Top 10 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Cruise Ship To Sail On

In this list, we will take you through the 10 things that we believe are the most important to take into consideration when choosing the right ship to sail.
For some cruisers, the cruise ship is the most important part of their holiday. This is something that can often be the case for those who live near to a cruise port.
When you find yourself cruising from the same port over and over again, the chances are that you will only have a small number of lines, itineraries and destinations to choose from so when a new ship is announced at coming into to that port it can really be the deal breaker.
For most of us however, it is usually the cost of a cruise and the destinations you visit that determine which cruise to book but if there are two simply itineraries for around the same cost, it will be the ship that makes the difference.
So, with so many cruise ships available to book and with so many differences between them, just what should you take into account to make sure you pick the right ship for you?
Our Top 10 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Cruise Ship To Sail On
Ship Size
Who ever said size does not matter was not talking about cruise ships as this can be one of the most important things for experienced cruisers.
Some love the often-frantic nature of the world’s biggest cruise ships and the huge selection of facilities and amenities they have to offer but for some they are just too crowded and only offer a limited number of ports to visit.
Just what is onboard a ship and the type of experience you have onboard varies from line to line and ship to ship, but there are some rules that tend to work across brands.
The smaller the ship, the less there is onboard, so it tends to have an older cliental and a more laid back atmosphere onboard.
Ship Age
This is something that is becoming less important as many lines are now spending millions of dollars to upgrade old ships so that once onboard, you cannot tell the difference between a new ship and an old ship.
Given grand names such as ‘reimagined’ and ‘Royal Amplified’ and ‘revolutionised’, these refurbishments can be anything from a new paint job to be a total rebuilding of the ship from top to bottom.
Whilst having new restaurants, more comfortable staterooms and modernised public areas are all great and do add to your holiday, the older ships still have big differences from modern ships and that is a lack of resort style attractions, such as water parks and go-karts, and they also often have less choice when it comes to the type of staterooms offered, with limited options for those wanting suites and above.
Does The Ship Have The Cabin Type You Want?
The majority of, but not all, cruise ships will offer the basic cabin options of inside, outside and balcony but with so many other options preferred by cruisers, you may need to choose a ship based on what you are looking for.
This is especially true for those wanting more specialised staterooms such as single cabins, family cabins or cabins for those with disabilities or for those wanting a more luxurious experience such as spa cabins, suites or even rooms in a ‘first class section’ such as NCL’s Haven ship within a ship concept.
Dining Options
Food is such a huge part of the cruising experience for many cruisers, so it is no surprise that the dining options onboard a ship are a big part of choosing which to sail on.
For us personally, been able to choose to a eat when you want option in the main dining is simply a must as we don’t want to be tied down to eating at the same time and at the same place every night of our cruise.
That gives us much more flexibility to relax and enjoy each day of our holiday without having to worry about rushing back to the ship or organising the activities we enjoy onboard around when we need to be at the dining room.
Many cruisers are of course the opposite of that, and fixed dining is a must whilst some don’t like to eat in the MDR at all and prefer a ship with a big buffet, plenty of speciality dining options or even things such as food halls and in stateroom dining.
The options are now plentiful and can really make the difference for some.
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Onboard Amenities
There is so much choice of what you can do on a cruise ship nowadays, that it can be a huge game changer for making a holiday one to remember or just another getaway.
For some, a day at sea just wouldn’t be the same without visiting the spa or getting out of the habit of visiting the gym just wouldn’t do for some.
Things like library, games room, lounges, kids clubs, baby sitting, launderettes and plenty things that some don’t even think about can prove to be a big difference makers and something to make sure your ship has onboard.
Onboard Entertainment
For us, the destinations visited, and the price of the cruise is what really makes or breaks things when it comes to booking a holiday, but if there are 2 evenly matched itineraries, the onboard entertainment could certainly sway which one we choose.
We love as ship with lots of variety, plenty of music acts in bars and lounges and also one with full production shows in the theatre.
A ship that skims on live music will put us off whilst some will prefer ones with night clubs and a variety of bars.
No matter what your preference is, there will be a ship out there designed to entertain you throughout your holiday.
Dress Code
This is something that is a big deal breaker for us and whilst it is often line specific rather than ship specific, there can be some occasions when the ship will make the difference.
We like to be relaxed on holiday and whilst we have no issue getting dressed up on a sea day and making an evening of it by enjoying a restaurant meal and visiting the theatre, on a day when we have been onshore exploring, we simply want to grab a quick bite to eat in the buffet before having an early night.
That is why we like to choose a line or a ship with a more relaxed dress code that allows you to dress how you want in the main rather than one that requests you dress up.
Of course, there are plenty of cruisers who love the chance to dress to impress and to go all out on looking there best and that is the beauty of cruising, no matter what you enjoy, you can find the right ship for you.
Unique Features
Some lines have a unique feature that is something you may want to try but often, those are only available on a select number of ships.
Things such as the Magic Carpet on Celebrity Edge class ships, Royal Caribbeans North Star and Norwegians Go-Karts are something that feature heavily in the marketing of cruise ships and are what really attract people to try a new ship.
This can especially be the case for those who have cruised many times in the past and are looking for something new or for those new to cruising and who are not sure what they want from a ship but they know they would love to try the thing they saw in the advert.
This isn’t something that worries us too much and many lines simplify thing by allow you to settle your onboard account in a choice of currencies, but even then, everything onboard is charged in the onboard currency.
That can make it difficult for some to know just how much they are spending and if you cannot settle in your own currency, there can sometimes be currency conversion fees to pay to your bank but for most it is simply knowing how many dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling you get for your own currency.
Environmental Impact
This is one of the most divisive aspects of cruising but thankfully, it is something that people are becoming much more educated on, and the lines are taking strong measures to avoid polluting the great destinations we visit.
Whilst we are some years away from any sort of transport having no environmental impact, there are now ships that use modern technologies, practises, and fuels to limit the impact that they have, and it is something that every cruiser should really think about.
The less damage caused by your visit, means it will be better for those visiting in the future- its as simple as that.