Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Setting Sail With Excellence: US News 2024 Rankings Highlight Leading Cruise Lines for Globetrotters Family Living

what are the best cruise lines

In addition, it’s helpful to understand the types of cruises and cabins, and how best to choose among them. Extras like shore excursions and souvenirs can add up quickly, as can certain on-board activities. Carnival also offers all-inclusive rates that will help avoid any surprise expenses, but travelers should of course be prepared to spend more up front. 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.

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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. Pioneered by Norwegian Cruise Line, solo traveler cabins are becoming more common across the industry.

What cruise ports are on the east coast?

"I have outlawed the use of the word 'luxury' … I think we are elegant, we are … understated and hopefully timeless," he said at a naming celebration for seven new river boats in March 2019, according to cruising website QuirkyCruise.com. Viking, a cruise line based in Basel, Switzerland, is no stranger to accolades. News' luxury list last year too — despite Chairman Torstein Hagen indicating he isn't a fan of the word. Here, average daily rates accounted for 60% of scores, while expert, traveler and health ratings accounted for the other 40%. Cruise lines with average daily rates of $300 or more did not qualify for this category.

what are the best cruise lines

Best cruise line for older 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. There will be elevators, of course, but you should expect queues at busy times. The newest, largest cruise ships such as Royal Caribbean's 'Icon of the Seas' offer a huge range of ... This targeted advice aims to cater to the diverse needs and preferences of the modern cruiser, acknowledging the importance of inclusivity and the desire for personalized travel experiences. News & World Report ensures its rankings resonate with a broader audience by providing diverse options beyond traditional family and couple categories.

Cruises

Chantelle Kincy, a cruise enthusiast and travel blogger at Flannels or Flip Flops, observes the rising popularity of prominent cruise lines. Virgin Voyages cruise line is a great option for travelers who want to enjoy a cruise vacation tailored exclusively for adults. Its ships offer a wide variety of specialty dining options, from a food-truck style market with a burger shop, taco shack and sushi bar. For those staying in certain room tiers, a concierge team is available to help travelers with special requests and booking excursions.

Traveler Editors' Favorite Cruise Ships in the World: Gold List 2024 - Condé Nast Traveler

Traveler Editors' Favorite Cruise Ships in the World: Gold List 2024.

Posted: Wed, 13 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Best cruise lines for couples: Viking Ocean Cruises

Shore excursions—chilling on powdery white sand beaches, snorkeling turquoise waters teeming with colorful coral and tropical fish, and sipping champagne on catamaran sunset sails—are mesmerizing. Contemporary lines are the most economical, premium fall in the middle, and luxury cruises are the priciest. You can find weeklong cruises that cost under $100 per person per day—talk about a deal. "This was a banner year for the cruise industry," explains Colleen McDaniel, Editor-in-Chief of Cruise Critic. Before you buy a cruise, you’ll be well-served by understanding how these vacations work, what is and isn’t included in the fare and what it might cost to insure your trip in case the worst were to happen.

Silversea Cruises

Oceania has made considerable investment in providing options for solo travellers, with its newest ship, Vista, containing six 270-square-foot solo cabins that include balconies, premium lounge access and a welcome bottle of champagne. It has fitted its older ships with 14 ‘Solo Staterooms’, all of which offer magnificent sea views. Daily activities will keep you entertained while onboard, while organised excursions or solo trips let you see a magnificent range of towns and cities at your leisure.

7Best cruise lines for solo travelers 2024

Prices include all the same features as a standard booking – such as excursions, onboard meals and Wi-Fi – but with spacious single occupancy cabins and welcome dinners to help you meet people. Solo bookings also include the ‘superior’ drinks package, which gives guests an extensive selection of alcoholic drinks available both at lunch and between 6pm and midnight. The Rhine and Moselle package is their most affordable, starting in Cologne and taking you to beautiful towns like Koblenz and Rudesheim. Spring and autumn are primetime for 16-day U.S. cruises between Fort Lauderdale and Toronto, Canada on 378-passenger expedition ship Viking Octantis. As on other Viking ocean liners, 24-hour room service, king beds, spacious baths with heated bathroom floors, complimentary wine and beer with meals, and specialty restaurant dining also rank high among included amenities. Ashore, you’ll find a mix of fascinating cities (like Quebec City and New York City) and spectacular scenery.

The genuine care and thought put in by each crewmember is what keeps Holland America’s loyal passengers coming back – and it’s exactly that atmosphere that keeps crews coming back year after year, too. When visiting ports of call, Viking itineraries feature the highest average hours in port per day, which gives travelers extra time to explore destinations and their unique attractions. The line’s newest ship, Silver Nova, which holds 728 passengers was ranked as the Best New Luxury Ship. This environmentally-friendly ship, which began its inaugural cruise in August, 2023 is the industry’s first hybrid luxury cruise ship. O.A.T. features 28 itineraries sailing to 33 countries, so you can cross off your bucket-list destinations while traveling confidently and comfortably. Ships are small to encourage bonding, and you’re likely to make such good friends, you may not be traveling solo next time.

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. They will also be happy to have food specifically geared toward them, including pizza, chicken fingers, soft-serve ice cream and all-they-can-eat waffles shaped like mouse ears, in restaurants themed around beloved Disney classics. On the other hand, if you plan to spend most of your time exploring ports and partaking in onboard activities, the type and location of cabin might be of less importance. Examine the ship’s layout to see where your cabin is in relation to key areas like the lido deck, dining rooms, and entertainment venues.

What are the best cruise lines of 2024 for every traveler? - Cruise Blog

What are the best cruise lines of 2024 for every traveler?.

Posted: Wed, 25 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This line hosts LGBTQ+ welcome parties, social hours and other events on almost every cruise, from the Bahamas to the Mediterranean to Australia. You’ll want to book now for the fifth annual Pride Party at Sea, which will held next June. Each ship in the fleet will participate in this vibrant celebration of the LGBTQ+ community—and that, in itself, is worth celebrating. Cunard has been sailing for more than 180 years, and you could say they’ve perfected it. Wherever you’re heading, you can choose from a variety of Romance Packages featuring everything from flowers and champagne to couples massages and breakfast in bed. Or just treat yourselves to date-night dinners at one of the restaurants helmed by a Michelin-starred chef.

This much-beloved luxury line recently restarted operations under new owners after shutting down for 18 months. For years, it was considered the ultimate luxury cruise operator, and our take after sailing on Crystal Serenity after its relaunch is that the line is even better than before. But it recently announced plans to expand rapidly with four more ships over the next six years.

Cruising has come a long way, and now, rather than cookie-cutter ships and itineraries, the best cruise lines are offering options that appeal to a wide variety of travelers. There are mega ships that can hold almost 7,000 guests, and small ships geared toward a couple hundred guests or less. There are even expedition ships that allow you to get up close and personal with nature. Ambassador is a new cruise line where trips begin in cities around the UK, including Liverpool, Belfast, Dundee and Bristol. Both Ambience and Ambition have 89 dedicated cabins set aside for solo travellers, available “at a special single supplement against the equivalent twin fare based on selected single cabin categories”. The operator journeys to a vast range of destinations considering there are only two ships in its fleet, with voyages going as far as Singapore, Brazil and New Zealand.

Lindblad Expeditions will run a series of domestic trips on the Columbia and Snake rivers aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird and National Geographic Sea Lion, both of which have 31 cabins. The food-focused itineraries are organized in partnership with Food & Wine, which, like T+L, is published by Dotdash Meredith. We only evaluated major lines with trips that depart from the United States – hence, we excluded such companies as Virgin Voyages, Cunard, Azamara and Silversea Cruises.

Get to know the best cruise ships in a variety of categories, based on member review ratings for cruises taken in the last year. PortMiami’s enviable location, near Miami Beach, and ease of access has long made it the world’s busiest cruise port. Cruise lines have also imprinted their personalities on the port’s terminals, with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and Virgin Voyages serving as land-based extensions of the onboard experience. Plus, sailing in or out of PortMiami as the city unfolds or fades in the distance is one of the most magical moments in cruising. Nearly every cruise line offers a high standard of onboard service, but Holland America Line’s gracious crewmembers craft something truly special. Service is thoughtful and casually personal, with crewmembers remembering names and preferences.

Best known for its Alaska journeys, Holland America Line will have a 35-day “Voyage of the Vikings” itinerary next year that goes to Nova Scotia, Greenland, Iceland, and Scandinavia, all round-trip from Boston. Both will tour the Mediterranean next summer, visiting in-demand ports in Greece, Italy, and Spain. Crystal relaunched in 2023 with the refurbished ships Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity. The first will spend next summer in the Mediterranean, while the second will transit the Panama Canal in June on a voyage from Miami to San Diego before spending the summer in Alaska. Ships also have a living room where guests can gather to talk or relax while listening to classical music performed by resident musicians. Opinions are our own, but compensation and in-depth research may determine where and how companies appear.

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