How we rate cruises
Every verdict on this site answers one question: which cruise should you book? We answer it by comparing cruise lines, ships and itineraries on the same seven criteria, using published sources, and saying plainly who each option suits and who should skip it.
The seven criteria
- Value
- What you get for the fare once the usual extras (drinks, tips, Wi-Fi, specialty dining) are added back in.
- Food
- Range and quality of included dining, and how much of the good food costs extra.
- Cabins
- Size, layout and condition for the fare paid, and how many cabin types suit families or solo travelers.
- Ship and onboard
- Entertainment, activities, pools and quiet spaces, and how crowded the ship feels.
- Itineraries
- Where the line goes, time in port, overnights and how easy the home ports are to reach.
- What is included
- How much is in the headline fare versus sold as packages.
- Fit
- How well the line or ship suits the traveler the page is about: families, couples, solo, older travelers.
Rankings weight these criteria differently depending on the page. A family cruiseranking puts most weight on fit and cabins; a luxury cruise ranking puts more on food and what is included. Each ranking says which criteria mattered most.
What our verdicts are based on
- Cruise line websites: fleet pages, deck plans, fare terms and what each fare includes.
- Port authorities and government sources for terminals, parking, travel documents and port rules.
- A monthly price snapshot of sample sailings (see below).
- Published ship specifications: year built or refurbished, tonnage, guest capacity.
Every page lists its sources at the end. We do not publish invented sailing stories, reviewer quotes or user ratings, and we do not give star ratings. Where we have an opinion, we say it is ours and give the reason.
How prices work
Prices on this site are "from" prices per person from a monthly snapshot of sample sailings, and every price shows the month it was checked. Fares change daily, so the price you see when you click through may be higher or lower. We never show a price without its date.
How often we update
- Prices: monthly.
- Verdicts and rankings: reviewed every quarter, and sooner when a line changes its fares, fleet or policies.
- Every page shows the date it was last updated.
Money and independence
We earn a commission when you book through some links on this site. Commissions never decide a ranking: lines that don't pay us are ranked on the same criteria, and a line's affiliate arrangement is never a reason it appears on a page. Details are in our affiliate disclosure.
Corrections
If something on a page is wrong or out of date, tell us through the contact page. We correct factual errors and update the page date. Send corrections through the contact form, with the page and, if you can, a link to the source.