Cruising has become a hugely popular vacation option, not just in the States, but in many countries around the world now. Cruise lines reviews can certainly help you make up your mind as to which line you would like to sail on and also which of the many beautiful itineraries available you would to try.
Due to the massive popularity in the cruise vacation industry, there are so many different cruise companies for you to choose from these days. They all differ from one another and have their own unique selling points. A cruise company will often try to create its own little niche within the massive cruise market. This is what you need to look for in order to determine which line you would like to sail on.
Cruise Lines Reviews – Information on a few of the leading cruise lines
Carnival Cruises:
Carnival Cruises is the flagship line of the huge Carnival Corporation & PLC, which is now the largest cruise operator in the world. The Carnival fleet itself is known for catering for the younger ‘party’ crowd. They currently have 23 ships in their fleet, the majority of which sail in and around US and Caribbean waters. They do have a couple of ships that go as far as Europe and Hawaii, but the younger crowd that they cater for generally prefers to spend less on a cruise and more when they get on-board.
Princess Cruises:
Princess Cruises is now actually part of Carnival Corporation as they merged back in 2002. Princess Cruises is known for its elegant ships and itineraries that span the globe. They have very elegant interiors and the typical guest on a Princess cruise is a more mature one that favors the scenic cruising rather than the busy night activities. This being said, they do have some very busy ships, especially the ones that sail in the Caribbean in the winter time.
Royal Caribbean Cruises:
Royal Caribbean are known for their enormous ships. They currently have the largest cruise ships on the seven seas and their Oasis class, which consists of the two ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas. These two ships each weigh in at a staggering 225,282 gross tonnage, carry up to 6360 passengers and have a crew of over 2000 to keep them running smoothly. Royal Caribbean ships are also well known for the activities they provide on-board such as their ice-skating rinks, climbing wall, a wave surfing pool and even a boxing ring. They have massive promenades that run through the middle of the ship, with shops, bars and restaurants lining each side. The typical guest on a Royal Caribbean cruise is somewhere in the middle of a Carnival guest and a Princess guest.
Holland America Line:
Holland America line is another cruise company that operates underneath the Carnival Corporation umbrella. Carnival actually purchased Holland America Line back in 1988 and has helped them go from strength to strength. They don’t go for the massive ships that other lines such as Royal Caribbean, Princess and Carnival have. They like to have smaller, more intimate ships that sail to beautiful itineraries all over the world. The typical guest on-board a Holland America Ship is an older guest, mostly retired and can afford to do the longer itineraries too far off places that they like to offer.
These are just brief cruise lines reviews of four very different cruise lines. There are many more to choose from, but this will give you an idea of how they can vary and what they have to offer.