean. Norwegian has the freestyle way of thinking. There is no set schedule to eat or seating arrangements. You eat where and when you want with whoever you want. I can't imagine going on a cruise where I'm schedule to eat with people I don't know and with no choice of time or place. Royal Caribbean because their ships are beautiful and they have lots of activities.

The are many sources of cruise line rankings if you are interested.

Depending on your needs and wants, you may be happy with a premium cruiseline (Celebrity, Princess)vs a luxury cruise line (Crystal, Regent, Silversea).

It is not carnival. Hair in food. Human feces smell in hallway. Identity theft problems that have yet to be resolved. Mr Bill

royal caribbean

Also If you want to know what entertainment is available and to see great pictures of the ships, I would look at http://www.cruises.co.uk/. I did this when looking for my last cruise and it gave me an idea of what to expect ong the ship I was going on. They have loads of photos of ships so you will find what your looking for.

Find out what everyone else is sating at http://www.cruise.co.uk/ in the cruise review section.

Find out what everyone else is sating at http://www.cruise.co.uk/ in the cruise review section.

Dependent upon your personal preferences. Luxury? Family? Itinerary? Service? Once you decide what is most important, a good Travel Agent can help you narrow your choices. In general, as in life generally, "you get what you pay for". Higher priced cruises offer better facilities, food, and service, etc.

Cruise ships are really becoming a hit these days. Cruise ships are commonly popular before as a place for senior citizens and families to enjoy their vacation. But these days, anyone who wants to join the adventure can join the fun of a cruise ship. You may want to add on your list Opus Casino Cruise Lines (http://www.opusccl.com). It offers casino, entertainment, dining and a lot more to passengers searching for cruise discounts.

We've only used Princess. It was fine but after reading all these answers, we may take a different one next time. Princess has been the best for us but only because we haven't tried anything else.

Find out what everyone else is sating at http://www.cruise.co.uk/ in the cruise review section.

I've been on three cruise ship vacations so far and they've all been special. I'm very fond of carnival cruises and that will be my choice for next year too.

Cruiselines are rated by stars . . . 5 or 6 stars being luxury, 4 stars=premium, 3 or less=mass market. Food, service, and accommodations are price related. It is simply a corporate money game. A cruise company cannot serve a gazillion Prime Steak and Maine Lobster dinners and charge the passengers $50 a day for their food, hotel (cabin), entertainment, etc. Try several different lines and you will find one you like. EVERY cruiseline has its own fans . . . like Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream lovers.