As you’ll see here, I’ve personally been on 87 Cruises to date…
…so, there’s Zero doubt that I TRULY love sailing on Cruise Ships on the “Seven Seas of the World” & on the “Rivers of the World” to check out new & exciting destinations!!
As do many, many, many of my clients which is why I’ve helped them book over 75 million dollars worth of Cruises the past 18 years…
…Cruising is definitely a VERY popular way to travel!!
With that said, Cruising can be a VERY confusing way to travel if you’re not as well versed on the industry as I am as there are big ships, small ships, River ships, expedition ships, ships for families, ships for adults, all-inclusive ships, etc.
So, today’s blog post is one where I’m going to do my best to “break down” the main categories & types of Cruises you can take as, by far, one of the most common questions I get from my clients & potential clients is…
…”Shawn, please help me figure out the best Cruise option for me”…
…so, let’s get into it & look at all the choices & see which type of Cruise is best for you!! 😀
Ocean Cruises
We’ll look at River Cruises further down this post but for now let’s chat about “Ocean Cruises” as by far more people take Ocean Cruises over River Cruises due to the size of the ships so this is how many people get introduced to the World of Cruising.
Based on my vast knowledge of Cruises after having personally taken 87 of them & after having booked 1,000s & 1,000s of Cruises for my clients… here’s how I “break things down” into 3 categories of “Ocean Cruises”.
1. “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines
In my opinion, these are the “Cream of the Crop” when it comes to the Cruise industry!
I say that as, when you sail on one of these ships, you’ll definitely feel like “you’ve made it” in many ways! 😉
Everything onboard is included in your price such as drinks (Alcohol & non-alcohol), gratuities for the onboard staff, wifi, specialty dining meals, the “thermal suite” at the spa on the newest ships, etc.
I’ve sailed on ships in this Category of Cruising multiple times on all the main Cruiselines & when onboard I literally feel pure relaxation… there’s ZERO “nickel & diming” that takes place during these Cruises (You never have to worry who you should be tipping or should you have that extra glass of wine at dinner or should you buy a round of drinks for your “new found” friends, etc.) as you get the “money worries” out of the way up front when you book your Cruise…
…so yes, you’re typically going to pay more for a Cruise like this compared to the other Cruise options I’ll be talking about soon but the Great part about that is there are NO MONEY SURPRISES during your Cruise as you’ll experience again & again on the “big/mainstream” ships…
…you can truly relax after booking your Cruise & not have to worry about any of the “money stuff” when onboard your cherished sailing!!
Due to this no-hassle feeling, the majority of my clients (70% of my Ocean Cruise clients) sail on ships in this Category of Cruising as they’ve been traveling for decades and have experienced many trips/Cruises where they’d pay a bunch of money upfront but then would have to keep paying for more & more items while on their trip and they simply don’t want these hassles anymore so this category of Cruising for sure appeals to many!
And FYI, in my experience, there’s ZERO “pretension” when sailing on these lines… like me before I ever tried one of these sailings, some people think these sailings may be more “stuffy” & “dressy” then the big ships but in my experience people care as little about what you do for a living, where you’re from, etc. as they do on every other Cruise out there… big or small ships.
Yes, as you meet new people on these Cruises (Like on all Cruises it’s VERY easy to meet new people onboard when you’re all happy & in “Vacation mode”!) it’s natural for fellow travellers to ask where you’re from, what you do for a living, etc. but in my experience it’s not a comparison thing/it’s a curiosity thing.
So never have I felt “out of place” on these sailings no matter who I talked to and the dress is “smart casual” in the evenings as it is on most other Cruises (No matter who you sail with these days “Tuxes & Gowns” are pretty much extinct compared to Cruising 10-20 years ago) so no worries at all if you’re thinking these types of Cruises are going to be “over the top fancy” and you’ll be uncomfortable as that’s just not the case.
Yes, the ships in this category of Cruising are Beautifully built & have way fewer guests onboard compared to the big ships and their rooms are bigger, etc. so these are MUCH higher quality ships than the big ship/mainstream ones but happily they left the “stuffiness” off them so if you want a relaxing Cruise that is all-inclusive and much higher quality then the “big ship/mainstream guys”… this may just be your type of Cruise! 😉
Besides being “All-Inclusive”, here are a few more things that really stand out in my mind when it comes to the Cruiselines in the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive”category of Cruising…
Amount of guests onboard: Unlike the “big ship/mainstream” Cruiselines who have as many as 7,600 guests onboard (They’re literally like small cities now… they’d have their own zip code if on land!!… it’s rare for any of these ships to be built smaller then having 3,000-4,000 guests onboard) these “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” ships only have 200-900 guests onboard so you’re dealing with WAY smaller crowds and since the rooms are bigger these ships only carry around 50-70% of the guests the same size ship would if a “big ship” line owned them so you’ll feel way more spread out onboard with almost zero lineups & no crowded feeling at all!
Rooms: For the most part, the rooms in this category of Cruising are really big compared to what you’ll find on a “big ship” Cruise. For starters, there are NO “inside” rooms on any of these ships like you get on the big ships… these are the rooms where there are no windows so you have no idea if it’s night or day out & they’re really small… they just don’t exist in this category of Cruising.
And although a few of the older ships in this Category of Cruising only have a window/not an outside balcony… all the newest ships in this Category of Cruising ONLY have balcony rooms so it doesn’t get much better then that as who doesn’t love being able to enjoy a Beautiful Sunset on a Veranda from the privacy of their own room or to read a book out there, have a drink, a nice meal, etc.!!
And when it comes to the newest ships in this category of Cruising, many of the “starting” rooms are 350 square feet or bigger so easily 50-100% bigger then a typical “big ship” Cruise room… you’ll have LOTS of space when sailing on these ships! 😀
Food: In my experience, the food is fabulous on these “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines as they put A LOT of money into their food programs… unlike on the big ships, you’ll still see items onboard like Lobster and Crab and Kobe Beef, etc. which have all but disappeared on the big ships with the exception of some of the Very expensive specialty restaurants still offering those items. Not only is the food all included on these ships but the ingredients are super high quality so your tummy & palate will definitely be pleased on any of these lines! 😋
Service: If you look at the ratios, the big ships often only have 1 crew member onboard for every 3.5 guests whereas these “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” ships have 1 crew member onboard for every 1.3 guests… so, it’s not hard to see why I feel the service on these smaller ships is MUCH better then on the big ships… you get way more personal attention in my experience and the service is more efficient so if you like to be well taken care of when you travel, service doesn’t get any better than this in the Cruising industry!!Â
FYI, when it comes to the price of these “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines… on many of the most popular sailings out there, prices can start at $1,000 USD per person per day (That’s usually for the lines that include shore excursions as well, I’ll talk about who includes those in a moment) for their most basic rooms and of course prices can go up & up as the rooms get bigger & bigger…
…for example, on one of the lines they have a 4,000 square foot Suite which is usually around $5,500 USD per person per day so there are rooms on all these ships for every budget & size of room you could want! 🙂
With that said, I’ve seen many sailings where starting prices are $600-$700 USD per person per day on the lines with no excursions included and from time to time Cruiselines will send “exclusive & unpublished” deals to top-selling travel agents like myself to try to get rid of some leftover rooms within 1-6 months of a sailing if a ship isn’t as full as they’d like it to be so in those cases I’ve come across deals on these lines for $500 USD per person per day or less so prices can vary for sure.
As normal, as per #1 here, I’ll always be able to get you the best value on your sailing compared to you booking with the Cruiseline direct so know that for any Cruise you’re interested in I’ll make sure you’re getting “the best bang for your buck!!” 🙂
So, who are the Cruise lines that fall into this “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” category of Cruising??
Here are the 5 Cruiselines that make up this “top-rated” segment of the Ocean Cruise industry… FYI, I have them in order of popularity & ratings when it comes to what my clients book…
1.“Regent Seven Seas Cruises”: As I talk about here, “Regent” is the most all-inclusive Cruiseline in the World where they include everything that I mentioned above (Drinks, tips, meals, wifi, the thermal suite, etc.) plus they also include lots of Shore Excursions at every port in your up front price… and they even do your laundry for you when you sail with them! 🙂  My clients love these inclusions as not only do they not want to worry about having to pay for “extras” while onboard but they don’t want to have to deal with shore excursion costs off the ship which often add up to $1,000s per person! As I talk about here, not every excursion in each port is included with Regent but many/many are so this part of your Cruise cost should be very low once you’ve paid your upfront price with Regent. FYI, around 50% of my clients in this category of Cruising go with “Regent” as they find them the most hassle free to deal with when it comes to planning their trip/budgeting, etc.Â
2. “Explora Journeys”: As I talk about here, “Explora” is a fairly new line in the Cruising industry… only 1.5 years old as of this writing. But, they’ve gained some great traction already & my clients who sailed on them really liked them, as did I when I sailed on them, as their ships are beautifully designed and have some of the nicest rooms out there… when the smallest room onboard is 377 square feet you can’t go wrong!! Other highlights with “Explora” are that, since they’re still new & not as well known, their prices are usually the lowest in this category of Cruising (Don’t expect that to last long though because their prices will go up & up as they get more well known) so great prices are no doubt attractive but for my many clients who like to do their “own thing” when in port & don’t want to do organized tours like the ones “Regent” includes, “Explora” is a better fit as you’re not paying for excursions that you have no interest in participating in like you would on “Regent”. Currently, about 20% of my clients in this category of Cruising go with “Explora”.
3. “Silversea”: Like “Regent”, as I talk about here, “Silversea” also includes lots of excursions in each port. Unlike “Regent” though they’re not “unlimited” which means no matter how much time you have in a port, “Silversea” only includes 1 excursion. On the other hand, on “Regent”, if you’re in port all day & night and there’s time to do a morning & afternoon & evening tour, then “Regent” includes them all… I actually did experience a day like that with “Regent’ one time in Shanghai… it was a Great day for sure! 🙂 The other reasons why “Silversea” isn’t as popular with my clients is they’re a touch dressier then “Regent” as on a couple of nights per Cruise in the main dining they require the guys to wear a sport coat… of course, many people are happy to wear this but don’t like being told they have to so Regent’s more “Country Club Casual” approach seems more appealing. And for those who know Silversea well/have traveled with them lots, they know their reservation staff is about the worst in this category of Cruising so they give out lots of mis-info, they take forever to make simple changes to your reservation, they often mess pricing up, etc. No doubt having me book your trip makes all those issues much simpler but as Silversea doesn’t make things easy till you board (Onboard, they deliver a GREAT product like the other 4 lines!!) more of my clients go with Regent over Silversea as they’re easier to deal with when it comes to booking the Cruise & excursions & specialty dining, etc. FYI, about 15% of my clients in this category of Cruising go with “Silversea”.
4. “Seabourn”: As I talk about here, “Seabourn” also delivers a GREAT product onboard their sailings!! Like “Explora” though, they don’t include shore excursions so they’re not near as popular as “Regent” and their ships are older than “Explora” and they have fewer restaurants onboard then “Explora” and their prices are usually higher for their sailings, etc. So, even though they’re a Great product, I don’t get as many clients going on “Seabourn” as “Regent” & “Explora” but if you’re “eying” a “Seabourn” sailing in the future you can’t go wrong by sailing with them… as you can’t by sailing with any of the other 4 lines in this category of Cruising! Like with “Silversea”, about 15% of my clients in this category of Cruising go with “Seabourn”.
5. “Crystal Cruises”: As I talk about here, “Crystal” delivers a GREAT product onboard featuring wonderful food & service like the other 4 lines above do as well… BUT, as I talk about here, they went out of business during Covid which ended up meaning millions of dollars was lost by loyal Cruisers so I rarely sell “Crystal” these days as many people who sailed with them over & over again pre-Covid just aren’t ready yet to give them another chance. As well, they have the oldest ships in this category of Cruising and the smallest “starting size” rooms which are downfalls BUT, as I talk about here, things are looking bright for “Crystal” as A LOT of new money is being invested into them for new ships that will feature balcony only rooms & big rooms like their competitors so no doubt over time I believe more & more of my clients will end up sailing on “Crystal”… I’m confident they’ll do fine now that they’re “on track” again!! 🙂
Well, I know that summary above was long but as 70% of my Ocean Cruise clients sail on one of the above lines I figured best I don’t leave anything out since so many people are interested in this “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” category of Cruising!!
Okay, let’s get into the second category of “Ocean Cruises”…
2. “Upper Premium” Cruiselines
Like the above “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” Cruiselines, the few Cruiselines that fall into this category of Cruising are high-quality lines that offer excellent food & excellent service!!
When it comes to guest-to-crew ratio, these lines typically have 1 crew member onboard for every 1.5-2.15 guests so still much lower than the 1 crew member for 3+ guests on the big ships so you’ll get lots of Great attention onboard and much of their food is sourced from the same suppliers the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” lines use so no worries about your tummy being pleased on these ships as well! 🙂
The main difference in this category of Cruises is that they don’t offer as many big rooms onboard and the “starting” room sizes are a little smaller than the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” lines and they don’t have ships as small as 220 people… their sizes go between the 670-1,250 guests onboard range.
And, these “Upper Premium” lines don’t include everything onboard as the “Small Ship/Luxury/All-Inclusive” lines do… but, they still include much more than the “Big Ship/Mainstream” lines… I’ll cover what kind of things are included on these lines in just a moment.
With that said, as they’re not fully all-inclusive, their prices are lower accordingly which is what appeals to the loyal Cruisers in this category as, for example, if you don’t drink alcohol… a Cruise in this category of Cruising that doesn’t include alcohol will be more attractive than 1 of the 5 companies in the “Small Ship/Luxury/All Inclusive” category as you’re not paying for alcohol in the price of your Cruise that you don’t have any intention in drinking.
So, prices in this category of Cruising start more in the $500 USD-$650 USD per person per day range… the higher price being with the company who includes some excursions in their prices.
FYI, just about 30% of my clients sail on Cruiselines in this category of Cruising when they take an Ocean Cruise.
When it comes to the Cruiselines that are part of the “Upper Premium” category of Cruisng, there are 2 main options…
1.“Oceania”– This is the Cruiseline that created the “Upper Premium” category of Cruiselines a little over 20 years ago… due to that, I still find them the most popular among my clients and the highest quality. Currently, 65% of my clients in this category of Cruising sail on Oceania. FYI, when it comes to their inclusions, Oceania includes most everything onboard like non-alcohol drinks, wifi, gratuities for the staff, all meals including at the specialty restaurants, etc. but they don’t include any alcohol in your price so if you do drink, keep in mind you could have a pretty hefty bill at the end of your Cruise for this expense! If you’d like to learn more about Oceania I get into more details here.
2. “Viking”– Although most people know Viking as a River Cruiseline, about 10 years ago they started an “Ocean Cruise” division as well… and, unlike their River Cruise product which is one of the lowest quality options in River Cruising as they’re known as “The Carnival of River Cruising” as they’re all about quantity over quality with their River Cruises… for their Ocean Cruises, Viking is a much higher quality option like Oceania and pretty much all my clients who have sailed on Viking Ocean Cruises the past decade (FYI, currently 35% of my clients who sail on “Upper Premium” lines sail with Viking) really enjoyed them and 80%+ of those clients have rebooked with Viking so they do a great job! Like Oceania, they don’t include everything onboard so in particular on Viking you’ll need to pay for gratuities for the staff (Currently $20 USD per guest per day) and you’ll need to pay for all hard liquor as well as for beer/wine/soft drinks outside of meals (They do include those items during meals) but as they include all meals onboard including specialty restaurants and wifi, etc. they’re still much more inclusive than the “Big Ship/Mainstream” lines. And, Viking is the only line between these first 2 categories of Cruising that doesn’t allow any kids onboard/you have to be 18 to sail with them so if you for sure don’t want to see any kids onboard your Cruise… Viking could be a good choice for you.
FYI, one “word of warning” I always give my first-time Viking clients is that even though Viking’s site says they include 1 excursion in each port (Which makes it sound like you won’t have any excursion expenses like on Regent & Silversea) what Viking doesn’t mention is that you only have ONE option per port (The occasional port might have 2 options but it’s almost always just the 1) which is usually a VERY basic excursion that few people want to do whereas their other 1/2 dozen or more popular options at each port come with a cost which can add $1,000s per person to your booking so keep that in mind when doing your budgeting for your Cruise.
3. “Azamara”– Azamara is the third line that fits into this “Upper Premium” category of Cruising and I used to really enjoy Azamara/I personally sailed on them 3 times over the years and I have booked millions of dollars of their Cruises for my clients in the past but these days I’m VERY hesitant to recommend Azamara to my clients so make sure we talk first if you’re considering sailing with them!
Alright, it’s time to talk about the final category of “Ocean Cruises”…
3. “Big Ship/Mainstream” Cruiselines
Even though many people have never heard of some of the above 8 lines I just talked about… most people have heard of the next 6 (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America, Princess, Celebrity) as these are the companies who can fit 1,000s & 1,000s of guests onboard & they’re affordable to the masses and they advertise constantly on TV, etc. so these Cruiselines are the “first exposure” to the Cruise industry for many people!
I won’t get into too much detail about these lines but they typically fit 3,000-7,600 guests onboard so these ships are huge & crowded so if you don’t mind the big crowds in Disney/Universal parks, in Times Square in NY, in Las Vegas, etc. then these ships might work for you but if you’re looking for a less crowded/more prosperous/higher quality type of Vacation… than options 1 & 2 are best for you.
Personally, I’ve been on these big ships many times over the years as I have been on the first 2 categories of Cruises and no doubt these big ships have some pros on them like amazing entertainment, etc. but I’ve noticed a BIG drop in quality on them since Covid when it comes to food/service, etc. and way more “nickel & diming” then ever so I definitely prefer the first 2 categories of Cruises these days… as almost all my clients do… due to that, only 1-2% of my clients sail with these lines and almost all who do stick with Celebrity or Princess who are the top rated of these 6 lines.
FYI, if one of these lines is in your future plans make sure to read this article first as it explains how paying for the many, many things not included onboard (Like drinks, wifi, gratuities, etc.) in your up front price is a much smarter way to travel with these lines as it can save you A LOT of money!
Expedition Cruises
Alright, now that you’ve learned all about the 3 categories of “Ocean Cruises”, let’s talk about a more “niche” part of the Ocean Cruise industry which visits some of the most unique places in the World like The Galapagos and Antarctica, etc.Â
This is where “Expedition Cruises” come in.
Typically, these are REALLY small Cruise ships that might have anywhere from 50-250 guests onboard that go to remote areas the big ships simply can’t get to.
FYI, this is pretty much the fastest growing segment of the Cruise industry since Covid as people want to start getting to their “Bucket-List” places so the ships that are part of this type of Cruise are definitely filling up faster than ever!
When it comes to the Cruiselines who are a part of this category of Cruising, there are many small independent companies out there… probably the most well-known of them all is Lindblad/National Geographic.
I sailed on Lindblad/National Geographic years ago and they did a good job but my advice is to stick to the more financially stable companies who are part of big publicly traded companies… FYI, Seabourn, Silversea & Viking all have “Expedition” ships that sail to these unique destinations (“Celebrity” even has a great option in “The Galapagos”!) and in my mind you’re much “safer” to spend your money with those lines as during Covid I personally had to cancel over $7 million dollars of travel for my clients and I saw A LOT of companies do a terrible job when it came to handling client refunds, etc. (Lindblad was amongst them) so for your own sake, stick with Seabourn, Silversea, Viking & Celebrity when it comes to these “Expedition” trips as I’d hate to see you lose money with one of the other options as these are VERY expensive Cruises so you’re talking a big financial investment to sail on them/I’d hate to see you lose money if Covid #2, etc. comes around!!
FYI, the one exception I have when it comes to sailing with a non-publicly traded company is if you want to take a sailing with “Tauck”.
As I talk about here, Tauck does a GREAT job when it comes to their “Small Ship Ocean Cruises” and I 150% trust Tauck when it comes to staying in business a long time as, as of 2025, they’re a 100-year-old company who is very experienced and very smart when it comes to how they handle their money/they don’t own ships, they only charter them so unlike the other companies they handled Covid better than anyone (Even compared to the publicly traded companies who were taking months & months to refund during Covid, Tauck had money back to all my clients within a week!) so I have zero hesitation booking my clients on a Tauck trip.
With that said, I sell more “Tauck” trips to my clients compared to all other suppliers I work with (Currently, between Tauck’s River Cruises and Small Ship Ocean Cruises and Land Tours 40% of my client’s bookings are with Tauck as they have a VERY loyal clientele and my clients book with them again & again!) and I’m even on Tauck’s “Advisory Board” as I talk about here, so Tauck is a company I have zero issues with when it comes to financial stability whereas I do with Lindblad and the many other small lines in the “Expedition” Cruise industry.
With all that said, no matter who you sail with (Tauck, Seabourn, Silversea, Viking, Celebrity) I’d for sure recommend doing one of these “Expedition” Cruises ASAP if they’re on your “Bucket-List” as they’re truly a GREAT way to travel and they offer Fabulous “once in a lifetime” experiences!!
River Cruises
Next up when it comes to the “Wonderful World of Cruisng” are “River Cruises”…
…as you’ll see here, personally I’ve sailed on 17 River Cruises all around the World from Europe to Asia to Africa and I’ve booked over $30 million dollars of River Cruises for my clients so I know River Cruises VERY well and… as I talk about here… they’re a GREAT way to travel so I HIGHLY/HIGHLY recommend adding a River Cruise to your “Bucket-List” if you haven’t experienced one yet!!
Well, there you go… that was my breakdown of the “World of Cruising” and what the different categories of Ocean Cruises are as well as the different lines you can sail with and then some of the other areas of Cruising like “Expedition Cruises” and “River Cruises”…
…I hope that cleared things up for you a little bit! 😉
And yes, if you’re familiar with the Cruising World you’ll know there are lots of other companies out there like Disney, Cunard, MSC, Virgin, Windstar, Paul Gauguin, etc. but based on my 20+ years experience of personally Cruising & selling Cruises… these companies are far from being the most popular ones/the demand for them is way less then all the other lines I talked about above so they’re not worth getting into in an already long post like this but any questions about any line you’re looking at let me know and I’ll “fill in the blanks” for you! 😉
Speaking of asking me questions, any questions at all about my above post or about Cruising in general or about Tauck Land Tours, simply contact me here as I LOVE talking about Cruises & Travel and it’d be my pleasure to help you figure out the best option for you for your next and future Vacations! 🙂
And don’t forget, as you’ll learn about here, make sure to always book your Cruises & Tauck Land Tours with an Expert like myself or another professional travel agent as if you don’t you won’t be getting the unbiased advice that you’re already paying for in the price of your trip and you won’t be getting the extra “perk” you’re already paying for so booking “direct” never saves you any money at all… it’s always the worst deal as these trips are setup & priced to be booked through agents like myself.
Looking forward to chatting with you soon and, as always…
I Appreciate You!!
Shawn Power
Your Trusted Cruise & Tauck Tour Expert!