Match your pocketbooks and personality to any of these for a tailor-made vacation
Cruiselines have personalities too. Matching your personality to a cruise line is the
best recipe for an outstanding vacation.
If you’re reserved, for instance, you wouldn’t dream of taking a cruise on a party boat.
Though finding the right cruise line ultimately is a matter of taste, we’ve put some
lines on the couch to determine what makes each one tick. Here’s a brief sketch
of some of the more popular lines.
• Carnival Cruise Lines: the Lady Gagas of the seas. The Fun-Ships in this fleet bulge
with eye-popping decor, miles of neon and million-dollar Broadwaystyle
extravaganzas. The line also offers some of the best bargains at sea and
surprisingly good food. Don’t forget the splash either. The 130,000-ton
Carnival Dream, for instance, boasts the largest water slide afloat. But as
cruise specialist Jean Mallory, of White Travel in West Hartford, Conn., notes:
You will discover low fares but not necessarily a rowdy crowd. The new Carnival is “not your old fraternity cruise line,” she says.
• Norwegian Cruise Line: Restaurant row with ocean views. On this innovative line with
11 ships, you can dine in a bistro that rivals those in Paris or sate yourself
on some of the freshest sushi and sashimi at sea. On Norwegian Epic, the line’s
150,000-ton flagship, not only can you feast on the most popular cuisines of
the world in any of 20 restaurants but also bust a gut watching Blue Man Group
or Second City comedy.
• Disney Cruise Line: Fantasy family vacations. All three Disney ships sparkle with
pixie dust and the magical imaginations of the world’s best children’s
entertainers. On the 2,500-passenger Disney Dream, even the portholes feature
seascapes. Besides Minnie and Mickey, passengers can hiss at Disney villains,
such as Capt. Hook and others, in Villains Tonight, the first full-scale
musical production celebrating the dark side of cartoon characters.
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines: Super sports complexes at sea. More than just the
young and the restless can enjoy this line’s list of sports firsts:
rock-climbing wall, surfing pool, ice-skating rink, bungee trampolines, boxing
ring and a zip-line that soars high above the pool deck. With two sumo-size
sister ships, the world’s largest, the 252,000-ton Oasis, and Allure of the
Seas, Royal Caribbean even has enough real estate for staterooms overlooking
its “Central Park,” a green space loaded with restaurants and a boardwalk.
• Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises: The two little Italys. For a plethora of pastas
and all things Italian, these lines (one based in Europe’s boot) offer
passengers a taste of Roma. Both lines pride themselves on delivering a refined
European experience distinct from competitors. Just don’t mistake the lifeboats
for gondolas.
• Regent Seven Seas Cruises: TLC to the nth degree. On its three intimate all-suite
vessels, the largest only 50,000 tons, passengers get it all, including
complimentary shore excursions, wines and spirits, specialty dining, gratuities
and signature uber-luxe pampering. You won’t dip into your pockets for much
else on this all-inclusive line.
• Princess Cruises: Love boats and more. Perennially romantic, Princess’ 17 vessels
are an ageless destination for newlyweds and honeymooners seeking an amorous
sanctuary and escape from routine. On Princess, couples can actually marry at
sea. Ship-Criticblog.com’s Anne Campbell says the line is undergoing a sea change:
“Princess Cruises has evolved into one of the industry’s classiest cruise lines
with beautiful contemporary ships, myriad dining options, outstanding
itineraries and the best shore excursions in the industry.”
• Cunard Line: The royal treatment since 1840. On Cunard’s iconic bevy of queenly
monarchs — Mary, Victoria and Elizabeth — passengers can experience the
ultimate in refined British traditions with white-glove afternoon tea service
and renowned dining, especially in the Queen’s Grill, a restaurant reserved
only for those traveling in each ship’s aerie of luxury suites. Designed for
trans-Atlantic crossings, Cunard’s vessels remain the pond-hopping standard for
bicontinentals. Mallory notes that these vessels “are for the classic romantic
who appreciates an elegance of life aboard that only Cunard can deliver.”
• Crystal Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises: The triumvirate of
tres-luxe lines. Can’t-go-wrong choices for those who want to visit unique
places on the globe “cosmo” style. According to Mallory, Crystal’s onboard
enrichment programs are a particular treat, while “Silversea and Seabourn offer
small, intimate ships that delight those wanting more diverse itineraries.”
.
By Arline and Sam Bleecker
Chicago Tribune
