Hotels have a star system which helps us figure out what type of experience to expect. If someone tells you that they are going to a five star resort, you know that they will be receiving certain amenities and they will be paying a premium for those amenities.
Do Cruise Lines have such a system? No. Classifying a cruise line is probably not as clear as the cruise industry would like. For example: what does Royal Caribbean classify as? How about Disney? If you’ve been on some of these ships, part of the experience is definitely high end or luxurious, while other parts are more mainstream. And of course, all the marketing terms used by cruise lines (“affordable luxury”, “deluxe”, etc.) only add to the confusion – what does any of that really mean?
Well, we at MeetOnCruise, never short on suggestions, would like to propose four general categories: 1) Popular Cruise Lines, 2) Premium Cruise Lines, 3) Luxury Cruise Lines and 4) Boutique and River Cruise Lines.
But first, a few caveats.
This is meant to be a general guide, there will always be exceptions. And you can certainly find other good ways to break down this topic. See this good article from
Paul Motter here and this one from
@CruiseSource here. Also, the rates are ‘typical’ rates published by the cruise lines. With some research and shopping around, you can certainly do better than the rates we cited.
Popular Cruise Lines include Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Oasis of the Seas ship
These three lines make up the bulk of the ships out there. They feature large ‘resort-style’ ships that are themselves destinations with lots of amenities and entertainment. For example, want to surf on your cruise? Sure, see the flow rider on several Royal Caribbean ships. How about going to an Ice Bar? Yep, you can do that on Norwegian’s Epic ship. Popular Cruise Lines are a great value, family friendly and visit all the major ports in the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Prices are generally $100-$150 per person per day, but bargains abound for deal hunters.
Premium Cruise Lines include Cruse Lines such as Celebrity, Azamara, Disney, Cunard, Holland America and Princess.
Caribbean Princess Lotus Spa
No doubt, this is the most difficult category to describe and where I expect some debate. While the experience is not unlike that of the Popular Cruise Lines, essentially Premium Cruise Lines are more focused on passenger service (expect more staff per passenger), more upscale dining and amenities such as high end spas. Also, some of the lines in this category, such as on Cunard and Holland America, are quite traditional – think set dining times and formal wear. Prices range from $150 – $400 per person per day.
Luxury Cruise Lines deliver an experience similar to staying at a five star resort (albeit, a floating one). One key difference is the cruise fares on Luxury lines, such as Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn and Silversea, typically include alcoholic beverages, shore excursions and gratuities.
All of which cost extra in Popular and Premium categories. Also, luxury ships are typically smaller so don’t expect a zip line or rock climbing wall on the ship. However, you can expect to sail to exotic destinations and be waited on hand and foot (the picture to the left says it all). Prices range from $400 – $1000 per person per day.
Boutique and River Cruise Lines can be considered the ‘miscellaneous’ category – thus there is a fair amount of variety here.
Avalon Waterways Ship
However, for the most part, travelers can expect an intimate small ship experience in an informal/casual atmosphere with upscale dining and service. River ships, such as those from Avalon, Viking and Uniworld, are designed for slow, leisurely cruises (sit low in the water ) and providing nice views. Other, Boutique Cruise Lines such as Windstar and Star Clippers focus on a more authentic sailing experience (all ships have actual sails) in a laid back environment. Prices range from $150 – $500 per person per day.
So, there you have it – the entire spectrum of Cruise vacations in 4 categories. Of course, there will be exceptions to the above but this is a good way to think about what is available to cruise travelers. We like our categories so much, we’ve updated our Cruise Guide page to show each of the cruise lines and ships in their corresponding category. Our hope is this is helpful and we’ve done our part for humanity to lessen the confusion. Feel free to “Like” or “Tweet” this page 
.
The last month here at 
Cruise Reviews just got better
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011Rate the cruise by giving each category a simple Thumbs up, Thumbs down, or just OK. You can rate categories such as dining/food, embarkation, cabin/etc. You can also add a comment for each category.
Input your cabin number and type (interior, oceanview, etc.). In the future, you’ll be able to search by room type.
Upload Pics! We are most excited about this feature – you can now share your best photos of your cruise with everyone on MeetOnCruise. Make them good, as you can upload only your top 3… and don’t forget to write a caption
Link your YouTube videos - did you create a vacation video of your cruise? Great, you can add the link here and all the readers of your review will be directed to your videos on YouTube
Add quick tips about the ship and/or embarkation city – share a quick tip about the ship or city you embarked from. For example: ”go to the aft (back) of deck 11 for the best view of the sail-away!”
Comment on other reviews – Discuss any review. Simply add a comment to anyone’s review (scroll to bottom) and begin a discussion.
Share, share, share – tell your friends and family about your cruise! With one click, you can share your review on Facebook, Twitter or via email.
We hope you like the new features of cruise reviews. We think it’s an easy way to share you cruise vacation including your rating, comments, photos, videos and discussion. Want to see how easy it is to create a new review? See this video here or on our YouTube channel:
Take a look at this Celebrity Solstice review from member Crystal here from and this Norwegian Epic review from member CruiseMan3000 here – they are both fantastic reviews.
Have you reviewed your cruise vacation yet? Start here!
What do you think of these new features? Tell us in the comments below.
Tags: comment, Cruise Reviews, photos, reviews, share, Social Media, videos, youtube
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