Luxury Cruising Editorial - Luxury Cruising

Princess Cruise Ships Ranked From Best To Worst (Using Real Reviews)

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise Lines Cruise News Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is one of the most popular cruise lines in the world, with a large fleet of ships that offer very different experiences.

If you’re not familiar with the fleet, you might want to know which is the best ship, and which is the worst. So I’ve put together this guide that ranks all of the ships in popularity order.

How I gathered the data

The only fair way to rank the Princess Cruises ships is to look at the overall popularity of each. It’s not right if I just decide my own personal preference, because:

I haven’t cruised on every Princess ship
I’m not you, and we might like different things!

So what matters to me is understanding an average review of the ships. Therefore I’ve taken the data from three of the biggest review sites on the internet for cruise ships – Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com and TripAdvisor – and created an aggregate score for each ship.

(It helps that they all rank ships out of 5, so creating an average isn’t too difficult!)

This list is ranked from the ship with the best average score, down to the worst. And whenever I rank ships in this way, I like to clarify that “worst” doesn’t mean “bad”.

To prove my point – the top-scoring ship on this list has an average score of 4.07 out of 5, while the “worst” ship still has a score of 3.53 out of 5 – so well above average.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at all 15 ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, and see which is the best and which has been reviewed the worst. I’m pretty surprised by numbers 13 and 15, let me tell you!

Which Princess cruise ship is the best?

According to customer reviews, the best Princess Cruises ship is the Regal Princess, the second of the Royal-class ships to launch when she debuted in 2014. Her sister ship Enchanted Princess is actually rated the worst of the cruise line’s ships.

The best Princess ships by reviews

Here’s the full list of all the ships in the Princess fleet, organised by average score.

1. Regal Princess

If you stepped onboard Regal Princess today, you might struggle to believe that she’s been sailing for around 10 years. It might be an exaggeration to say that she looks brand new, but she has definitely maintained a very high standard and her decor remains contemporary to this day.

The ship is an identical twin to Royal Princess and so didn’t introduce anything new or innovative, but that doesn’t matter – guests still really enjoy the balance of the ship. She has a lot to offer for daytime and evening activities, but unlike some of the mega ships sailing for other cruise lines she never feels extremely crowded.

Entertainment, Princess Theater, Production Show

Guests do have some minor complaints but they tend to be inconsistent issues – bad dining experiences that are in the minority, patchy WiFi, staff maybe having a bad day and not offering the best service.

Read more: Regal Princess Cabins

2. Coral Princess

I love some of the surprises that these ranked lists throw up, and Coral Princess being the second-most popular ship in the Princess fleet definitely counts as one.

She’s not the eldest ship in the fleet (although you don’t have to read much further for that), but she’s the second eldest and more importantly, she is the smallest ship in the fleet, tied with her sister ship Island Princess.

So why the popularity?

She tends to offer more unusual itineraries, and her smaller size gives her a really pleasant, intimate atmosphere – the combination suits a lot of people who want an exciting adventure with excellent service. Onboard features are limited so she feels more like a classic cruise ship – albeit one that is beautifully maintained.

Read more: Coral Princess Cabins

3. Royal Princess

Royal Princess was a major ship launch for Princess Cruises in 2013. The first new ship in 5 years, she was also significantly larger than prior ships in the fleet and she debuted exciting features including the SeaWalk, the glass-bottomed walkway extending over the side of the ship.

She remains really popular because she is spacious, and has a lot to offer for days at sea, but she never feels too busy.

The only consistent criticism from guests is that some of the more basic staterooms aren’t huge, but with so much to do onboard it’s not a major problem.

Read more: Royal Princess Cabins

4. Grand Princess

I said it wouldn’t be long until we got to the oldest ship in the Princess fleet. And having launched in 1998, Grand Princess is one of the oldest ships still sailing for any of the major American cruise lines.

When she debuted, Grand Princess was the largest and most expensive ship ever built in the world!

Her high review scores are not just based in nostalgia though – yes, she tends to be preferred by older guests who want a more classical cruising experience, but her exciting Alaska and Australia itineraries, and her great dining and evening entertainment, are the basis of her position near the top of this list.

Read more: Grand Princess Cabins

5. Island Princess

Proof that the older Princess Cruises ships are some of the most loved, the 2003 Island Princess is the second Coral-class vessel for the cruise line and despite lacking some of the modern features of later ships, guests still rate her highly.

With Island Princess it’s less about the itineraries – she offers similar Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises to other ships – and more about the relaxing atmosphere of this smaller ship. Another good example of a ‘classic’ cruise ship experience, but with modern decor and a good variety of dining options.

Read more: Island Princess Cabins

6. Ruby Princess

Ruby Princess is a mid-sized ship that offers a varied cruise experience. Unlike some of the smaller ships in the fleet, Ruby feels more suited to families – she isn’t packed with features, but she has enough to keep kids of all ages entertained on a couple of sea days, with a great kids club too.

Her itineraries are interesting too, including a mix of sailings around the Caribbean and Alaska, including Panama Canal sailings while repositioning between the two.

The ship is generally well maintained, although the decor is starting to show its age, especially in some of the staterooms. A minor gripe really, as guests generally have a really positive experience onboard.

Read more: Ruby Princess Cabins

7. Discovery Princess

Part of the Royal Class, Discovery Princess is larger than Royal Princess and Regal Princess after some design changes which began with 2019’s Sky Princess.

The extra space is used for suites and staterooms, rather than adding more entertainment features or facilities, so the day-to-day experience is similar to her sisters, although despite the extra room there are more complaints from guests about service being slow or the ship feeling crowded.

This could be teething issues, although based on the placement of Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess in this list, it could show that the design tweaks weren’t quite right.

Read more: Discovery Princess Cabins

8. Majestic Princess

Majestic Princess is a unique ship in the Princess fleet, in that she was originally built with the Chinese cruise market in mind.

She’s part of the Royal Class, and shares a lot of similarities, but she has features such as the Harmony restaurant, offering Chinese cuisine, and the Hollywood Pool Club area, that set her apart.

Reviews are broadly positive but she shares some of the same criticisms of other Royal-class ships – particularly in the size of the standard staterooms, which can feel a little cramped. Some complaints also mention how everything relies on the app and the Medallion, and sometimes they fail, which can cause frustrations.

Read more: Majestic Princess Cabins

9. Sapphire Princess

Sapphire Princess is another older ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, having been sailing for around 20 years. And while there are elements of the ship that are showing that age, an extensive refurbishment in 2018 has helped to keep it looking fresh and removed many of the really dated features.

She’s the largest ship in the Grand Class but she carries the fewest passengers, which helps give her a more spacious feel (not that any of the Grand Class ships feel particularly cramped).

The best features, according to reviews, are the itineraries and the service offered by the crew. The most frequent comments in negative reviews mention the food being a little basic, and those dated areas of the ship – especially the public bathrooms.

Read more: Sapphire Princess Cabins

10. Emerald Princess

Emerald Princess is another mid-sized ship that’s considered part of the Grand Class for Princess, although that class has a number of sub-classes too. She’s another ship that offers a fun mix of cruises on both US coastlines, including the Caribbean, cruises to Hawaii and cruises to Canada and New England.

Reviews for the ship are more mixed. Most of the positive comments focus on the food and the service, while most of the criticism are levied against the evening entertainment. There are also some experienced Princess cruise passengers who think the ship just isn’t what she used to be, and that there’s more nickel-and-diming than there used to be.

Read more: Emerald Princess Cabins

11. Caribbean Princess

Caribbean Princess is considered part of the Grand Class, but she is also the only Caribbean-class ship sailing for Princess. First launching in 2003 she is a little older than some of the other ships sailing for the fleet, but she’s been maintained to a relatively high standard.

Originally built exclusively for the Caribbean, she now offers sailings in Europe too, although her lack of an enclosed pool due to her original design can sometimes be a drawback. She’s definitely a Caribbean ship – there’s not a huge amount to do during the day, since you’re more likely to be exploring tropical islands, but at night she is a lot of fun.

Read more: Caribbean Princess Cabins

12. Diamond Princess

Diamond Princess is a sister ship to Sapphire Princess, and both were built in Japan. The difference is that Diamond Princess has largely remained there – her home port is Yokohama.

This makes for some exciting itineraries, but it also means the ship is much more international than her sister, which can be a positive or a negative. Crew will broadly speak English, so it shouldn’t cause any real issues.

Most guests really enjoy her unique atmosphere, but she is a little dated now and even a 2019 refurbishment hasn’t stopped some guests from commenting on how her age is showing in places. If you love international cuisine though then definitely put this ship nearer the top of your list.

Read more: Diamond Princess Cabins

13. Sky Princess

Sky Princess launched in 2019 and she remains one of the largest ships in the fleet, being an enhanced design of the Royal Class. I’m surprised to see her down so low because she’s thought of as one of the more popular ships to sail from the UK, she has a lot of facilities and she’s very modern.

But the criticisms of the ship seem to be that she’s a little too busy even for her size, and that can sometimes impact the quality of the service onboard too. Plus, because she’s quite new and big, cruises can sometimes be more expensive.

Plus, one of the more exciting features of the ship was the new Sky Suite, with the largest balcony at sea, and that’s too costly for most guests to experience, so is hardly going to have a big impact on review scores.

Read more: Sky Princess Cabins

14. Crown Princess

Crown Princess is considered both a Crown-class and a Grand-class ship, similar to others in her class she is a comfortable mid-sized ship that offers a good balance of space and entertainment, but is perhaps starting to show her age.

She has been updated, so she doesn’t feel too dated, and positive reviews do talk about how her simple style is refreshing compared to feature-packed ships. She just isn’t that exciting though, so her review scores tend to be closer to average.

Read more: Crown Princess Cabins

15. Enchanted Princess

Enchanted Princess is another of the newer Royal-class ships, launching between Sky Princess and Discovery Princess. Unfortunately, guests see her more like her earlier sister Sky, meaning there are some criticisms about how busy she feels, or how expensive the cruises are compared to other ships that offer a similar standard of cruising.

And similar to her earlier Royal-class sisters, there are a handful of customer reviews criticising the size of the rooms and the balconies. Unless you’re in a suite, don’t expect the most spacious accommodation.

Read more: Enchanted Princess Cabins

Choosing the best Princess ship for you

There’s no single answer on which is the best Princess Cruise ship. As you can see from the rankings, the ships have a lot of differences. You’re going to have a very different cruise on Island Princess compared to Sun Princess, the newest ship in the fleet.

And people have different tastes. A lot of the decision will come down to the itineraries but you need to bear in mind the atmosphere and facilities too. A busier ship may be more entertaining but can also feel overwhelming if you want peace.

A bit about Sun Princess

Sun Princess is the newest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, launching in early 2024. Once she’s had more time to welcome guests, I’ll add her into this list.

She’s the largest Princess cruise ship, and the nicest one too – she’s brand new, she has a stunning design and she’s packed with exciting features.

The bottom line

One thing you can definitely say about Princess Cruises’ fleet – it proves that newer ships aren’t always the most popular. Yes, some of the more recent Princess ships are near the top of the list, but some are down at the bottom too, and a lot of guests prefer the quieter atmosphere of the older ships.

It’s down to you and your own personal preferences, but also remember that none of these ships are “bad”. They might have some bad reviews but every ship scored higher than an average rating, so most people enjoy their cruise on every ship in the Princess fleet.

Still, if you’re planning a Princess cruise, make sure you consider which ship would be more suited to your style of cruising. And it’ll be interesting to see where Sun Princess – the newest ship in the fleet – will end up in this ranking.

If you found this interesting, please share!

Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.

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How To Get a Job on a Cruise Ship (No Experience Needed!)

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise Lines Cruise News Work On A Ship

Have you ever fancied working on a cruise ship? Me too! When you’re on a cruise ship, it’s a common feeling to never want to get off. And, to start thinking about whether there’s a way that you could live the cruise life full time.

Around a quarter of a million people work on-board cruise ships, and new vacancies come up all the time. So, how do you go about getting jobs on cruise ships with no experience?

I know that many people struggle to find out how to apply for cruise ship jobs because I regularly get asked this question in my Instagram DMs. I had no idea either, so I spent eight hours doing the research online to find all the answers for you.

In this guide to getting a job on a cruise ship, I’ll show you the best cruise ship jobs that don’t require any experience, where to find these jobs, and how to apply for them.

It’s tough to get a job on a cruise ship!

It’s always been hard to get a job on a cruise ship. There’s always been a lot of competition for jobs onboard because people like to dream of a life at sea.

However, it’s certainly not impossible either – you just need to be persistent.

The easiest way to get your dream cruise ship job is to take an entry-level job to get your foot through the door and then you can work your way up to the job that you aspire to do.

Cruise ship workers do tend to work long hours and will generally work seven days a week with no days off. However, many workers talk about the camaraderie amongst the crew and how it helps to create a fun atmosphere.

There are some basic requirements for working on cruise ships

To work on a cruise ship, you must meet the following requirements:

Be at least 18 or 21 years old
Meet the language fluency requirements
Have a valid passport
Have the required visa or work permit
Have a basic safety training certificate
Pass a medical examination
Pass a criminal background check
Have no visible tattoos or piercings

Depending on the job you are interested in, there will be some additional requirements specific to that job. Whatever job you do, being multi-lingual will certainly increase your chances.

Cruise ships are staffed by multinational crews. Many cruise ship workers hail from southeast Asia, with Royal Caribbean alone employing over 11,000 Filipinos along with many Indonesians and Malaysians.

Cruise lines tend to hire younger workers more, but that doesn’t mean they never hire older people to work on-board. Cruise ship work is demanding and crew are expected to maintain a positive and welcoming atmosphere, and so it needs high energy levels.

How to apply for a job on a cruise ship

It varies when it comes to how to work on a cruise ship. Some cruise lines require you to apply directly via their head office and some require you to apply via their preferred agency or hiring partner. You’ll find the application instructions in the careers section of each cruise line website.

Once you’ve found a job that you’d like to apply for, you can follow the instructions to apply online. You’ll need to submit a cover letter and resume along with anything else that is specified in the job advertisement. Just because for some cruise ship jobs, no experience is needed, that doesn’t mean you can get away without your resume!

There are several fraudulent companies in the world that claim to represent cruise lines’ human resource departments. To check that any company that you are working with is legitimate, look at the official cruise line’s website for a list of authorised recruitment partners. If you can’t find their name listed, be careful.

Cruise ship job vacancies

Here are some links to the best places to find cruise ship jobs:

Typical jobs on cruise ships

There are hundreds of different job roles that you can do on a cruise ship. If you’re already a qualified nurse, massage therapist or IT professional, then it makes sense to apply for one of those jobs on board.

But can you work on a cruise ship with no experience or qualifications? In many cases, yes. There are some entry-level cruise ship jobs that don’t require you to have done the job before or to have ever been on board a ship.

If you’re open to suggestions about your future career and would do almost anything for the chance to work at sea, then perhaps you should consider these entry-level cruise ship jobs…

Jobs that don’t require experience

Galley cleaner – Cleaning the kitchens
Potwasher – Washing dishes
Bar utility – Cleaning and restocking bars
Deckhand – Cleaning deck areas and stacking deckchairs
Ordinary seaman – General cleaning and maintenance
Cabin steward – Cleaning passenger cabins
Bell staff – Moving luggage, running errands and cleaning
General cleaner – Cleaning public areas
Laundryperson – Washing and ironing clothes, bedding and towels
Engine wiper – Cleaning machinery and equipment

If you want to work on a cruise ship with no experience or qualifications, one thing’s for sure, you’d better like cleaning! A cruise ship cleaning job, whether you’re cleaning the kitchen, the cabins or the engine room can get your foot in the door so that you can work your way up to a better-paid and more exciting position.

Alternatively, you look to gain qualifications and work experience in the area that you’re interested in. Look for jobs on yachts, sailboats or even hotels as a way to gain the experience that you need before applying for your first cruise ship job.

The best cruise ship jobs

The best job on a cruise ship is totally subjective. A job that would be an amazing job to one person would be unbearable to the next. However, certain cruise ship jobs do have a very high level of job satisfaction.

Doctor – The ship’s doctor is often the highest-paid person on the ship with average monthly earnings of $9,750
Captain – Cruise ships captains get the best staterooms on the ship and typically work for three months then get three months paid leave
Youth Staff – If you love kids then working in a cruise ship kids’ club can be a lot of fun
Cruise Director – Friendly and charismatic, cruise directors are often up on stage, making people laugh as they introduce entertainers
Gentleman Host – The sole purpose of this role is to dance with ladies who have nobody to dance with!
Entertainer – Whether you’re a singer, dancer, acrobat or comedian, you’ll have lots of free time when you’re not on stage
Shore Excursions Manager – The biggest perk of this job is that you get to try out all of the shore excursions before you sell them
Bartender – If you’re sociable and like to meet new people, a cruise ship bartender job can be a lot of fun
Firefighter – Fires on cruise ships are very rare, so you’ll spend a lot of time checking equipment and training crew on fire safety
Hairdresser – Helping people to look glamorous for formal nights is very rewarding

Typical cruise ship salaries vary – but remember your perks too!

The pay for working on a cruise ship ranges from $500 per month for a galley cleaner to over $10,000 per month for a cruise ship doctor.

The hours vary as well, which means that some jobs are paid at a much lower rate than the US minimum wage. These jobs are usually done by people from countries with a low cost of living, who want to send money back home to their families.

Suggested read: How much do cruise ship workers make?

Contracts for cruise ship roles vary depending on the job and cruise line, but on average most workers are employed for between four and eight months at a time. This allows workers to renew their contracts without committing to years of service.

Visible tattoos will often be a problem…

Most cruise lines require that crew with passenger-facing roles do not have any visible tattoos. Some cruise lines are more strict than others and you may be allowed to cover any tattoos with make-up or a plaster.

I’ve been on several cruises where waiters and bar staff have noticeable tattoos on their hands. So, it’s certainly possible to get a job on a cruise ship with tattoos. It just might mean that you’re limited in terms of the jobs you can do or the cruise lines you can work for.

Bartender preparing Disney cruise drinks — Bartender with tattooed wrists on a Disney cruise ship

NCL used to be stricter but then relaxed their rules in a policy change in 2023.

The best cruise lines to work for (drum roll…)

Which is the best cruise line to work for depends on many factors such as the salary for your role, hours, progression opportunities, food and policies.

Several cruise ship workers report that the ship is just as important as the cruise line, as each ship in a fleet may have a different culture. Some cruise ships might have amazing crew parties, others may be more relaxed.

Generally speaking, the best cruise lines to work for are large companies that you know will not go out of business.

The best cruise lines to work for:

Norwegian Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean
Princess Cruises
MSC Cruises
P&O Cruises
Celebrity Cruises
Disney Cruise Line
Holland America Line
Cunard
Costa Cruises
AIDA Cruises
Marella Cruises

In terms of the best cruise ship to work for, that’s completely subjective. You might want to work year-round in the Caribbean, so you’d hope to work on a ship home-ported there all year. Or you might prefer a modern ship to enjoy better crew accommodations, or a smaller ship that’s quieter.

You won’t always have the choice though. Typically with working on cruise ships, you’re employed by the cruise line and then assigned to a ship.

The bottom line

Living and working on a cruise ship is a dream job for people from all over the world and from all walks of life. Getting work on a cruise ship can be hard, but if this is your dream then don’t give up.

If you have no cruise ship experience, you may need to work your way up from an entry-level position. Getting a job in a large hotel, on a yacht or developing your language skills will all help you to prepare to apply for your dream cruise ship job.

While you are welcome to leave comments below, please note that I cannot help anyone to get a job in the cruise industry, aside from directing you toward the links above.

If you found this interesting, please share!

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Celebrity Cruise Ships Ranked by Age, Size and Class

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Celebrity Cruises Cruise Lines Cruise News

Celebrity Cruises has 16 cruise ships. These range from large cruise ships that can accommodate over 3,000 guests, to small expedition yachts with a guest capacity of just 16.

In this article, we’ll look at the different Celebrity Cruises ships, to help you narrow down your options for your next cruise. You’ll find lists of the Celebrity ships by age and size, as well as explanations of the different classes of vessels in the fleet.

Whether you’re a regular cruiser or are considering your first cruise with Celebrity, I hope that you find this guide to Celebrity Cruises ships ranked by age and size to be useful!

All the Celebrity ships by age – newest to oldest

The following table shows all of Celebrity Cruises ships ordered by year of launch, including which is the newest Celebrity ship…

Ship	Launch date
Celebrity Ascent	December 2023
Celebrity Beyond	April 2022
Celebrity Apex	June 2021
Celebrity Flora	June 2019
Celebrity Edge	November 2018
Celebrity Xploration	March 2017
Celebrity Reflection	October 2012
Celebrity Silhouette	July 2011
Celebrity Eclipse	April 2010
Celebrity Equinox	August 2009
Celebrity Solstice	November 2008
Celebrity Xpedition	June 2004
Celebrity Constellation	May 2002
Celebrity Summit	October 2001
Celebrity Infinity	March 2001
Celebrity Millennium	July 2000

Celebrity Ascent is the newest ship

The newest Celebrity Cruises ship is Celebrity Ascent. This ship made her maiden voyage in December 2023 in the Eastern Caribbean.

Before Celebrity Ascent, Celebrity Beyond (2022), Celebrity Apex (2021) and Celebrity Edge (2018) were the newest mainstream cruise ships in the Celebrity Cruises fleet. Two small Galapagos expedition ships, Celebrity Flora (2019) and Celebrity Xploration (2017) are also relatively new.

There’s then a five-year gap in the construction of new ships, with Celebrity Reflection being built in 2012.

Ships that have sailed on

There are several ships that Celebrity Cruises used to operate that have been sold on. Meridian was the oldest, which also sailed as Sun Cruises once sold. She sank in 1999.

Horizon was sold in 2005, and Zenith in 2007. Both ships have since been scrapped.

But there are three older ships that are still sailing on. Celebrity Galaxy, Celebrity Mercury and Celebrity Century have all have several names since leaving the Celebrity fleet, and now operate for Marella Cruises as Marella Explorer, Marella Voyager, and Marella Explorer 2 respectively.

From big to small – Celebrity ships in order of size

When it comes to comparing the size of cruise ships, the best way is to consider the Gross Tonnage. This is a measurement of the internal volume of a ship. Length, guest capacity and the number of decks that are accessible to passengers may also be considered.

The following table shows the Celebrity Cruises ships ordered from largest to smallest…

Ship	Tonnage	Length	Guest Decks	Guests	Crew
Celebrity Ascent	140,600	327m	16	3,937	1,416
Celebrity Beyond	140,600	327m	16	3,937	1,416
Celebrity Edge	129,500	306m	16	2,918	1,320
Celebrity Apex	129,500	306m	16	2,910	1,319
Celebrity Reflection	126,000	319m	13	3,030	1,293
Celebrity Silhouette	122,000	319m	13	2,902	1,285
Celebrity Equinox	122,000	317m	13	2,852	1,290
Celebrity Eclipse	122,000	317m	13	2,850	1,286
Celebrity Solstice	122,000	315m	13	2,850	1,284
Celebrity Constellation	91,000	294m	11	2,184	1,022
Celebrity Millennium	90,940	294m	11	2,218	1,024
Celebrity Infinity	90,940	294m	11	2,170	1,024
Celebrity Summit	90,940	294m	11	2,158	1,027
Celebrity Flora	5,739	102m	6	100	80
Celebrity Xpedition	2,842	90m	4	48	58
Celebrity Xploration	316	30m	3	16	12

The occupancy refers to how many passengers each ship can accommodate based on having two guests in each room. As some staterooms have extra beds for third and fourth passengers, the maximum occupancy will be higher.

Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Beyond are the biggest in the fleet

The largest Celebrity Cruises ship is Celebrity Ascent, along with her twin sister Celebrity Beyond. These cruise ships have a volume of 140,600 GT and a length of 327 m, making the ships 12% larger than the next biggest ships in the Celebrity Cruises fleet.

The biggest Celebrity Cruises ships at sea previously were sister ships Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Apex which have a volume of 129,500 GT and 16 passenger decks. However, Celebrity Reflection is 13 meters longer at 319m in length and can accommodate around 100 more guests despite having three fewer decks.

Why are some ships so small?

Celebrity Xploration, Celebrity Xpedition and Celebrity Flora are small ships, accommodating 16, 48 and 100 guests, respectively. In fact, Celebrity Xploration is the smallest cruise ship in the world!

These ships cruise to the remote Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador and so they need to be small to access the ports, sometimes via Zodiac boat.

Celebrity Flora with zodiac — Celebrity Flora

The four Celebrity classes explained

Celebrity Cruises has four classes of ships, which are referred to as ‘series’. Each class of ships has something different to offer, whilst the ships within each class will be relatively similar.

NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!

Don’t miss the latest Celebrity Cruises offers…

Celebrity Edge Class Ships

Celebrity Edge class ships are the newest in the Celebrity Cruises fleet. Designed to bring you closer to the ocean, they feature the Magic Carpet, an outdoor levitating bar, and Eden, a beautiful indoor area with 7,000 square feet of windows.

The ships in Celebrity Edge Class are:

Celebrity Ascent
Celebrity Beyond
Celebrity Edge
Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Solstice Class Ships

Celebrity Solstice-class ships are large cruise ships that were built between 2008 and 2012. They each feature a half-acre real grass lawn and ice-topped Martini bars.

The ships in Celebrity Solstice Class are:

Celebrity Solstice
Celebrity Equinox
Celebrity Eclipse
Celebrity Silhouette
Celebrity Reflection

Celebrity Cruises Lawn — Real grass lawn on Celebrity Solstice-class ships

Celebrity Millennium Class Ships

Celebrity Millennium-class ships were built between 2000 and 2002 and accommodate around 2,000 passengers. Ideal for destination-focussed cruise itineraries, they’re able to access the smaller ports that larger cruise ships can’t reach.

The ships in Celebrity Millennium Class are:

Celebrity Millennium
Celebrity Infinity
Celebrity Summit
Celebrity Constellation

Celebrity Millenniumm — Celebrity Millennium in Alaska

Celebrity Galapagos Class Ships

Celebrity Cruises Galapagos ships are designed specifically for cruises around the Galapagos Islands. They feature groundbreaking technology and offer a yacht-like experience for 16 to 100 guests.

The Celebrity Galapagos ships are:

Celebrity Xpedition
Celebrity Xploration
Celebrity Flora

Read more: Celebrity Cruise Ships By Class

Don’t confuse ship classes with stateroom classes

Celebrity Cruises also has two classes of accommodation that offer special services and amenities: the Aqua Class and the Concierge Class.

Aqua Class staterooms – In premium locations close to the spa, these come with unlimited access to spa areas and a range of perks, including welcome drinks, daily canapes, a pillow menu, bathrobes, yoga mats and priority check-in.

Concierge Class staterooms – Located on upper decks in midship locations, these come with perks such as an exclusive lunch on embarkation day, daily canapes, a pillow menu, priority check-in and access to a personalised concierge service.

The best Celebrity ships for families

All of the Celebrity Cruises ships are good for kids, so it wouldn’t be possible to say that one particular ship is the best. While you won’t find waterslides and ziplines, Celebrity Cruises kids’ clubs are great, with soft play and lots of organised activities.

They also have special resources available to help autistic guests, including children. Families can get priority boarding, and there are sensory toys to hire. Some film screenings are also low-volume and low-lighting, and autistic children can attend a kids club outside of their age range if it means they are more comfortable with a sibling.

When choosing a Celebrity cruise with children, the itinerary is probably more important than the ship. Older kids will love the Galapagos expeditions, warm weather cruises are loved by all, while parents with pre-school kids may like to look out for no-fly cruises from their nearest port.

Suggested read: The Best Cruise Ships for Kids

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To conclude

There’s a Celebrity Cruises ship for everyone. The newest ships, especially Celebrity Beyond, are modern and luxurious with stunning new design concepts and the latest technology.

The older ships have all been modernised as part of a $500-million makeover. So it’s fair to say that there are no bad ships when it comes to Celebrity Cruises.

But if you’d like to see which ships cruisers rate the highest, then check out this list of the best and worst Celebrity ships according to reviews for more info.

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I Took A £99 Cunard Cruise

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise Lines Cruise News Cruise Tips Cunard

The price you see advertised for a cruise is never what you actually pay. There are always extras, some are mandatory, some are optional, but they all add up.

I found an absolute bargain – a 2-night Southampton to Hamburg cruise for £99. I also booked the back-to-back return trip, two nights from Hamburg to Southampton for another £99.

So, did my four-night Cunard cruise cost £198? The short answer is no. Far from it! Here’s how much I actually spent (including my VERY surprising bank statement!)

Cruise Mummy smiles while holding a glass of white wine on a Cunard cruise ship, seated on a deck chair with a navy cushion featuring a gold embroidered emblem.

Single supplements – £160

As I opted to travel solo on this trip, I had to pay a single supplement of £80 for each segment.

Yes, I could have just paid £38 more and brought a friend along for the four nights. But, I planned to spend the vast majority of this trip working so I wouldn’t have been much fun. Plus, I like to spend some time alone, I find it invigorating.

A Cunard cruise ship stateroom featuring a neatly made bed with navy blue bedding and Cunard branding, flanked by two nightstands with lamps, a comfortable chair, and a table with cruise brochures.

Gratuities – $64

Cunard charges $16 per person per day for gratuities. So for the four nights, I was billed $64.

That money goes to the crew members to help supplement their wages.

I did meet one person who said that she would be removing the gratuities as she didn’t think that the service was very good. While you can do that by visiting guest services, I wouldn’t advise it.

Crew members work very hard and don’t get paid a lot. And many of them work behind the scenes doing the jobs that you don’t see.

Suggested read: Can You Refuse To Pay Gratuities On A Cruise?

A spacious dining room on a Cunard cruise ship, featuring elegantly set tables with white tablecloths, flower centerpieces, and large windows offering an ocean view.

Extra tips – $24

Tipping extra on top of the gratuities is completely optional. However, each time you order a drink or room service, you’ll be asked to sign for it and there’s a box where you can add an extra tip.

I tipped cash to my cabin stewards and added a small tip for the servers who brought me room service. You don’t need to do that, but if it makes you happy, and it makes them happy too, then why not?

Suggested read: How Much Extra People Usually Tip Cruise Crew

A room service tray on a Cunard cruise ship, featuring covered plates with food, a bowl of sauce, salt and pepper shakers, and neatly arranged napkins and cutlery on a small table.

Drinks – $47

The included drinks with Cunard are very good. As well as the standard tea, coffee, water and fruit juices with breakfast, you do get some drinks included that I didn’t expect.

You can get fruit juice in the buffet at any time of the day, not just at breakfast as on most cruise ships. You can also get cranberry juice and lemonade. The lemonade is particularly delicious and I drank lots of that.

Cunard allows you to bring a bottle of wine on embarkation to drink in your cabin. There’s also a half bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge which was a very nice and unexpected touch.

With so many included drinks, I didn’t buy many. Just two pints of lager, a mojito, a glass of wine and a diet Coke. These five drinks added up to $47 (including the 15% service charge).

A Mojito cocktail with lime and ice sits on a wooden bar counter on a Cunard cruise ship, with a background of various liquor bottles and glassware.

Wifi – $72

As I spent much of this cruise working, I did buy the wifi package for the two sea days. That cost $36 per day for the fast wifi.

It’s powered by Starlink and was fast enough to do anything I wanted to do, including video calls with clients.

On the port day, I stayed on the ship but used my 5G connection. This didn’t work in my inside cabin, but was fine to use outside or in the public areas near a window.

Cunard does give you one hour of free internet access per cruise, so if you don’t have work to do you could just use that as well as your 5G when the ship is docked.

A work area on a Cunard cruise ship, featuring a cubicle with a computer, a laptop, hand sanitizer, a sign reminding guests to sanitize equipment, and a comfortable office chair.

My Total Spend

My initial cruise fare was £198 plus an extra £160 for single supplements. I then spent $207 (£163) on board on tips, wifi and drinks. ($20 of this was paid in cash to the room stewards)

In total, over the four days, I spent £521.

I don’t think this is a bad price for a four-night solo cruise. Especially as the next night I stayed at a Premier Inn in London for the Sailawaze Excellence Awards and paid £230 for a basic room!

My Surprise Bill!

When I returned home from my cruise and checked my online banking statement, I had a bit of a shock!

My card had been charged six times while I was on board, totalling £288.48.

I would have expected to be charged about £150 based on my spending, so I was really shocked to see the actual amount billed was almost double this.

Bank statement showing transactions on Queen Mary 2

I have contacted Cunard via their website to ask for a breakdown of the charges and will update this here once I hear back from them.

Freebies

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Cunard includes some extras that you don’t get with sister lines like P&O Cruise and Princess Cruises.

In my cabin, there was a bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge. There were also some slippers in the wardrobe that I took home with me after the cruise. I also took the notepad and pencil as a souvenir. In fact, I have a full list of things you can ‘steal’ from cruise ships.

A hand holding a bottle of Pol Acker sparkling wine inside a stateroom on a Cunard cruise ship, with a glimpse of the balcony and outdoor furniture in the background.

When I went to the buffet I was impressed to see that fruit juices were available all day. This definitely saved me money on on soft drinks, which were particularly pricey at $4.50 each, plus a 15% gratuity.

A beverage station on a Cunard cruise ship, featuring coffee, juice, and water dispensers, with signs instructing passengers to use provided cups for hygiene purposes.

Wine was also expensive to buy on board, at $12, plus 15% gratuity for a glass of house rose.

Being able to bring a bottle on board with me saved me some money there. And as my cruise was technically two back-to-back cruises, I could have brought on another bottle in Hamburg if I wished.

The complimentary hour of wifi was also a nice touch that I wish more cruise lines would offer.

The nightly chocolates on the bed were welcomed too. And I love that room service was free!

Cruise Mummy smiles beside a room service tray on a Cunard cruise ship, featuring a bowl of tomato soup, a slice of bread, croutons, a bowl of mixed fruit, and a pitcher of water.

On the first of my back-to-back cruises, I was very pleasantly surprised to learn that the inside cabin I had booked had been upgraded to an obstructed view balcony! I’ve never had a free upgrade in over 40 cruises, so well done Cunard for being the first!

A Cunard cruise ship stateroom with an obstructed view balcony, featuring two neatly made twin beds with navy blue bedding, a desk with a lamp, and a small seating area near the balcony door.

Many other cruise lines like MSC, Princess and Celebrity make guests ‘bid’ how much they will pay for the upgrades.

It’s great that Cunard give these for free. I wasn’t the only one, I spoke to other cruisers on board who had the same thing happen to them too.

What I didn’t buy

I do sometimes like to use the thermal suite of the spa on a cruise. But at $59, I felt that this was a little expensive for a sauna and soak in a hot tub. Instead, I used the hot tubs by the pool. It wasn’t busy so I had them to myself most of the time.

I also brought my own snacks with me. I spotted some M&Ms in the ship for $11.25 so I was glad I did that!

Bags of family-size Salted Caramel M&M's on display aboard a Cunard cruise ship, with the front and back of the packaging visible, including nutritional information and a colorful M&M character illustration.

To conclude

Although my cruise cost considerably more than £99, I still felt that it offered good value for money. Short cruises like this are perfect when you want to decide if a cruise line is right for you or not.

I’m hoping that the overcharging was indeed a mistake and that I will be refunded for it soon. I’ll let you know.

If you’re interested to see whether I would cruise with Cunard again, you can read my next article which is coming soon for you! You can sign up to my email newsletter to be notified about that one.

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20 Things That P&O Cruises Used To Offer That They No Longer Do

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise Lines Cruise News P&O Cruises

Cruise lines change over time, and sometimes that means making improvements, but it can mean taking things away too.

It might be a lack of popularity, or a cost-cutting measure.

P&O Cruises used to offer sailings that were a lot more expensive, but it’s now more value-oriented, which means a lot of the little touches have been taken away.

An aerial view of the P&O Britannia cruise ship sailing through the open sea. The ship's top deck features pools, sunbathing areas, and various amenities, while the Union Jack livery is prominently displayed on the bow. The vessel cuts smoothly through the water, leaving a wake behind.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that the cruise line used to offer, but no longer does.

1. Mini White Company toiletries in rooms

Neatly arranged bathroom featuring a sleek white sink and chrome faucet, with White Company toiletries on the countertop. Glass shelves with stacked towels and a mirror reflect the shower area in the background on a P&O cruise ship.

You used to get miniature White Company toiletries in your cabin bathroom, which were a lovely little premium extra. You could even steal them when your cruise was over – it was totally acceptable!

But now they’ve got rid of them, and instead you’ll just find refillable bottles for handwash and body wash in the bathroom and shower respectively.

It’s better for the environment to use refillable bottles, sure. But it was nice when you had proper miniatures of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.

You can sometimes get them by asking your cabin attendant, but not always.

2. Grab & Go snack bar

Grab & Go salad container on a table, with a background view of the ocean. The label reads: "Green Bean and Pea Salad with Griddled Vegetables, Pimento Quinoa, Toasted Pumpkin Seeds, Caerphilly Cheese and a Honey Dressing. Production Date: 16-Jun-2019. Use By: 19-Jun-2019." The ingredients are listed below.

When you’re enjoying a relaxing day by the pool, you sometimes don’t want to have to go for a walk to the buffet for a bite to eat.

So the Grab & Go snack bar was perfect – a self-service area where you could pick up a sandwich or other light bite without leaving the area, perfect when you just needed something to tide you over until lunch.

It’s gone, though. It’s not clear whether it’s because of cutbacks or to help prevent the spread of illnesses onboard (because there was nothing to stop people from picking up the items and putting them back).

A shame, but it’s not the end of the world – you can head to the buffet still to find a range of lighter meal options. You’ll just need to throw on something to cover your bathing suit.

3. BYO spirits

Bottle of Kopparberg Premium Gin, Strawberry & Lime flavor, with an alcohol content of 37.5%, placed on a light beige surface. The label features an illustrated scenic landscape with trees and a winding path.

P&O Cruises made some big changes to its alcohol policies in May 2024, including raising the prices of drinks packages and altering the rules on what drinks you could bring onboard for your cruise.

No longer can you bring your own beer or bottle of spirits – now you’re limited to a bottle of wine or Champagne, up to 1 litre in size.

When I’ve cruised with my husband previously, we saved hundreds on drinks by bringing a spirit bottle each along with some mixers.

It’s true that P&O is now in line with other cruise lines, but it’s still a shame for a lot of people who liked this perk of sailing with P&O.

4. Fancy cutlery with P&O logo on

In the main dining room on your P&O cruise, you used to get fancy cutlery that was imprinted with the P&O Cruises logo.

That’s been changed now to regular cutlery, which I understand would be cheaper to produce and replace, but it’s still just one of those tiny little touches that were nice, but we don’t get anymore.

5. Free 3rd and 4th guests on cruises under 7 nights

A smiling family of four stands in front of a docked P&O cruise ship. The mother, wearing a yellow cardigan, holds the camera, while the father, in a red hoodie, stands beside their son in a green hoodie and daughter in a pink jacket, who holds postcards. The cruise ship features the Union Jack on its bow.

When booking a family cruise, you want to make sure you’re getting the best deal possible. And with P&O Cruises you can sometimes enjoy offers where the 3rd and 4th guest in your cabin cruise for free.

However it’s now only available on cruises of 7 nights or more, but you used to be able to enjoy it on shorter cruises lasting 3 or 4 nights.

So if you want to take the kids on a short break during half term, you’re going to be paying full price for them, or at best a discounted rate. They won’t be free, though.

6. Option to wear fancy dress

A performer in a black and white striped suit with a curly green wig poses beside an easel with a simple line drawing of a face, creating a whimsical and artistic atmosphere in a cruise ship's bustling indoor promenade

You used to be allowed to wear fancy dress on a P&O cruise, though not on formal nights of course. Obviously, it’s not something you would do regularly, but maybe if you were celebrating a stag or hen party onboard.

But that’s not allowed anymore, ever since the infamous ‘clown’ incident…

To be clear, the incident was a mass brawl that happened on Britannia which was rumoured to involve someone in clown fancy dress, but that has since been denied – there wasn’t actually a clown.

Still, for the avoidance of doubt and to make sure that such an incident couldn’t be sparked by someone in a costume, fancy dress is no longer permitted.

7. 5-course dinners

A gourmet plate of Beef Wellington served with roasted vegetables, a potato gratin, and a drizzle of sauce on P&O Main Dining Room. Accompanied by a glass of red wine and a glass of water with a lemon slice in the background, the setting exudes fine dining.

You used to be able to enjoy a five-course dinner on a P&O cruise, which would include a fish course and a sorbet as a palate cleanser.

Everything’s been simplified now though, and instead, you’ll get a standard three courses.

There’ll be plenty of choices and the menu will change each day, but it’s a little less fancy than the older five-course options.

You can still make your three courses into four by ordering a soup as well as a salad for your starters though!

8. Great British Sailaway

P&O Cruises is very much a British cruise line, aimed at British passengers. But it used to do a lot more celebrating of the British spirit.

This would include the Great British Sailaway party, which would include a lot of plastic flag-waving and traditional songs such as Jerusalem.

That’s all gone now. Sailaway parties do still happen but without all the flags and bunting, and with pop songs replacing the patriotic song choices.

Guests have claimed that the crew explained that the parties were ditched to be more politically correct, but also to reduce the single-use plastics with the flags.

It was all very cheesy but it was fun.

9. Evening turndown service

On your cruise, you’ll have a cabin steward who will attend to your room daily, making sure that you have fresh towels and a beautifully made bed.

But you used to get an evening turndown service as well, so that the room was fresh and ready for you to sleep in, and a chocolate on your pillow.

This isn’t just a P&O change, but one that’s happened across cruise lines. The days of the evening turndown are over across pretty much every cruise line, although premium lines like Cunard and Celebrity Cruises still offer it.

10. Chocoholics buffet

There used to be a special event held on a P&O cruise, which was a chocolate buffet. It’d take place once per cruise and would be a special buffet dedicated to gateaux, other cakes, chocolate treats and a chocolate fountain.

It was extremely popular – lines would be long – even if there wasn’t always a huge amount of variety in what was on offer.

It’s been a few years since P&O offered this, but there are still plenty of sweet treats you can enjoy in the regular buffet.

11. Trays in the buffet

This one might seem really minor, but trust me – people do miss it! And that’s having trays in the buffet on the ship.

Now you just get your plate, which is fine if you’re serving yourself, but it does make it a lot harder to grab meals for your family, particularly if you’re travelling with kids that you don’t quite trust to hold their own plate yet.

You often have to make multiple trips, instead of just having two plates on an easy-to-carry tray. I’m not sure why the trays have gone, but it would be handy if they came back.

At the very least, I’d like them to be available on request for families or those who need to get food for a friend or relative as well as their own.

12. Cruise directors

Captain Wesley Dunlop and an entertainment manager on Britannia in 2019.

You no longer get cruise directors on a P&O cruise. Instead, there are entertainment managers who do a similar job, helping to put together a schedule of activities throughout the day.

Some guests feel like the job has been watered down, and that there isn’t the same level of thought put into the schedule, with clashes happening.

Ultimately it’s not something that’s really been taken away, more that it’s changed and maybe not for the better. Have you ever felt frustrated at the activities on a P&O cruise?

13. Cheese and crackers (including Stilton)

At the end of dinner, you used to be able to select your own cheese and crackers as a way of rounding out the meal.

This included real care and attention for the types of cheese – such as whole Stilton soaked in port, brought to the table, carefully scooped and served at the right temperature.

You can still get a cheese plate for your dessert but it’s not something you can customise and it’s just a standard plate – not as good as it used to be.

14. Afternoon tea in the Main Dining Room

A smiling server in a patterned vest and tie pouring tea during afternoon tea service on a P&O cruise ship. The table is adorned with a menu and purple orchid decorations, adding a touch of elegance to the setting.

We’ve established that P&O is a very British cruise line and so you won’t be shocked that afternoon tea is popular onboard.

But it’s no longer served in the main restaurant as an included service, meaning instead you’ll need to visit one of the smaller restaurants to enjoy it for an additional charge.

A lot of guests are disappointed that you don’t get this for free anymore, but you can always make your own in the buffet. It might not be quite the same, but it’s a decent plan B.

15. Biscuits on your tea tray

P&O Cruises tea tray with kettle but no biscuits

American cruise lines are usually missing a very important item in the cabins for British guests – a kettle. Don’t worry, P&O still has one, so you can still enjoy that fresh brew each morning.

However, you used to get better quality biscuits on your tea tray too, with more should you run out. Now, it’s just basic options. They’ll be topped up as your tea and coffee supplies are, but it’s another small cutback that can disappoint loyal guests.

16. Boiled sweets in the cabin

Another cabin extra that’s disappeared – you no longer get a small selection of hard-boiled sweets in your room to enjoy.

Best to bring your own if you like these. You can find sweets in the onboard shops but the prices are extremely high!

17. Hot breakfast room service

My kids enjoying room service breakfast on Christmas day on Arvia

Room service is a great way to relax and enjoy a leisurely start to the day, and with P&O you don’t have to pay for breakfast – just fill out the card the night before with what you’d like, and it’ll be delivered free the next morning.

However, you can’t select hot items. It’s now a continental breakfast only, meaning fruits, cereals and pastries.

If you love a Full English or just a fried egg sandwich, you’ll need to head to the buffet or main dining room instead.

18. Free kitchen and bridge tours

A ship captain and a passenger on the bridge of the P&O Britannia ship. The captain, dressed in a white uniform, is explaining the navigation controls to the passenger, who is leaning forward and engaged. The bridge features modern equipment and large windows offering a panoramic view.

P&O used to offer behind-the-scenes tours of different parts of the ship, including the bridge where the officers steer the ship, and the kitchens for the main dining rooms. And the best thing is that the tours were free.

You can still enjoy the tours, but they cost extra now. It’s worthwhile, lasting around 3 hours, but if you’re used to the free tour then you might not want to pay the extra.

19. Various menu staples

A vegetarian dinner served in the main dining room on the P&O Britannia. The dish features a breaded and fried patty with black sesame seeds, placed on a bed of mixed greens and thinly sliced radishes, garnished with small dollops of purple sauce. The presentation is elegant and appetizing.

Guests have posted a lot on social media about some of the menu options that are no longer widely available on P&O cruises.

Prawn cocktail starters are often mentioned, along with “proper” cheesecake – there are some cheesecake options but they are often vegan, meaning they’re great for me, but they aren’t authentic cheesecake!

Dinner menus still have plenty of choice but there are some who miss the classic options that were common.

20. Fruit juice by the pool

Chilled fruit juice by the pool on Britannia

Before the shutdown, P&O Cruises used to have large containers of chilled water and juice by the pool, along with paper cups.

While it was lovely to be able to help yourself to a drink without queing at the bar, I can see why they don’t do this any more. It was probably stopped with the increased hygiene measures required, and not started again as the cruise line would rather you pay for drinks.

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Don’t miss the latest P&O Cruises offers…

Final Word

A lot of these things might sound like ‘first world problems’, and it’s true that P&O’s cruises are still very popular.

But it can still be disappointing for long-time P&O fans to find that the experience isn’t as good as they remember it, even if it’s just a culmination of very small tweaks and changes.

Have you noticed the difference on your own cruises, with P&O or with any other cruise line?

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Special Offers on Disney Cruise Line Sailings as of May 28, 2024 • The Disney Cruise Line Blog

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise News Cruise Special Offers Disney Cruises

We’ve reach the summer sailing season with the Disney Wonder sailing to Alaska and the Dream visiting ports across Europe with itineraries for both included in this week’s special offers from Disney Cruise Line. Sail dates range from June into January 2025. Currently, there are 34 unique sail dates, available with special offers available across the fleet for sailings from Barcelona, Civitavecchia, Fort Lauderdale, Galveston, Honolulu, Port Canaveral, Southampton, and Vancouver.

The Disney Wish features the most sailings at 24, the Disney Magic is next with 11, followed by the Disney Dream at 7, with the Disney Wonder at 2 dates, and the Disney Fantasy 1 date. Currently, there are no offers listed for the Disney Treasure.

Florida Residents rates dropped 1 to 8 sail dates, the US Military Personnel dropped 3 to 32 cruises, and the Canadian Resident held at 5 sail dates.

In terms of general special offers, the IGT, OGT, and VGT offers valid on new bookings for up to an unadvertised percentage off prevailing rates for 2024 Disney Dream European sailings with multiple sail dates available across Europe this summer.

Last but not least, the general domestic offer for select sailings with savings up to an undisclosed percentage off the prevailing rate remains available for select voyages.

The last two general special offers have recently been advertised as up to 25% off the prevailing rates, but the last couple week the savings is not mentioned aside from the domestic offer which still has 25% in the page title you will spot in a browser tab.

The special offers listed below are available to book today while inventory lasts.

Special Offers for U.S. Military Personnel

Special Rates for U.S. Military Personnel (MTO) are limited to 50 staterooms per category and sailing. Pricing varies, the lowest priced category per person per night listed below. New sailings added this week are in bold. To take advantage of military cruise rates, at least one adult in each stateroom must provide Proof of Military Service. Please note: This offer cannot be combined with any other special offers or discounts. Valid for new bookings only.

Disney Dream

11-Night Mediterranean with Greek Isles Cruise from Civitavecchia (Rome) Ending in Barcelona
Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy • At Sea • Chania, Greece • Piraeus (Athens), Greece • Santorini, Greece • Mykonos, Greece • At Sea • Valletta, Malta • Catania (Sicily), Italy • At Sea • Palma de Mallorca, Spain

12-Night Norwegian Fjords and Iceland Cruise from Southampton
Southampton • At Sea • Stavanger, Norway • Olden, Norway • Alesund, Norway • At Sea • Reykjavik, Iceland • Reykjavik, Iceland • Ísafjörður, Iceland • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea

5-Night Mediterranean Cruise from Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain • At Sea • Livorno, Italy • Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy • At Sea

7-Night British Isles Cruise from Southampton
Southampton • At Sea • Greenock, Scotland • Liverpool, England • Cobh (Cork), Ireland • Portland, England • At Sea

7-Night Western Europe Cruise from Barcelona ending in Southampton
Barcelona, Spain • At Sea • At Sea • Lisbon, Portugal • Vigo, Spain • La Coruña, Spain • At Sea

7-Night Western Europe Cruise from Southampton
Southampton • At Sea • Hamburg, Germany • Hamburg, Germany • At Sea • Amsterdam, Netherlands • Zeebrugge (Bruges), Belgium

Disney Magic

4-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Galveston
Galveston, Texas • At Sea • Progreso, Mexico • At Sea

5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida • At Sea • Cozumel, Mexico • At Sea • Castaway Cay

5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Galveston
Galveston, Texas • At Sea • Progreso, Mexico • Cozumel, Mexico • At Sea

Disney Wish

3-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • Castaway Cay

3-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Castaway Cay • Nassau, Bahamas

4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Castaway Cay • Nassau, Bahamas • At Sea

4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • Castaway Cay • At Sea

4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • At Sea • Nassau, Bahamas • Castaway Cay

Disney Wonder

10-Night Hawaiian Cruise from Vancouver ending in Honolulu
Vancouver, Canada • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • Nawiliwili, Hawai’i • Nawiliwili, Hawai’i • Kahului (Maui), Hawai’i • Hilo, Hawai’i

15-Night South Pacific Cruise from Honolulu ending in Sydney
Honolulu, Hawai’i • Kahului (Maui), Hawai’i • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • At Sea • Pago Pago, American Samoa • International Date Line (Lose Day) • At Sea • Suva, Fiji • At Sea • Nouméa, New Caledonia • At Sea • At Sea • Sydney, Australia

Special Military rates are available to all retired and active U.S. Military personnel (or spouse), including U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Marines, U.S Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. National Guard, U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Department of Defense personnel. Active and retired members (or spouse) of the U.S. military must provide valid identification at time of check-in. This offer is limited to a maximum of one stateroom per military member (or spouse), per sailing. A U.S. Military service member (or spouse) is required to sail to take advantage of this offer. Activated members (or spouse) of the U.S. National Guard or the U.S. Army Reserve must also show active duty orders (active duty papers must be dated as of January 1st of the previous year to qualify).

Government taxes will vary by itinerary and are in addition to the below rates. Third and fourth Guest prices valid with 2 full-fare Guests in the same stateroom. Rates may vary by sail date and category. Other restrictions may apply. Other categories and sail dates may be available. Valid for new bookings only.

Special Offers for Florida Residents

Special Rates for Florida Residents (FLR) are limited to 50 staterooms per category and sailing. Pricing varies, the lowest priced category per person per night listed below. New sailings added this week are in bold. Please note: This offer cannot be combined with any other special offers or discounts. Valid on new and existing reservations.

Disney Wish

3-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Castaway Cay • Nassau, Bahamas

3-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • Castaway Cay

4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • Castaway Cay • At Sea

To take advantage of Florida residency cruise rates, proof of Florida Residency for at least one adult in each stateroom must be presented at time of check-in. Guests unable to show proper proof of Florida residency at check-in will have their cruise re-priced and the balance must be paid before being allowed to sail.

Proof of residency must be valid at the time of sailing, and includes the following: •Florida Driver’s License
•Florida Identification Card

If you do not have one of the IDs indicated above, then you must provide one of the following—dated within the past 2 months—verifying a Florida residential address and your name, along with a corresponding, valid government-issued photo ID (such as passport, driver’s license, state identification card):
•Monthly mortgage statement
•Renter’s lease agreement
•Current automobile registration, insurance policy or bill
•Current homeowner’s insurance policy or bill
•Current utility bill (power/phone/cable/water)
•Mail from a financial institution, including checking, savings or investment account statements
•Mail from a federal, state, county or city government agency
Note: property deeds and P.O. boxes are not considered acceptable proofs of residency.

Children’s rates are also available to Guests ages 3 through 12 that are traveling with 2 adults in the same stateroom.

Canadian Resident Rates

Special Rates for Canadian Residents with savings on prevailing rates as quoted on Disneycruise.com for non-concierge Verandah, Oceanview, and Inside Staterooms on select cruises. Pricing varies, the lowest priced category per person per night listed below. New sailings added this week are in bold. Proof of residency is required an you must mention the special offer code CAN when booking. NOTE: Offers may be applied to existing bookings if requested when calling in. This offer cannot be combined with any other special offer or discounts, or onboard credits.

Disney Dream

Disney Fantasy

6-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral
Port Canaveral, Florida • At Sea • Cozumel, Mexico • Grand Cayman • At Sea • Castaway Cay

Disney Magic

4-Night Bahamian Cruise from Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Nassau, Bahamas • Lookout Cay • At Sea

5-Night Western Caribbean Cruise from Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale, Florida • At Sea • Cozumel, Mexico • At Sea • Castaway Cay

The Canadian Resident rate excludes suites and categories with restrictions (VGT, OGT, and IGT). Proof of Canada residency will be required at time of check-in. Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses are not included. If booking through Disney Cruise Line’s Contact Center, you must mention code CAN. Offers may be applied to existing bookings if requested by caller. This offer cannot be combined with any other special offer or discounts, or onboard credits. Offer valid for new and existing reservations.

Please note, the offers listed are not to be taken as official quotes. Prices and availability can change at any time without notice. More importantly, the deals listed above are a snapshot in time based on DCL’s online cruise search tool.

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Is The AT&T Cruise Package Worth It?

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Cruise Lines Cruise News Money saving tips

While we all dream of the chance to go on a cruise holiday and completely cut ourselves off from modern life, we don’t always have that luxury.

A man in a black shirt stands thoughtfully with his hand on his chin in front of a large, brightly lit cruise ship docked at a port during twilight. The sky is partly cloudy, adding a dramatic backdrop to the scene.

Sometimes, you just need to stay in touch with the real world, whether it’s checking in on how things are at home, or keeping tabs on the emails from work. Or you might just like being able to stay connected.

While all cruise ships offer some form of WiFi, there is an alternative if you’re cruising from the US – the AT&T Cruise packages.

Let me explain what they are, and whether they’re good value compared to a cruise line WiFi deal.

The AT&T Cruise Package Explained

A man in a suit sits at a desk, looking at a laptop screen displaying an AT&T cruise package advertisement. The ad features a woman using a smartphone on a cruise ship deck with the text, "Set sail and stay connected," and "AT&T has you covered on over 175 cruise ships."

The last thing you should do is let your phone connect to international roaming signals when you’re at sea. The costs are astronomical. But AT&T offers a special package that allows you to still connect to a phone signal when you’re out on the ocean.

It’s a package that you sign up for in advance, and it lasts 30 days. It then covers you for your talk and text costs, and gives you a certain amount of internet data that you can use as well.

It is only for use at sea. It replaces the international phone signals that you’d otherwise connect to, so you won’t be able to use your phone freely when you’re in port (or as you approach land—basically, as soon as you’re within range of a country’s cellphone signals).

It’s essentially an add-on for your existing domestic wireless service – so you don’t need a separate SIM or anything like that. As long as you’re already on a typical contract and you’re in the US, then you’re eligible.

AT&T Cruise Package – Ships Covered

The AT&T Cruise packages aren’t available on every cruise ship in the world, but you should be fine if you’re sailing from the US as pretty much all major cruise lines are covered.

You’re covered on 175 ships in total, including:

Azamara Cruises – all ships
Carnival – all ships
Celebrity Cruises – all ocean-sailing ships (so not the expedition ships)
Celestyal Cruises – all ships
Disney Cruise Line – all ships
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines – Balmoral & Braemar
Holland America Line – all ships
MSC Cruises – all ships
Norwegian Cruise Line – all ships except Pride of America
Oceania Cruises – all ships
Princess Cruises – all ships
Regent Seven Seas Cruises – all ships
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection – all ships
Royal Caribbean – all ships
Seabourn – all ships except expedition ships
Silversea – all ships except expedition ships
Virgin Voyages – all ships
Windstar Cruises – all ships

You’re also covered on some other cruise lines that are smaller, including Cordelia Cruises, Dream Cruises, Japan Grace Cruises, P&O (Australia) Cruises, Sky Sea Cruise Line, and Star Cruises.

AT&T Cruise Package Rates

There are two different cruise packages you can choose from:

Package	Cost	Talk	Text	Data
AT&T Cruise Basic	$60	100 minutes	Unlimited	100MB
AT&T Cruise Plus	$100	Unlimited	Unlimited	1GB

Both have a one-off fee, but if you go over the allowance, you’ll incur extra charges.

Talk minutes are charged at $1 per minute, so if you plan on doing a lot of calling, then it makes sense to buy the Plus package since you get unlimited minutes included.

Data costs $10 for every 100MB you use over your limit.

As a guideline, social media apps normally use around 1MB of data per minute when you’re scrolling your feed, or around 2.5MB per minute if you’re watching videos on your social channels.

So expect to get around 100 minutes of regular internet use from the Basic package, or 40 minutes if you browse social media and watch videos.

With the Plus package, you get a lot more – around 17 hours of regular internet use, or just under 7 hours of internet if you watch videos.

AT&T International Day Pass

Remember that the AT&T Cruise packages only cover you at sea. If you want to be covered in port, the AT&T International Day Pass is worth looking at.

It works in over 210 destinations and, for $10 per day, gives you the same allowances you would have with your regular phone plan, including unlimited data if you already get that.

If you think you’ll want to use your phone a lot while you’re in port, then this is another add-on worth considering.

Cost vs. Cruise Line WiFi

Wifi receivers lined up on a cruise ship to provide internet on cruisers.

With pretty much any cruise line you sail with from the US, you can only buy WiFi in unlimited packages that typically run for the whole duration of your cruise. Prices vary, but on average, you should expect to pay around $20 per day for a standard package for one device.

If we assume a 7-night cruise, that means your WiFi costs you $140 – significantly more than either of the AT&T packages. But your internet use is also unlimited – you don’t have to worry about how much data you’re using.

Cruise line WiFi doesn’t include talk and text, but these days, you can call someone using social media apps and everyone has at least one WiFi-based messaging service such as iMessage or WhatsApp, so that’s not really a concern.

Setting Up The Package

Getting set up with an AT&T cruise package is really simple. You just need to visit the AT&T website and set up an account, if you don’t already have one.

From there, you’ll be able to select which of the two packages you want, and set the start date. Remember that it lasts for 30 days once active, so could be used to cover longer cruises or even multiple cruises if you were lucky enough to be travelling twice within a month.

Once it’s activated, you don’t need to worry. Once you’re onboard and the ship reaches a certain point offshore – typically between 9 and 11 nautical miles – then your phone will automatically connect to the correct network, which will be one of four:

Cellular at Sea
wmsatsea
901-18
NOR-18

AT&T Cruise Package Reviews

Reviews of the AT&T packages on social media are mixed. Some people have said that the package worked really well for them, others have claimed it wouldn’t be useful due to the lack of data, while some people have had issues while using it.

“I see a lot of negative comments for AT&T cruise package but I wanted to give a decent review instead for anyone considering it, to save money or whatever the reason.”

If you use the plan as intended – as a way of staying in touch mainly via text or talk minutes – then it seems to work well, and signal isn’t an issue for most people. It can be a problem, though:

“I used the AT&T package many years ago and it was not worth the money. Your money is MUCH better spent on a Voom internet package, in my opinion.”

Is It Worth It?

Whether the AT&T package is worth it comes down to whether you mainly want to use your phone for calls and texts, or if you want to get online.

The limited amount of data you get – and the cost of $10 per extra 100MB – means it really isn’t good value for getting online.

Most people will burn through their data allowance really quickly and can still rack up huge charges – it’s only once you get to $300 that AT&T will put a freeze on the account and stop you from spending any more.

It also doesn’t tend to cost a lot more for WiFi packages on a cruise ship, especially if you’re sailing for less than a week – it may actually be cheaper, and then you can enjoy unlimited data.

But if you are sailing for a week or more, and you want to stick to calls and texts, then the AT&T packages might be worthwhile, since they will typically be cheaper, and the signal is mostly good.

Some people have reported issues with the cruise line charging them in error, but those charges can be taken off once you query them. Whether the hassle of that is worth the $40 or so you’ll save is ultimately up to you.

If you do decide to pay for an AT&T package, make sure you go into your phone’s settings and, app-by-app, remove access for data to make sure your apps aren’t burning through your allowance in the background.

Then, try to limit any high-demand apps like social media to the times when you can get free WiFi in port.

That way, you shouldn’t accidentally get a huge bill at the end of your cruise, and you will have saved money compared to the internet packages onboard.

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Actually Worth It Or Not? (2024)

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Celebrity Cruises Cruise Lines Cruise News

Celebrity Cruises offers a number of different options when it comes to picking your stateroom – it’s not just as simple as deciding on whether you want an ocean view or a balcony.

As well as the different room types, there are various sub-classes with additional benefits. One of these is the AquaClass, a variant of the Balcony Staterooms.

So, what do you get if you upgrade to the Celebrity Cruise Aqua Class rooms, and is it worth it?

AquaClass – a luxury upgrade on a Veranda Stateroom

AquaClass is an accommodation option on Celebrity Cruises that consists of a Veranda Stateroom and a number of extra perks. The size of the staterooms are similar to regular balcony room, but they’re usually furnished in lighter colours to accentuate that refreshing spa feel.

AquaClass is considered to be two steps up from a regular Veranda Stateroom, and one step up from Concierge Class. They’re essentially a premium sub-class of Veranda, rather than being considered a completely different type of cabin.

If you did want more space than a regular Veranda Stateroom, then you’ll instead need to look at the Suites that are available. These are much roomier and come with a lot of additional benefits. But they’re also more expensive again.

If you’re happy with the space offered by a Veranda Stateroom but want something a little more special, that’s where Aqua Class could be ideal.

The perks of choosing AquaClass

AquaClass guests on a Celebrity Cruise enjoy an overall wellness experience, including extra perks in the stateroom, access to the onboard spa areas, a complimentary wellness consultation, and exclusive access to the Blu restaurant, among other perks.

There’s a lot that you get, so let’s take a closer look at all of the Aqua Class Celebrity benefits…

1. Spa access

One of the main reasons to choose an AquaClass stateroom is to enjoy the benefits of the onboard spa areas. Each of the AquaClass staterooms is situated closer to the spa because, while they’re all about healthy living, that doesn’t mean the inconvenience of walking a long distance to get there!

If you’re on an Edge-Class ship, you’ll enjoy access to the SEA Thermal Suite. On Millennium and Solstice Class ships, you can instead get into the Persian Garden, with Solstice Class ships also having the Relaxation Room.

To be clear, your treatments aren’t included – just access to the spas and relaxation areas in these areas of the ship.

But you will also get a wellness consultation with a spa concierge who can recommend treatments for you. You also get priority reservations at the spa, so you can secure your favourite treatments before those slots book up.

2. Blu Restaurant

The Blu restaurant on a Celebrity ship is for the exclusive use of AquaClass guests. Suite guests can use the restaurant, but only if there is space available – AquaClass guests get priority. Suite guests do have their own restaurant anyway.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and dinner. It offers a more intimate setting with ‘cleaner’ cuisine.

You don’t have to make reservations to dine at Blu, but you can arrange them if you’re planning on dining with a group of six or more people, just to ensure there’s a suitable table available for you.

Here’s a look at an example menu that you can enjoy at Blu when you’re an AquaClass guest:

Aqua Class Blu Menu Example — Aqua Class Blu Restaurant Menu Example

3. Stateroom extras

There are a few extra touches that help to differentiate the AquaClass staterooms and make them feel like they are designed for cleaner, healthier living.

For a start, your shower has an extra panel with massaging water jets. And the entire stateroom comes with an enhanced air filtration system so that you’re breathing the freshest, cleanest air on the ship!

It’s not like unclean air is a problem anywhere else on the ship, but it sounds good, at least.

But if you want to make that air a little less pure, you also get an aromatherapy diffuser included in your room. Fancy!

4. Canapes and sparkling wine on request

A perk that is available for Concierge Class guests and above – therefore including AquaClass guests – is the option to request canapes in your stateroom every afternoon. They’re a great luxury snack if you can’t quite wait until dinner.

Need a drink to wash them down? Sparkling wine is also available as a complimentary option on request.

5. Pillow menu

As part of getting the healthiest, best night’s sleep possible, all guests in AquaClass staterooms are able to choose from a menu of pillows.

If you have a particular need, or you just want to try out other pillow choices to find the one that feels most comfortable, it may be worth consulting the menu to see which one fits you best.

The options include:

Goose down pillow
Body pillow (feather and down blend)
Conformance pillow (designed to be firmer and offer additional support)
Isotonic pillow (made using synthetic down)
Hypoallergenic pillows (suitable for those sensitive to allergies – no feather or down used)

Tried a pillow and found that it wasn’t that comfortable? Just ask for it to be swapped. It’s no problem.

Pillows on bed on Celebrity Cruises ship

6. Fitness amenities

While you’re staying in an AquaClass stateroom, you’re able to make use of a number of extra fitness amenities in your stateroom. You get two yoga mats as standard, but then you can also ask for any of the following to be provided:

Inflatable boxing bag and gloves
Meditation kit with a weighted blanket
Yoga kit with blocks and bolster
Strength and conditioning kit, including medicine ball, dumbbells, resistance bands and more
Recovery kit, including acupressure mat, deep tissue roller and other massage tools

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8. Small added extras

There are a host of small extras that you also get when booking an AquaClass stateroom that don’t justify an entire solo entry on this list, so I’ve grouped them together here;

Complimentary pair of slippers to use in your stateroom
Use of an umbrella and binoculars during the cruise (but the binoculars must remain on the ship at all times, they can’t be used for excursions)
Complimentary shoe-shining service
Extra hairdryer in the stateroom (two instead of the usual one)
Upgraded Hansgrohe rainfall showerhead
Embossed keyholder and tote bag

Is it really worth paying extra for AquaClass?

Deciding on whether AquaClass is worth paying for on a Celebrity cruise is very much a personal decision, based on how much you’ll benefit from the extra perks. For people who care deeply about fitness and wellness, these rooms offer a special and unique experience.

Typically, you should expect to pay in the region of $400 to $800 more per person for an AquaClass stateroom over the cruise-only fare for a Veranda Stateroom.

You get a host of additional benefits, so think about how important those are to you. Are you going to make use of them, or would you be better served saving the extra money to put towards something you would be more interested in?

However, no other stateroom at sea offers the same kind of health and wellness experience – from your own consultation to having so much fitness equipment available to use in your stateroom.

Anyone passionate about this sort of lifestyle will struggle to find a cruise accommodation option that is better suited to them.

Aqua Class Vs Concierge Class

Concierge Class is considered to be one step below AquaClass. They share many of the same perks, but AquaClass is tailored more to people who enjoy the spa.

Despite being considered a step below, there are a couple of perks that Concierge Class guests enjoy that AquaClass guests don’t, including:

An exclusive welcome aboard lunch
Concierge service for help booking dining reservations and entertainment
Priority dining times

Of course, Concierge Class guests don’t get access to Blu, or the spas on the ships. Nor do they have access to a spa concierge.

Shared perks that guests of both categories enjoy include:

Pillow menu
Complimentary canapes and sparkling wine
Little extras in the room*

*To be clear, you don’t get the slippers in your room if you’re a Concierge Class guest – hopefully, that’s not a major issue!

Aqua Class Vs Retreat

The Retreat is Celebrity’s Suite class, and it’s a ship-within-a-ship concept – the chance for guests to enjoy a number of areas of the ship that are exclusive to them.

Retreat guests enjoy a number of extra perks above and beyond what AquaClass guests can benefit from, including:

Access to the Luminae Restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Exclusive lounge access on-board
Exclusive sundeck areas
Dedicated butler service
Shore excursion credit
Full in-suite dining options
Premium Drinks Package
Premium WiFi Package
Welcome bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine

And because this is the suite class, the rooms are much more spacious too. But the fare difference is substantial – on a typical 7-night cruise, you may pay an extra $1,500 to $2,000 more per person for a Retreat suite than you would for an AquaClass stateroom.

Celebrity Retreat Deals

I recommend booking with luxury specialists Panache Cruises for the best service.

The bottom line

If you’re someone who intends to spend most of your time poolside or exploring the ports on your cruise, then an AquaClass Stateroom might not be worth the upgrade cost.

Sure, there are a couple of extra perks that you may enjoy, but if you want to enjoy all that the ship has to offer, then the added cost may not be worthwhile.

But if you like the sound of dining in Blu, or especially if you’re someone who cares about fitness and wellness and would love to relax in the SEA Thermal Suite, or workout in the comfort of your own stateroom, then the AquaClass is brilliant.

It’s not going to be for everyone, but I’d definitely recommend you consider it as an upgrade – especially on those sailings where it’s only a couple of hundred dollars more than a Veranda Stateroom.

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Can Babies Even Go On Cruises? Everything You Need To Know About Age Limits, Facilities & More

May 28, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Baby & toddler Cruise Lines Cruise News Cruise Tips

A few short decades ago, cruises were very much seen as being an adults-only holiday. But now, there are plenty of family ships offering services for younger guests too. But what about the youngest guests – can babies go on cruises, or is that still a step too far?

Taking a baby on a cruise is a great idea, as long as you do your research before you travel. To save you trawling the internet looking for answers, I’ve collated all the most important tips and information about cruising with a baby.

This article will help you to:

Choose the best cruise ship for your baby or toddler
Take your baby on a cruise for free
Know what baby gear to pack and what to leave at home
Make the most of your family cruise

You can take a baby on most cruise ships

You can take your baby on a cruise. Most family cruise ships welcome babies from six months old. The exception to this rule is MSC Cruises, which has no minimum age for babies to sail. On certain itineraries that have a lot of consecutive days at sea, babies must be at least 12 months old to cruise.

Suggested read: How Old Do You Have to Be to Go on a Cruise?

Cruise with a baby and toddler — Our cruise with a baby and a toddler

A surprising number of ships are actually baby friendly!

Every cruise ship is different and some are much more baby-friendly than others. You’ll want to look for ships with baby-friendly facilities like travel cots, high chairs and splash areas.

A cruise is often a good option for families with babies because embarkation is easy and there are no luggage limits. However, if you have to fly to the port to join your ship, this won’t apply.

I’d recommend cruising from your local port if possible. If you have to fly, take a look at these tips for flying with a baby.

The best cruises if you want to travel with a baby

The good news is that there are lots of baby-friendly cruises to choose from!

I particularly love MSC Cruises because not only do they let babies cruise for free, but they also provide baby play areas with activities, free one-hour babysitting slots for those aged 6 months and up and fantastic baby food menus.

That 6-month age limit is relatively new – it was introduced for summer 2024. Prior to that, it was for 12 months + only.

I also love P&O Cruises because they are the only cruise line to allow babies in the swimming pools and free babysitting is available from 6 pm until 2 am.

The best cruise lines for babies are:

MSC Cruises
P&O Cruises
Royal Caribbean
Disney Cruise Line
Princess Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line
Carnival
Cunard
Costa Cruises
Celebrity Cruises

This list is in approximate order from most to least baby-friendly out of all the cruise lines that allow children to cruise.

Don’t choose these cruises with a baby!

Adult-only ships – Some cruise lines and ship are for adults only, so you can rule those out straight away
Luxury cruises – You won’t find many families on the ultra-luxury cruise ships, more retired couples who may not relish the company of a baby on-board
Party cruises – There are also some sailing such as ‘festivals at sea‘ and college spring break cruises in the US that wouldn’t be a great place to take a baby

How young is too young?

Most cruise lines require that babies must be at least 6 months old on the first day of the cruise. For selected itineraries that visit exotic destinations or have several consecutive days at sea, babies must be 12 months or older to sail.

MSC has no rules (sort of)

MSC Cruises has no minimum age for babies to sail and on Celestyal Cruises, the minimum age is three months. If you want to take a cruise with a baby under six months then these are the two cruise lines to consider.

Suggested read: 15 things to love about Celestyal Cruises

We cruised on MSC Preziosa when our son was six months old. We saw several babies who were much younger than him, including a teeny-tiny set of twins.

Six-month-old baby on a cruise — Our six-month-old baby on a cruise

It’s perfectly possible to cruise with a newborn baby. If you’re planning a cruise with your first baby, you may wish to wait until your baby is born before you book anything. Your baby could have health issues, or you may take a while to recover from the birth yourself, which might mean that you need to wait a little bit longer before taking your first family cruise.

Your baby still needs to empty that piggy bank

On most cruises, babies are not free but they do sometimes cruise at a reduced rate. Taking a baby on a cruise can cost anywhere between $50 and the full adult cruise fare.

How much you pay to bring your baby along can make a huge difference to the overall cost of your cruise.

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Cruise lines where babies are free – MSC Cruises & Cunard

If you want your baby to cruise for free, choose a cruise with MSC Cruises or Cunard. These are the only two cruise lines that offer baby friendly cruises and never charge for children under two years of age, although on Cunard you will still have to pay the daily gratuities.

If you book a fly-cruise, you may be charged a small fee for a baby to sit on your lap on the plane, depending on the airline.

Cruise lines where babies aren’t free…

All other cruise lines charge for babies. The exact price for babies on cruises ranges from a few dollars to the full adult fare.

P&O Cruises, Costa Cruises and Disney Cruise Line: Charge a reduced fare for babies
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line: Sometimes have ‘Kids Sail Free’ promotions, where you can bring your baby along for free. (If you book your cruise when this promotion is not on, you’ll be charged the full adult fare for your baby)
Carnival, Princess Cruises and Celebrity Cruises: Always charge the full adult fare for babies

Splash happy – the rules on babies and pools

Most cruise ships do not allow babies or toddlers who are not toilet trained to use the swimming pools or Jacuzzis on-board. However, P&O Cruises’ family-friendly ships do allow kids in swimming nappies to swim in designated pools. Also, some other cruise ships have splash parks where swimming nappies/diapers are permitted.

Swim diaper in cruise ship pool — Adam wore a swimming nappy in the pool on P&O Britannia

Here is a list of cruise ships that allow babies and toddlers in swimming nappies:

1. P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises allows children in swimming nappies to use the following swimming pools:

Azura – Children’s pools (Aft) and the Coral Pool
Britannia – The Reef Adventure Zone and the Lido Pool
Iona & Arvia – Baby pool in the Splash Zone
Ventura – Children’s pool (Aft) and the Beachcomber Pool

2. Royal Caribbean:

Royal Caribbean does not allow swim diapers in any of the onboard swimming pools, whirlpools or H2O Zones. However, swim diapers and nappies are allowed in Baby Splash areas which are available on the following ships:

Allure of the Seas
Anthem of the Seas
Freedom of the Seas
Harmony of the Seas
Independence of the Seas
Liberty of the Seas
Oasis of the Seas
Symphony of the Seas
Wonder of the Seas
Icon of the Seas

3. Disney Cruise Line:

Disney Cruise Line does not allow swim diapers in any of its swimming pools or spas. However, kids in swim diapers are allowed in the water play areas on each ship:

Disney Dream – Nemo’s Reef
Disney Fantasy – Nemo’s Reef
Disney Magic – Nephew’s Splash Zone
Disney Wish – Toy Story Splash Zone
Disney Wonder – Dory’s Reef

Nephew's Splash Zone on the Disney Magic — Nephew’s Splash Zone on the Disney Magic

All other cruise lines including Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Marella and MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises do not allow babies in the water with swimming nappies.

There may be water areas, such as the water play areas on-board MSC Virtuosa or Caribbean Princess, where this rule is not policed. You may see very young children playing in the water on your cruise. However, the official line is that swimming nappies are not permitted by these cruise lines.

The best type of cabin for a family

Personally, I almost always choose an inside cabin when we cruise as a family. We’ve cruised with a baby in a toddler in an inside cabin and it was just fine.

The main reason to choose an inside cabin is cost, but they also have advantages in that they are lovely and dark at night, more private and it can be safer not to have a balcony if you’re scared that your toddler might attempt to climb it.

However, there are several reasons why you might choose to upgrade to a larger cabin, a balcony stateroom or a suite when cruising with a baby…

Inside space – Your baby will sleep in a travel cot in your cabin, which will take up valuable floor space and you might not be able to open drawers or the fridge
Outside space – If you plan to spend time in your cabin while your baby is asleep then a balcony will be incredibly valuable
A bathtub – Suites often come with bathtubs as well as a shower, which can be handy

My kids loved to sleep in pushchairs so when naptime or bedtime came around we’d do a few laps of the deck and then park the pram in a shady spot. However, I recognise that not all children are the same! Some babies will only sleep in a bed. If you can relate to this then a balcony would certainly be a great investment so that you can spend naptime sitting in the sunshine rather than whispering in the dark.

Taking a baby on a cruise in an inside cabin

Essential baby packing info

Babies come with so much stuff, don’t they? A cruise with baby luggage could easily get out of hand… Luckily, if you’re able to join your cruise ship without flying, then there’ll be no limits on how much you can bring.

However, just because you can bring all the baby equipment and paraphernalia you own, doesn’t mean that you should. Cruise ship cabins are generally on the small side. And they’ll feel even bigger if you bring too much stuff, so try to stick to the essentials.

To make it easier to know what you need to bring, what you can get on board your ship and what you can do without altogether, I’ve created a free printable baby cruise packing list.

Just enter your email and it will be sent straight to your inbox.

Other things that are good to know

Babies are treated exactly the same as adults when it comes to passport requirements. It’s recommended that everyone taking a cruise has a passport. Passports are always needed for a cruise, with the exception of US citizens when taking certain cruises that begin and end at the same US port.

Be aware that baby monitors don’t work very well on cruise ships because almost all of the walls on a ship are made of metal which stops the signal from passing through.

It’s unlikely that you’ll actually need a baby monitor on a cruise ship anyway. Chances are, you’ll all be sleeping in one cabin. If you have two cabins with an adjoining door or a mini suite, you can just leave the door open, or at least ajar, and you’ll be able to hear your baby should they wake up.

In terms of food, you are allowed to bring any pre-packaged food that you wish on to your cruise. However, fresh food like fruit, vegetables and homemade baby food may be confiscated.

Baby food is often provided on cruise ships. If you wish to also bring your own, you should stick to ready-made jars and pouches.

Suggested read: How to feed your baby on a cruise

And here’s an interesting fact – according to a medical study on motion sickness susceptibility, it is uncommon for children under two years old to suffer from seasickness.

If your child does suffer from seasickness, remedies include acupressure bands which you can get on Amazon and eating green apples. Children’s seasickness medication is usually only suitable for those ages two and over.

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Cruise Line Adds New VIP Perks and Amenities

May 27, 2024

by Luxury Cruising Editorial Diplomacy

Celebrity Cruises has added new VIP perks and amenities for guests staying in the cruise line’s coveted The Retreat. This includes staying on the ship longer on disembarkation day and having all meals right in their suite.

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Celebrity Ascent in Port Everglades

In addition to have the best cabins on the ship, guests staying in Celebrity Cruises’ The Retreat receive the following perks:

Dedicated butler who is just a message away with Butler Chat
Dedicated shore excursions expert
Retreat Destination Experience Specialists
Retreat Lounge
Suite to car butler escorts for Private Journeys excursions
Pre-cruise concierge
Priority check-in/departure
Priority tendering

New culinary enhancements have been made to Luminae, an exclusive suites-only restaurant. This includes a new rotating dinner and dessert menu as well as new Daniel Boulud Signature dishes.

Iconic Suite on Celebrity Edge — Outdoor hot tub on private terrace, great views from the bedroom, and a spacious bathroom in the Iconic Suite. Photo Credit: Cruise Fever

Additional new perks that guests in The Retreat will now receive are:

Breakfast, lunch and dinner from the comfort of their suite, selected from the in-suite dining menu, available daily
Award-Winning Wine Portfolio of red, white, and bubbly wines representing vineyards from around the world served complimentary in The Retreat Lounge, Luminae and in-suite
Express Priority Luggage Drop Off and Delivery on embarkation

Guests who are staying in Royal Suites and above will also have access to the following amenities:

Complimentary Extend Your Stay providing the flexibility of staying onboard longer on disembarkation day in selected ports. Guests can conveniently store their luggage, access public areas, use Wi-Fi and drink packages, enjoy lunch, and relax before their departure
Complimentary SEA Thermal Suite access on Edge Series ships and the Persian Garden on Millennium and Solstice Series ships
Complimentary Unlimited Specialty Dining for lunch and dinner
Ability to customize their in-suite minibar experience before sailing
Two complimentary bottles of wine or spirits
Exclusive complimentary sleepwear

Iconic Suite on Celebrity Edge-class ships — Iconic Suite on Celebrity Edge. Photo Credit: Cruise Fever

Laura Hodges Bethge, President of Celebrity Cruises, said the following about these new perks:

“At The Retreat, the world really does revolve around our guests. We collected extensive feedback from past guests, loyalty members and our trade partners to inform how The Retreat experiences are being reimagined to continue exceeding vacation expectations by delivering on the amenities and experiences Celebrity Cruises guests value most.”

Extend your stay is on disembarkation day is available in:Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
Venice (Ravenna), Italy
Barcelona, Spain
Athens (Piraeus), Greece
Southampton, England

The Retreat Sundeck is available on all Celebrity cruise ships except Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Reflection, Celebrity Constellation, and Celebrity Infinity.

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How I gathered the data

Which Princess cruise ship is the best?

The best Princess ships by reviews

1. Regal Princess

2. Coral Princess

3. Royal Princess

4. Grand Princess

5. Island Princess

6. Ruby Princess

7. Discovery Princess

8. Majestic Princess

9. Sapphire Princess

10. Emerald Princess

11. Caribbean Princess

12. Diamond Princess

13. Sky Princess

14. Crown Princess

15. Enchanted Princess

Choosing the best Princess ship for you

A bit about Sun Princess

The bottom line

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It’s tough to get a job on a cruise ship!

There are some basic requirements for working on cruise ships

How to apply for a job on a cruise ship

Cruise ship job vacancies

Typical jobs on cruise ships

Jobs that don’t require experience

The best cruise ship jobs

Typical cruise ship salaries vary – but remember your perks too!

Visible tattoos will often be a problem…

The best cruise lines to work for (drum roll…)

The best cruise lines to work for:

The bottom line

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All the Celebrity ships by age – newest to oldest

Celebrity Ascent is the newest ship

Ships that have sailed on

From big to small – Celebrity ships in order of size

Celebrity Ascent and Celebrity Beyond are the biggest in the fleet

Why are some ships so small?

The four Celebrity classes explained

NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!

Celebrity Edge Class Ships

Celebrity Solstice Class Ships

Celebrity Millennium Class Ships

Celebrity Galapagos Class Ships

Don’t confuse ship classes with stateroom classes

The best Celebrity ships for families

NEW DEALS JUST RELEASED!

To conclude

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Single supplements – £160

Gratuities – $64

Extra tips – $24

Drinks – $47

Wifi – $72

My Total Spend

My Surprise Bill!

Freebies

What I didn’t buy

To conclude

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1. Mini White Company toiletries in rooms

2. Grab & Go snack bar

3. BYO spirits

4. Fancy cutlery with P&O logo on

5. Free 3rd and 4th guests on cruises under 7 nights

6. Option to wear fancy dress

7. 5-course dinners

8. Great British Sailaway

9. Evening turndown service

10. Chocoholics buffet

11. Trays in the buffet

12. Cruise directors

13. Cheese and crackers (including Stilton)