What's the difference between cruise lines? 

I agree with everything here. I would add that different ships within a cruise line can provide a very different experience.

I prefer Royal Caribbean our first cruise was on Carnival and we got hooked to cruising our next cruise we tried Royal and it took us to another level and we been cruising Royal ever since

We have been on one Norwegian Cruise and two Royal Caribbean cruises and wanted more than huge crowds of people and ok food. We were not interested in the younger crowds attractions on the upper decks. So, our relatives were going on a 24 day cruise on Holland America Cruise Lines on the Westerdam starting in Copenhagen going to Estonia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Scotland and England. It was a medium size ship 1,900 passengers with plenty of things to do for us and our relatives while underway. We pre-bought excursions from the locals before we went like the Hop On Hop Off buses, the Flam Railway train ride to the waterfalls and many others that we found on RU-vid. It was a great experience as the cabins were very nice, the food was all great, the fact that it was less passengers with two hatches available to go ashore meant no hassles and the size of the ship meant going into narrow channels getting to many places the larger ships could not. We then went on several other HAL cruises mostly on their smaller ships like the Princendam holding just 890 passengers Starting in the Netherlands, going up the Seine river well into France stopping at three cities. Then Portugal, Spain and then Italy. We went to the Arctic and Antarctic just six months apart on two other HAL ships. In April of next year we are going on the new Rotterdam ship starting in Fort Lauder dale.

I'm researching my first cruise for next summer. We are a couple who will be 41 and 36 by the time we cruise. I'm the older but I'm a big kid so we are thinking RCL for loads of fun!

We especially enjoy mid-size Celebrity ships like the Reflection for its food, service, cleanliness, entertainment, less strenuous activities, low key relaxing vibe and variety of people from all over the world. Grandma Sarah in remote northeastern Montana

Disney was great when the child was young. We did 4 Disney cruises a year for 4 years. We've been Disney pass holders, vacation club owners and been to all the theme parks worldwide. Then we last minute booked a Royal Caribbean cruise and the 10 year old loved it. Been using them for the past three years with the exception of a Princess Vancouver to Alaska So much to do on a Royal ship, great crews, and a very reasonable price point. Can't wait to resume sailing.

Husband and I are taking our first cruise next year for our 10 year anniversary and it will be on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas. We can not wait. For the size of the ship, it looks like a great first time cruising ship.

All great points! For us, it’s Princess. The beds are so comfortable and room layout works. It’s really no different than shopping for a hotel or clothes. You go with what is comfortable and fits you and your interests. RC looks like a fun time and we will try it some day with friends.

I love Royals customer service and the beauty and detail of their ships

Royal Caribbean is best for special needs. Autism on the Seas is a huge reason we are attempting a cruise as a family in 2022. They are the leaders in programs like that. Always innovating.

Royal Caribbean. I started on Carnival and still like them but Royal has me for life because my points are racking up and I can't stop.

I started cruising on Carnival in 2010. I started watching cruise videos and decided to give Royal a chance. I went on Harmony of the Seas May 2019 and I will never cruise with another company again. I don't have kids and love when there are no kids around. While my cruise was 7 days, I didn't know a single child was on board til I decided to tour the ship on day 7 and found them with their own spot on deck 15. Royal is the "business causal" of the sea for me. You can dress up or down and be in place. While I don't know which cruises you showed in the video, they look so nice, but I would feel like I need t dress up on my vacation, then it becomes anything but. I am so happy with Royal there's no need to search for a new cruise. Plus when you go to the casino they give you free cruises. I got 5 free cruises from going once. They like me. I like them, we're in it for life.

I have never been on a cruise and the comments I read have atleast helped me choose which cruise line we will start with when my husband makes 50 next year.

We are trying out Royal Caribbean next year. We have cruised with Disney for over a decade, but our kids are grown now and we want to try something new.

We love the shows on the larger ships.

It's RCL for me all the way. Carnival is a bit like the Walmart of cruising for me. Never tried Disney But would like to.

2 cruises on Carnival and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise. We are now Loyal to Royal and have 2 cruises this year. We’ll be cruising Oasis of the Seas in August and in November Symphony of the Seas.

This is a great beginner video for people new to cruising. Great information and spot on!

I love Royal Caribbean! I am going on Freedom of the Sea in August! I miss the crew! I am single. Royal Caribbean is a blast.

I have done 31 cruises with multiple lines such as Cunard, HAL, Princess, Celebrity, Viking, SeaDream and have a Christmas cruise booked this year with Oceania. My favorite line is Viking for many reasons, I cruise as much for the destinations as anything else and they have great destintations and excellent excursions. It is almost all inclusive which I like and the only thing I buy is a drinks package. I also prefer the smaller ships with fewer passengers so I just think that RCL and CCL are jjust too big and too busy for me. I also prefer a mostly all adults cruise so that is another reason I prefer Viking. I have been cruising since i was in my mid 20's and my tastes (and budget) have evolved to the point where I prefer the luxury lines.

The thing that stops Royal from being my clear favorite is that other lines are more welcoming to solo travelers. If I just want a lazy cruise where I am left alone or I’m traveling with extended family Royal is great. If I’m in the mood to be social, Norwegian is better. I’m hoping Virgin will be my new favorite for solo travel once they are running.

I love Royal Caribbean to the point where I am Loyal to Royal. I tried a different cruise line once before and it was once too many , it starts with a C an ends with AL. 3 things I look for my cruises : the ship, the price and the destinations. Thanks Matt , love your informative videos 👍🏻😎🚢⚓️

I recently booked a cruise on NCL because it sails out of Boston. My daughter, who is coming with me, immediately asked what happened to Royal Caribbean? She knows they're my favorite. I like their smaller ships, casual cruises, and I remember good times on them. I've been on Carnival and all I remember is the crowds, loud noise, and the tacky decor.

Have you priced out Disney lately? I would move them to Premium category based on price. They are certainly more expensive than most Princess sailings.

I agree that RC gives you the most flexibility in activities and would hands down select a RC ship over Carnival and NCL. We have 19 cruises under our belt and have found that Celebrity fits our cruising style best. Celebrity is Royal's premium product with service and culinary being outstanding. HAL is up there with service, culinary and live music (upcoming Rotterdam in March) but it does have an older demographic. If we want to get away for just a few days, RC has great options to hop over to Coco Cay which we have planned over Xmas on Freedom. Love your videos Matt!

I’m going to age myself by saying I started cruising on Premier Cruise Line, “The Big Red Boat”.:I’ve sailed many Royal Caribbean cruises, 2 Carnival, and to 2 Disney. Disney is my absolute over the top favorite, because of the classic wonderful ship design. We have gone childless and love watching the children interact with the characters, especially in the atrium where the casino will be another ships. The adults only area is where we hung out and we loved it.Real Caribbean as you say say has so many adventures to offer. And while we don’t partake we enjoy watching. Harmony of the seas was a choice to go on a large ship. I am all about where my cabin is, and picked one right off of Central Park. It was The park café was right there, and if you cross from forward to aft of the ship ship without going up or down. Loved Harmony

I have only cruised royal. I’m a fan. No plans to change

Ive always cruised royal, I love it! My mom had cruised carnival as well and she always said the food was better at Royal. So i stuck with it. Never looked anywhere else bc i was happy with what i had. I have an xmas cruise booked for 2022 and wanted a spring break one as well, but royal didnt have the dates i needed. so i will be comparing for my self next year. I have a carnival cruise to Dominican and Grand turk in April and and xmas cruise to Belize and Honduras for xmas. I think it will just enforce my opinion that royal is better but we'll see.👀

We're fans of MSC and NCL based on great cruising experiences with them in the past. We have 3 cruises coming up over the next 3 years, and for this year we're trying RC for the first time on Allure of the Seas. In a nutshell, we've been drawn to RC because we love large cruise ships and have always wanted to cruise on an Oasis-class ship, so we're finally indulging this year. We apprecite the selection of restaurants and food choices, and the wide variety of ways to entertain ourselves on the ship. Looking forward to experiencing it first hand this October!

Disney is my favorite but the videos are still helpful and mostly applicable

This was like a sales pitch for Royal Caribbean.

I’ve never been on a cruise before. However my mom paid for the family to go on Independence of the Sea in July of 2022. I’m definitely excited!

Matt I love Royal it's a #1 on everything.

I will be going on my first cruise ever and you have convinced me to take a good look at Royal Caribbean versus Celebrity

My favorites are RC and MSC. They are very different experiences but both offer great service and an upbeat atmosphere.

Love this video! Thanks Matt

First cruise was Carnival and it was a fun time. Did them a couple other times, then Norweigan which was fine. Doing Celebrity on the Edge this summer then RC to Alaska in August. Looking forward to having tried the four big ones to see how it goes!

I love your channel, however i am a big NCL fan. I love the freestyle. I also have had a very very good experience on MSC.

My first cruise was on Royal Carribean Sovereign of the Seas. I liked it enough to go on that ship again the next year. I cruised only on Royal Carribean for a while before I cruised on Carnival. I like both cruiselines and still cruise on both. I will branch out and cruise on Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. One day maybe Cunard. I like the activities on Royal Carribean and Carnival and don't compare them at all. I just enjoy cruising.

I have lived in Florida my entire life and had never been on a cruise ( kind of like the native New Yorker who never visited the Statue of Liberty)! So, my fiancé (husband) took me on a RCL cruise to the Bahamas on Majesty of the Seas and proposed to me there! Obviously. that helped, but we really liked the ships’ innovation. You’re right, Matt. RCL hits a sweet spot in terms of price, activities, and ship amenities. In December we’ll be hopefully on Allure which will be our first time on the Oasis class, and we can’t wait!

Hey Matt, great info. I'm also "Loyal to Royal" but it didn't start that way. My wife and I started cruising long ago on NCL and was extremely pleased with them. But as kids came along, cost was a factor. Now, NCL was generally competitive in their pricing but then itinerary became important as well as newer ships. We tried Carnival and they were ok, but a little wild for my family. But we have always wanted to cruise with Royal Caribbean. I remember standing on the fan tail of NCL Norway looking behind us at the Sovereign of the Seas in port of Miami and at the time she was brand new, thinking to myself, I've got to sail on that ship! Well we never sail on the Sovereign but we've been on a lot of other Royal Caribbean ships and love them. We tried sailing NCL again and was extremely disappointed. So whenever we cruise, it's with RCL. in fact, I like them so well that I'm now a stock holder......Anyway, good blog. Thanks again, 👍

I've only cruised Carnival and NCL and while I have things that I like about both, I can't say either is my favorite. I had cruises on Royal booked for 2020 that were canceled and am looking forward to cruising with Royal this year 🤞🏽. Hopefully trying as many lines as possible in the future to see if I find a favorite.

I have never cruised before. My first scheduled cruise was with NCL on the Breakaway but then Covid happened and the cruise was canceled. I have another cruise scheduled to celebrate my MSW graduation with a friend who is also graduating and we chose RCCL because of the value we are getting for the price. It's only 4-days in December but this cruise was a LOT cheaper than what NCL cruises are going for right now. Adventure of the Seas is kind of an old ship and is smaller than the newer RCCL ships but I think it will be perfect for our first cruise experience. I am so looking forward to this cruise! I will probably never choose a Carnival cruise because I really don't like the cabin bathrooms and the cabins themselves.

I was kinda expecting a little more direct comparison to help decide who we should cruise with on our vacation. We are leaning towards Royal but I do like the sky ride on carnival and am wondering what other differences there might be

I'm a retired Marine and outside of the U.S. Navy, I haven't been on a cruise. My wife and I are scheduled to sail on our first cruise on 19 September on the Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston. I hope this will be the experience we are looking for. If it is, we are canceling buying an RV. If not, it's RV life. We will be retiring soon as we are both in our UPPER 60's LOL. Thanks to you and your VLOG for all the info as, again, it's our first cruise. V/R GySgt Mike and Linda Burke.

I was on a cruise last January on the oasis of the seas and I loved it! I saw 2 sea turtles and touched some stingrays!

🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢 Matt, Since my wife and I started sailing on Royal Caribbean's first ship The Song of Norway our experience has been top notch with this company!🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢

I think it comes down to what is the overall experience you want out of that cruise line. Best food and staff helpfulness are also factors as well.

I like RCL and NCL. I like DCL too but it is expensive in comparison.

Congrats em I your 100k sub I’ve been waiting a week for it change when I subbed 👍

Royal Caribbean have only been on one Rhapsody of the Seas so far but I liked that ship alot want to go on other Royal ships wish I could cruise more love them

So far after one cruise on each royal Caribbean, carnival, and Princess, Overall I would say my best experience was Princess, but my royal Caribbean experience was on the Sovereign of the Seas, 13 years ago, before the Oasis class was created and Coco Cay was just a beach island with chairs and hammocks and barbecue type mediocre food.

I love both RCL and NCL. Service on both about the same. RCL’s ships are amazing but NCL’s Waterfront is just as good. RCL’s does a better job at catering to their loyal guests but NCL has better value in pricing. I will continue sailing both.

Royal Caribbean, the deluxe drink package, an the selections they give

I like Royal but since they don't like me traveling solo, I've gone elsewhere.

Our favorite cruise line is Disney because of so many reasons. Family friendly, clean, phenomenal service, and, of course, Mickey!

been on over 85+ cruises - all lines - except disney (ridiculously expensive) and MSC. a ship is a ship i look for budget, entertainment and where its going. last few trips were Holland. a vacation is what you make it whether you're on a ship, train, plane or auto, destination is tops for me.

My first cruise was NCL because I wanted a solo cabin and Epic was the leader. Then I went to Royal because I was in Asia and they had a great cruise on Spectrum that i got for almost free. I've alternated back & forth ever since just coincidentally because that's how the timing, itineraries, & pricing worked out. A few reasons I prefer NCL: 1) Their all-inclusive approach vs Royal's a la carte approach. 2) The NCL agents automatically rebook lower prices where I have to do it manually with Royal, so I use an agent with NCL & book online with Royal. 3) NCL's site is also much better at displaying more information.

We jump back and forth between Royal Caribbean and Celebrity depending on where we want to go and what type of experience we want to have. On June 5 we will be on Celebrity, but we live on the west coast and so we will be on Royal Caribbean on December 31 out of LA because it is closer.

Initially, we chose RCCL because they sailed from Port Canaveral and we prefer to drive to the ship. We had gone of the old Premier Big Red Boat from there numerous times. Ft. Lauderdale/Miami (even though we have sailed from there) is just a little too far for us at our age. BUT.....our first Royal cruise was on Mariner. It was their larger ship at the time and we fell in love with the Viking Crown Lounge. Due to some medical issues, we could not be in the sun and this allowed us to see what was going on. We could people watch, see the ocean, see the port, etc., etc., etc. Sadly, Royal is slowly doing away with the VCL. The talent on board is totally awesome. Many activities for any age group on any given day or you can just relax. We are now Diamond Plus with Royal and have never been disappointed.

The blogger should have talked about perks you get with Royal Caribbean as a loyal cruiser. I've tried all the cruise lines and I can tell you Royal Caribbean offers the best perks for the loyal cruiser. Just at diamond level you get to go into the diamond club. No other cruise line gives you this perk at just 80 cruise points.

I agree with everything said. My hubs has PTSD and oldest daughter has bad anxiety to the point that she has a service dog. We sail in suites because of the ample space that is needed for our now family of 5 yes we can get two connecting rooms but the space still isn’t enough for my hubs. Carnival suites weren’t cutting it, Disney suites were really out pricing us, then we found Royal OMG😍😍, Royal suites hit the spot on price, space, and perks. We highly doubt we will cruise on Disney soon unless we get a great steal and carnival has a very slim chance of seeing my family due to the lack of very spacious suites with great perks. We will continue to be loyal to Royal... December hopefully on Oasis will happen to continue making memories for our kiddos.

Disney, for the service, the entertainment, the kids clubs, the ships, etc etc.

I prefer and love Royal Caribbean phenomenal experience and get so very much and top quality

Royal Caribbean International Is My Favorite Cruise Line Ever!

agreed RCL is in the sweet spot of best cruising and they are a good company too.

We only choose RCL. Why: 1st, we know the product & what to expect & it meets our needs (unwilling to pay more for higher class!) 2. The C&A affinity program perks really work in keeping us returning. 3rd, with C&A reciprocity, we can always "splurge" on Celebrity or Az. We choose almost exclusively by destination/ports, but prefer the Radiance class ships & generally eschew much bigger, if possible. We'd actually consider trying another line, if they'd recognize/reciprocate our C&A perks as promotion to get people to experiment or switch lines.

Your comments are interesting but pleas give examples/facts. Example you stated a few times that RC gives you more for you money than other less expensive cruise lines exp. Carnival (CCL). What does RC give that CCL does not.

We went Norwegian for our Honeymoon and loved cruising. Second cruise was all girls in the family on Royal and we've been with Royal since. Love Royal Caribbean!!!

Luv them all

Diamond member with RCCL. But as we got older we prefer the luxury/expedition cruises so we moved to Celebrity. We like the idea of working our way back up the status ladder with Celebrity.🥰

I went on Carnival back in the late 90's, and don't think I will go on there ever again...very rowdy crowd, and have others nowadays say the same thing...RCL all the way, very affordable for a family of 5 and quality is great. I plan on trying Norwegian, Celebrity, and hope I can get an amazing deal to go on Disney someday, I just can't afford it now, it's out of my budget for a family of 5 for now.

My family loves Royal Caribbean. The destinations and price are good. We tried Carnival once, the wife did not like what Carnival had to offer. The wife and I tried NCL. I love the freestyle approach of NCL, though you need to book you restaurant reservations in advance to get optimal seating times. I would like to MSC. Disney is just too pricey.

I became loyal to Royal because of what you said, great value for money. Especially when you consider that the new builds by other lines are only now surpassing the Freedom class ships in size and offerings. I get the same thing from Royal, without having to pay that new ship premium by staying loyal to Royal. Solo travellers aren't valued as much on CCL at least in the pocketbook. Solo cruisers get great value for money on Royal. Now Royal is my home away from home even though, I'd like to try NCL and the smoke free casinos on Celebrity.

I like RCCL, would not say it's my favorite. It depends on the type of vacation I want to have. I love cruising and have learned that the different cruise lines offer different experiences.

I think Royal Caribbean has lots of activities, but if your going ashore at every port, you don't necessarily get the benefit. So a cheaper cruise line might be for you. Madeline

Love RC because of their crew. We've done 2 other cruise lines, and RC's crew is by far the friendliest. That's why RC is our cruise line.

Love these cruise lines: P&O Australia. ... Princess Cruises. ... Carnival Cruise Line International. ... Royal Caribbean. ... Celebrity Cruises. ... Norwegian Cruise Line. ... Azamara Club Cruises. ... White Star Line ( now defunct) Cunard Lines Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) Holland America Line Seabourn Oceania

Love rcl but wish they bought johnny rockets back to the Australian markets was fantastic when we were on the voyager

We have sailed Royal Caribbean and really enjoyed it. Also NCL. However my wife and I Love, Love, Love Disney.

Personally I am a big NCL fan (solo traveler here), but I also love your RCCL content and will certainly try them out someday on an itinerary that I can't find with NCL (likely Hawaii from Vancouver, since I live in Canada and its much more affordable than Pride of America).

Any cruise line except Carnival is good

Was really expecting more specifics of differences for this title. It was too generalized and I didn't learn anything.

Loyal to Royal

We are very loyal to Carnival but trying RCCL for first time in July on Adventure of the Seas out of Bahamas. We are looking forward to see what the differences are.

My favorite line is in fact Royal - and not b/c I listen to your stuff! :) I agree with so many of your points. I find that NCL as an example, nickle and dimes you. I HATE THAT. I don't want to pay for ziplining on the ship. What the hey? I also hear the regular dining food is meh...kind of forcing you to upgrade to the pay stuff.

*Royal caribbean just learned not to mess with ron desantis*

Have done Royal Caribbean for years and enjoy it. Will probably start doing Celebrity and Princess more once kids are out of the house and enjoy a more premium experience. I don’t think luxury cruising is our style.

I am taking my first Royal Caribbean cruise in the winter. I have cruised many times with Holland america, but the last couple of cruises were on ships in desperate need of refurbishment. They were old, and unappealing. I’m hoping that RC has better maintained vessels.

Hey Matt what are the protocols right now for each cruise lines and their requirements during covid

I’ve tried carnival and Royal Caribbean. Royal Caribbean is definitely much more elegant And offers very innovative type ships and shows. I like the blue iguana Cantina and guys burger joint for lunch on the carnival ship as opposed to the Royal Caribbean lunch options, Royal Caribbean does have better dinner options. Also being a vegetarian both Cruise liners offer great vegetarian choices as well as Indian vegetarian food at dinner time.

Disney is my favorite, so far xD. I'm also biased because I've only cruised on Disney. But I am dying to try RC in the future. Had one booked on the Odyssey of the Seas in Jan, 2021 but as you all know, they all were cancelled. Now I won't go until this COVID scamdemic is over.

My first ship experience was when I was 5 or 6 and we crossed the Atlantic on a US flagged ocean liner whose name I don't remember. My first cruise was on a Costa ship in the 1970s. Again, I don't remember the name. I've cruised on the Chandris and Carnival lines. I didn't really like the Carnival ships last century but I was with a Star Trek group cruise so had no choice. A couple of years ago I went on the Carnival Valor out of Galveston. Why? Because I wanted to cruise from Galveston and the Valor was doing a partial transit of the Panama Canal which I had been wanting to do for many years. The cruise was in March for 11 days. We had less than 30 children onboard. Mainly experienced cruisers. The Carnival product was much improved. I enjoyed the cruise. I am booked on the Carnival Glory (She's a sister to the Valor) departing 5 March 2022 from New Orleans. I already have my Amtrak ticket for the Sunset Limited. I will be spending several days exploring New Orleans. I would like to go on a Disney cruise but it costs more than I want to pay.

Just from my research (yet to go on my first cruise) royal Caribbean would be my fav followed by Disney, I’m going cruising with my sister, her family and my son and being based in Aus we don’t have many cruise line options (and I am not willing to travel to US for a cruise atm) with the options available to us and the fact we will have 3 young kids between the two of us royal Caribbean had the best offers for kids and adults, youngest age starting for their ‘daycare’ which means my sister and I could both have our kids in the childcare instead of having to have 1 kid to always look after, then COVID hit and now said child is old enough to go on any of the other lines childcare but I will still book with royal Caribbean because it’s the one that catered to us the best when we first started looking plus one day I really really want to go on Symphony of the seas

I follow this channel but have only done Carnival over the last 10 years. I enjoy the atmosphere on Carnival more of a party like vibe, but If i need to I can just sit back relax and chill. I do plan to give RCCL, NCL and MSC a try when I get older 🤣🤣

For me I make a decision on customer service, hospitality, procedures, experience, fun, adventure, and yes destination.

Trying to decide between royal and ncl for our first cruise

I prefer Royal's sister Celebrity... ships are mid-sized and are far less noisy and a bit more luxurious... also the qSine/le petit chef and solariums are so wonderful... the Solstice class ships are perfect for me, but I do want to try the Edge class, possibly the Beyond....

Royal should pull a page out of ncl playbook and add an f1 simulator on board bc everyone needs to experience eau rouge and radillon

My favorite is Costa Cruise line