Which cruise line to choose?

If you are new to cruising this is perhaps the most important question you need to address as it will, more than any other, determine whether you end up loving your cruise, or not. 

Before you board, or indeed well before that, you need to know exactly what you are signing up for.

The key point to remember is that all cruise lines are not the same. 

They each target and cater for very specific markets and demographics. If you are young or with a small family in tow, there are cruise lines you really should avoid, and likewise if you are retired or more mature, there are specific cruise lines designed just for you.

What follows below is my own personal take on the main Cruise Lines serving Australia. NB This is a very subjective list, ( I haven't been on all of them), and if you disagree with my thoughts please join the conversation and share your experience.

Cruise Lines owned by the Carnival Group

Carnival: Designed for a younger demographic, think of the spring break crowd in the USA. Ultra relaxed and nothing too refined or staid. They focus on freestyle dining and lots of physical activities. Carnival are basing one ship, Carnival Spirit, in Australia for the first time from late 2012.

Cunard: The traditional home of the luxury liners that plied the Atlantic from London to New York. All cruise lines have certain levels of formality, especially when it comes to diner and dress codes. Cunard would be on the upper end of that scale. 

A quote from the Cunard website gives you an idea of what to expect ..... "Guests sailing in the comfort of our luxurious Britannia staterooms can make their dramatic evening entrance into this elegant two-tier dining room with a graceful descent of its grand staircase, gleaming beneath the eye-catching art deco chandelier".

Cunard consequently appeals to a more wealthy, much older crowd. Where as many lines are much more relaxed about dress codes, on Cunard ships formal nights require a black tie and tux. Which incidentally I applaud - but more of that later.

Cunard has always been home to the Queens of the sea, (not the gay variety) Mary, Elizabeth and more recently Victoria. These were up until a few years ago the largest, grandest ships afloat. Today however there are ships almost twice as large. See below..

P and O: Was once a much larger player in the cruise business especially prior to the advent of air travel when they focused on the trade in friends and relatives travelling between the old country and Australia. The line has consequently had a long term presence in Australia and to me equates closest to what cruising used to be like back in the 80/90s as in ...  "Fairstar - the fun ship". Their fleet in Australia is composed of small ships and they very much target the budget end of the market and first time cruises. Lots of short one week cruises to the closer Pacific Isles.

 

Holland America: Again an older very traditional cruise line that is known for mid size ships with longer itineraries, think 30 days plus, that consequently appeal to retirees. Some of the decor is unusual to say the least, with one ship having an ornate (read garish) pipe organ in the grand foyer (below). At least by the brochures they appear to have much in common with the old grand(?) hotels of Europe. Their ships are renowned for having extra large cabins.

Seabourn: This is the top shelf, ultra exclusive line offered by the Carnival Group. They have very small, intimate ships with an individual butler per cabin. The prices are consequently very high, however the advantage is that they offer and all inclusive price. This means that at the end of a cruise there are no tips to pay and better yet it is open bar and that includes french champagne. Again for the well heeled, older crowd. 

 

Princess Cruises: Ten years ago most of their fleet were considered mega ships, now however most are considered mid sized. That shows just how much cruising has changed in the last decade. Princess again focuses on the older demographic and they offer longer cruises that appeal to this market.

They were one of the first to base ships here for a entire season and were also the first to offer round the world cruises to and from Australia. Princess are known for the high quality of food on board.

Having sailed twice with Princess (along with reading reviews of others) it would appear the age of the ships and standard of service offered to Australian market is of a lower quality to that found on Princess ships based overseas. We'll look at this in greater depth in individaul ship reviews.

 Cruise lines owned by the Royal Caribbean Group

Celebrity Cruises: Has the most modern contemporary style of any cruise line today. Their ships which are all mid size to large, have a sleek, plush, sometimes quirky feel that I personally love. Although that being said, one complaint from traditional cruise lovers is that they feel like flash hotels rather than a traditional ocean liner. 

The food is more upmarket than their sister line Royal Caribbean and the the prices are higher. Consequently tends to have a more refined crowd where a lot more people make an effort to actually dress for dinner, rather than just jeans and a polo tops of other lines. And hence not for everyone either. 

Vicky Note: Celebrity is my personal Fav.

Royal Caribbean: Royal Caribbean more than any other line has reinvented modern cruising. They have continually pushed the boundaries of what people expect on board a cruise ship. They started off by adding rock climbing walls up the funnels, then they introduced ice skating rinks, wave machines where you surf on board and water parks for the kids. 

Two years ago they brought all these ideas together and launched Oasis of the Seas, the largest ship in the world, with 5,500 passengers and 3,500 crew. Oasis and her sister ship Allure feature a central park (complete with trees and garden beds), an Aqua Theatre at the stern and two story loft suites (below).

Again such innovations do not appeal to traditional cruisers, however if you are in your 20-50s, as a couple or a family, no cruise line offers as much as Royal Caribbean. What they do, they do very well. And although in my personal opinion the food is slightly higher quality on Celebrity, the vast array of dining and leisure options means that I highly recommend this Royal Caribbean for first time cruisers. It's a great introduction to life at sea.

Vicky Note: Royal Caribbean is generally acknowledged to have better entertainment onboard, especially famous for their big production shows. On the bigger ships they even now do broadway shows like Hairspray.

Other cruise lines:

Star Cruise Group

Star Cruises: Based Star has a small fleet of 5 smaller ships that cruise exclusively in Asia. Australians got to sample them when they fled Asia for a season during the SARS outbreak. The decor, furnishings, food and service were of a surprisingly high quality. (Although I should add that was almost ten years ago). Hopefully that standard has been maintained. Let us know if you've cruised with them and what you thought.

 

NCL Norwegian Cruise Line: This company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or seating arrangements for meals, nor is formal attire required. Which has great appeal to many people and in fact virtually all cruise lines are introducing some form of free style dining. 

Other innovations; very unique single cabins without having to pay a single supplement, circus shows above diners and even ice bars.

Taste is very subjective and mother always said if you can't say anything nice .... but ..... I really do think some of their newer ships resemble cattle carriers - don't get me started on the graphics painted down the side of their ships.

Disney: If you've been to Disneyland you know that what they do, they do well. Obviously they are targeting young families but I've heard good reports from other travelers. Apparently you can get away from Mickey Mouse and friends if you want to. 

I actually think that Disney has some of the most beautiful lines of any cruise fleet and the black hulls are reminiscent of true ocean liners.

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Obviously there are many cruise lines I haven't been able to add here yet. 

Drop me a line below if you'd like me to add one, or better yet share your own favourites. And please if you disagree with my personal opinions feel free to jump on in.