Saturday, April 20, 2024

The 11 Best Luxury Cruise Lines, According to T+L's Experts

ratings of cruise lines

In addition to a fun selection of cocktails — some of which involve candy — the bar's theme is tied to an animated octopus named Dr. Inks. She has a Ph.D., pet butterflies and extensive collections of both books and fashionable eyewear. No Carnival sailing would be complete for a carnivore without a visit to Fahrenheit 555, the onboard steakhouse. On Carnival Jubilee, it's adorned in neutral tans, dark browns and red tones. The food item I most recommend you try when sailing on Carnival Jubilee is an order of beignets at Emeril's. Pillows of soft fried dough coated in powdered sugar with chocolate and strawberry sauces for dipping are $5 for an order of six.

Best for Families: Royal Caribbean

Carnival Jubilee has so many places to eat that I ran out of time to try them all on my weeklong sailing. Guy Fieri isn't the only celebrity affiliated with Carnival's free food. My pick from Guy's is the Chilius Maximus — an 80/20 ground chuck patty with cheese, chili, onion rings and barbecue sauce. Oddly, there were some discrepancies on board that I was surprised to see on a ship that's been sailing for several months. Carnival Jubilee is a megaship, coming in at 183,521 tons and carrying up to 6,631 passengers at full capacity.

Celebrity CruisesPrice Starting from $216

Meanwhile, lines at the onboard deli and pizzeria counters frequently snake so far down Deck 8 that they block the entrance to seafood restaurant Rudi's Seagrill. One night, as I was dining at Rudi's with some of my travel companions, we joked that the lines were dangerously close to melding with the line for the nearby guest services desk. News & World Report stand as a testament to the sector’s diverse offerings and innovations. Whether travelers seek luxury, family fun, or the most bang for their buck, the 2024 Best Cruise Lines rankings are a meticulously curated guide to the best cruise options available today.

The relationship between ship size and luxury

Make your way up a deck, and you'll find the Limelight Lounge, which serves as a secondary performance space and trivia outpost. Another excellent dinner during my voyage occurred at Rudi's Seagrill (Deck 8), an upscale seafood restaurant named for chef and pop artist Rudi Sodamin. The lobster macaroni and cheese was the perfect indulgence to start my meal, and I followed it up with a delicious crab cake. The first couple had to do with differences between the Carnival HUB app and the daily Fun Times printed schedule.

River Awards

ratings of cruise lines

If you don't make one, you might find yourself waiting 20 minutes or more for a table at peak times. If you make a reservation through the app, you'll receive a notification to report to the host stand when your table is ready. Unless you specifically request your cabin steward to come at night for turndown service instead of earlier in the day, your room will be made up in the morning. Hang the "SNOOZIN'" card on the outside of your door, and no one will bother you — but your room won't be cleaned that day. Within those 82 options, there are fully accessible accommodations with access to both sides of the bed and rooms that are fully accessible with single-side access to one side of the bed, which work well for passengers who use wheelchairs and scooters. Ambulatory-accessible rooms provide accommodations for people who walk with the help of assistive devices like canes or walkers.

Setting Sail With Excellence: US News 2024 Rankings Highlight Leading Cruise Lines for Globetrotters

I also had a wonderful time at two special events — complimentary afternoon tea and an extra-fee Dr. Seuss-themed Thing 1 and Thing 2 Birthday Breakfast — held in the Atlantic Restaurant. Both serve the same menu for dinner, but only the larger Pacific Restaurant is open for Sea Day Brunch on sea days and breakfast (but not lunch) on port days. Fully accessible rooms are stair-free, flat-threshold cabins, which offer wider (32-inch) doorways, turning space and bathrooms equipped with grab bars and shower seats. Usually, they don't have meat in them, nor was meat listed as an ingredient on the menu.

On one occasion, the app said Seafood Shack opened half an hour earlier than it did, while the paper version of the daily schedule had the correct information. Another time, the printed daily had the wrong theater show listed for that night; the correct one was posted in the HUB. On another day, the printed schedule was missing part four of a four-part show, which did show up on the agenda in the app. I arrived 15 minutes early for a magic show at the Punchliner Comedy Club, and I couldn't find a single available seat in the entire place. On another night, I showed up on time for Family Feud Live in the ship's theater, and it was a standing-room-only situation.

Setting Sail With Excellence: US News 2024 Rankings Highlight Leading Cruise Lines for Globetrotters National ... - Scranton Times-Tribune

Setting Sail With Excellence: US News 2024 Rankings Highlight Leading Cruise Lines for Globetrotters National ....

Posted: Mon, 22 Apr 2024 06:41:00 GMT [source]

Marina Bar

Viking Cruises is a river and ocean cruise line that recently added expedition sailings and the Great Lakes trips to its repertoire. "T+L readers rave about the consistency of Viking's vessels and their Scandinavian design," cruise expert Fran Golden reported when Viking once again topped T+L's World's Best Awards last year. Viking came in at No. 1 in T+L's best mid-size ship category and river cruise category. Golden said the WBA Hall of Fame honoree's 50 river "longships" are "light-filled floating boutique hotels." By definition, small ships hold fewer than 1200 passengers, usually making the cruise experience more intimate with more individualized service.

They typically boast more sophisticated amenities, too, like art collections and educational classes on sea days. These cabins are generally located in the interior of the ship, so be aware that they might not have windows or balconies. Solo travelers have the option to book a regular stateroom, but they’ll generally have to pay the two-person fare.

Cruise fans know that Carnival brought Bolt, the first-ever roller coaster at sea, to Mardi Gras in 2021. Carnival Jubilee offers the same ride — the third of its kind on a cruise ship — in the deck 18, 19 and 20 Ultimate Playground area. Carnival Jubilee's demographics run the gamut from families with young kids or extended family groups to groups of friends, couples and even solo cruisers (even though it doesn't have any cabins for singles).

When I received it, the bun was soggy, and no garnishes or sauces were offered until I went back to the counter to ask for coleslaw and tartar sauce, neither of which helped the flavor. I wasn't overly hungry when I sat down, but the $49 cover charge ($15 for kids) would also have included a soup or salad and a dessert if I had wanted them. During my visit, I ordered a pound of stone crab claws in garlic butter (market price) with red beans and rice ($3) and a brie bowl ($6).

News & World Report ensures its rankings resonate with a broader audience by providing diverse options beyond traditional family and couple categories. This approach not only aids travelers in making informed decisions but also underscores the publication's commitment to covering the multifaceted nature of cruise travel. Disney is famous for its attention to detail and focus on the guest experience in its theme parks, and those attributes extend to its cruises, too.

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