Thinking which cruise brand is best for you? The great variety of options can be intimidating. For North Americans, there are around two dozen avenues of marketing; none two similar.
From well-known household names like Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, which are giants, to lesser-known modest operators like Windstar Cruises, the list of brands comprises everything.
Some of the lines, such as Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, especially run large vessels resembling gigantic floating resorts with deck-top water parks and other extravagant entertainment value. Others concentrate on small, boutique-style ships.
Some lines, like Carnival, are meant for a thrashed-out budget audience. Others run boats as opulent as any chic resort on land. A few little luxury players, like Regent Seven Seas Cruises, offer ships with opulent rooms costing as much as $11,000 a day.
Where should your hunt for the ideal cruise for you start? Our quick guide to some of the most well-known cruise companies is below. As you will see, it is not intended to be a comprehensive line review. This is only a brief summary; enough to let you know which specific cruise line would most appeal to you.
Once you have reduced the options to a few brands that you believe best fit your taste, investigate them and their particular ships, itineraries, home ports and associated expenses (either on your own or with the assistance of a cruise-savvy travel agent).
Related Article: For more detailed guidance on selecting the perfect cruise for your needs, explore our comprehensive article on how to pick a cruise line.
Which Cruise Brand Is Best for You: 20 Leading Cruise Lines
Azamara
Azamara is among the smaller participants in the cruise industry, with just four ships carrying less than 700 passengers. Still, it has a devoted following of passengers who value its elegant fleet, inclusive facilities (including gratuities and alcoholic beverages), and destination emphasis.
The line takes great pride in providing longer port stays—including visits spanning several days. Its ships seem like a small, boutique hotel. Though not quite as high as you would find in luxury lines, pricing is more than in the major, mass-market brands.
Carnival Cruise Line
From U.S. terminals to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Mexico and beyond, the self-described “fun ship” company is the king of short, reasonably priced, fun-oriented cruises.
Being the choice of almost one in five passengers, Carnival Cruise Line’s ships are famously vibrant, flamboyant, and loaded with entertaining elements, including water parks and several waterslides. Simply said, avoid expecting anything too fancy.
Celebrity Cruises
Though reasonably priced and meant to be above popular choices like Carnival, this Miami-based “premium” line is well-known for some of the most elegant huge ships at sea.
Anticipate elegant design, avant-garde cuisine and modern art. Though it’s not a luxury product, Celebrity essentially targets sophisticated consumers rather than the party scene.
The four newest ships of Celebrity, which are Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Beyond and Celebrity Ascent, have “infinite veranda” rooms open to the sea in a way we haven’t seen with other ocean liners. Their glass wall opens from the top to produce an impression of a balcony.
Crystal Cruises
After closing for eighteen months, this much-loved luxury line recently resumed business under fresh ownership. It was regarded as the best luxury cruise operator for years, and our impression of sailing Crystal Serenity following her inauguration is that the line is much better than it was years before.
Crystal first returned to operations carrying just two ships. Lately, however, it has revealed intentions to grow quickly with four more ships over the next six years.
Cunard
Possibly best known for its 2,695-passenger flagship, Queen Mary 2, this three-ship brand has a legendary line with roots in the 1800s. With semiregular, transatlantic service between Southampton, England, and New York, the ship performs as a real ocean liner as promised by billing.
The very formal atmosphere of the line—including nightly dress codes—as well as various allusions to ocean liner history—including evenings with ballroom dancing—are beloved by Cunard passengers. Set to debut in 2024 is a fourth Cunard ship known as Queen Anne.
Disney Cruise Line
A family-friendly Disney cruise offers meet-and-greets with Disney characters, Disney-themed performances, and the most expansive kiddie fun zones on the high seas are just a few of the family-friendly attractions of a Disney cruise. Nothing quite compares if you enjoy Disney.
Should Disney not appeal to you, well, this most likely isn’t the line for you. The main drawback of the brand? Like their parks on land, Disney cruises don’t come cheap.
Holland America
Long-standing customs have been a pillar for this legendary company, which began in 1873 and is renowned for its well-designed, globe-circling itineraries aboard medium ships.
But with energetic new venues like B.B. King’s Blues Club, Holland America has been upending conventions recently. Markets for this line are couples and retirees. Families with children could wish to look somewhere else.
MSC Cruises
With newer, larger ships running year-round from Florida to the Caribbean and the Bahamas, Switzerland-based MSC Cruises, a giant of European cruise travel, is making a big show for North Americans. It provides sailings from New York City as well.
MSC Cruises runs large, resort-like boats that appeal to a wide audience, much like the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Stops at its own private island in the Bahamas, the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve ranks among the highlights of its North American itineraries.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Among the gee-whiz amenities atop Norwegian Cruise Line’s massive, resort-like ships are multistory waterslides, ropes courses and even go-kart race tracks. The ships also load restaurants, bars, casinos, showrooms.
The brand is well-known for its entertainment value; major Broadway productions as “Beetlejuice” abound. This is your line if you’re seeking a resort with Las Vegas-style at sea.
Oceania Cruises
Oceania has created a niche with quite small, upscale ships that provide a notable improvement from mass-market vessels but aren’t nearly as elegant (or expensive) as luxury options.
Its seven ships appeal to a generally older audience by their laid-back, country club-like atmosphere and inspired food.
Oceania is well-known for itinerary-wise destination-intensive journeys usually lasting 10 nights or more, with some globe-circling trips lasting 180 days.
Ponant
This France-based line is an expert in expedition cruising—a kind of travel to far-off, difficult locations on small, rugged vessels carrying their own landing craft.
Ponant is well-known for trips to locations like Antarctica and the Arctic; running a fast-growing fleet of robust yet elegant exploration ships (none carrying more than 264 passengers). This is not the cruise line for you if you are hoping for laser tag and waterslides.
Princess Cruises
Popular with middle-aged couples, retirees and multigenerational families, the “Love Boat” line’s ships aren’t as showy (or enormous, for the most part) as those of Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, and that’s just the way its consumers prefer it.
Customers of Princess Cruises also enjoy its extensive schedule, which includes trips to Australia and Asia as well as more near-by locations like the Caribbean. For many years, it has been the main line offered on Alaska cruises.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Operating some of the most luxurious vessels at sea, this Miami-based luxury line boasts three recently launched Explorer-class ships rated as the most costly luxury vessels ever built on a cost-per-berth basis.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is particularly well-known for some of the most extravagant suites at sea (including some larger than the typical American house), some of the most inclusive rates in the cruise industry, and high degrees of service.
The sole drawback is that you will pay a fair penny for it. Rooms on Regent ships can cost as high as $5,500 per person daily and begin at about $1,000 apiece.
Royal Caribbean
For those who enjoy megaresort, a Royal Caribbean ship is fairly similar. From rock climbing walls and surfing pools to Broadway performances and ice skating rinks, the line’s largest ships are more than 20% bigger than virtually any others afloat (only MSC Cruises has ships that come close in size) and provide every type of entertainment imaginable.
Families especially would enjoy this line since its vessels offer all the family-friendly locations and activities. Though Royal Caribbean ships travel all across the globe, its most frequent presence is in the Caribbean and Europe.
Seabourn
Another leader in luxury cruising, this seven-ship company presents all-suite vessels, first-rate service and sophisticated cuisine.
Like other luxury lines, Seabourn presents a large selection of routes all over the world. With two new 264-passenger ships meant to operate in cold areas like Antarctica and the Arctic, it also lately entered more adventurous, expedition-style sailing.
Silversea Cruises
Highlights of this Monaco-based luxury line with 12 vessels are excellent service, elegant dining and well-appointed accommodations. Also well-known for their industry-leading range of off-the-beaten-path excursions is Silversea Cruises.
From the Arctic to Papua New Guinea in style, its expanding fleet of small exploration ships will transport you wherever.
The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection
Fans of upscale hotel chain Ritz-Carlton will feel at home on one of this line’s yacht-like vessels. At least that is the theory.
Ritz- Carlton’s cruising arm has only been in operation for slightly more than a year; the jury is still undecided on its pantheon of luxury cruise brand ranking. After years of building delays for its lone ship, the line clearly battled to get off the ground.
Dubbed Evrima, the sole running ship of the line is a 298-passenger vessel meant to appeal to Ritz-Carlton commuters with a sophisticated, domestic style. Later this year a second, larger ship named Ilma opens for bookings.
Viking
For years, this fast-growing line has dominated the world of river cruising for North Americans; in the past few years, it has also become somewhat important in upmarket ocean cruising. Viking’s 10 ocean ships (up from one in 2015) can be found in a rising number of locations; its 80 river ships run on almost every major river in the world.
Viking is well-known for its exquisitely crafted boats with contemporary Scandinavian décor and for providing unusual, port-intensive schedules. Since Viking has long been dedicated to a “no nickel-and-diming” policy, they also run with a largely all-inclusive model. Just don’t bother scheduling the family. Viking forbids children under the age of eighteen.
Virgin Voyages
Backed by Richard Branson’s Virgin Group, this somewhat new cruise line is redefining mainstream cruising with a hipper, more inclusive, younger attitude (though not too young; its ships are adults-only). Think tattoo parlors, karaoke stands, and no tip or restaurant fee policy.
The first three ships of Virgin Voyages—Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady, and Resilient Lady—have suites designed by eminent designer Tom Dixon. Along with areas of Europe and Australia, destinations include the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and a private beach club in the Bahamas.
Windstar Cruises
Small-ship specialist Windstar could be the solution if you find great discomfort in sailing on a large ship. Perfectly intimate, its six vessels accommodate just 148 to 342 passengers, less than suitable aboard a single big-ship lifeboat.
Romantic types will love Windstar’s three sails-equipped vessels. Foodies can choose one of the James Beard-themed cruises, which include market visits and cookery demos with a James Beard Award-winning chef.