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Which Premium Cruise Line Is Top Of Their Game Right Now?
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Jan 28, 2025
I have revisited the 4 main classic premium cruise lines (Princess Cruises, Holland America, Celebrity Cruises and Cunard Cruise Line) to see how they have changed, what makes them different to each other and who they are now best for. Even if you think you know these lines, you may be surprised at how different they are to before. ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 89 cruises I have done to date. BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTs ————————————————- Check out my T-Shirt range: http://bit.ly/TFTStore SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS ————————————————————— Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA ——————————————— TikTok: @garybembridge
View Video Transcript
0:00
i'm asked all the time what is the best
0:02
cruise line to travel on i'm especially
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asked most of the time what is the best
0:06
of the premium cruise lines and that's
0:07
what i'm going to focus on here i would
0:10
like to say it's been made even more
0:11
complicated and risky to recommend a
0:13
line because they all have changed
0:15
significantly emerging from shutdown to
0:18
what they were so even if you think
0:20
you're familiar with a line or a ship
0:22
that may be dated i revisited them
0:25
traveled on many of them again and i'm
0:27
ready to tell you which i think is the
0:29
best based on the changes differences
0:32
and the things they're doing really well
0:35
right now by the way if you're new here
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welcome aboard i'm gary bembridge and
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it's my goal to make it fun and easy to
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discover plan and enjoy unforgettable
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cruise vacations the first big question
0:45
is what is a premium cruise line
0:48
everybody has different views of what
0:50
they are
0:51
and it's complicated because there's no
0:53
official category within the cruise
0:55
industry about what falls into which
0:57
category
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however it's generally accepted that the
1:02
premium cruise category consists of mid
1:04
to large ships that's carrying kind of
1:06
1500 to 3500 plus passengers they offer
1:10
traditional cruising experience they
1:12
have traditional cruising kind of
1:14
non-resort like ships they're not resort
1:16
type cruises so though of course you can
1:18
get incredibly premium experience on
1:20
lines like royal caribbean where you can
1:22
actually spend up to seventy thousand
1:24
dollars a week for their biggest suites
1:26
or you can stay in the very glitzy haven
1:28
on norwegian cruise line
1:30
those lines are considered more resort
1:31
lines resort ships and they're not
1:33
considered part of the premium cruise
1:34
category rightly or wrongly the cruise
1:36
lines that are usually considered as in
1:38
the category are princess cruises honda
1:41
america line celebrity cruises and
1:43
cunard cruise line on the surface they
1:46
all appear to be largely similar they
1:48
have pretty classic style cruise ships
1:51
without resort features and bells and
1:54
whistles they offer accommodation
1:55
ranging from inside cabins through to
1:58
big glitzy suites their daily programs
2:00
have broadly the same mix of onboard
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traditional classic cruise activities
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enrichment quizzes dancing classes
2:08
cooking demonstrations bingo
2:11
and that kind of stuff it's hard in fact
2:13
to differentiate the daily program
2:15
between each of them
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they all offer alternative dining venues
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their evening entertainment tends to be
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review type song and dance shows live
2:23
music around the ship and guest
2:24
entertainers many of which actually flit
2:27
between the different lines
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all the time the ports and itineraries
2:31
are actually largely the same
2:34
they all do some kind of world voyage
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they cover the caribbean the
2:37
mediterranean alaska they also tend to
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visit australia parts of asia and so
2:42
they're all pretty similar
2:44
all of them are placing more effort on
2:46
food especially dining with celebrity
2:48
chef partnerships and more venues they
2:51
tend to include a steakhouse an italian
2:53
a sushi and asian and some sort of
2:55
seafood option normally their excursions
2:58
are also basically the same and appear
3:00
to often be provided by the same or very
3:02
similar port agents i can see no real
3:05
significant difference in the excursion
3:07
area between them in reality
3:09
so certainly on the surface they appear
3:11
to be incredibly similar
3:14
so does that mean they all are the same
3:16
and equally appealing there are some key
3:19
differences beyond the obvious and again
3:21
these are changing and so in my view
3:24
it's important it's really important to
3:25
understand what they're kind of dialing
3:27
up and what they're focusing in on i'm
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going to tell you what the big
3:30
difference is what the main pro and the
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biggest con of cruising with each of
3:34
them is and who i think they're best for
3:37
and why let's start with princess
3:39
princess is the biggest of the premium
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cruise lines based on number of
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passengers carried and also currently
3:45
based on the size of the fleet they have
3:47
14 ships in their fleets at the time of
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recording they offer a pretty relaxed
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american style cruising experience and
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they cruise globally their biggest
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difference is actually
3:58
the sheer scale of their itineraries
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they cover the biggest
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and the broadest breadth of the world
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and can take you most frequently to
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pretty much wherever you want to go
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this is of most value to travelers of
4:12
all the things they offer in my view now
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some of you may have thought i would say
4:16
the ocean medallion the wearable device
4:18
was the key difference of value to
4:19
travelers in my view
4:21
it's actually not their biggest
4:22
difference
4:23
this is the device by the way that does
4:25
things like open your camera door you
4:26
can use it to buy things on board order
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drinks and food to your specific
4:30
location you can track down friends and
4:32
family that you're cruising with it
4:33
speeds up the boarding process but in
4:35
reality a number of lines have very
4:37
similar devices and in fact much of the
4:39
benefit is really linked to an app which
4:42
all the lines have basically added many
4:43
of these functions to so what are the
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pros of cruising on princess well first
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of all as i've said the biggest pro is
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the fact that you can go pretty much
4:51
anywhere on a princess cruise so if you
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like the princess cruise experience and
4:56
a traditional cruise experience you have
4:58
an enormous range of itineraries to
5:01
choose from all around the world so
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though they cover the same areas as
5:05
everybody else they do give you many
5:07
more options for me the con or the
5:09
downside of cruising with princess is
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they've shifted into bigger and bigger
5:12
ships they're moving their fleets into
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these big ships and that i feel is less
5:17
appealing it means more crowds more
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lines and while it does mean more on
5:21
board options it comes with that
5:24
downside on the food front i find
5:26
princess to be good and consistent but
5:28
some others as i will discuss i think
5:30
probably have a slight edge over
5:32
princess
5:33
so who are they actually best for
5:35
princess are great for couples and still
5:37
mostly a 50-plus crowd
5:40
those people seeking a varied and wide
5:42
range of destinations and importantly
5:43
range of itineraries within each region
5:46
but they're also a good option for
5:47
multi-generational travel parties
5:49
they're putting more and more focus on
5:51
ramping up their kids clubs and trying
5:53
to create experiences that will cater
5:56
for grandparents parents and kids more
5:58
evenly so if you want to travel with a
6:00
range of ages but don't want a resort
6:02
experience that you get say on royal
6:04
caribbean norwegian or carnival or the
6:07
full disney experience then consider
6:09
princess
6:11
but are they the only ones in this
6:13
category suitable for this what about
6:16
holland america holland america is one
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of the oldest of all the premium cruise
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lines with around 150 years in service
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in total
6:24
they have slightly smaller fleet than
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princess with 11 ships at the time of
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recording in my view
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their biggest difference is their
6:32
focusing and doubling down on a couple
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of key areas that is increasingly
6:36
setting them aside from the others areas
6:38
that may appeal to you for example the
6:41
first is around music and music partners
6:44
they've created the music walk on their
6:46
ships now depending on the size of the
6:48
ship this consists of up to five
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key venues
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there's the lincoln center stage which
6:56
is classical music in partnership with
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the famous lincoln center in new york
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billboard on board a partner with a
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famous music organization which has two
7:04
pianists playing popular music around
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different themes often
7:08
different decades of music there's bb
7:10
king's blues club which is extremely
7:12
popular with an 8-piece band on the new
7:15
pinnacle class ships they have the
7:17
rolling stone rock room a partnership
7:19
with the famous magazine featuring of
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course as the name would suggest rock
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music
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and then they have the world stage which
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is the big theater which is now focusing
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more on music
7:31
and dance they're putting visibly more
7:35
effort on their food options although as
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i said earlier this is true of all the
7:38
premium lines and while they definitely
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in my view have improved overall and
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especially dining specifically it
7:45
doesn't significantly count as a massive
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difference when comparing premium lines
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although their port to table cooking
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demonstrations are the most slick and
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multimedia compared to the other premium
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lines so the big pro of cruising on
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holland america is that if you're into
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music you will find a great experience
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and on their newer ships they have also
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themed music artworks all around the
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ship which is fantastic and they have of
8:12
course that good food
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they also have a big experience in
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alaska they were the first cruise line
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to move into alaska and they have
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enormous experience there so that's a
8:20
big pro if you're thinking of cruising
8:22
to alaska
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on the downside
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it is seen overall as being a line that
8:27
attracts an older profile and certainly
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in my experience you do find probably
8:31
holland america does attract a slightly
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older audience than perhaps some of the
8:35
others in this category but actually not
8:38
as significant as their rumors and
8:39
reputation have
8:41
it does have a reputation of being a
8:43
quieter less energetic or parting
8:45
experience and it does probably close
8:47
earlier at night but i don't find it as
8:49
sleepy and quiet at all as that
8:51
reputation has but it's definitely a
8:53
more laid-back more genteel atmosphere
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than some of the other lines so who's
8:57
the best for i think holland america is
8:59
best for couples particularly couples in
9:02
their 50s and 60s 70s
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they do have a big and growing kids club
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so especially on their new ships where
9:08
they have
9:10
also some family cabins as well so it's
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definitely a consideration for
9:13
multi-generational travel although
9:15
princess probably still has an edge on
9:17
that but for me this is a couple cruise
9:19
line if you want to be fairly sure there
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will be few or no kids on board honda
9:23
america probably has the edge over the
9:26
other lines in this particular category
9:29
although they have limited solar cabins
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by the way they're also popular and a
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good fit for solar travelers
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and they are certainly embraced solar
9:36
travel embraced by fellow travelers and
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the line itself so if princess sounds
9:40
like too large a ship
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and hold america sounds a bit too staid
9:44
for you
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what
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is the best option for you then
9:48
celebrity may be a fit in fact celebrity
9:51
is a cruise line that's working really
9:52
hard to grow fast
9:54
and change
9:56
more than the others
9:57
in many ways it seems to me at the time
9:59
of recording they have 11 ships in
10:01
service but they have two more coming on
10:04
the horizon they also then have a couple
10:07
of expedition ships in the galapagos on
10:09
top of this
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the big difference with celebrity is
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they're evolving to become the modern
10:14
contemporary and more luxurious option
10:16
in this kind of medium to large size
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premium cruising category
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i mentioned earlier that all of these
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premium cruise lines have ships that are
10:25
largely the same
10:27
however celebrity is actually changing
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this and the only one is really changing
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it significantly they've introduced the
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edge class of ships they look very
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different both on the outside and on the
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inside it's got things like the magic
10:39
carpet on the side it's other features
10:41
like infinity balcony cabins the decor
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on these which is actually being rolled
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out and applied to the rest of the older
10:47
fleet it's much more modern and it
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definitely stands out versus the other
10:51
premium lines as being more modern and
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contemporary they're also pushing very
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much the luxury experience with a lot of
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effort and change in their suite
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experience which they're now calling the
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retreat they have large dedicated
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retreat lounge they have a retreat deck
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and a whole retreat restaurant which is
11:09
luminaire which is great so the big pro
11:11
is if you're looking for something
11:12
that's perhaps a bit chica a bit more
11:14
contemporary a bit more modern a bit
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more youthful then celebrity is
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definitely one to look at and if you
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want a different ship to the others then
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they are definitely a line for you
11:26
on the con side i would say of celebrity
11:28
is price
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as they're pushing themselves more into
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luxury they move their prices upwards
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and they've done that
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partly because they've moved into all
11:38
inclusive fares before
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that there was lots and lots of
11:41
different add-ons a celebrity cruise
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fair now includes drinks package
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gratuities and wi-fi included by the way
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princess cruises and holiday america
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have partly followed this as both offer
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though opt-in all-inclusive fares
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alongside their normal cruise only fares
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celebrities in my view definitely very
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much for travellers looking for a
12:02
perhaps more youthful more energetic but
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still a traditional cruising experience
12:07
it's not necessarily meant for younger
12:09
travelers as such but for people
12:12
who want a lively experience
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whilst it's still mostly for couples
12:17
it's as i said those who want a chica
12:19
more adult more traditional experience
12:21
than they would get on resort ship lines
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like royal caribbean norwegian and so on
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it's a bit trendy it's a bit more
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youthful a bit more contemporary than
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the others for sure in this premium
12:30
cruise category celebrity is also
12:33
more attractive to families especially
12:36
those perhaps in their 40s and 50s with
12:37
kids or teens i'm definitely seeing that
12:39
as a big trend now if none of these
12:41
lines i've spoken about so far sound
12:43
totally right there's one big
12:45
and famous option to consider though it
12:48
has a really big downside for many qnote
12:51
cruise line is the smallest of the
12:53
premium lines it's soon to have four
12:55
ships in its fleet it's been going for
12:58
over 175 years and has the most
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distinctive offering of all
13:03
its biggest difference is it's the only
13:05
of the premium lines offering a richly
13:08
british cruise experience versus the
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more american style of the others
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it is also firmly rooted in the design
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and format of cruising from the glory
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days of cruising kind of before flying
13:21
the decor on the fleet is heavily art
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deco inspired and it has a clear and
13:26
avert three-class system britannia
13:28
princess grill and queen squirrel the
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great of cabin determining which
13:32
restaurant you eat in although this is
13:34
actually true on other lines like
13:36
celebrity
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it's less obvious and less ever than it
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is on cunard it's also the only cruise
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line that has a true ocean liner versus
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cruise ship designs in its fleet this is
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the queen mary 2. it's specifically
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designed and strengthened whole it's the
13:51
only line that offers a scheduled
13:53
transatlantic service which runs from
13:54
about april may to about october time
13:57
and then more ad hoc transatlantics in
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the winter season
14:00
the biggest pro without a shadow of a
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doubt is the queen mary 2 and the
14:04
transatlantic crossing this is one of
14:06
the iconic and probably the only must-do
14:10
trip no matter what line appeals to you
14:12
for any other trip that you may want to
14:14
go on other pros they do have in my view
14:17
the best insights and enrichment speaker
14:19
program of all the lines and they have a
14:21
large orchestra every night in the
14:23
queen's room football room dancing if
14:25
that's something you're looking for the
14:27
downside is probably the dressing up
14:30
they're very strict with their dress
14:31
codes former knights do mean for
14:33
gentlemen at least a dark suit and tie
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although most will actually be in a
14:37
black tie or tuxedo and ladies in very
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glamorous gowns so the biggest con for
14:43
many people is the dress code it's
14:45
really
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really strictly enforced i also think
14:49
another con for qnad is it's actually
14:52
not as glamorous as the image suggests
14:54
once you're on board it is actually
14:56
fairly similar on a day-to-day basis to
14:58
all of the other premium cruise lines
15:00
it's not as glamorous as you would
15:02
expect except for those formal dressing
15:05
up nights when it does feel very
15:06
glamorous indeed so who is it best for
15:08
it's definitely best for people who want
15:11
to do that iconic transatlantic it's
15:13
also great for people who want a british
15:15
experience rather than the american one
15:18
that the others are offering it does
15:20
work best in my view for couples over 50
15:22
who also like the formality and like on
15:24
holly america it's also
15:26
very good and used to catering for solo
15:28
travelers though there are only limited
15:31
amount of soda cabins on their ships
15:33
they do have a smallish kids club and
15:35
some people do bring kids on board but
15:37
it's not really for families in my view
15:39
and most guests are not particularly
15:41
thrilled
15:42
when there are kids on the ship in my
15:44
experience anyway to find out more about
15:46
each of these lines watch this playlist
15:48
of four videos
15:49
with a deep dive on each of these lines
15:52
starting with the biggest surprise and
15:54
challenge i face about cruising on
15:55
cunard see you over there
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