Best Cruise Lines In The Caribbean
It’s a clean sweep for Disney in this category too. Disney has been named the top cruise line in the Caribbean for the past eight years, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Living up to its name, the Miami-based Celebrity Cruises partners with well-known names in the arts and entertainment industry. It’s newest ship, Celebrity Beyond, has Gwyneth Paltrow as its “wellbeing advisor” and a restaurant created by Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud, according to its website.
Also on this list: Regent Seven Seas Cruises , Holland America Line , Carnival Cruise Line , Norwegian Cruise Line , Oceania Cruises , Princess Cruises and MSC Cruises .
River Ship Line #: Crystal River Cruises
Crystal River Cruises launched in 2016 with custom-built river ships. The company is dead-set on matching the top-of-the-line service of its ocean ships in this offeringand it’s certainly got readers convinced. The fleet has five river shipsfour of which, Crystal Bach, Mahler, Debussy, and Ravel, are Europes only all-suite, all-balcony river shipssailing the Moselle, Rhine, Danube, and Main rivers. Guests enjoy an all-inclusive experience, with free butler service, unlimited drinks , WiFi, and fitness classes.
Medium Ship Line #1: Princess Cruises
Of Princess Cruises 17-ship fleet, its five smallest include the Coral Princess, Island Princess, Sun Princess, Sea Princess, and the infamous Pacific Princess, which was the star of the TV show The Love Boat. The Pacific Princess is by far the smallest, holding just 680 passengers. The four other ships carry around 2,000 passengers and are the perfect size to sail through the Panama Canal.
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises
What You Get:Regent is perhaps the most all-inclusive cruise line sailing the seas. Fares include roundtrip air with transfers, gratuities, open bar , all restaurants, shore excursions , fitness classes, unlimited Wi-Fi and 24-hour room service.
What You Don’t: Spa services at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub and special shore excursions cost extra.
Aidanova: World’s First Cruise
AIDAnova by AIDA Cruises is the world’s first cruise ship that can be powered at the sea and in port, using Liquefied Natural Gas .Measuring 337 meters long and 42 meters wide, the AIDAnova has over 2,600 passenger cabins, and a gross tonnage of about 183,900 GT.In addition, there is a two-deck AIDA Plaza, an art gallery, several luxury lounges and restaurants.
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The 4 Most Popular Luxury Cruise Lines
Finding your perfect luxury cruise line can be very difficult. At first sight, all luxury cruise lines seem to be quite similar. They all stand out with high-class service, excellent cuisine, mind-blowing itineraries, and spacious, elegant cabins. But if you dig a little deeper you will discover many differences. Perhaps its the inclusiveness of the fares, the itineraries, or the luxury ship sizes that will make you choose one cruise line over another. We had a closer look at the four most popular luxury cruise lines ranked by LTI – the Luxury Travel Intelligence to give you a sense of how they differ and what you can expect from luxury cruise lines.
What Are The Five Top Luxury Cruise Lines
What Are the Five Top Luxury Cruise Lines?
Continually striving to be grander and swankier, luxury cruise lines are working hard to excel in the high end cruise lines stakes. While navigating the world’s oceans and seas, island hopping and exploring glaciers, luxury cruise line passengers are treated to celebrity chef dining experiences and personal butler service in suite accommodations as spacious and well appointed as any on dry land. In addition passengers enjoy Broadway-quality entertainment, ultra pampering spa treatments, delightful lounges for dancing ’til dawn and lots more ship diversions that can boost cruise ratings from satisfied guests. Let’s scratch the surface on some of the distinguishing luxury differences.
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How They Picked The Winners
If you’re reading these rankings and want to know how winners were picked , then here is the methodology used.
Here is how U.S. News & World Report explained the way they got to their rankings.
Expert Rating : Our editors assign each ship an Expert Rating between 1 and 5 based on the ship’s level of luxury, with 5 being the highest score. This score represents our editors’ analysis of a ship’s atmosphere, facilities, activities, cabins, cuisine and service.
Traveler Rating : A ship’s traveler rating is provided under license by Cruiseline.com. Reviewers assign a rating between 1 and 5 based on their level of satisfaction with their cruise experience.
Filtering Lists by Criteria: Cutoff points and other criteria are used to identify cruise ships or cruise lines that qualify for a given ranking list.
Traveler Type: Each cruise ship and cruise line’s placement on our traveler type cruise rankings takes into account the aggregate traveler rating among specific types of travelers. Cruise ships and lines with the highest Overall Ratings and the greatest approval rating among a certain traveler type , appear on such lists. To qualify for a cruise ship traveler type ranking list, a ship had to have a minimum of 10 total guest reviews, and a certain percentage of reviews had to come from the specified traveler type the percentage required varies by list.
Viking Star Viking Ocean Cruises
Passenger-to-Crew Ratio: 930 to 550
About the Ship: Like Oceania, Viking Ocean Cruises is more of an upper-premium line, but it rivals luxury lines when it comes to the inclusiveness of its fares, spa options and design aesthetic. The first thing you notice about Viking Star is its open, airy feel and the care put into the design of every space onboard.
All accommodations include a veranda, and the tightest quarters — the Deluxe Veranda and the Veranda categories — are comfortably sized at 270 square feet. Larger accommodations include the Penthouse Veranda at 338 square feet, the 405-square-foot Penthouse Junior Suite and the Explorer Suite, which spans more than 757 square feet. Thoughtful touches in all cabins include bedside USB ports, quiet-closing drawers, heated bathroom floors and anti-fog mirrors.
About the Cruise Line: Viking Ocean Cruises was birthed out of requests from loyal passengers who loved their experiences on Viking River Cruises itineraries. They wished the company would replicate the onboard experience, Scandinavian design sensibility and emphasis on destination immersion that’s found aboard the line’s riverboats and translate that to an oceangoing cruise line. Viking Ocean Cruises began sailing in 2015, and in that short span of time it has gained kudos from past river cruise passengers and traditional ocean cruisers alike.
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Symphony Of The Seas Royal Caribbean Cruises
The Oasis-class, Symphony of the Seas by Royal Caribbean International is the biggest cruise ship in the world currently in service.Furthermore, the Symphony of the Seas is also the most expensive cruise ship with a production cost of $1.35 billion for obvious reasons.While its dimensions and weight are evidence of this, the sheer size and comfort of this cruise liner are shown by aspects of the interior.Onboard is a central park with over 20,700 tropical plants, a Royal Theater with a capacity of 1400, a zip line, an ice-skating rink, and seven neighborhoods.Being such a giant ship, its interior design varies from normal to higher category rooms.Its more unique suites are worthy of admiration some of them are mezzanines and split-level piano designs.Beginning with a surf simulator, zip line, laser tag, rock climbing, many water slides, an escape room, pools, hot tubs, arcades, cupcake baking classes and more, this ships entertainment is amazing.Cruise critic bestowed The Symphony of the Seas for Cruisers Choice Awards as Best Cruise Ship for Entertainment.We cant even fit it all in so much! As for dining, the Seas Symphony has almost every cuisine you might think of, and some that you havent even discovered yet.
The Best Luxury Cruise Ships: Our Top Five
The best luxury cruise ships: Our top five
Champagne, fine dining and first-class service are all hallmarks of the best luxury cruise ships. So what are the best of the best? Here’s our top five.
Champagne, fine dining and first-class service are all hallmarks of the best luxury cruise ships. So its little wonder more and more people are getting onboard!
Indeed, there have been plenty of new luxury cruise ships launched in the last year, but newer isnt always better.
In fact some of the Worlds best luxury cruise ships have been pampering guests for almost a decade. So what are the best luxury cruise ships? Heres our top five:
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Extravagant Sailaway Parties On Royal Clipper
The details: Carrying just 227 adventurous sailors on swashbuckling Caribbean adventures, Royal Clipper is the worlds biggest, and we say, most beautiful square-rigged ship. With three pools, plenty of sunbathing space on her sun-warmed teak decks, a smart restaurant and an al fresco bar, Royal Clipper offers all the romance of travel under sail without sacrificing creature comforts. Complete with Edwardian touches, faux fireplaces and plenty of polished brass, Royal Clipper has plenty of character. Its propelled along by 56,000 feet of billowing sails and has a loyal following of keen sailors and boat owners. Indulge in one of 14 deluxe suites on the Main Deck and lie in the big nets either side of the bowsprit its one of the best places to spot dolphins racing the ship.
Best for: People who arent big fans of cruising but love sailing this is the worlds largest full-rigged sailing ship. Avoid if: Youve got any mobility issues. There are four decks and no elevators so getting around could prove tricky.
The Sunday Times cruise editor says: Dont miss Sailaway, all the more exciting in the sultry Caribbean. Passengers gather on the foredeck to watch the crew raising the sails, the ships sailing anthem, Vangelis Conquest of Paradise, blasting across the open decks as the wind picks up and land fades into the distance.
Best Luxury Cruise Lines Ranked
We all need to relax and take a cruise once in a while, but these ultra-high-end trips are extremely luxurious and incredibly expensive.
When it comes down to picking a holiday destination, we never really know where to turn. There are so many options out there, so many incredible places to visit, so many beautiful hotels and rooms to stay at… and, because there’s so much choice, we inevitably get stuck and end up taking the same old trips we’ve been taking for the past few years.
This is where cruise lines can really be a game-changer. If you pay enough money, you might just get the vacation of a lifetime. Everything from personal butlers to the finest meals in the comfort of luxurious room while you sail along unknown seas and make a few stops in stunning placesall of this is only a cruise line away. Just in case you’ve been looking for the ideal luxury vacation, here are the ten best cruise lines you can pick and choose from!
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The Eight Best Luxury Cruise Lines Of 2019
Who Sails This Ship: Crystal Cruises feels more formal than the other luxury cruise traces .Luxurious European River cruises mix magnificence with visits to the many small cities along the rivers edge. They wished the company would replicate the onboard experience, Scandinavian design sensibility and emphasis on destination immersion that is discovered aboard the roads riverboats and translate that to an oceangoing cruise line. Two of them Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager host 700 travelers per cruise, while Seven Seas Navigator is the smallest ship within the fleet, with a capability of 490.
Different Ships in the Fleet: See Crystal Serenity entry above for extra particulars concerning the Crystal fleet. In regards to the Ship: Like Oceania, Viking Ocean Cruises is extra of an upper-premium line, but it surely rivals luxury lines on the subject of the inclusiveness of its fares, spa choices and design aesthetic.
The 2,000-sq.-foot Owners Suites are knockouts, featuring Ralph Lauren furnishings throughout the living rooms, eating rooms and bedrooms. Small here signifies that the ships carry a small number of passengers. A deal with the vacation spot at hand signifies that Viking Ocean Cruises keep longer in port and infrequently even in a single day so passengers can get a real style of the locality.
Large Ship Line #: P& o Cruises
The United Kingdoms premier cruise lineand the worlds oldest, having commenced passenger operations in 1837P& O sails Europe, North America, and the Caribbean with a crowd made up primarily of British nationals. As such, prepare for the ships amenities to have a British bent . Three of the fleets five current ships fall into the large category, while its two upcoming ships, MS Iona and her as-of-yet unnamed sister, will be mega-ships.
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Viking Cruises: Viking Star
You can expect your cruise fare to include a variety of restaurants offering specialty meals. The main dining room serves meals from an international menu. Floor-to-ceiling windows, which are opened on balmy days, enhance your onboard culinary experience.
If youre looking for something different, the Norwegian delicacies ranging from waffles to open-faced sandwiches will delight you. Be sure to try the bacon and pea soup inspired by a recipe designed by the Vikings chairmans mother!
The Kitchen Table experience is one every foodie cant afford to miss. Booking is essential to participate in this event, which is only offered twice on every cruise. Youll accompany the ships chef on land for a market tour. In the evening, together with the chef, youll create your own gourmet meal to enjoy.
A New Trend: Luxury Cruising On Big Ships
Although most luxury travelers embrace the small ship experience and quieter onboard atmosphere, there are some who appreciate and maybe seek an amenity-filled ship with a full entertainment and activity program. Or perhaps they are traveling with multi-generation group members with a different budget level. To that end, several contemporary brands have introduced a luxury ship-within-a-ship concept onboard mega liners that satisfies both needs.
Norwegian Cruise Line offers the Haven Complex, MSC Cruises has the Yacht Club, and both Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line have The Suite Class and Royal Suite Class, respectively. These top-end suites and penthouses are located in a separate section of the ship, with exclusive key-card access to a private pool, sun deck areas, VIP lounge, and a fine dining restaurant. Additional privileges include priority embarkation, tendering, and disembarkation, concierge and butler service, reserved seating at shows, and more.
At this level, the cruise becomes a luxury, all-inclusive experience with specialty dining, premium beverages, and dedicated staff to look after every need.
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Indochina In Style On The Mekong Navigator
The details: All polished teak, ceiling fans and elegant décor, the 68-passenger Mekong Navigator is a beautifully designed, colonial-style river cruiser invoking the elegance of Old Saigon. Luxurious touches like marble-lined bathrooms, a spa and a convivial lounge make this a comfortable way to experience the Mekong, a bucket list journey for many. The spacious ship comes from a fleet thats one of the newest in Asia and you can tuck into full board luxury dining and stretch out on its spacious sun decks.
Best for: Anybody seeking to discover Vietnam and Cambodia from the cool comfort of a floating boutique hotel. Seven-night cruises are bookended with stays in luxurious hotels in Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City, so your journey is seamless.
Avoid if: You see yourself as an independent traveller. These voyages are designed to show off the destination with a degree of comfort, with all tours escorted and included.
The Sunday Times cruise editor says: A comprehensive tour like this is the perfect way to take in the complex history and dreamy beauty of Cambodia, and the bustle of Vietnam.
Large Ship Line #: Disney Cruise Line
If theres one thing Disney Cruise Line does well, its hospitality. The company has taken every lesson its learned from its parks and resort operations and implemented that into its four cruise ships, the 2,400-passenger Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and the 4,000-passenger Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. The ships are designed for families through and throughthere are numerous themed activities every day, from meet-and-greets to full-blown parties with Disney charactersbut there are plenty of adults-only areas that provide a respite from little ones. That said, the ships are not over-the-top when it comes to Disney decor. In fact, theyre quite elegant, taking design inspiration from early-20th-century ocean liners and sporting Art Deco and Art Nouveau aesthetics. The four ships currently sail the Caribbean Alaska Europe the Pacific Coast and the Panama Canal. Three more ships are scheduled to be added to the fleet between 2022 and 2023.
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River Ship Line #: Viking River Cruises
Parent company Viking Cruises has expanded feverishly in recent years, with more than 60 river ships and six ocean vessels in its fleet. Under Viking River Cruises, the company’s riverboats explore familiar waters like the Danube and Rhône in Europe, as well as faraway itineraries on the Volga in Russia, and the Irrawaddy River in Myanmar. Viking River Cruises also includes complimentary Wi-Fi and select shore excursions in its prices, and its Culture Curriculum offers experiential learning through events like regional wine tastings and menus that rotate seasonally.
Medium Ship Line #: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
As far as all-inclusive cruises go, Regent Seven Seas is the real deal. Everything from specialty excursions to meals and alcohol to airfare is included in the rates. Even the mini-bar is free! The only things youll have to pay for are spa treatments, laundry, and the casino. The cruise lines five ships each carry 750 passengers or fewer, but the ships are actually quite large, offering each guest plenty of personal space, especially in their cabins. Regent Seven Seas specializes in round-the-world itineraries.
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