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Tag: best cruise ships

  • The Best Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Ships

    The Best Norwegian Cruise Line Cruise Ships

    Norwegian Cruise Line is one of the most successful cruise lines in the world. Their excellent fleet is one of the reasons why. With a total of 17 ships currently sailing for Norwegian, the brand gives their customers a lot of great options to choose from. But if you’ve never sailed with them before, you might be wondering what their finest ships are. Let’s take a look at Norwegian’s most popular and highly reviewed ships to see which rank the highest out of their large fleet.

    While your preferred Norwegian ship will ultimately come down to your personal travel desires, Norwegian Encore seems to be a solid choice for pretty much every cruise guest. It’s not only Norwegian’s biggest ship at 169,145 tons, but it’s also their newest. Construction on the ship was finished in late 2019, so everything is still shiny and brand new on the massive vessel. The food ranges from high class steakhouses to a Starbucks location, so there’s something for everyone. Encore is also well-loved for the crazy amenities that are available on board. Water parks, laser tag, and even a huge racing track can all be found on the ship. In terms of excitement and comfort, Encore might be Norwegian’s best.

    Of course, a ship as big as Encore isn’t for everyone. If you prefer a slightly smaller and more personal experience, Norwegian Pearl is perfect. It’s part of the cruise line’s Jewel class, and it strikes a nice balance between the intimacy of a smaller ship and the options of one much larger. Although it’s been sailing for Norwegian since 2006, it was refurbished as recently as 2017, so you can expect modern comfort. Pearl is loved for the quick weekend itineraries to beautiful locations like the Bahamas. Itineraries on Peal are also generally quite affordable.

    Finally, we should talk about Norwegian Joy. This is once again a large and new ship, and it’s generally reviewed nearly as well as Norwegian Encore. It can feel slightly crowded, but guests and critics alike agree that it’s almost perfect aside from that. There are tons of activities, multiple different delicious restaurants, and even venues for Broadway productions. It’s generally loved most by couples, but families also enjoy this ship.

    Norwegian’s fleet has a lot to offer. If you go with one of these three ships, you definitely won’t be disappointed. The cruise line is also set to roll out new ships soon, so keep an eye out for those!

  • The Top Three Cruise Ships

    Everyone wants to know about “the top X,” where “X” can refer to just about anything. We are ceaselessly searching for the top restaurants, the top hotels, the top movies, the top books, and so on. This perhaps explains our infatuation with lists that rank the relative greatness of different things. Presumably, this fixation applies to cruise ships as well, so we’ve compiled a list of the top three cruise ships. (We seem similarly preoccupied with finding the “biggest X,” and hence our article about the world’s largest cruise ship.)

    How on earth do we go about compiling a list of the top three cruise ships, and what exactly is meant by “top three cruise ships” anyway? These questions are related, as the criteria we use to determine the top cruise ships also explain what we mean by the top cruise ships. We should point out up front that there are any number of different ways to define the top cruise ships. This could be, for example, a highly subjective list, where we simply list the cruise ships we fancy the most. But such a list would have limited applicability, so we sought a more objective system of ranking instead. Somewhat paradoxically, the ranking system we used is based on the perspectives of others (which are of course subjective), but when taken together, something close to an objective opinion emerges. Such is the nature of collective thought. What we did is this: we used the cruise ship ratings submitted by users of the site cruises.com to arrive at the top three cruise ships. The three ships that are rated the highest constitute the top three cruise ships.

    According to cruises.com, the three most highly rated cruise ships (listed in order) are as follows: Holland America’s Rotterdam, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Equinox. Below is some information about each ship.

    Rotterdam is a midsize ship relative to the other ships in the Holland America fleet. It has a gross tonnage of 61,849 and the capacity to hold 1,404 passengers. “Signature of Excellence” enhancements to the ship were completed in December of 2009, meaning nearly all parts of the ship, like the staterooms and cabins, were renovated to enhance the overall quality of cruising on the Rotterdam. One innovation in particular is the introduction of Lanai staterooms, which have sliding glass doors that lead to a walk-around lower deck.

    Liberty of the Seas is significantly larger than Holland America’s Rotterdam. With a gross tonnage of 154,407 and a passenger capacity of 3,634, it is, in fact, one of the larger cruise ships in existence. Liberty of the Seas was also recently renovated, adding some new entertainment offerings, like the The DreamWorks Experience, which incorporates some of DreamWorks favorite characters into the on-board environment (you might see Shrek walking around on deck, for example).

    In terms of size, Celebrity Equinox falls between Liberty of the Seas and Rotterdam. It has a gross tonnage of 122,000 and the capacity to hold 2850 people. Some of the features of Celebrity Equinox include an abundance of staterooms with views of the ocean and the Silhouette Restaurant, a huge and luxurious restaurant with a two-story glass wine tower.

    Given their high ratings, odds are you’ll have an excellent cruising experience with any of these three ships. You might also consider booking a vacation with the cruise lines listed above, as the ships in a cruise line’s fleet tend to have many characteristics in common.

  • The Best New Cruise Ship

    Every year, new cruise ships take their inaugural voyage, and there is always a lot of discussion about these new ships as passengers experience them for the first time. This got us thinking: what is the best new cruise ship? As is always the case when you try to determine the best of anything, judgements will differ. The best cruise ship to one passenger will not necessarily be the best cruise ship to another passenger. Even so, we can’t resist a good “best of” article, and although people will inevitably disagree with our selection (which is itself based on what other people regard as the best cruise ship – more on this in a second), we’re still confident that whatever ship we pick will be a topnotch cruise ship.

    There are a number of sources to turn to when attempting to find the best of the best in the cruise industry. For example, we recently ranked the top cruise lines according to Condé Nast. To determine the best new cruise ship, we looked at a few different sources, like Cruise Critic, a website with tons of cruise industry-related content, including lots of reviews submitted by passengers. (For more information on similar sites, check out our article on cruise critics and cruise reviews.) Cruise Critic put together a list of the “top new ships,” although their selection criteria is a little bizarre because this list contains both recently released ships and soon-to-be-released ships, as opposed to one or the other. We’re concerned with the cruise ships that are already out sailing, so we’ll select the best cruise ship from this set.

    Cruise Critic employs a percentage system, in conjunction with a star rating, to rank cruise ships, such that the cruise ships with the most positive reviews submitted by passengers get the highest percentage assigned to them. Ships also get one to five stars – the more stars the better. A lot of websites that focus on the cruise industry, like Cruises Only, use similar ranking systems (smiley faces are used instead of stars, though), whereas other sites simply compile passenger reviews without assigning any specific rating (in stars, smiley faces, etc.) to a ship.

    Based on a few of these websites, the following three ships emerged as some of the best new ships: Celebrity Silhouette, Allure of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas. Other new ships that were highly rated include the Carnival Magic and the Norwegian Epic.

    Of these ships, the Celebrity Silhouette seemed to come out on top. It received very favorable review on a few sites (e.g., five stars on Cruise Critic and five smileys out of six on Cruises Only), and for this reason, we crown the Celebrity Silhouette the best new cruise ship, or in any case it is one of the top new ships (ratings are constantly being updated, so the top ship of today may well be supplanted by another tomorrow). At 122,400 tons and with a passenger capacity of 2,886, according to Celebrity Cruises’ website, Celebrity Silhouette is a fairly large ship that started sailing in the middle of July 2011. One of its coolest features is the Lawn Club Grill, an outdoor venue which allows passengers to select a cut of meat, which they then get to grill alongside a chef of the restaurant. There is also a bar called Michael’s Club that has up to 50 international craft beers, which is one of many places you can relax with a drink. If drinking isn’t your thing, there are also a number of quite places – like The Hideaway, where can get coffee, or the Sky Observation Lounge, an expansive room with epic views of the sea – where you can, say, read a book or listen to music. So, there is a place for the booze hound and the bookworm.

    It is worth mentioning that the two other new ships listed above that were highly rated – Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas – are also the world’s largest cruise ships. So, these two ships, both of the Royal Caribbean International fleet, are not only enormous, but also well-regarded by the passengers who have sailed with them.

    Celebrity Silhouette, Allure of the Seas, and Oasis of the Seas are all amazing new ships that people have so far enjoyed, so they are certainly worth considering if you are looking to book a cruise vacation.

  • What are the World’s Best Cruise Ships?

    It should come as no surprise that the best cruise ships belong to the world’s best cruise lines. Just a few of the world’s best cruise lines based on factors from fleet to pricing to cuisine include Silversea Cruises , Norwegian Cruise Lines, Crystal Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Lines, to name a few. Continue reading to learn more about some of the world’s best cruise ships.

    Silversea Cruises

    The name says it all — Silversea Cruises offers the best in luxury, service and sophistication. Silversea creates exceptional ocean journeys with unique opportunities to explore remote ports-of-call from an intimate haven of incomparable luxury, each voyage is a unique masterpiece. If money is no object, then a Silversea cruise is for you. Silverseas fleet consists of the Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper, each designed to offer a level of luxury that surpasses most other cruise ships.

    Silversea Cruises features an endless number of voyages to exotic places and a few familiar places. Just a few Silversea voyages include: Lisbon to NYC, Copenhagen to Hamburg, Dubai to Mumbai, Hong Kong to Singapore, Athens to Venice and Rome to Istanbul, to name a few.

    For more information about Silversea Cruises visit Silversea.com or call 800-722-9955 Americas, +377-9770-2424, Monaco.

    Norwegian Cruise Lines

    Not only is Norwegian Cruise Lines popular for its spectacular seven-day tours of the Hawaiian Islands, but Norwegian’s $400-Million luxury ship Norwegian Star offers the largest collection of restaurants among the popular cruise lines. Not only is the collection of restaurants large, the ship itself is even larger. Norwegian Star stretches well over three football fields in length and it has 25 decks and 372 staterooms including the exclusive Garden Villa Suites, which measure 5,800 square feet. The service on this ship is hefty as well — with 1,100 staff members, the ship has a crew to passenger ratio of 1:2, so excellent service will never be an issue during your voyage. The Norwegian star visits the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kuaui.

    For more information about Norwegian Cruise Lines visit the Norwegian Cruise Lines website at www.ncl.com or call 866-625-1166.

    Disney Cruise Lines

    As families with three, four and even five children in the home continue to grow, so does the demand for family-friendly vacations. Disney Cruise Lines has answered that demand making it the leader in family cruise experiences and most families would agree — one of the best cruise lines for fun for everyone.

    Disney has age-specific children activities, programs, and facilities, ranging from nursery to teenage. Just like Disney World, the staff is amazingly friendly. But before you write it off as just a family cruise line, remember, Disney isn’t just for kids — parents and even grandparents won’t feel left out. Most facilities appeal to both adults and children and some are even for adults only. Disney Cruise Lines is one of the most affordable cruise lines around.

    Ports of call include Key West, Cozumel, Nassau and Castaway Cay, to name a few and Mediterranean ports of call include Barcelona, Cadiz, Naples and Gibraltar — to name a few.

    For more information about Disney Cruise Lines click here to visit the Disney Cruise Lines website or call 800-951-3532. For a directory of websites for all cruise lines, visit Ships and Cruises. Here you can access all cruise lines websites along with a detailed description of each cruise line’s fleet.

  • 5 Star Cruise Ships

    It should come as no surprise that the top ten cruise lines made the list because of their 5 star cruise ships, stellar service, luxury accommodations, and unique amenities. Continue reading to find out more about the world’s top cruise lines and what they have to offer.

    Top Ten Cruise Lines

    Depending on the source, the top ten cruise lines list may vary greatly. There are so many categories to consider that it’s tough for top reviewers, websites, and travel guides to offer a simple top ten cruise lines list that will appeal to all. What cruise review/discount websites such as Cruisedirect.com do offer is top ten cruise lines lists in a number of different categories ranging from top ten cruise lines for staterooms or dining to top ten cruise lines for service or entertainment. That being said, there are a number of reliable sources that do offer their honest opinion about which lines deserve to be included on a top ten cruise lines (overall) list, but you won’t find the usual suspects on these lists. What you will find is top ten cruise lines with a common theme – the cruise lines listed are among the most expensive and luxurious cruise lines on the market today – and most carry 400 passengers or less.

    According to Gayot.com, a well-respected source of reviews for hotels, wine, spas, movies, automobiles, cookbooks, fashion, aviation, and contemporary culture, the top ten cruise lines or rather “The World’s 10 Best Cruise Lines” are: Abercrombie & Kent, Butterfield & Robinson, Crystal Cruises, Hebridean Island Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions, SeaDream Yacht Club, Silversea Cruise Line, Viking River Cruises, Windstar Cruises, and The Yachts of Seabourn. Gayot.com (pronounced guy-OH), based its picks on the level of personal service, luxury, facilities, amenities, gourmet restaurants, staterooms, and size.

    Sites such as Traveltruth.com are right in line with Gayot.com, with several differences. Traveltruth.com’s top ten cruise lines list includes: Silversea Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas, SeaDream Yacht Club, The Yachts of Seabourn, The World of Residensea, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Oceania Cruises, Azamara Cruises, and Windstar Cruises. Traveltruth.com also recommends the following cruise lines: Sea Cloud Cruises, Hebridean Island Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Lindblad Cruises, and surprisingly, Disney Cruise Line.

    Not everyone loves small ships. In fact, large ships are the preferred type of vessel for families, large groups of friends, and for theme cruisers. Travel+Leisure listed its “Top Ten Large-Ship Cruise Lines” and its “Top Ten Small-Ship Cruise Lines” in the world for 2007. And the winners in the large-ships category are: Crystal Cruises, Regent Seven Seas, Oceania Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, Orient Line, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International. For small-ships, Travel+Leisure lists the top ten cruise lines as SeaDream Yacht Club, The Yachts of Seabourn, Silversea Cruises, Abercrombie & Kent, Windstar Cruises, Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises, Avalon Waterways, Majestic America Line, Clipper Cruise Line, and Peter Deilmann Cruises. Keep in mind that the majority of vessels in large ship lines carry more than 400 passengers, and small-ships carry less that 400.

    If you’re looking for more information about the top ten cruise lines, visit any of the links included in this article or visit sites such as Expedia.com to check out which cruise ships are best sellers. For links to all cruise websites listed in this article visit: ShipsandCruises.com.

  • Best Cruise Ships

    To find the best cruise ships, one need not look any further than the worlds best cruise lines. Published by Travel+Leisure, the worlds best cruise lines list features the worlds best rated small cruise ship lines and the best large cruise ships lines. Continue reading to find out about Silverseas’ fleet of luxury ships, Norwegian Cruise Lines $400 million dollar Norwegian Star and more.

    When it comes to choosing the world’s best cruise ships, it all depends on what you’re interested in. A cruise line like Carnival Cruise Lines which features colorful ships might appeal to some, while premium cruise lines such as Silversea Cruises or Crystal Cruises might appeal to others.

    But if you want to find out which cruise lines and ships are the best rated cruise lines in the industry as determined by industry professionals, passengers, and more, read through Travel+Leisure’s world’s best below. It is important to keep in mind that the majority of vessels belonging to large-ship lines carry more than 400 passengers and the majority of vessels belonging to small-ship categories carry 400 passengers or less.

    Travel+Leisure’s best rated small-ship cruise lines are:

    1. SeaDream Yacht Club
    2. Seabourn Cruiseline
    3. Silversea Cruises
    4. Abercrombie & Kent
    5. Windstar Cruises
    6. Grand Circle Small Ship Cruises
    7. Avalon Waterways
    8. Majestic America Line
    9. Clipper Cruise Line
    10. Peter Deilmann Cruises

    Travel+Leisure’s best rated large-ship cruise lines are:

    1. Crystal Cruises
    2. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
    3. Oceania Cruises
    4. Disney Cruise Line
    5. Cunard Line
    6. Celebrity Cruises
    7. Holland America Line
    8. Orient Lines
    9. Princess Cruises
    10. Royal Caribbean International

    The cruise lines below are best rated cruise lines according to a variety of polls and reviews by people just like you!

    Silversea Cruises

    The name says it all — Silversea Cruises offers the best in luxury, service and sophistication. “Silversea creates exceptional ocean journeys with unique opportunities to explore remote ports-of-call from an intimate haven of incomparable luxury, each voyage is a unique masterpiece.” If money is no object, then a Silversea cruise is for you. Silverseas fleet consists of the Silver Cloud, Silver Wind, Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper, each designed to offer a level of luxury that surpasses most other cruise ships.

    Silversea Cruises features an endless number of voyages to exotic places and a few familiar places. Just a few Silversea voyages include: Lisbon to NYC, Copenhagen to Hamburg, Dubai to Mumbai, Hong Kong to Singapore, Athens to Venice and Rome to Istanbul, to name a few.

    For more information about Silversea Cruises visit Silversea.com or call 800-722-9955 Americas, +377-9770-2424, Monaco.

    Norwegian Cruise Lines

    Not only is Norwegian Cruise Lines popular for its spectacular seven-day tours of the Hawaiian Islands, but Norwegian’s $400-Million luxury ship Norwegian Star offers the largest collection of restaurants among the popular cruise lines. Not only is the collection of restaurants large, the ship itself is even larger. Norwegian Star stretches well over three football fields in length and it has 25 decks and 372 staterooms including the exclusive Garden Villa Suites, which measure 5,800 square feet. The service on this ship is hefty as well — with 1,100 staff members, the ship has a crew to passenger ratio of 1:2 so you can rest assured that you will enjoy impeccable service throughout your voyage. The Norwegian star visits the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kuaui.

    For more information about Norwegian Cruise Lines visit the Norwegian Cruise Lines website at www.ncl.com or call 866-625-1166.

    Disney Cruise Lines

    As families with three, four and even five children in the home continue to grow, so does the demand for family-friendly vacations. Disney Cruise Lines has answered that demand making it the leader in family cruise experiences and most families would agree — one of the best cruise lines for fun for everyone.

    Disney has age-specific children activities, programs, and facilities, ranging from nursery to teenage. Just like Disney World, the staff is amazingly friendly. But before you write it of as just a family cruise line, remember, Disney isn’t just for kids — parents and even grandparents won’t feel left out. Most facilities appeal to both adults and children and some are even for adults only. Disney Cruise Lines is one of the most affordable cruise lines around.

    Ports of call include Key West, Cozumel, Nassau and Castaway Cay, to name a few and Mediterranean ports of call include Barcelona, Cadiz, Naples and Gibraltar — to name a few.

    For more information about Disney Cruise Lines click here to visit the Disney Cruise Lines website or call 800-951-3532. For a directory of websites for all cruise lines, visit Ships and Cruises. Here you can access all cruise lines websites along with a detailed description of each cruise lines’ fleet.

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