Cruising has completed its comeback from its devastating pandemic-related shutdown. There was a period where it seemed like Americans would never be comfortable with the close quarters and heavy contact that happens on cruise ships.
Even once vaccines were introduced, the public remained wary and cruise ships were sailing half-full. At first, that was because of social distancing rules, but at points ships were partially empty because demand was limited.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean make major smoking change
That has dramatically changed and the cruise industry will serve more people in 2024 than it did in 2019 (the year before the pandemic and the industry's peak). It's a massive accomplishment, but it has not come without growing pains.
Gary Bembridge, whose "Tips for Travelers" YouTube page has nearly half a million followers, dug deep into the online reviews and ratings of the 25 biggest cruise lines aimed at English-speaking cruisers over the last nine months.
What he found was perhaps not a red flag, but at least a yellow flag for the cruise industry.
Want the latest cruise news and deals? Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.
Royal Caribbean takes a top spot
Transcript
I am constantly asked if I think the cruise lines are worse now than they used to be. After analysing how cruisers are rating them right now, the answer seems to be mostly yes. I have pored over the online reviews and ratings of 25 of the biggest cruise lines aimed at English speaking cruisers over the last 9 months.
A staggering 20 of them are being rated lower than ever before, with just 2 being rated higher. Welcome aboard, I am Gary Bembridge and to make my findings as helpful as possible for you, I am going to reveal the current best and worst rated lines right now in each of the five categories the cruise industry uses. Mass resort lines, premium lines, small ship luxury lines, ultra luxury lines and local focused lines.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line takes a bold political stance
Let's start with the category more passengers go cruising on than the others, the popular resort-style lines which includes Carnival, Royal MSC Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. The highest rating by cruisers right now in this category and just narrowly beating Carnival is Royal Caribbean with a score of 3.2 out of 5.
So why are cruisers rating them the best in this category? Their reviews suggest it is mostly to do with the shows and their entertainment options, including big theatre production shows, ice shows, water shows, a busy daily program that caters for all ages and all the activity features on board like flowriders, slides, game rooms, zip lines and so on. Also, I see the new mega ships are extremely popular, with Icon of the Seas helping boost recent reviews.
But even ships like Symphony of the Seas and their other huge resort ships are driving higher scores. But the ratings and reviews are pulled down by cruisers on the older Caribbean ships which are felt to be increasingly dated and worn. And as Royal Caribbean leads their advertising with big, bold, action packed glitzy ships, when people get on the older ships they are not surprisingly disappointed more than ever before.
Reviews and ratings are also dampened by the numbers and crowds on ships, especially as many ships now sail over double capacity with kids sharing parents' cabins, leading to many lines from the Windjammer buffet to the water slides.
Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise.
Image source: Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
MSC rated the worst resort cruise line
The worst of the resort lines right now is MSC Cruises with just 2.7 out of 5, and they got the most one star ratings of all 25 lines I reviewed. So why do cruisers rate MSC so poorly? While many say they find MSC ships attractive, there are five things they consistently bring up.
First, the ships are overly crowded. MSC does have kids traveling for free and lots of shared family rooms, so these ships can be extremely packed and spaces are always busy. It can be hard to find places around the pools or in many of the venues.
Second, as a result service is slow and there is poor and dismissive customer service. Thirdly, entertainment is average, especially compared to the other lines in this category. Fourthly, the food is at best average, with many people saying the buffet is disappointing and repetitive.
And lastly, there is a lot of upselling on board. Which brings me to what people like most about them in the reviews. The low fares and kids traveling free.
Those that like them feel they are the best option of all the lines in terms of value.
Celebrity Cruises is the top-rated premium cruise line
If that was the best and worst of the resort style lines, which lines are doing well and badly these days in the premium category as the industry calls it? The premium category lines tend to have smaller ships than the resort lines, carrying from 2,000 to 3,500 passengers. They don't have features like water parks and slides, but they do still have a wide range of cabins from inside through to suites.
It mostly includes long-established lines that cater more for older couples with a traditional cruise program. The lines in this category include Holland America, Princess, Cunard, Celebrity, but it also does include Disney for families and Virgin Voyages for 18-plus travelers only. The best scoring line with 3.6 out of 5, and one of the few that saw a growth in its ratings recently is Celebrity, which is part of the Royal Caribbean group who also topped the resort category right now as you just heard.
Unlike most lines, many cruises talk about how Celebrity have improved their product, better ships, improved service and food. What I am seeing is their decision to launch the Edge class ships, Edge, Apex, Beyond and Excel is driving their improved ratings and reviews for sure. These new modern ships have the most positive reviews, even though the Infinite Balcony cabins do divide opinions in the reviews.
Related: Carnival Cruise Line takes a bold political stance
However, cruises traveling in the older Solstice and Millennium-class ships feel those are being neglected and are starting to look a bit dated, less well maintained, and losing their edge. The other dampening fact in the reviews is the impact of kids. The new ships are attracting younger cruisers with kids, and this is proving divisive.
ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
Those used to cruising on Celebrity without kids are complaining about the disruption kids are causing, while those taking kids are complaining that there is not enough for their kids to do and that the kids clubs are not good enough. While the new ships have driven Celebrity's ratings and reviews upwards, the Premium line, getting the worst score these days, had theirs driven downwards largely due to their new ship.
The worst-scoring Premium line right now is Cunard, with 3.1 out of 5. Their scores and reviews have been dragged down since the launch of Queen Anne.
Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
