Choose your kind of cruise: the five segments

About Choose your kind of cruise: the five segments

By the ULTIMATE the world’s cruise lines Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

The word ‘cruise’ covers holidays as different as a theme park and a country-house hotel. The quickest way to choose well is to understand the five kinds of cruise line, then pick the line and ship within the one that suits you.

Mainstream and family

The big resort ships of Royal Caribbean, MSC, Norwegian, Carnival, Disney, Costa, P&O, AIDA and Marella are built for choice: water slides and pools, theatres, children’s clubs and dozens of places to eat. Several lines also have their own islands in the Bahamas. For a first cruise with children, or a group of friends with different tastes, they are hard to beat, and they offer the lowest fares at sea. Virgin Voyages sails ships of similar scale but for adults only.

Premium

Lines such as Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, Cunard, Oceania, Viking, Azamara and Windstar sail smaller or quieter ships, with more attention to food, enrichment and the destination. Many have a suite enclave of their own, and some, like Viking, include more in the fare. They suit couples and travellers who want comfort without the theme-park energy.

The same week at sea can feel like a theme park or a country-house hotel; choose the kind of ship first.

Ultra-luxury and yachts

Regent, Silversea, Seabourn, Crystal and Explora Journeys sail small, all-suite ships on which drinks and service charges are largely included; Regent’s fares also include shore excursions. The new yacht brands go further: Four Seasons I has 95 suites, Amangati 47 and Orient Express Corinthian 54, each according to its line. They suit travellers who want the ship to feel like a very good hotel.

Expedition

Ponant, Lindblad, Quark, HX, Aqua Expeditions, Quasar, Scenic, Swan Hellenic and the expedition ships of Silversea and Seabourn go where the big ships cannot: Antarctica, the Arctic, the Galápagos, the Amazon and the Kimberley. The days are shaped by the weather and the wildlife, with zodiac landings and naturalist guides. Aqua Expeditions’ Aqua Mare carries just 16 guests in the Galápagos.

River

Viking, AmaWaterways, Uniworld, Scenic, Emerald, Avalon, Riverside and the Nile boats of A&K and Oberoi sail the Danube, Rhine, Seine, Douro, Nile and Mekong. The river is always in view, you dock in the heart of a town most days, and the water is far calmer than the open sea.

Our advice: be honest about what you want from the days at sea. If you love buzz and choice, go mainstream; if you want calm, space and service, go premium or luxury; if the destination is the point, go expedition or river.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Choose your kind of cruise: the five segments before you go.