Anonymous wrote:The top luxury so-called 6-star lines are usually considered to be:

Regent Seven Seas, SilverSea, Crystal, Hapag-Lloyd, and Seabourn.

The next tier down includes lines like Viking Ocean, Ritz-Carlton, Seadream Yacht Club, Explora, Azamara, and Oceania.

Next would be mass-market upscale lines like Curnard, Holland America, Princess, Disney, Virgin, and Ponant.

The next tier of mass market lines includes brands like Royal Carribbean and Norwegian.

Expedition cruising is a different market, with different lines and vessels.

I agree with this list, but I would move Princess dow to the same level as RC and NCL. I've cruised both and find them the same (unless you are in the Haven on NCL, in which case I would swap them.)

I suggest taking a look at The Haven on Norwegian. It is a "ship within a ship" with its own pool, bar, restaurant and upscale rooms. You also get priority access to events/entertainment, dedicated concierge for anything you need, as well as incredibly speedy disembarkation and embarkation at ports. We were looking for an upscale experience while also a line that had tons of stuff for my teens/tweens to enjoy. This fit the bill.

No one has mentioned Lindbland Nat Geo cruises. Higher end very small ships. They are billed as "expeditions" rather than cruises so it's a slightly different thing but very family friendly. There isn't no going in and out of ports and doing the generic port activities. We did one with our kids. There are a lot of families on a school break and the old people are active old people because they have to be in order to do the activities.

Anonymous wrote:Does silversea allow children?

I hope not.

The top luxury so-called 6-star lines are usually considered to be:

Regent Seven Seas, SilverSea, Crystal, Hapag-Lloyd, and Seabourn.

The next tier down includes lines like Viking Ocean, Ritz-Carlton, Seadream Yacht Club, Explora, Azamara, and Oceania.

Next would be mass-market upscale lines like Curnard, Holland America, Princess, Disney, Virgin, and Ponant.

The next tier of mass market lines includes brands like Royal Carribbean and Norwegian.

Expedition cruising is a different market, with different lines and vessels.

Unless you are 60+ and don’t have kids traveling with you…and have significant money to burn on a cruise…these luxury lines really aren’t for you.

I’ve cruised Disney, Royal, and Celebrity, and I’ve enjoyed all of them with my kids.

Disney doesn’t have a casino or late night activities (some, but not a lot if you like live music and dancing). Beds are great. Larger, split bathroom is nice.

Royal is fun, but not crazy like Carnival (which you should avoid).

Celebrity skews a touch older and more upscale.

Holland America supposedly has better food. Also skews older.

Princess is the most popular for Alaskan cruises.

Norwegian is just a step above Carnival.

MSC caters to non-Americans and prides itself on being cheap. Service and food aren’t good.

If you plan to cruise the Mediterranean, Greece, or elsewhere from the Caribbean, other countries have their own mainstream cruise lines. They’ll cater to a different crowd, so English won’t be the core language.

Anonymous wrote:Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea

+1 not sure what is your demographic, but most passengers are over 60. These are not for families unless you have adult children.

If you have children and want upscale, I would do a concierge suite on Disney or a royal suite on Royal Caribbean (eat at the specialty restaurants every evening, the food on Royal main dining room is not good)

Does silversea allow children?

Four Seasons https://www.fourseasonsyachts.com/

Ritz https://www.ritzcarltonyachtcollection.com/luxury-caribbean-cruises?campaignid=1614301404&adgroupid=149547559177&creative=666965355970&utm_source=google&medium=cpc&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA1-6sBhAoEiwArqlGPrlLmOEhHlIaOiHr86tSX-wCinRz8TNLB9xtE7Xss4AbP7QTwC041xoC9VAQAvD_BwE

Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea

Regent.

Silversea.

Silversea

Viking, yes.

Norwegian, lol.

Viking or Norwegian

Would love to find one with great food and expert-led tours.