Best Luxury Ships

That was an interesting article; thank you for posting.

What a crock!!!! No one cruise line delivers anything near what the writer of this article promises. And what if you want a little of this line and bit if that one? this is why I keep saying there is no such thing as the best cruise line. There is only the one you prefer.

I would tend to agree with you wipro. What was written for nearly every category, can be said about almost every ship in the luxury category. A ship is what you make of it and what you want. But every luxury line has a can do attitude with excellent service, food and itineraries.

Sounds like someone needed a gimmick for an article and this is what he came up with.

Well, as I always say, everyone is entitled to an opinion - even when we do not agree with it. Being a Regent loyalist, I rather like the comment about the "younger vibe". This hasn't been my experience. . . . perhaps the person who wrote the article sailed in the summer when there are families on board. In any case, they were all positive reviews:)

I would bet that the person who wrote the article has not sailed on every single luxury line he refers to.

I don't like the article very much, either.

Each of the so-called luxury lines was listed, and there really wasn't overlap, as there really should be.

Also, some things which are listed as positives on a particular line can really be seen as negatives by many other people.

Add to that, passengers who don't pay in full far in advance often find that they are locked out of some of the touted perks/classes of a line.

Add to that, passengers who don't pay in full far in advance often find that they are locked out of some of the touted perks/classes of a line.

What does that mean??

Good question.

I agree... Huh??

Host Dan

She possibly could have meant that you may not be able to book an "included" excursion if you do not book them in advance. This is sometimes true on Regent.

I thought the article was decent starting point to compare the different lines, and an opening for discussion in this thread. Obviously, there are different experiences on each line and overlapping services, but generally this provides a starting place to research a cruise on a luxury line.

If you're looking for a starting point that makes no sense this is a good place to start.

I finally got a chance to read this article and it just reinforces my view that this type of labeling just does not work. Sure, it's fine to say that here are the attrbuted of a cruise line or a cruise ship (remember not all cruise ships within a cruise line are even the same) but to classify only a couple of ships under just one attribute does not work for me.

Let's begin with the first one.

All around glamour. First off the Silversea ships mentioned are not all the same. Those that are not sister ships are quite different than one another. Having sailed with one of them that was listed I would not say that the ship mentioned was anymore glamorous than several other cruise ships from other luxury cruise lines.

Take the traditional luxury. Does one really truly believe that the Seabourn ships are the only ones that provide traditional luxury.

The bottom line is that many of the luxury cruise ships have several attributed and to say that only one is the best for that particular category is not right in my humble opinion.

The article mentions that "we" picked the top ones. I wonder in reality is "we" one person or multiple people and if multiple people who and how many they were. Is it Cruise Critic saying these are the best? Did each person go on each any every ship?

Anyway, it's nice to say that hear are the attributes of each cruise ship and to even say here are several cruise ships that are know for that attrbute but I would stay away from ranking them.

In the end, the ship with the most glamour or the ship that is the most luxury comes down to our own personal choice but there is no question how I see this is likely different than someone else. In the end what's most important is our very own opinion. And in life there really doesn't have to always be a number 1 for each and everything.

Keith

Well stated, Keith, as usual. I still really think the writer needed a gimmick for his article and this was it. I know for a fact that many writers sell articles by pitching a "gimmick" and then try to make the article fit the title.

I can't speak to all sections of the article but I would have to disagree with the "youthful vibe" of Regent ships. I have sailed with my family on Regent (recently and when it was formerly Raddison) and we have done Alaska and Europe which are stated as the especially younger crowd with familes. If there is one thing I do not like about Regent it is that we get the feeling (even my parents in their 50's) that we are the youngest people on board. It makes me question the validity of the entire article, I certainly wouldn't choose a ship for my next vacation based on the article!

More evidence that the whole article makes no sense.

What does that mean??

You have to pay in full six months in advance on some (or at least one) luxury line to ensure that you can get space in some of the classes offered, whether it is art classes, music classes, language classes or similar.

You have to pay in full six months in advance on some (or at least one) luxury line to ensure that you can get space in some of the classes offered, whether it is art classes, music classes, language classes or similar.

I just want to mention that I hhave never seen anyone locked out of a class because they have not registered early.

Rather the major advantage of being able to register early is that you don't have to stop by early in the cruise to register in person. All of this will change with the rollout of the new enhanced registration system sometime this summer when guests will be able to register as soon as final payement has been made.

Keith

I just want to mention that I hhave never seen anyone locked out of a class because they have not registered early.

If the class is full, what does Crystal do?

Rather the major advantage of being able to register early is that you don't have to stop by early in the cruise to register in person. All of this will change with the rollout of the new enhanced registration system sometime this summer when guests will be able to register as soon as final payement has been made.

There used to be a 3.5% discount attached to paying in full six month's out. Hasn't that been reduced to 2.5%?

Do all the luxury lines give a discount for paying in full by a certain date?

If the class is full, what does Crystal do?

I've never heard of a class being full. They just don't get that many people who sign up for the classes.

Keith

Keith, I've been shut out of two classes on Crystal, as they were already full when I boarded. One was the Yamaha piano class and the other one was the Berlitz language class.

I read the CC article & found it interesting but not very informative. Seemed like the author needed to keep score & award bests for ever luxury line!

So where to start if you're unfamiliar with the luxury lines? We've been HAL cruisers for decades, even though we're still not old enough to be their stereotypical passengers! We've recently sailed Oceania & Azamara and now we're keen to try a luxury line. I've prowled the CC forums to get the "vibe" on each luxury line & I've also gone to their individual websites. Based on this preliminary research, I've narrowed our choices to a few that I think may be the best "fit". Of course, we'll consult with a luxury cruise specialist once we're further in the process, but I'm keen to know if there are other sources that would help me get a handle on the luxury lines.

Your best resource is a TA who is completely familiar with all the luxury lines. Talk to him/her about your preferences and he/she will be able to guide you to the most appropriate line.