Cruise Tips #2 Which is the best cruise line?

Since I have done over 100 cruises, I am often asked: “Which is the best cruise line?” Unfortunately, there is no objective answer to that question. I can tell you which cruise line I enjoy the most but there is no absolute best cruise line.

Let me explain. All of the major cruise lines have beautiful ships with a wide variety of amenities and facilities. They differ in decor, size and the type of facilities that are emphasized. Thus, generally speaking, it is a matter of personal taste whether a person will like one ship more than another.

Along the same lines, each of the lines does a good job in trying to provide the type of cruise experience that it is seeking to provide. Thus, whether one will enjoy a cruise on one line more than on another depends upon which line's targeted cruise experience is more attuned to your personal lifestyle and taste.

Cruises are not fungible commodities. Each of the lines tries to do something different. For example, Cunard seeks to provide a sophisticated, formal cruise experience that emphasizes the cultural aspects of life. Royal Caribbean seeks to provide an active cruise experience where physical activity and adventure are emphasized. NCL seeks to provide a casual, unstructured experience where the passenger makes all of the decisions. Thus, which cruise line is best for you depends upon which type of experience is most suited to your lifestyle.

To illustrate, if you are really into partying and casual, relaxation, you are unlikely to be happy on a cruise line that has a strict dress code and a string of formal nights. Similarly, if you like lectures and dressing for dinner, you are not going to be happy on a line where the daily activity centers around the swimming pool complex.

It should also be borne in mind that most of the people on the ship will be people who are attuned to the type of cruise experience that the line seeks to provide. This is due in large part to the fact that the various major lines have a high number of repeat passengers. Consequently, if one is not attuned to the type of cruise experience the line is seeking to offer, you probably will not find much in common with the other people on the ship.

It follows that just because one has enjoyed a number of cruises on one line or even several lines that one will enjoy cruising on all of the others. I spoke with one cruise director for a premium brand about what type of passenger would not enjoy his ship. He then proceeded to describe the type of passenger which his mass market affiliate states is exactly the type of passenger it seeks to serve.

I’m not saying that once you have found a line you like, never travel on any other. Variety can be interesting. Instead, the point is to go beyond questions such as port destinations, price and ship sizewhen you are considering a cruise and find out what is the type of cruise experience the line is seeking to provide.