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I look at the best cruise lines in each of the 4 main cruising categories and why they are the best choice right now, and why smart cruisers are choosing them over the other options.
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0:00
not all cruise lines are worth cruising
0:03
on right now while others are really
0:06
on the top of their very best game get
0:09
ready to discover which lines i think
0:11
are today's smart cruising choice
0:14
category
0:15
by category if you're new here welcome
0:17
aboard i'm gary bembridge it's my goal
0:20
to make it fun and easy to discover plan
0:23
and enjoy unforgettable cruise vacations
0:26
and these are the lines to do it on
0:28
there are four distinct categories in
0:30
ocean cruising let's start with the
0:32
category that more passengers cruise on
0:35
than any other
0:36
the mass appeal resort value for money
0:40
cruising segment
0:41
it's got a lot going on and one line in
0:44
my view stands out more than the others
0:47
in this category are the lines with
0:48
large
0:49
mega ships carrying three thousand four
0:51
thousand or many more passengers
0:54
i can usually find a balcony cabin on
0:57
these cruise lines for between 100
1:00
and 200 per person per night
1:02
particularly in regions like the
1:04
caribbean
1:05
now these lines aim to create a bustling
1:08
resort experience that appeals to a very
1:11
wide range of passengers because they
1:13
must fill these huge ships week after
1:16
week they have loads of facilities
1:19
attractions like water parks rock
1:21
climbing wars
1:22
and rides daily programming activities
1:25
for kids teens and adults of all ages
1:28
the activities are high energy and very
1:31
active there are loads of different
1:33
things to do day
1:35
and night there's also a wide range of
1:37
cabins on all of these lines catering
1:39
for all budgets from inside to some of
1:42
the biggest and most expensive suites at
1:45
sea
1:46
some of them have created ships within
1:48
the ship to create closed-off
1:50
neighborhoods for certain types of
1:52
cruises like the yacht club on msc
1:56
cruises with card controlled access for
1:58
premium guests only which contains all
2:00
the suites dedicated restaurant bar and
2:04
even a pool deck the haven on norwegian
2:06
cruise line is basically the same
2:09
they though also have an access
2:11
controlled solar travelers studio area
2:14
with a dedicated lounge and solo cabins
2:17
when it comes to fares as i mentioned
2:19
i'm usually able to get a balcony cabin
2:22
depending on the time of the year and
2:24
the region between 100 and 200 per
2:27
person per night
2:29
but once on board there are lots of
2:32
extras gratuities drinks wi-fi
2:34
especially dining and even for some of
2:37
the activities and events i can easily
2:39
spend another
2:40
100 200 a day on board when it comes to
2:44
places that these lines go to it's
2:46
limited because these ships are big and
2:49
need ports that can receive these big
2:52
huge beasts and they have to have enough
2:53
excursions and the infrastructure to
2:55
cope with and keep the wide range of
2:58
travelers on them entertained so they
3:00
tend to focus on the three main cruising
3:02
regions the mediterranean
3:05
caribbean and to a lesser degree alaska
3:08
so what lines are in this group that you
3:10
should consider well the four biggest
3:11
lines in terms of passengers carried are
3:14
in this group carnival cruise line royal
3:16
caribbean norwegian cruise line and msc
3:20
cruises in my view piano cruises still
3:23
in the uk are shifting into the big mega
3:26
ship wide appeal cruising and are more
3:29
in this category than ever before so
3:31
what is the must do line here i believe
3:36
based on my experience that it is
3:38
norwegian cruise line they not only
3:41
cater for a wide range of travelers
3:43
across the ship but they have those
3:45
areas within the ship like the haven for
3:47
people who want to have that premium
3:49
experience very exclusive and the solo
3:52
studios i mentioned for travellers
3:54
but they have lots of options and they
3:55
cater for individual groups of travelers
3:57
really well so while they have
4:00
attractions like go-karts and laser tag
4:02
on their bigger ships their big strength
4:04
in my view comes in entertainment
4:07
and choice on board they have full-on
4:10
broadway
4:11
west end and vegas shows like six rock
4:14
of ages priscilla queen of the desert
4:17
choir of man burn the floor and these
4:20
are not simply cruise line
4:22
review type shows and they're all
4:24
included in the fair they also created
4:27
and lead on the freestyle cruising
4:28
concept which means there's lots of
4:31
choice there's usually over 20 bars 20
4:34
restaurants the ships themselves are
4:36
stylish they're modern they feel premium
4:39
they're not brash and glitzy the other
4:41
very close choice is royal caribbean
4:44
they are the master of the mega ship
4:46
their ships are enormous like their new
4:48
ship the wonder of the seas the biggest
4:50
cruise ship in the world that can carry
4:52
5900
4:54
double occupancy but up to 6900 when
4:57
kids are sharing cabins with parents so
5:00
if you're more interested in attractions
5:02
then they are probably the smarter
5:04
choice the ships are enormous which
5:06
means they have the space for bigger
5:08
water parks ice rinks water shows flow
5:12
riders indoor skydiving and so on but
5:16
what if you want something less high
5:18
energy
5:19
more traditional and calling on a wider
5:22
range of destinations but without too
5:24
much more cost then premium
5:28
classic cruise experience category is
5:30
for you and here there is also a
5:32
standout line on this category of lines
5:35
i usually pay roughly double for a
5:38
balcony cabin than in the previous
5:40
category so that's between two hundred
5:42
dollars and four hundred dollars per
5:44
person per night
5:46
the ships here are smaller ranging from
5:48
about two thousand up to over three 000
5:51
passengers they have a more traditional
5:53
classic cruise experience and a daily
5:56
program of activities that reflect that
5:58
they do not have those resort
6:00
attractions and facilities on board
6:03
they're very focused on dining
6:05
bars enrichment talks and events and
6:08
activities like trivia quizzes deck
6:10
games and much smaller scale song and
6:13
dance review production shows it's more
6:16
sedate than the previous category for
6:18
sure
6:19
when it comes to accommodation they also
6:21
have inside cabins through to suites
6:23
because they're trying to attract a wide
6:25
range of travelers who are looking
6:27
though for a more classic and less
6:30
resort style cruise
6:32
also like the previous category there's
6:34
usually a lot of the same extras to the
6:36
fair once you're on board however there
6:39
is a trend in this category to shift to
6:41
more all-inclusive fares
6:44
celebrity have always included fares
6:48
with gratuities wi-fi and drinks and
6:50
others like princess and holland america
6:53
they now give me the option of bolting
6:55
on an all-inclusive option these lines
6:58
also call on more diverse places than
7:00
the previous category many run world
7:02
voyages or have exotic voyages down to
7:05
south america around africa or parts of
7:08
asia they cover all the main territories
7:11
though alaska mediterranean the
7:13
caribbean but they do go further afield
7:17
celebrity cruises
7:19
princess cruises holland america cunard
7:22
and even disney fall into this category
7:24
in my view and also the new entrant
7:26
virgin voyages with their modern take on
7:29
this classic premium experience are also
7:32
in here
7:33
for me the master line
7:35
is holland america
7:37
it offers a classic experience it's
7:40
probably the most sedate in all respects
7:42
but it has a phenomenal music walk
7:44
covering four different music venues
7:46
plus the main theater they have a
7:48
rolling stone rock room lincoln center
7:50
stage billboard on board bb kings blues
7:53
club they have a great interpretation of
7:56
a classic experience on board and they
7:59
have really really good food
8:02
however the must do if you want a more
8:04
upbeat and dynamic version to all
8:06
america is celebrity they have really
8:08
interesting new ships with their edge
8:10
class ships they have the same classic
8:13
cruising program as holland america but
8:15
they have a slightly more modern spin
8:17
and take on it of course virgin voyages
8:19
is an even more modern interpretation
8:21
but it's still finding its feet it's
8:23
moving along that way so the smart
8:25
choice right now is holland america and
8:27
if that's too sedate for you celebrity i
8:29
feel
8:30
many people will argue cunard queen mary
8:33
2 transatlantic is a must do which it is
8:35
but that is an itinerary rather than a
8:37
whole line choice i feel the others can
8:40
take you more places
8:42
more often
8:43
right now
8:44
but what if you find this category of
8:46
ship still too big and you actually have
8:48
a little bit more money to spend but you
8:50
still want to find something classic
8:53
this next category is probably my
8:55
favorite the luxury small ship
8:58
experience this is a step above the
9:00
premium ships and they cost between four
9:02
hundred dollars and five hundred dollars
9:04
per person per day for a balcony cabin
9:07
these are small ships they range from
9:09
200 passengers up to about 1 200
9:12
passengers
9:13
they're a bit like staying in a boutique
9:14
hotel while you could say the premium
9:16
category i mentioned earlier are more
9:19
like you know big smart hotels in a
9:22
chain
9:24
these are smaller more intimate
9:26
experiences but still a traditional
9:28
cruise experience but on a smaller and
9:30
dialed down scale with much more
9:33
emphasis on enrichment poor talks
9:35
cooking classes artwork classes that
9:38
kind of stuff the cabin options are much
9:41
less consistent here some of the lines
9:43
have inside cabins some have very few
9:46
balcony cabins and mostly ocean view and
9:48
then some like viking only have
9:50
balconies and sweets as i mentioned the
9:53
fares are higher than the premium lines
9:55
but more is included though within that
9:57
like especially dining some drinks and
9:59
one viking even includes an excursion in
10:03
every port so on a day-to-day basis i
10:05
sometimes find it's actually not that
10:08
much more expensive than the premium
10:09
lines like holland america and celebrity
10:12
in the end
10:13
when it comes to itineraries they have
10:16
more diverse itineraries and they cover
10:18
large parts of the globe many have world
10:21
voyages as well
10:22
they tend not to repeat itineraries even
10:25
if they're in the caribbean or the
10:27
mediterranean they keep doing different
10:29
islands or different ports on each
10:30
itinerary they're able to call on
10:32
smaller more out of the way ports which
10:34
makes them different as well the lines
10:36
to be considered here include viking
10:38
oceanic cruises windstar azamara and
10:42
saga in the uk for me the must-do is
10:45
oceania the reason i chose oceania is
10:49
they offer two distinct options i can
10:52
have the even smaller experience with
10:54
their r-class ships which take about 695
10:58
passengers and then they have the bigger
11:00
ships like marina riviera and their new
11:02
vista which take 1 200 which is a great
11:06
transition from the larger premium line
11:08
ships as it has a similar choice of
11:10
number of venues often but much less
11:13
lions and crowds their really big focus
11:15
is on dining they claim to have the
11:17
finest cuisine at sea and they do have
11:20
incredible food and amazing special
11:22
restaurants very good levels of service
11:25
viking is the other very very strong
11:28
contender they have beautiful new ships
11:31
all of the ships are exactly the same
11:33
and they're incredibly consistent so no
11:35
matter which ship you go on anywhere in
11:38
the world it's basically going to look
11:40
the same
11:41
feel the same and they also have great
11:43
dining as i mentioned lots of inclusions
11:46
and i would say both oceania and viking
11:49
have probably two of the very best
11:52
afternoon teas at sea the other plus
11:54
with viking is it's an adult ownership
11:56
you must be over 18.
11:59
there is another very exclusive category
12:01
that is costly making it even more
12:04
critical to make a really smart choice
12:06
in this
12:08
is the ultra luxury category and here
12:10
you pay significantly more at least 700
12:13
to 800
12:15
plus per person per night for the entry
12:18
level balcony suite that's seven to
12:21
eight times more than on the resort mass
12:24
category ships like royal caribbean
12:25
carnival and norwegian the ships carry
12:28
around 500 to 600 passengers and all
12:31
cabins are considered suites so that's
12:33
also why you find the big leap up in
12:36
price in this category many have butlers
12:39
it's an incredibly personalized service
12:41
and very plush decor the attention to
12:44
detail and the quality of everything is
12:47
really really high now due to the size
12:49
of the ships while the entry-level
12:51
balcony is considered sweet it's more
12:53
like a large balcony cabin in size on
12:55
many of the other categories and i can
12:57
actually book one of the much bigger
12:59
suites on both the mass and the premium
13:01
ships for the same price as this entry
13:03
level balcony the itineraries tend to
13:06
lean towards the exotic or they go to
13:09
interesting out of the way places in all
13:11
those regions many also have
13:13
really expensive world voyages they
13:15
cover most areas of the world even
13:17
skirting in some cases places like
13:19
antarctica the lines to consider here
13:22
are seabourn
13:23
silversea region seven seas crystal used
13:26
to be in this category before their
13:27
troubles also in fact lines like capac
13:30
lloyd from germany and new entrants like
13:32
the ritz-carlton yacht club most people
13:35
choose regent seven seas cruisers
13:37
because they usually have the best
13:40
most personalized more formal and
13:43
detailed on-board experience and
13:45
importantly they have many more
13:46
inclusions not only dining drinks but
13:49
multiple excursions are included within
13:51
the fair in every port pre-cruise hotel
13:54
stays and transfers are normally
13:56
included for me though the muster is
13:58
seabourn i find seaborne ships beautiful
14:01
they have great service
14:03
and great food and just great crew i
14:06
really like the more informal and
14:09
personal approach of the more formal
14:11
style on these ultra luxury lines it's
14:14
hard to really put your finger on these
14:16
different experiences once in the ultra
14:18
luxury category and it ends up being
14:20
about the atmosphere and the style of
14:22
service
14:23
four categories and over 30 cruise lines
14:26
to consider those are the ones right now
14:28
that i think make a smart choice are
14:30
there any lines that i would avoid
14:32
yes
14:33
but that's a topic for another day and
14:35
another video if you want to find out a
14:37
little bit more about the lines that i
14:39
have recommended as must
14:42
try look at this playlist where i have
14:44
in-depth videos about each of those
14:46
lines starting with the one line that
14:49
if i could only ever go on one line
14:51
again
14:52
the one it would be
14:53
see you over there
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