Monday, April 1, 2024

The 16 Best Cruises to Book in 2023, According to T+L's Expert

cruise ships best

Decide how much you’re willing to spend and remember that while the cabin is important, you’ll also want to budget for on-board activities, excursions, beverages, and other expenses. Cabins on middle floors offer the best combination of access to facilities and less movement in the event of rough seas. You deserve to have all the information you need to make the best decisions when organizing your future cruise vacation.

The Galápagos Islands on Quasar Expeditions’ Evolution

A great cruise ship specialty restaurant should feel like date night at an exciting venue – and that’s exactly what Norwegian Cruise Line delivers on its ships. Passengers are spoiled for choice, from upscale Italian in Onda by Scarpetta and delicious Teppanyaki and sushi, to fine French food or Mediterranean fare. The line also offers thoughtful dining packages to help make visiting these venues less restrictive and costs more manageable. With each new ship, Carnival packs more and more into its fares – with fewer upcharges than most lines. The included food options are tasty and satisfying, the drink packages remain reasonably priced and there’s nonstop entertainment and activities all day. Whether you’re with friends, a significant other or your family, you’re bound to have a good time, with minimum damage to your wallet.

Princess Cruises

Here, we list our top picks for the best Royal Caribbean cruise ships for five different types of travelers. Royal Caribbean is the world's biggest cruise line, and it has more ships than any other major line, including vessels in a wide range of sizes and with a wide range of amenities. While they all have a lot in common, they have some major differences, too, that make them more or less appealing to different types of travelers. However, depending on the size of the ship, they could be farther from entertainment and dining areas. On big ships, there may be 10 or even more flights of stairs between your cabin and the pool, sun deck, buffet, and other amenities found at the top of the ship.

Viking Cruises

While its biggest focus of late has been on the family market, it has ships that will appeal to luxury travelers, budget travelers, solo travelers and retirees as well. There's no doubt about it, Wonder of the Seas is the Royal Caribbean ship to book if you're looking to live the high life (and are willing to spend big bucks to do so). There's "cruising" and there's "yachting" – small ships that dock in harbors and ports inaccessible to larger ships. SeaDream offers 7- to 15-day voyages with a maximum of 56 couples and a 95-person crew, so service and attention to detail are highlights. Windstar Cruises' luxury small ships call on 150 ports throughout Europe, Central America, the Caribbean, and the South Pacific, and there's no way you'll go hungry on the journey. Exquisite onboard menus have been designed by acclaimed chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants.

The Alaska trips on Ocean Victory, a fuel-efficient, 93-cabin ship from American Queen Voyages, come with the opportunity to kayak past glaciers and spot bald eagles and grizzlies. The vessel, which first debuted in 2021, represents an evolution in ship design for American Queen, with its cutting-edge X-Bow design (which helps reduce fuel burn) and chic suites, including many with private verandas. “There’s also a greater space ratio onboard, allowing for less crowding and more space for guests to spread out and enjoy,” she says.

Oceania Cruises’ Vista

Here's what it's like onboard a luxury yacht vacation - USA TODAY

Here's what it's like onboard a luxury yacht vacation.

Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 09:07:56 GMT [source]

Silversea Cruises topped the list as Best Luxury Cruise Line for the second year in a row. Cruise Critic just announced its annual list of the Best Cruise Lines of The Year. This is the 15th iteration of the list compiled by the online cruise community’s international team of cruise experts. Over the next two years, for instance, Rhapsody of the Seas is sailing out of such less-common home ports as Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Colombia; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Rhapsody of the Seas is also the ship that Royal Caribbean deploys on some of its most destination-focused itineraries, the type that have particular appeal to retirees looking to see more of the world. Note the suite complex is a gated community — one where you'll only be surrounded by other swells who have paid top dollar for exclusivity.

cruise ships best

Also included in every SeaDream experience is complimentary access to wave runners, Hobie cats, kayaks, snorkeling gear and other water sports equipment. A game changer in lowering emissions, Ponant’s brand-new hybrid-electric Le Commandant Charcot can operate on less-carbon-intensive battery power and liquefied natural gas and has room for 245 guests. The game-changing ship, which has already hosted eclipse watchers on a trip to Antarctica and sailed to the geographic North Pole, also offers adventures in places such as Iceland and Svalbard.

It List 2024

Additionally, knowing a cruise ship like Crystal Cruises” Crystal Serenity is the most awarded luxury cruise line might also contribute in your decision-making. If traveling in comfort, style, and top-tier service appeals most to you, you can’t go wrong with these luxury cruise ships. Norwegian Cruise Line has proved it’s the clear leader when it comes to solo travelers. Even better, Norwegian's ships offer an exclusive studio for solo guests, where passengers can chat, grab snacks and get to know one another.

Celebrity Cruises

If you are a first time cruisers, we know that finding the right ship can be a hassle, but we are here to help. If you are looking for a cruise that will provide enough crew members for a high quality service, the cruise's ship-passenger ratio should be a criterion during your cruise search. The 3,000-passenger Carnival Sunshine has many of the same bells and whistles that Carnival is known for but at a manageable size.

The second ship in the series, Star of the Seas, will debut in 2025 and already is open for bookings. These are the best cruise lines in the world, according to the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. Mediterranean cruises can last anywhere from seven days to two weeks, depending on the company and itinerary.

Its short sailings and low pricing mean you're not out a lot in time or money if you don't have the time of your life. It caters heavily to first-time cruisers as well as Florida locals who can book on short notice and drive into the port for a quick escape. Many of these family-friendly accommodations are near a new-for-the-line outdoor "neighborhood" called Surfside, which is dedicated to families with young children. Surfside features splash areas for babies and kids, pools and lounge spaces for parents, family-friendly eateries and shops, and a bar with "mommy and me" matching mocktails for kids and cocktails for grownups. But it's not just its larger size that makes Icon of the Seas the best Royal Caribbean ship for families.

With this class, the experience has more to do with the ports the ships visit than the onboard experience. At 78,808 tons, Rhapsody of the Seas is a third the size of the biggest Royal Caribbean ships. Expect a more intimate experience than what you'll find on the bustling Icon-class, Oasis-class, Quantum-class and Freedom-class ships mentioned above.

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So much so that Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 34,000-mile world trip for 2024 sold out in just over two hours, while the adults-only Virgin Voyages, which aims to throw cruise stereotypes overboard, rose to first place in Large Ships. And we’ve brought back last year's new category showcasing the expedition cruises – small, often sustainable vessels with a shoal of scientific experts onboard – that follow in the wake of adventurers such as Sir Ernest Shackleton. Before booking, read reviews of the ship and specific cabins on websites such as Cruise Critic or watching YouTube reviews. Previous travelers can offer invaluable insight into noise levels, views, and overall satisfaction. Cabins located at the very front and very back of the ship will experience significantly more movement in the event of rough seas, so choose a cabin towards the middle of the ship if you’re facing multiple sea days or sailing off-season.

Suess at Sea keep kids and teens entertained, while the Punchliner Comedy Club offers up laughs. To help narrow it down, we asked a panel of cruise industry experts to nominate their top picks for cruise lines and ships across 12 categories. American Queen Voyages will offer the longest trips in the line’s history in 2023, with two 23-day river itineraries on the Mississippi and Ohio aboard the 123-stateroom American Countess. “The ship will sail more than 1,700 miles from Minnesota down the Ohio River and Upper Mississippi River, calling on more ports and offering more guided tours than ever before,” as T+L reported in August. In June, Quasar Expeditions is offering a Galápagos cruise on the 32-passenger Evolution for children with autism spectrum disorder, hosted by an expert in supporting families with special needs. The trip, which departs June 24, is a seven-night expedition that takes in many of the most notable sites on the islands, with programming specially tailored for both kids and adults.

The cruise line's relatively new Go Local shore excursions for small groups bring travelers to under-the-radar destinations, T+L contributing editor and long-time cruiser Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon reported recently. Her 2022 cruise on Riviera included 70 excursions "from canoeing Croatia’s Cetina River to cooking classes in Athens." Some Royal Caribbean ships — such as the line's Oasis-class vessels and recently launched Icon of the Seas — are built with far more family-focused activities than others. Some, such as the two-year-old Wonder of the Seas, have added features that appeal to luxury-loving travelers. Other Royal Caribbean ships operate on particularly low-cost itineraries that are best for budget travelers.

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