With itineraries appealing to almost everyone, no wonder some 10 million people set sail last year.
What our experts say
Cruises: Singles
Singles cruises
Carnival
Cruise Line
Operating
21 "fun ships,"
Carnival lays claim to being
the world's largest cruise
line and travels to more
than 60 destinations. It
is a value-oriented cruise
line with generally younger-than-average
passengers, but says it
carries more passengers
from every age group than
any other cruise line.
Cruise
West is a family-owned business
featuring a relaxed and
casual atmosphere aboard
its 10 small ships, which
accommodate 70 to 138 guests.
It offers a major alternative
to big-ship cruising by
exploring remote locales
in Alaska, Mexico, Costa
Rica, on the Columbia River,
in California Wine Country,
the South Pacific, and Japan.
Crystal
Cruises currently operates
three ships: the Crystal
Harmony and Crystal Symphony
-- each accommodating 940
guests -- and the 1,080-guest
Crystal Serenity. The line
is owned by Nippon Yusen
Kaisha (NYK), of Tokyo,
the largest shipping company
in the world. Despite its
size, the fleet offers itineraries
in Africa, Asia, the Mediterranean,
Caribbean, Mexico, Canada,
South America, and the U.S.
An
early pioneer in Caribbean
cruising, NCL is in the
process of renewing its
fleet. Currently operating
12 ships with some 21,600
berths, by the end of 2007,
NCL is expected to add three
new ships to the fleet with
approximately 7,200 berths.
Think
"The Love Boat."
Princess, which started
out as a single ship cruising
around Mexico in 1965, skyrocketed
to fame in 1977 when the
Pacific Princess starred
in the hit TV show. Today,
its fleet has grown to 14
ships with two more on the
way, accommodating more
than a million passengers
each year to more worldwide
destinations than any other
major line.
The
four medium-sized ships
of Regent Seven Seas Cruises
accommodate from 320 to
700 passengers on voyages
to more than 300 ports on
six continents, including
Antarctica. RSSC bills its
atmosphere onboard as "personal,
individual, accommodating
-- upscale but not uptight."
Two of the Regent ships
-- Seven Seas Mariner and
Seven Seas Voyager -- offer
all-suite, all-balcony lodging.
The
one you see on TV all the
time -- the ship with rock-climbing
walls, ice-skating rinks,
and (soon-to-be) onboard
surfing. In May 2006, RCI
will make headlines again
as it debuts its new Freedom
of the Seas -- the largest
cruise ship ever -- which
brings its fleet to a total
of 20 ships sailing to some
120 destinations.
The
Yachts of Seabourn comprise
three identical ships, each
carrying just 208 guests
to pretty much anywhere
in the world, and they're
small enough to go places
most other cruise ships
cannot. Intimate and luxurious,
each vessel features all-suite
accommodations with virtually
one staff member for every
guest.
The
four ships of the Silversea
fleet -- two accommodating
296 guests and the other
two 382 guests -- provide
all-suite, all ocean-view
settings. The ultra-luxury
Silversea line aims at affluent
travelers and features all-inclusive
pricing.
They
call them barefoot cruises
and it's no wonder: Once
your cruise sets sail --
literally -- Windjammer
is all about kicking back
and settling into an island
groove. With no pretense
about being a luxury experience,
passengers often sleep on
deck under the stars.
