Best Cruise Ships: Discover Our Top-Rated Ships
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Of course, there’s no Mardi Gras without New Orleans, so the French Quarter zone is where you’ll find Big Easy-inspired amenities like an Emeril Lagasse restaurant. For the most part, its top deck only offers pools, whirlpools and sunning areas, as is typical for ships built in the 1990s. As a result, it draws far fewer families than the vessels above and caters more to an older crowd of mostly couples.
Oceania Cruises
Large ships include the 3,000-passenger Carnival Sunshine, 2,850-passenger Celebrity Solstice, 3,080-passenger Crown Princess, and 2,500-passenger Disney Dream. Mega-ships include the 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas and its sister-ships; the 5,282-passenger Carnival Mardi Gras, and Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Encore, to name a few. Norwegian Joy is part of Norwegian Cruise Line's iconic Breakaway Class, but has a distinct personality of its own.
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The aptly named Wonder of the Seas has 18 decks (16 guest-accessible decks), 2,867 staterooms and 19 pools. However, I often consider more than the total cost before booking a cruise. I look at the ports of call, the space-to-guest ratio, the amenities and onboard activities, and the launch point. MSC Seascape debuted in December 2022 easily making our list of the biggest cruise ships in the world. This impressive ship has 20 decks with 2,270 staterooms in 12 different categories. The ship has its own unique experience called Robotron, the first robotic arm thrill ride on the sea.
Princess Cruises
You won't find big water parks, kiddie splash zones, zip lines or bumper car pavilions on this ship. The vessel also has multiple pool areas, a water park, a miniature golf course and a rock climbing wall on its top deck. It also has one of Royal Caribbean's signature Royal Promenades in its interior — a mall-like space filled with eateries, bars and shops. For would-be Royal Caribbean cruisers, Freedom of the Seas serves as a sort of "test the line" ship. 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.
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Once you come to small-mid ships, you're starting to look at more upscale -- and therefore expensive -- cruise ships. This category contains the smaller, older Holland America ships (those that sail world cruises and the most exotic itineraries), brand-new ships from the larger ultra-premium lines like Oceania and Viking. Mega-ships are the biggest and newest of the big ships, generally offering the most restaurants, entertainment venues and accommodation categories in a cruise line's fleet. You'll find the cool innovations you see on a cruise line's TV commercials, the Broadway shows, enormous water slides and expansive kids' facilities. Carnival Freedom is ideal for first-time cruisers because of the lower guest capacity and the smaller ship size.
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Carnival Horizon
Just keep in mind that, despite the wealth of excellent specialty dining and activities like go-karts, VR games and laser tag, NCL price tags are less inclusive and most of these features will cost extra. Mardi Gras' new sister ship, Carnival Celebration, is also a fantastic option in this category, offering a nearly identical experience (with just a few changes in the names and themes of specific venues). The Centrum on board Radiance Class ships is an elegant area for lounging and entertainment. These ships up the ante with innovative features and experiences that were thoughtfully designed to be reflective of the far-flung places Spectrum of the Seas and our newest ship, Odyssey of the Seas, visit. 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.
It has 2,700 staterooms, 430,000 square feet of public space, 16 total decks and even an 11-foot dry slide called the Spiral, among the longest dry slide at sea. World Europa is the first of four total ships in MSC's World-class fleet, with the second ship World America set to launch in 2025. Keep in mind that this list of biggest cruise ships in the world changes annually, as cruise lines update their fleets.
MSC Grandiosa
Princess Cruises' customers also like its wide range of itineraries, including voyages in Asia and Australia, as well as closer-to-home places like the Caribbean. This France-based line is a specialist in expedition cruising, a type of cruising that involves traveling to remote, hard-to-reach places on small, hardy vessels that carry their own landing craft. Its seven ships feature a relaxed, country club-like ambience and inspired dining that appeal to a mostly older crowd. Tradition long has been a touchstone for this storied line, which dates to 1873 and is known for carefully crafted, globe-circling itineraries on midsize ships.
Carnival Horizon: Best ship for luxury lovers
Virgin Voyages' first three ships (Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady) have suites by acclaimed designer Tom Dixon. Destinations include the Dominican Republic, Mexico and a private beach club in the Bahamas, as well as parts of Europe and Australia. Some of the brands — Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, in particular — operate massive vessels that are like giant floating resorts with deck-top water parks and other over-the-top amusements.
Across Firenze, you’ll see touches of Italy; think cute cafe set-ups that look like they were picked up from a Florence sidewalk. Carnival’s fan-favorite dining options and amenities, like Guy’s Burger Joint and WaterWorks, will be on board. 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). Moreover, the size of a cruise ship can also have an effect on the price of its sailings and the average age of its passengers. Choosing a Carnival cruise ship is no simple task, especially if you're new to cruising. As one of the largest cruise brands in the world, Carnival Cruise Line has more than two dozen vessels in its fleet, offering everything from megaship adventures to smaller-ship experiences.
The slides, climbing walls, games, puzzles and an interactive mural activated by touch bring this underwater-themed world to life. The vessel is one of four in the line's Vision class, featuring ships much smaller than the typical Royal Caribbean vessel. With this class, the experience has more to do with the ports the ships visit than the onboard experience.
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. Here, we list our top picks for the best Royal Caribbean cruise ships for five different types of travelers. Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas is the flagship of the Quantum class cruising Asia and the South Pacific half the year, before spending summer in Alaska.
Radiance Class ships shine with miles of glass, giving guests a window to breathtaking views—like these glaciers in Alaska. At SeaPlex, you’ll find a full-sized sports court, interactive games, the only bumper cars at sea, rollerskating and more. You don’t need to understand quantum physics to remember this ship class—just know that plenty of science went into the features that define Quantum, Anthem and Ovation of the Seas. In addition, Quantum of the Seas ships is particularly known for its unusual range of activities, from skydiving simulators to bumper cars that you can enjoy just fine as a solo traveler. If the idea of sailing on a big ship makes you cringe, small-ship specialist Windstar could be the answer. This fast-growing line has dominated the world of river cruising for North Americans for years, and in the last few years, it's become a significant player in upscale ocean cruising as well.
During the day, passengers enjoy spending time around the pool and grabbing free burgers from Guy's Burger Joint. Carnival Spirit sets sail from home ports around the United States to Alaska, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal. The ship offers a wide range of entertainment options, including mini-golf, a jogging track, kids clubs, and adult-centric entertainment. One of three ships in the line's Freedom class that date to the mid-2000s, Freedom of the Seas is no longer the creme-de-la-creme of the Royal Caribbean fleet (though it was when it debuted). At around 156,000 tons, it's about 30% smaller than Royal Caribbean's newer Oasis-class ships and has fewer venues, from bars and restaurants to entertainment spaces.
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There are more than two dozen lines marketing to North Americans — no two alike. See how your selections stack up, or go back for some new ships to compare. Ride Bobsled Jamaica as fast as you can then cool off in the infinity pool overlooking the harbor and the ship. To make your planning process easier, we've broken down ship sizes into five categories and outlined some of the commonalities, so you can get a better feel for which ship size is right for you.
Seascape currently sails from Miami, and in 2025 will offer MSC cruises from Galveston for the first time. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, now the fifth-largest cruise ship in the world, was actually the largest cruise ship from 2016 to 2018. Onboard, passengers can find 16 guest decks, 2,747 staterooms and suites and 23 pools and whirlpools.
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