I Want to Take a Cruise… But I Have No Idea Which One to Pick

So you’ve decided you want to take a cruise.

Excellent.

You Google “best cruise line,” thinking this will be a quick little research project, and 45 minutes later you have 17 tabs open, somebody on Facebook is passionately arguing about buffet pizza (even though it’s Disney hands down 😆), and you’re somehow comparing the waterslides on ships you didn’t know existed an hour ago.

Welcome. 😂

Here’s the thing: there really isn’t one “best” cruise line.

There’s the best cruise line for you.

And figuring that out has a lot less to do with which cruise line has the prettiest commercial and a lot more to do with what you actually want your vacation to feel like.

So instead of comparing every ship floating around the Caribbean, let’s start there.

“I want a little bit of EVERYTHING.”

You want shows. Pools. Good food. Drinks. Activities. Maybe a giant waterslide.

Someone in your family wants to relax.

Someone else wants to climb something they absolutely do not need to be climbing while floating in the middle of the ocean.

And the kids need enough entertainment that they aren’t asking you what you’re doing every eleven minutes.

Start with Royal Caribbean.

This is one of my favorite places to start for families and groups because there really is something for just about everyone.

Depending on the ship, you can find things like rock climbing, surf simulators, ice skating, huge water areas, entertainment, kids clubs, adult-only spaces, and enough food options that everyone can find something they like.

But, (and this is important) not every Royal Caribbean ship is the same.

Booking one of their smaller, older ships is a VERY different vacation from booking something like an Oasis- or Icon-class ship.

The ship matters almost as much as the cruise line.

“This trip is for the kids…but also secretly for me.”

Hello, Disney Cruise Line.

If your family loves Disney and you want the trip itself to feel like part of the magic rather than just transportation between ports, Disney is hard to beat.

The character experiences are fantastic. The kids clubs are next level. The entertainment is incredibly polished. And Disney does a surprisingly good job of giving adults places to escape when you’ve reached your daily limit of hearing “Mom.”

You also don’t need to be a hardcore Disney family to enjoy a Disney cruise.

BUT.

Disney cruises usually come with a higher price tag.

So if your kids couldn’t care less about Mickey Mouse and would rather spend six hours on waterslides, we need to have a different conversation before you pay the Disney premium.

“I want FUN. And I don’t want to spend a fortune.”

Take a look at Carnival.

Carnival tends to have a lively, casual atmosphere and can be a really good option for families, friend groups, and anyone who wants their vacation to feel more fun than fancy.

Think pool deck, comedy shows, casual food, drinks, activities, and plenty happening around the ship.

And depending on the sailing, you can sometimes find some seriously good prices.

Would I automatically put every traveler on Carnival because it’s cheaper?

Nope.

Price is only a good deal if you actually enjoy the vacation you bought.

“I want options, but I don’t want my entire vacation scheduled.”

Take a look at Norwegian Cruise Line.

Norwegian can be a great middle ground if you want plenty happening around the ship but prefer a little more flexibility.

Depending on the ship, you’ll find waterslides, shows, specialty restaurants, kids clubs, and, on some of the newer ships, attractions that make you question when cruise ships stopped simply being boats.

They’re also known for a more flexible approach to dining, which is great if the idea of being told you need to eat dinner at exactly 5:30 every night makes you twitch a little.

But, (and you’re going to hear me say this a lot) the ship matters.

A newer Norwegian ship and one of their smaller or older ships can give you VERY different vacations.

“Can everyone please calm down? I’m trying to RELAX.”

Now we’re moving into a different category.

Maybe you don’t need a surf simulator.

Maybe nobody needs to zip-line over your head while you’re drinking coffee.

Maybe you want good food, beautiful spaces, a comfortable cabin, interesting ports, and the radical experience of sitting somewhere quietly for more than six minutes.

Look at cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises or Princess Cruises.

These tend to appeal more to adults and travelers looking for a slightly more relaxed, elevated experience.

That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do.

It just means the ship isn’t necessarily trying to entertain you every waking second.

And honestly?

For some people, that sounds AMAZING.

“Actually, I would prefer there were no children involved in this vacation.”

😂 Fair.

Look at Virgin Voyages.

Virgin is adults-only, so this is an entirely different conversation from the family-focused ships we’ve been talking about.

The atmosphere is more modern and adult-focused, dining works differently than on many traditional cruise lines, and you won’t find kids clubs, character breakfasts, or a splash pad full of tiny humans.

That doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right choice for every adult traveler, though.

Adults-only and relaxing aren’t necessarily the same thing.

If your dream vacation is quiet mornings, traditional cruising, and being in bed with a book by 9:30, I might point you somewhere else.

If you want something more modern, social, and a little less traditional?

Now we should talk.

“I barely care about the ship. Where are we GOING?”

Okay, now we’re talking itinerary first.

Alaska.

Europe.

The Mediterranean.

Norwegian fjords.

Maybe you have a bucket-list destination and the ship is mostly your very convenient floating hotel.

In this case, I don’t want you choosing your cruise line first.

I want to look at:

• Where you want to go

• Which ports you actually care about

• How much time the ship spends in those ports

• Where the cruise begins and ends

• What excursions are available

• What the total trip will cost once we include flights, hotels, and everything else

A gorgeous ship doesn’t help much if it skips the place you actually wanted to see.

“Okay…but which SHIP?”

And THIS is where cruise planning gets people.

You finally narrow down the cruise line.

You celebrate prematurely.

Then you discover it has approximately 47 ships.

Back to the tabs.

Because two ships from the same cruise line can give you completely different experiences.

A newer mega-ship may have more restaurants, activities, and entertainment, but it can also cost more and carry thousands more people.

An older or smaller ship might not have every flashy feature you’ve seen on TikTok, but it may offer an itinerary you love at a significantly better price.

Neither is automatically better.

The question is:

What are you actually going to use?

If your teenager is going to spend the entire week bouncing between waterslides, sports courts, and whatever mildly terrifying attraction they’ve installed on the top deck, those features matter.

If you’re going to spend the week reading by the pool with a margarita?

Maybe we don’t need to pay an extra $1,500 for a ship with a roller coaster.

The Questions I Actually Want You to Answer

When someone tells me, “We want to take a cruise, but I have no idea what to book,” I’m not expecting them to know the ship.

That’s my part.

I want to know things like:

Who’s going?

Adults? Little kids? Teenagers? Grandparents? A giant multigenerational family where everyone has a different opinion?

What’s your budget?

And I mean your comfortable budget, not the number you technically could spend while quietly resenting me afterward.

What sounds like vacation to you?

Doing everything?

Doing absolutely nothing?

Seeing new places?

Eating?

Drinking fruity things beside a pool?

Keeping the kids entertained?

A little bit of all of it?

And what would ruin the trip for you?

This question is underrated.

Too many kids?

Nothing to do?

Crowds?

Formal atmosphere?

Tiny cabin?

Not enough nightlife?

Knowing what you DON’T want can narrow things down very quickly.

You Don’t Need to Know What to Book Before Talking to a Travel Agent

Actually, please don’t feel like you have to.

You don’t need to come to me saying:

“I would like the seven-night sailing on XYZ ship in cabin category 4B departing at precisely 4:00 p.m.”

You can literally come to me and say:

“There are four of us. The kids are 8 and 13. We’d like somewhere warm. We can spend around $4,000. My husband wants to relax, the kids need things to do, and I require a balcony and a fruity drink.”

Perfect.

Now I have something to work with.

Because my job isn’t just to book the cruise you found.

It’s to help you figure out which cruise actually makes sense for the people taking it.

So if you’re currently sitting with 17 cruise tabs open and getting progressively less certain about every decision you’ve ever made…

Close the tabs.

Tell me what you want the vacation to feel like.

We’ll figure out the ship from there.

There’s a ship out there for everyone.

Okay, now I want to know yours. 👀

Tell me down below! Comments now open!

If you could design your perfect cruise right now, what would it look like?

Tell me in the comments:

Where are we going?

Who are you bringing?

Are you relaxing or doing EVERYTHING?

What’s one thing your ship absolutely has to have?

And most importantly…

What would completely ruin a cruise for you? 😂

You don’t need to know which cruise line or ship you’d choose. That’s kind of the point.

Give me your vacation personality, and I’ll tell you where I’d start looking. 👀

— Jessica

Coffee & Carry Ons — travel planning for people who would really prefer to know what they’re getting themselves into.