RECENTLY, MY wife sent me a link to an article in a media publication with "Insider" as part of its name. While I found her perspective interesting, I also thought it was very narrow. As I have noted here recently there are some 50 (more or less) cruise lines and 270 ships (more or less) to choose from. This writer, by her own words, is just barely out of high school. Maybe in college. Maybe not. Maybe a veteran cruiser. But probably not (I met a young man - maybe in his late 20's at the time - on a Princess cruise a few years back who had been on around 20 cruises. It was his family vacation and they had taken him on at least one a year for many years). So it is possible. But in my mind not probable. Of course, that doesn't make her any less (or more) eligible to review ships and make recommendations. And that she did. I just don't agree with her. 😑
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I DO think it is important, though, to put all of our commentary about cruise ships, cruise lines, and cruising, in context. I met a gentleman on our recent Oceania Cruise who had been on between 60 and 70 cruises with several different cruise lines. I tend to put more stock in his observations than perhaps the ones like the above online opinion piece. I have been on somewhere around 12-15 cruises (so far, on only 3 different lines. That doesn't make me an expert in the industry by any means, and I have been pretty open about my own biases. Heck the title here surely sheds some light on that. 😉
THE WRITER didn't really share how many cruises she has been on. But based on the article, certainly at least 3. She wrote about 3 different lines' newest ships. I found a lot of good - and interesting - information there. It was her ultimate conclusion that troubled me (not hugely, of course. We are talking about cruising here - not world hunger 😎). She opined (based on her observations of just these 3 ships) that she would only be recommending one ship/line for family cruising from now on. There were, for me, some takeaways from her article. First, she is not very experienced. Second, her opinion, for what it's worth, was based on a rather narrow sampling (3 cruises on 3 different ships). Since her recommendation referenced "family" cruising, I immediately wondered how can any consideration of "family" cruising not include at least a mention of the ultimate "family" (at least young family) cruise line: Disney (whether to recommend it or not)? But I also wondered about her personal context. What family, for instance? Based on my "read-between-the-lines" take, she is too young to have anything more than young children. Was that the "family" she is speaking of? Or is it her parents and siblings? That would make a difference to me in how I took her observations (and recommendation) in. In fairness, she did enumerate some criteria for her recommendation. Her preference was for a larger ship with more things to do on board - many of them active things (like water slides, parks, go-karts, shopping and food vendors (which, for lack of a better description, would be of the food court or "fast food" variety).
THE TRUTH is most of us have a limited scope from which we make our life observations. The point of this post is not to beat up on one person who (legitimately) voiced an opinion. There are many of those (some legitimate and some just frankly, whining and misinformation). I read Facebook group posts daily and boy are there some opinions out there! 😏The point here, is that we need to read with a "filter"(maybe several filters: I am thinking, "B.S. filter," "critical filter," "open-minded filter," "context filter," and "questioning filter"). In fact, I think that is probably how we should process virtually all information we get these days. In addition to all the good information to found, there is an awful lot of misinformation out there and those of us who opine on ships and cruise lines need to do so in the context of our own experience. And we need to "own" that context.
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AND IT is important to acknowledge the subjective nature of the word "best." Your definition of "best" is likely to be different than mine. Maybe all that we can do when making these choices is to establish our own criteria and see how lines and ships match up to that. What are the things that are important to you. Is it the onboard entertainment? Do you (or your children) want waterslides, go-carts and rock-climbing walls? How important is the pool area to you? Are shows comedians, or music a critical part of the experience? Do you crave ship-sponsored activities, like trivia contests, crafts, on-board lectures? My personal tastes lean toward itineraries that let me see the world, good food, and a nice, traditional cruise ship experience (like dining rooms, and relaxing deck areas). Once you have that in mind, you can begin to do some useful research.
FOOD IS a big deal. Its funny, because I remember as a very young person, hearing about cruises from friends. They were mostly the warm weather, Caribbean variety, usually take during our school spring break. While I never had the opportunity to go on one, I came away from the accounts with a preconceived idea that cruise ships were just a huge pool and buffet, with big, but not very good food. Of course, that is far from the reality of cruise ships - at least today. Indeed, some are known for their cuisine. Almost all have restaurant choices other than the buffet. And the 24-hour, midnight buffet has really become a thing of the past, anyway. If the food experience is sufficiently important for you, you need to do some research on those cruise ships that are noted for their good cuisine. I read a comment on a Celebrity FB group page just recently. The comment was about the person's recent experience on another cruise line. She noted that the xxxx's food was "disgusting." It wasn't. I am confident of that. I have cruised the other line. Her comment was hyperbole. Maybe there was something that was "disgusting." But overall, on the entire cruise. C'mon man! In the first place, she was discussing the buffet. And let's face it. Buffets are never going to be the place to get gourmet food, or anything close to the best food aboard a cruise ship. I have had at least one "mediocre food" experience on every cruise I have been on. But they have - for the most part - been isolated incidents. That doesn't make "the food" on a line bad. And sure, part of the whole cruise experience is the food. But not the entire experience. We are on a cruise. We are having fun! And isn't that the reason we cruise?
YOU PROBABLY thought I was going to answer the question posed by the title. Maybe even thought I would for sure say Celebrity. But nope. You see, I don't think there is a "best" cruise line or ship. I do think some will fit your sense of fun better than others. And that, after all, is the reason we cruise: fun. You have to do your homework and choose accordingly. And realize that there is probably more than one suitable cruise line for you, and probably many that just aren't.
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