Cruise Line reviews from Reddit

Summary

We analyzed 1069 Reddit reviews across 11 subreddits and 120 posts to rank the best Cruise Line brands recommended by redditors, including communities like r/Cruise, r/Cruises, r/TravelHacks, r/disneyparks, r/PrincessCruises. Top-rated brands include Virgin Voyages (4.7/5), Celebrity (4.4/5), Royal Caribbean (4.3/5).

Stats

Reviews1069

Subreddits11

Posts120

Brands73

Products27

Top communities

r/Cruise903 r/Cruises109 r/TravelHacks17 r/disneyparks13 r/PrincessCruises10

1069 reviews from

and

By Brand

By Product

Virgin Voyages

4.7

(124)

"Virgin Voyages is your best bet. They are great at all those things."

"Best food would be on Virgin, but their entertainment sucks. Best cocktails are on Carnival. Best entertainment would be on Royal or NCL."

"Out of Royal, Carnival and Virgin Voyages, VV was leaps and bounds ahead of the others"

"Based on what you described, I’d recommend checking out Virgin Voyages or Norwegian Cruise Line."

"Virgin 100%."

"#1 for us is Virgin, but they aren't exactly family friendly."

"Virgin voyage hands down"

"Virgin for sure!!"

"As others have said, a resounding Virgin!"

"Virgin Voyages. The Scarlet Lady. They have 75% of second guest and OBC offered now."

Celebrity

4.4

(96)

"I very much enjoyed Celebrity Ascent. Way better than the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas."

"Our favorite line right now is Celebrity, but we regularly do Holland America and Princess too."

"Stick with Celebrity. My husband and I have always felt welcome and comfortable on Celeb."

"In the meantime, Celebrity is my #1 and not too far behind is Princess Cruises."

"THE BEST cruise meal I’ve ever had."

"I love the smaller Celebrity ships, like Summit. No water park, very few kids."

"We took our folks (who are in their 70s) on their first cruise with Celebrity. We all loved it."

"Celebrity in 'The Retreat' gets you the private restaurant that is very good."

"I've had great meals on Celebrity—though I’ll admit it can vary depending on the ship."

"10/10 would recommend again."

Royal Caribbean

4.3

(91)

"Royal Caribbean Oasis Class ship all day long."

"Royal Caribbean. Utopia goes out of Orlando (Port Canaveral)"

"My teenagers, by far, prefer Royal Caribbean. Second is MSC."

"Royal Caribbean would get my vote, great ships with lots of activities and 24/7 food!"

"Royal Caribbean"

"Royal Caribbean. They practically cater to that demographic."

"I would highly recommend Royal Caribbean, specifically one of their Oasis or Icon class ships."

"Icon of the Seas, homie. Get the suite package."

"For someone young, active, and looking for a lot of fun activities, I’d probably go with one of Royal Caribbean’s newer and bigger ships."

"I would say suite on royal carribean would be perfect."

Princess

4.4

(80)

"We did princess and it was a blast! Good food, service and my 5 year old LOVED the kids club."

"I just took a Princess cruise to Alaska last September. It was great!"

"Princess, by far. We started cruising with them in our 20's."

"My husband and I sailed Princess for our honeymoon two years ago."

"It's pretty hard to beat Princess Plus."

"Currently Princess Premier package is unbeatable."

"Princess and Celebrity are typically well received by your parents age demographic and have pretty good food."

"Princess is a great option. They have great itinerary and wonderful restaurants."

"Princess and HAL are the best mass-market choices for Alaska."

"We've always enjoyed the food on Princess."

Holland America Line

4.4

(57)

"Between the food and the wonderful crew, we have a hard time going elsewhere!"

"We chose Holland America. Even though ..."

"I recommend Holland America. I thought their food, service, and overall *vibe* were excellent."

"HAL is #1 with the 70 demographic, for a reason."

"HAL and VV (but VV just pips HAL to the post because all that food is all included on VV)."

"Holland America's service to be outstanding."

"Among main stream lines, gotta agree with HAL from my personal experience."

"I just got off Nieuw Amsterdam (Holland) and I was blown away by the quality of food."

"HAL should be your choice!"

"I went with HAL and really enjoyed it."

Carnival

3.8

(58)

"I can't recommend the Venezia enough! Absolutely loved the classic, Italian vibe but with carnival fun thrown in."

"Carnival had the best Caribbean options on the Venezia."

"Id say that or RCLs Symphony."

"Carnival! I love their troughs!"

"My teen said to me he liked it so much better then DCL."

"Carnival ❤️"

"Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, and MSC will most likely cater to your age."

"Carnival- went on a few group cruises, had very low expectations based on the reputation and was pleasantly surprised."

"They have just as good a time on carnival for significantly less money"

"For young teens the newer Carnival ships is pretty identical to Royal."

Norwegian Cruise Line

3.9

(50)

"If you book Haven - you will get into everything that you want."

"I’ve only been on Norwegian, but I love it! Freestyle dining is the only way I’d ever want to cruise."

"Honestly I did a 9 night Mediterranean on NCL last May it was amazing and everyday was a different port of call with zero sea days"

"The Prima class ships for Norwegian has great food."

"I was only on one cruise, it was the Norwegian epic. There wasn’t a single thing I ate that wasn’t good."

"If you are willing to pay, the customer service on NCL Haven, or even suite class on smaller ships, is amazing."

"The food on all of them was amazing."

"NCL is the most solo friendly mainstream cruise line in terms of budget."

"I’ve enjoyed it every time."

"NCL may be your best fit with food, cocktails, and entertainment. Keep an eye out for their Prima class ships."

Celebrity Cruises

4.5

(34)

"Celebrity Cruises. In my 20s too and do these often, a wonderful cruise line."

"We loved Celebrity!! I’ve been on 3 different lines and Celebrity is still my favorite"

"I’ve taken two Celebrity Alaskan cruises with my daughter. We both thoroughly enjoyed them, and the food was delicious."

"Celebrity gets my vote. Oceania is another suggestion, although they are pricier and typically longer."

"Celebrity Cruise Lines is best especially their edge class of ships such as Beyond, Ascent or Edge."

"Celebrity is great for multi-generational families! NCL and Princess are also really good options to consider."

"Celebrity is amazing. If you’re able to do suites , the retreat on the E class are amazing! Pure luxury and the food and service are a 10/10."

"Celebrity has had a long reputation for some of the best food of all cruise lines."

"Celebrity had the best food with Disney in second place."

"Celebrity edge class ships have the best good."

Holland America

4.3

(35)

"I second the recommendation for HAL. We have been to Alaska 12 times, eight of them with HAL."

"Our overall favorite is Holland, with Virgin close behind."

"I’d say holland America. But really it all depends if you mean in general or if you’re willing to spend on premium dining."

"We did Holland America for Alaska and would highly recommend!"

"There is a cruise to the Atlantic cost of Canada with Holland America that looks great too."

"Personally I think Holland has the most accessible rooms."

"The Holland America Line is very accessible for wheelchair users, at least one ship has an assist lift for the pool."

"I found HAL and Princess to be the most relaxing."

"You sound like HAL or Celebrity material. Good food, classy, low key, good service."

"Holland america."

#10

Royal Caribbean International

4.0

(34)

"Royal Caribbean as they are really the best company out there for all around cruise ship experience."

"Royal Caribbean any Oasis class. We did that with our son for graduation."

"Disney or Royal."

"Royal Caribbean is very family friendly and has a lot of fun extras on the ships."

"Dude you’re gonna want to do royal, as someone whose done Royal, Holland America, Four Seasons, and Ritz - your not going to be able to afford Ritz or Four Seasons, Holland America is mostly retired people, maybe consider Celebirty - but Royal is the way to go."

"I’ve only ever been on royal Caribbean but I have to say their food was amazing both times."

"If Disney is out of reach cost wise, I highly recommend Royal Caribbean. Especially the Oasis class ships."

"Geiranger was incredible. Sailed there with Royal. The cruise in and out was spectacular."

"I sailed on Royal when my sister and I were around those same ages, and we LOVED it."

"Royal has really good food, the cocktails are great, and the entertainment is fantastic."

#11

Princess Cruises

4.1

(32)

"Princess has the best value packages, imo, especially the new Premiere that includes unlimited specialty dining."

"Princess has amazing food, just got off a 7 day and its all good."

"After 26 cruisesoverall Princess, and for sure Princess has the best Pizza!"

"Princess has great kids programs in Alaska through the partnership with Discovery."

"I absolutely love Princess for Alaska."

"For a honeymoon, Princess. Not only is it a great cruise line for honeymooners, but they are one of two cruise lines with the most ships in Alaska."

"My husband and I absolutely love Princess for their calm relaxing (romantic) vibes."

"Princess!! Their cruise tours our top tier."

"I agree and would stick with Princess or Holland and focus on a one way trip only!"

"There are a few great options for multi-gen families. Princess, Celebrity, and possibly NCL or Royal Caribbean are all lines you can look into."

#12

Disney

4.9

(26)

"Definitely Disney. Outstanding children's clubs from babies to teens."

"Disney Cruises are expensive. You're worth it."

"Disneys entertainment is a premium compared to all the other lines."

"Disney. They’re the only major cruise line I know of who doesn’t do alcohol packages."

"Disney. they have a great vibe for folks that are not into partying."

"Disney - my kids were 13 and 17 on our first Disney cruise - and they loved it."

"Definitely our favorite vacations."

"I absolutely recommend it."

"It was fantastic! Especially if you like Disney."

"Did our first sailing on the wish last year and we’ve got two booked for next year."

#13

Virgin

4.6

(26)

"I just like the vibe on Virgin. It's hard to explain, but they kind of treat you like an adult while letting you act like a kid."

"Virgin is probably your best bet. Well known for being lgbt friendly and have all free good food."

"Virgin Cruises hands down it’s not even a contest."

"If you want completely child free, and in your budget range, the answer is Virgin Voyages."

"Virgin or Oceania."

"It's not a high end luxury brand but Virgin checks the no kid, great food and cocktails boxes."

"Virgin!"

"The food is better and no kids allowed."

"Definitely virgin. Super queer and open."

"I was very impressed with Virgin and the non-cafeteria style."

#14

Viking

4.6

(25)

"I agree with a few others on here: Viking Ocean."

"We love Viking and cruise with them every year."

"Viking is very classy."

"Viking"

"No one is under 18."

"No kids. Expensive but worth it!"

"All inclusive. Infinity pool. Great ports with free excursions."

"I’m on the Viking Mars heading for the Panama Canal right now and it definitely checks your boxes."

"Viking or Seabourn."

#15

Oceania

4.6

(24)

"Oceania, hands down."

"Maybe check out Oceania?"

"If you want truly great food you will have to go with luxury oriented lines like Oceania or Regent Seven Seas."

"Oceania."

"Food was spectacular in the 4 specialty restaurants but the best meal I had in 14 days was in the MDR."

"Oceania has the reputation for the best food of all cruise lines."

"I would recommend you look at Oceania cruises."

"Oceania, is actually the best food, they spend more on food than any other cruise line."

"I would go with Oceania Cruises, best food at sea."

"Excellent food, marvelous service."

#16

Disney Cruise Line

4.6

(22)

"Disney is hands down the best."

"Our kids first cruise was Disney (6 & 8). The rest were on Princess (from 8 thru 17). They never asked to go back."

"Disney or Royal."

"My first cruise was on Disney. I think I was maybe 11? It was absolute magic for me and my brother."

"Disney is an awesome one for kids. Like probably the best geared towards kids."

"Disney Best for kids easily."

"My best friend and I sailed Disney a month ago - I am a fan, she is neutral. We both had an amazing time."

"The nursery is amazing. Our son napped in a crib in a Peter Pan themed nursery with a ceiling full of glowing stars while we floated in the ocean for 2 hours. Pure bliss."

"All offer something. Disney offers the best."

"I’ve sailed DCL as a childless couple multiple times, and have an amazing time every time."

#17

Norwegian

4.2

(24)

"Charter cruise via Norwegian featuring Top Chef and Food Network stars."

"It was the BEST"

"I was just recently on NCL and i loved it."

"Norwegian has the best food."

"My daughter swears by NCL. They present the best “package” for the money."

"We went to Alaska on the Norwegian Bliss. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the entertainment."

"The Norwegian Joy and Epic both have 7 day cruises to the Caribbean."

"I would take a Norwegian cruise because they have Solo Cabins that are less expensive than paying for two in a cabin."

"NCL also has a great ship-within-a-ship concept with their Haven."

"The best places I’ve found for chilling out to watch the ocean have been the Waterfront on NCL’s newer ships."

#18

Carnival Cruise Line

4.2

(23)

"Carnival pizza is top notch."

"Just my opinion but I’ve taken 36 on carnival and enjoyed every one."

"I think they have the best food. I’ve cruised carnival, princess and MSC."

"In my opinion, Carnival. Hands down. Love their whole vibe in there."

"Definitely Carnival."

"This and it’s not even close on other boats."

"Our first cruise was when my youngest was 10, Carnival Dream. We checked her into the kids club that first day, and I swear I barely saw her the rest of the trip."

"My choice would be Carnival! I tool my four kids, 13 - 5, and each of them had a wonderful time with their own experience."

"We found the food on Carnival overall better. Royal had a great buffet, but our experience in the MDR was bland."

"Carnival has the best food options and MSC has the best quality food."

#19

Azamara

4.6

(18)

"Azamara sounds like it could be a great fit for you. It’s refined without being stuffy."

"We just spent 16 nights on Azamara and thought their food was even better than Oceania."

"My favorite cruise line for Europe is Azamara, because they have smaller ships."

"Try Azamara. I took them and loved the smaller ship."

"One of the really nice things about this cruise was there were 4 overnights."

"Azamara and Seabourn had the best food and included drinks (wines) of those lines."

"Elegant small ships, max around 690."

"Azamara hands down."

"Azamara. Not crowded. Ships only hold about 700 guests."

"I'm surprised I haven't seen Azamara mentioned here."

#20

Oceania Cruises

4.3

(14)

"Oceania has best foodhands down."

"Oceania by far, (and corroborated by old people we met who have been on 40 cruises)"

"Oceania. Grown-up and comfortable. Great food."

"Oceania and MSC (Yacht Club) are the only lines we’ve had no onshore customer service issues with."

"Oceania"

"Oceania is casual."

"The best food we’ve had was on Oceania."

"Oceania all the way!"

"The food on Oceania is good. Its not a cruise line for children though"

"...a lot, if not most, indicate Oceania is the cruise line with the best food."

#21

Silversea

4.8

(12)

"Silversea. The food selections are amazing in the buffet and traditional restaurants."

"Silversea."

"Silversea or Windstar."

"I did Alaska last summer on Silversea."

"Silversea."

"Definitely recommend Silver Seas. The food is excellent."

"Silversea Luxury Voyages with the best destinations."

"Silversea for all included…..Celebrity Edge series for spectacular ship."

"The more expensive smaller cruises like silver seas are great"

"I've booked a Silversea cruise in the Greek Isles."

#22

Viking Cruises

4.4

(12)

"The best food we've found is on Viking and Celebrity Cruise Lines."

"All the Viking cruises have excellent food!"

"Viking Jupiter in September 2024. Fantastic food choices. NO ADD ON FEES!"

"Viking ocean cruises. Exceeded our expectations in every way."

"We did a cruise that started in Bergen and ended in Iceland and went all the way up to Svalbard. It was on Viking."

"Just got back from Viking cruise. A few singles aboard. Informal, yet upscale."

"My parents best friends take Viking several times a year both about 70 and it sounds really nice."

"We cruise with Viking. Upscale everything but everyone in "business casual" even at dinner."

"I'd also look at Viking."

"Viking, no one under 18 allowed, specialty restauarnts no jeans but jackets are not required."

#23

Cunard

4.6

(11)

"Take a look at Cunard, they do longer cruises that include Glacier Bay."

"There is a foodie themed Cunard cruise early next month."

"Cunard is spectacular!"

"We cruised Cunard and (somehow) got upgraded to the Princess Grille."

"Cunard is a traditional line - no waterslides or go karts or any of that nonsense."

"Unless you are really into a young clubbing type atmosphere, I always recommend Cunard for relaxing, good food, good service."

"Cunard, 100%."

"Cunard is our preferred line, but with the kids it means really small groups and personalised attention."

"I'm going on one with Cubatd which is a smaller ship, but we are doing the lower set of fjords."

"Cunard never has any children but its quite posh and theres not many activities to do onboard"

#24

MSC Cruises

3.8

(13)

"The bougiest option would be MSC Yacht Club on a Seashore or Seascape."

"MSC complimentary restaurants. Ever meal kicked ass. Loved it. Their pizza was good, but not their deep dish, only their thin."

"I thought MSC has the best pizza. They are an Italian ship line after all."

"MSC"

"Have you considered sailing on MSC in Yacht Club."

"Msc forsure."

"MSC & P&O."

"We are doing one on MSC - we liked that it goes to Svalbard and into the North Sea and crosses the attic circle."

"MSC doesn't charge room fees for kids."

"MSC Yacht Club dining is fine."

#25

NCL

4.4

(11)

"We really enjoyed our NCL cruise."

"NCL fits most of the requirements."

"Me and my wife did a 12 day through French Polynesia and Hawaii through NCL and we loved it."

"NCL in a suite."

"NCL or Royal."

"We just did a 12 day eastern Caribbean on Norwegian sun and absolutely loved it."

"I like NCL. No set dinner times."

"NCL Brrakaway balcony room and a vibe beach club pass."

"We did a cruise with NCL on the Getaway in 2019."

"We love NCL."

#26

Seabourn

4.5

(10)

"I’d recommend checking out Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Explora Journeys, Silversea."

"Seabourn is supposed to be one of the best for all-inclusive adult."

"Seabourn"

"Seabourn has incredible food"

"Azamara and Seabourn had the best food and included drinks (wines) of those lines."

"Go Seabourn and pay a lot more for great food but have a dress code."

"Seabourn for sure"

"We did the Montreal to NYC on Seabourn and loved the ship and service."

"For the best food at sea try one of the smaller lines like Seabourn, Silversea, Windstar, etc."

"Seabourne and Regents have more requirements for speciality restauarnts and generally more diners dressed up."

#27

Windstar

4.4

(8)

"Windstar is a small yacht cruise line without the price."

"Windstar! Exactly what you are describing."

"My favorite by far has been Windstar."

"Windstar and Celebrity."

"For general med cruising then we like Windstar."

"I really want to do a Windstar or Windjammer cruise for something a bit deferent."

"Windstar."

"But if you can throw money at it, then Windstar will work."

#28

Regent Seven Seas

4.7

(7)

"If you want truly great food you will have to go with luxury oriented lines like Oceania or Regent Seven Seas."

"Regent Oceania and Silversea have had the best food."

"The best we've had is Regent and Seabourn followed very closely by Oceania."

"Regent Seven Seas or Oceana."

"What do you consider a big name cruise line? Regent is all inclusive."

"I really have enjoyed Oceania and Regent."

"Has anyone suggested Regent? We’re doing our first one this Spring."

#29

MSC

4.0

(7)

"You have your own section of the ship and get treated like royalty."

"We chose MSC for several reasons."

"Only do msc, have worked up to diamond."

"Controversial take but we always sail MSC."

"I would consider MSC."

"Msc yacht club."

"MSC."

#30

Regent

4.8

(5)

"Regent and Seabourn."

"Regent. They serve dinner on Versace plates."

"Regent 7 Seas."

"Best is going to be Regent or Silversea"

"Depending on budget, high to low. Regent all inclusive."

#31

Uncruise

4.6

(5)

"For example: Alaska - UnCruise."

"I can't recommend Uncruise enough."

"Highly suggest UnCruise."

"I would skip the mainstream lines and look at UnCruise or Lindblad."

"I’ll suggest looking at Uncruise, Alaska Dream Cruises, and Lindblad for Alaska."

#32

Explora Journeys

5.0

(4)

"My first choice by a LONG SHOOT is Explora Journeys. The best cruise and cruising experience of my life."

"Explora Journeys caters itself as a more casual ultra luxury line."

"Have a look at Explora Journeys. They are casual, upscale and have some pretty decent solo rates."

"Luxury: Explora Journeys"

#33

Variety Cruises

4.8

(4)

"For Greece our favorite line is Variety cruises."

"For Greek isles we like variety cruises."

"We like the local lines best. They give you a great vibe, have fantastic food."

"For Greece check out Variety."

#34

MSC Yacht Club

4.0

4.0

3.0

4.0

(1)

"Celebrity or Holland America, maybe Princess."

#73

Marella

3.0

(1)

"I’m worried that no one ever mentions them haha!"

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