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Compare twelve cruise lines by atmosphere, dining and the details that affect your total spend. Then let us help choose the ship, cabin and sailing.

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Start with the filter, then the line guides, then the fare method: Anti-Brochure · Silversea guide · Regent guide · How to compare cruise fares · Travel library

Small ships: intimacy changes the experience

Expedition: capability matters as much as comfort

Ocean travel: match ship, suite and sailing

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THE DETAILS

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Opal’s editorial assessment, reviewed 18 September 2026. These are starting points, not ratings or guarantees. Individual properties, ships, camps, dates and rates determine the final experience.

Regent

The feel: Quiet, destination-led, country-club rather than showbiz. People dress for dinner because they like to.
Best suited to: Travellers who want one price, serious destinations, and a small enough ship that the crowd never feels like a queue. World segments, Europe, Alaska, Asia.
Fare positioning: Ultra-luxury, typically sold as all-inclusive. The fare is high; the extras list is short.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Specialty restaurants included. Reservations still matter on sea days.
What to check: The fare. Less energy if you like a party ship. Overkill for a 4-night Bahamas party. Club Mariner is select sailings only - do not book expecting a daily kids’ club.

Silversea

The feel: Italian-leaning luxury. Quieter than a contemporary ship; a little more social than the most reserved luxury lines.
Best suited to: Luxury travellers who want either a small classic ship or a serious expedition without changing brand.
Fare positioning: Ultra-luxury all-inclusive, with a stronger expedition fleet than most luxury peers.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Restaurants and dining options vary by ship. Check reservations and any supplements for the sailing.
What to check: Price. Classic ships still have a traditional luxury rhythm that will bore anyone who wanted a party.

Viking

The feel: Scandinavian, quiet, lecture-friendly. The same language as Viking River, on the ocean.
Best suited to: Adults who want the world, a veranda, and no children - especially if they already like Viking River.
Fare positioning: Upper premium / entry luxury. Destination-first, adults-only (no under 18s).
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Included restaurants with a Nordic streak. No extra-charge speciality in the mass-market sense.
What to check: Too quiet if you wanted nightlife. No under-18s. Ships feel similar by design.

Cunard

The feel: Traditional ocean travel, not a resort ship. Red-and-black funnels, White Star Service, daily Afternoon Tea at 15:30, Gala Evenings, ballroom in the Queens Room, Cunard Insights talks. QM2 is the last true ocean liner. Queen Anne, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are cruise ships in the same house style.
Best suited to: Travellers who enjoy ocean travel, afternoon tea and evenings with a sense of occasion. Choose Queen Mary 2 for a transatlantic crossing and compare the other ships by itinerary.
Fare positioning: Premium British line. Higher than Carnival or Celebrity headline fares, not all-inclusive like Regent. No official from-fare used here.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Dining room follows the cabin grade. Britannia Restaurant for most guests. Britannia Club is a smaller dedicated room. Princess Grill and Queens Grill are suite restaurants with their own rooms. Fleet staples: Golden Lion pub, Afternoon Tea, buffet/Lido. Queen Anne also has Aji Wa, Tramonto, Aranya, Sir Samuel’s, Artisans Foodhall. Specialty venues extra unless you are in the matching Grill. Do not call the fare all-inclusive.
What to check: Dress code is real after 18:00. Fare is not all-inclusive (drinks, wifi, tips, tours extra). Britannia can feel large and traditional rather than design-led. QM2 crossings are sea-day heavy. Family clubs exist but the crowd is adult-skewed. Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are 2007/2010 ships next to 2024 Queen Anne.

Celebrity

The feel: Modern, design-led, a notch quieter than Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Edge-class ships are the current look.
Best suited to: Couples who want a nicer ship and better food than contemporary, without paying ultra-luxury all-inclusive rates. Europe, Alaska, Caribbean, and the Galápagos (a separate small-ship product).
Fare positioning: Premium. Above contemporary megaship pricing; below true all-inclusive luxury.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Included main venues and optional specialty restaurants. Specialty restaurants are a genuine reason to sail here, and they cost extra unless packaged.
What to check: Packages and extras can close the gap with luxury pricing. Not the right first choice for families with young children who want waterparks.

Virgin

The feel: Adults-only, contemporary and informal, with a lively evening atmosphere.
Best suited to: Adults who want a stylish ship, included dining, and no children on board. First-time cruisers who have been avoiding ‘cruising’ as an idea.
Fare positioning: Premium contemporary. All the dining is included; drinks are not (except some welcome bits).
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Multiple dining venues. Check the current fare and any separately charged menu items.
What to check: Not for families. Drink prices add up. The tone is not for everyone - if you want a quiet luxury suite product, look at Regent or Seabourn.

Hurtigruten

The feel: Norwegian coastal travel, with the coast and ports at the centre of the experience.
Best suited to: Travellers interested in Norway and a coastal journey.
Fare positioning: Price depends on route, season, cabin and package.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Check the dining and drinks inclusions for the selected coastal voyage.
What to check: Hurtigruten coastal voyages and HX Expeditions are separate products. Do not use coastal inclusions to compare a polar expedition.

Ama

The feel: Warm, active (bikes on board), a step more contemporary than the most traditional river houses.
Best suited to: Europe by river - Rhine, Danube, Douro, a first river cruise for people who want bikes and decent food.
Fare positioning: Upper premium river. Not the cheapest European river week; the ships and food are the reason.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Included, with The Chef’s Table as a highlight. Open seating.
What to check: You see a lot of locks. Cabins are small versus ocean. Not a beach holiday.

Disney

The feel: Story, characters, and a ship that is genuinely good for adults after bedtime as well as for children.
Best suited to: Families who want Disney done as a ship week, not as a park-hopper add-on. First cruises with children.
Fare positioning: Premium family. You pay for the brand, the cast, and the onboard product - not for all-inclusive drinks.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Rotational included dining is a Disney signature. Adult-only restaurants extra.
What to check: Price and availability. Drinks and wifi still extra. Adults who dislike character breakfasts should say so - we can still make it work, or we point you at Celebrity or Virgin.

Royal Caribbean

The feel: Resort-at-sea. Neighbourhoods, slides, ice rinks, surf simulators - the ship is the destination on many itineraries.
Best suited to: Families, first cruises, Caribbean and short-haul, anyone who wants the ship to do a lot of work.
Fare positioning: Contemporary, with a wide spread from inside cabins on older ships to suites on Icon/Oasis class.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Included main dining and Windjammer buffet. A long specialty list extra.
What to check: Scale. If you dislike crowds, mega-ship weeks in school holidays will feel like it. Extras add up.

Norwegian

The feel: Casual, no set dining time as the default. Music, bars, a bit of Vegas.
Best suited to: People who want flexibility, solos who like a studio cabin, groups who do not want a set dining time.
Fare positioning: Contemporary / Freestyle. Competitive with Carnival and Royal, with a more à-la-carte dining pitch.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Several included venues, many extra. The model is choice, not one dining room.
What to check: Upsell is part of the culture. Read what ‘free’ actually covers. Some ships feel busy and commercial.

Carnival

The feel: Casual, high-energy, pool-deck first. Fun is the point, not hush.
Best suited to: A first cruise, a family week, a group that wants energy and a fair price, Caribbean and short-haul sailings.
Fare positioning: Value / contemporary. Often the most approachable fare in the mass-market set - before packages.
What to price together: We compare the current fare for your sailing, including drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, dining and excursions. Packages and regional booking terms can change the total.
Dining: Main dining room and a busy buffet included. Specialty restaurants cost extra.
What to check: Crowds at peak, extra charges add up, and it is not a quiet ship. If you want silence at 11am by the pool, look elsewhere.

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