Which Cruise Line Is The VERY BEST By Region? And Why?

[@gerardacronin334]

Last month I sailed on the Celebrity Edge from Honolulu to Sydney as it transitioned from Alaska to Australia. Eighteen very enjoyable days, with a majority of Australian passengers (some for a second time), only a handful of children, with ports of call in Tahiti, Moorea, Raitaea, Auckland, Tauranga and the Bay of Islands. I loved my extended veranda cabin, sleeping with the window wide open most nights. The ship’s parabolic hull design made for a smooth ride in choppy seas across the Tasman. But the climax was our predawn sail into Circular Quay, passing the illuminated Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and the brightly lit skyscrapers of Sydney’s CBD. What a fabulous way to see Australia for the first time! I then spent the next two weeks touring Australia, which was wonderful but exhausting. I missed my cruise comforts!

[@lauriesteinhauser8768]

I totally agree that sailing into Circular Quay pre dawn was spectacular. We had that experience in March as our circumnavigation cruise around Australia was ending. Talk about the ultimate climax to a cruise.

[@notheotherklaus]

The knowledge you have of the shipping industry from a consumer perspective is simply impressive! So much worth for customers.

[@landinsongs]

Wow, not many people can provide a video like this. 15 minutes of pure cruise industry knowledge and experience from all over the world.

[@ColoRadio6996]

Holland America has always delivered a reliable product. With no surprises..

[@jlawrence0181]

Holland America is like an old pair of shoes. they are not the newest, not the most stylish. However, they really fit great and are so comfortable. There are just so few hassles on those ships that detract from your relaxing trip.

[@RTD3]

We're on the Oosterdam from Ft. Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile right now. No complaints.

[@Woman_of_a_Certain_Age]

Hi Gary, would you consider doing a couple of videos about flying to and from home to the embarkation ports? Like, how many different airlines have you tried and the types of seats you might recommend for shorter or longer flights?

[@daviddesmond3152]

Any line that has free for kids goes to the bottom of my list. Thanks for the tip.

[@nrgpokemon5158]

This was how Holland ruined it for me on the Alaska trip. Screaming and running kids. Everywhere. I’d picked them because they had a reputation for being adult-focussed. Disappointed!

[@_echobravo]

That’s a LOT of information in a very short amount of time. Very well thought through Gary. 👏

[@betsy6046]

We really loved Hurtigruten HX their expedition ships for our second trip to Alaska. It was amazing and the only port we knew was Sitka.

[@raphischuster2060]

Talking about Alaska. Depending on how much time You want to spend off the ship is an important factor in my opinion. I was there with princess and norwegian. With princess we stayed almost the whole day there until it was dark on many saleaways so you wouldnt see much of alaska on the ship itself. With norwegian we spent way less time in the ports but had more time to see Alaska from the ship which i prefered much more.

[@nrgpokemon5158]

That’s interesting! I loved (and chose) Princess itineraries because it allowed us so much time in port to explore. Not just the shops or areas beside the ships, but so much further. For example, we had a 13hr port day in Skagway recently and spent most of it exploring the Yukon in Canada - including a late lunch in Whitehorse. In Juneau, we travelled the highway nearly as far north as it went. We’re independent travellers by nature. I will admit that I would have liked more light to see the Lynn Canal in sailout, but wouldn’t trade exploration for anything! (I should book another solstice cruise to maximize the daylight 😆)

[@jlawrence0181]

@@nrgpokemon5158 We spent three weeks in Alaska in September. Two weeks on HAL and one on Celebrity. The advantage of HAL and Princess is you get better port locations and better port times.

[@kennypenny3]

Terrific video Gary! Thankyou, so much valuable information we can refer to when making our decisions. Your knowledge is second to none.

[@dpmillerau]

You missed Princess who are based in Australia most of the year, do round Australia and lots of NZ and South Pacific

[@texasboy5117]

Another great review of which line for each location. We just got home from a 28-day cruise on Viking, and if you can handle the cost, they are just about perfect for the early retiree. The small ships get you into the best ports.

[@rockdefdiva]

My parents and I enjoy watching your channel all the time

[@Unazaki]

Wow this was enlightening! Didn't realise the Panama canal actually had 2 very different crossing experiences!

[@annenorthman8154]

Now I'm bummed that my first cruise to Alaska (June 2025) isn't a line that's on your list (Regent Seven Seas Explorer) and we're not going to Glacier Bay. Anyway, thanks for this video, Gary! 🤩

[@Hhammer]

The problem with Celebrity in Australia is that the NZ trip - 12 days, costs around 8-10k aud for a family of 4. Costs 5-6k if you’re using RC We can spend that amount (8k) going to Bali for a month, Japan for 2 weeks, NZ for a month just by flying.

[@FraserAtSea]

Brilliant video, Gary. I do think it’s super important to choose an ‘expert’ for some cruises - I found the experience of Alaska on Princess was wonderful. In contrast, using MSC for Norway was still good, but they lacked the informative commentary etc that Princess were so good at!

[@mjzigzag]

My trip on Hurtigruten was excellent. Also, if you're looking for a more excursion-type trip around Scotland/Ireland, check out Adventure Canada. They also do an excellent trip in or out of the Northwest Passage (which I'm saving up for!) 😊

[@steinwaldmadchen]

Fun fact, in Japan Diamond Princess in particular is considered half domestic, even the ship herself is built here. Kind of best of both worlds, with immersive experiences for locals and foreigners alike. Also for DCL fans there will be a new ship by late 2020s, and even better she doesn't have to call at foreign ports.

[@gordonyates7972]

We did Viking from Barcelona to Athens! It was great on a smaller ship!

[@skylineuk1485]

Great video, thanks Gary.

[@suzannewhite9777]

I cruised overnight on Hurtigruten ( sorry about the spelling 😢) on from Tromso to Lofoten. I enjoyed my first cruise down the fjord. I would recommend them too. They had a tank with huge live crabs in it. Unfortunately, the restaurant wasn't open 😢.

[@traceymollet5063]

Thanks Gary. As always a wealth of knowledge, you’re so helpful! Ive learned so much from you. 🙏🏻

[@calumshaw]

As always Gary, you excel with the passing on of your accumulated cruising knowledge. You are an olde world eclectic peripatetic.

[@paulj4228]

We're going to Antarctica in December 12th over the holidays and back on the 6th or 8th like a 28-day cruise. This will be our fifth voyage on Holland America a great ships small crowds

[@stronzer59]

Covid sadly saw the end of the 50's and 60's Classic cruise liners, those old classics with a full wrap around Prom Deck, cosy cigar rooms, bespoke bar service, full fine dining table service, live band dance nights till sunrise, man they were the days

[@maurinet2291]

Love the video! Though I kept waiting for Celestyal to come up during the Greek Island section as I've heard they know the Greek Islands inside out and provide a more immersive experience.

[@lorenadugan6355]

We chose Celestyal, a small Greek line. Two weeks gives the known and unknown cities. We are looking forward to it. It is Very affordable.

[@shelleywoodard9074]

We chose them when they still did Cuba and really enjoyed it. The staff was amazing, the ship was older but very well kept. In some ways I thought of it more like a river cruise because we spent most of the time in port and that was the focus. We plan on using them for a Greek Isle cruise at some point most likely.

[@danielintheantipodes6741]

Great information! Thank you for the video!

[@nrgpokemon5158]

Great video, Gary. More than anything, it made me examine why I choose the cruises I do, because a couple of the biggest areas are not even on my to-do list. It made me realize that I don’t want small-ships. Thinking of them makes me a bit claustrophobic. And mega ships make me itchy. Thank you for helping me see that I’m a goldilocks wanna/be 😆

[@ArturoRicardoSierraGuerra]

Have you ever wanted to try an Amazon river cruise? I really recommend them.

[@jlawrence0181]

Holland America has some of the best deals in the Caribbean this season. I just booked ten day cruises on the Rotterdam and Eurodam to the Southern Caribbean for US$1285 pp.

[@mea3665]

Princess for Alaska 8 days on land starting in Fairbanks, drop off at port 7 night cruise. Port to Port with out doing a land tour you did not see Alaska you went to Alaskan ports. Panama Canal Celebrity Summit went through the old locks.

[@barbaralazier8352]

Great observations. I want to travel the Med in 2026 and will take your advice. Since i travel solo smaller is much better for me

[@rffinances8567]

I had a good experience with MSC on a Carabian cruise a couple of years ago. I was surprised at how cheap it was, and while it wasn't super luxurious, it was still a lot of fun so I agree with your recommendation for people focusing on value.

[@hazels27]

Thank you for another very informative and useful video.

[@breadroomghost8764]

I really like Holland America for consistency and unusual itineraries

[@raananh-w2j]

Soon thing will change because cruise lines are buying/building resorts next to major cruise ports. So when you want to go to a cruise, you can stay few days before or after the cruise in the resort with no chance to miss your cruise due to flight delays. Princess already has lodges in Alaska. RCL is massively into resorts in the Caribbean islands.

[@TexasGI47life]

Am I seeing things or did I just see you in downtown Livorno, Italy on 12 NOV 2024? The Wife and I are on the Celebrity Infinity heading to Barcelona.

[@DaleCY]

Hi Gary, been watching you now for quite a while, and Iv noticed you never mention P&O is there a reason for this? We’ve just got back from a Caribbean cruise in P&O’s Arvia and had an amazing time. Would like to know your thoughts on P&O? Thank you 😊

[@peepshowtube]

Thanks, very insightful but what about Antarctica sail by / landing please??

[@rockdefdiva]

Another informative and excellent video

[@carolynrose9522]

P&O Australia food was awful. Aust NZ addressed but what about South Pacific region?

[@broccanmacronain457]

Love the video and suggestions. Just got back from the Pride of America cruise. The next cruise will most likely be a European Rivers cruise.

[@calumshaw]

We started cruising in 2017 and have now done 25 ocean cruises to just about everywhere (except unfortunately Antarctica) but the cruise we have the fondest memories for is the river cruise, Amsterdam to Budapest with extra time spent in those two cities. You say, most likely... may I suggest you amend that to..definitely!!

[@broccanmacronain457]

@@calumshaw Thank you, who did you cruise with?

[@calumshaw]

@@broccanmacronain457 APT, an Australian company who coordinated with AmaWaterways (there was cross ownership). Wonderful service and excellent food. We paid a tad extra to get a balcony plus a french balcony which I'd recommend. All river cruise companies roughly call into the same towns and villages, although we had several very special memorable excursions using Ama/APT. If you want I can elaborate and give you our thoughts via email or whatever. Let me know. Just make sure you optimise the dates. Too early, high river flow MAY prevent boats from passing under some bridges, too late and insufficient flow MAY cause grief. It is, to a certain extent a touch of seasonal luck, but do your research! Choose your hotels in Amsterdam and Budapest wisely. I don't know your budget so can't make suggestions. Both cities offer so much to see. We travel from Aus to Europe every year and Budapest was a delightful surprise.

[@calumshaw]

@@broccanmacronain457 AmaWaterways/APT. Great food excellent service and several brilliant "Special" quite memorable excursions

[@mhojunction]

What do you think of a cross pacific, from LA to Hong Kong, 15 days?

[@josephh7155]

Heard MSC also adding Alaska cruises starting in a year or so…

[@anthonyr7208]

NCL is my favorite

[@gregoryadler7806]

I have mixed feelings about MSC. I’ve only been on them once and did not like it but in all fairness we brought our mother in law to with us. We’d like to try them in the Yacht Club. What day you think Gary?

[@stevewilson6390]

Ha! I dont know if your being serious or joking.

[@rickfeng4466]

What day? Sunny days of course

[@TWSmith42]

No love for Norwegian, eh? :) Thanks for the informative vlog.

[@michelleb749]

NCL is great for Hawaii!

[@jeremywhite92]

I find cruise lines vary a lot in food quality and in entertainment quality. So if you're into both of these, it's worth researching.

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

In 21 days, I'm departing on NCL Joy for a 15 day run through Panama canal Miami to L.A. Gary is right, Joy is too big of the old locks. But I don't care. I'm an old time lounge lizard. 15 nights of eating drinking and wandering the ports and cigar lounges is my idea of a good time. While the canal isn't _exactly_ bucket list for me, it will prove interesting nevertheless.

[@je44]

You finally figured out how to pronounce "Seward" . . . Well done!

[@johnrock2022]

Still a bit of a hiccup on Mazatlan, though. :-)

[@sanieldarwish4342]

Gary, I’m a big fan of yours, I just didn’t feel the review of the lesser known names was useful, having seen a lot of your videos it felt like you through the names in there but didn’t have much depth to add. Checking afterwards on Cruise Critic, the reviews were less than flattering. I think if you mention other more obscure lines, we count on more color from you. But love your work.

[@floatingbonesjournal]

I started watching because i was curious what Gary thought was the VERY BEST cruise line by RELIGION. [Using my very best Roseanne Roseannadanna voice]: NEVER MIND!!!! Glad I selected the video anyway; settling down to watch now. And I miss Gilda Radner.

[@ShermAppel]

By religion? Yes, beware of ships lacking a chapel or any religious services!

[@DavidEidelberg]

We really liked our Caribbean cruise on Celebrity. Better food than Cunard.

[@janiekcarney5482]

I agree. Royal Caribbean is the best in the Caribbean.

[@gregorabbott8542]

Have you been on explora 2 yet?

[@mathewmaciolek581]

Mo Antarctica?

[@Philippa-]

Queen Mary 2 has been through Panama Or is going in 2026

[@frankulfberht]

Africa isn't mentioned once. 🤔

[@MulliganAl]

Did I miss Africa or do you just not go to Africa?

[@smsadirul]

HELLO Sir, I Hope you are well? Do you want a professional KZbin thumbnail Designer? Let me know please thanks.

[@lkumar4295]

@tipsfortravellers Thank you for this video - very helpful! What do you think about Scenic USA? Thinking of Scenic Eclipse