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Choosing a Cruise Line.
We divide cruise lines into three broad categories: budget, mass market, and luxury. Budget lines and ships typically use older vessels that mass-market lines have sold off. Sometimes these ships remain virtually as they were with some minor cosmetic changes, and other times they undergo a complete refit (oftentimes adding more cabins). Being older, and generally smaller, budget ships have less public rooms, and smaller public rooms, making the cruise experience in terms of on board entertainment and facilities less of a feature. Budget lines tend to have highly port intensive and unique itineraries, with more time in port than cruises where the ship itself is the destination. The space ratio (gross tonnage divided by the number of passengers) on budget lines can be up to half of that on mass market lines, meaning more lineups, a crowded deck, and smaller cabins. Viewing the ship more as transportation between ports of call, budget lines focus less on the dining experience, or even the amenities of the cabin. You will get less choice in food, the uniforms will be less polished, the ship may be a bit tired, but you will still get an overall experience that is better than many four star all inclusive holidays. Luxury lines such as Seabourn, Cunard, Crystal, Windstar, Silversea, and P&O, have just the opposite of budget. There is a higher than mass market space ratio meaning no line ups, bigger cabins, and spacious decks. Dining is world-class, and service is impeccable. On-board entertainment is more likely to skew to an older demographic that can afford this type of cruise, and afford the time-off to take longer and more exotic sailings. As such, the disco is either non-existent or empty, and the ship is virtually empty late at night. Music may be skewed more toward classical, light jazz, big band, or easy listening. Decor and feel of luxury ships will be more traditional, with a greater focus on wood, art, crystal, etc. On these ships you'll find the finest wines and spirits, and overall pampering that this clientele wants. Mass Market is a large category of the remaining lines, which represent over 80% of sailings. There are some notable differences within the mass-market category, but they are similar in many ways. All provide a comfortable cabin, and a reasonable space ratio designed to minimize lineups and maximize revenue. The crew ratios are relatively the same amongst the lines, and the entertainment is quite similar. Each line tries to outdo the other, and some have definite strengths over others. Carnival for example, is known as "the fun ships" and caters to a clientele who are more extroverted, wants to interact with the crew and entertainers, and generally likes to stay up late and enjoy the nightlife. Holland America on the other hand, while owned by the same company, caters to almost the opposite type of clientele, those looking for a more traditional cruise experience. The remaining lines are very similar (Princess, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian) but do vary somewhat based on the ship itself. Celebrity is a bit more focused on dining, as is Royal Caribbean for entertainment. There is often little difference in price between these lines overall, although specific sailings may have price incentives making one appear more or less expensive than another. Some lines also focus on certain areas of the world more than others, thereby having a different clientele in some ways.
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