$700 vs. $8,000: A Review of EVERY Cruise We Took in 2025! 🚢
From the world’s largest mega-ships to intimate 64-passenger vessels, we spent the last 12 months testing the best (and worst) of the cruise industry. In this annual review, we’re grading every ship on food, pools, cabins, entertainment, and value to help you book your next vacation. Its everything from luxury to value resort ships!
In this Episode:
The Price Gap: Is an $8,000 luxury suite actually 10x better than a $700 budget week?
Size Comparison: What it’s like to sail with 6,500 people vs. just 64.
The Food Grades: We reveal our favourite restaurants (Crystal was a highlight!) and one “mystery” meal that completely shocked us.
Pools & Perks: We compare the Oceania vs. MSC pool decks and reveal which ship was unexpectedly the most romantic.
The Best Excursions: Highlights from our most memorable adventures around the world.
THE 2025 RANKINGS:
In this video :
0:00 Introduction to Best Ships of the Year 2025
01:54 Ship 1 – The Best All-rounder
12:49 Ship 2 – The Best Christmas Cruise
22:42 Visiting Christmas Markets on a Cruise
24:42 Ship 3 – The Exotic Cruise
38:09 Ship 4 – The $8,000 Splurge!
46:44 Ship 5 – The Premium New Comer!
57:24 Ship 6 – The $700 Mega Ship!
1:06:49 Ship 7 – The New Luxury Option!
Here are the direct links for the Ritzy in-depth reviews for all the ships mentioned in this video:
Holland America Rotterdam:
Cunard Queen Anne:
Paradise Grand Vietnam:
Elephant Resort:
Crystal Cruises & Crystal Symphony:
Star Princess:
SHIPS FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO: To help you find our specific ship reviews, this video includes footage and rankings for:
Crystal Cruises (Crystal Serenity/Symphony)
MSC Cruises (MSC World America)
Oceania Cruises (Oceania Allura)
Princess Cruises (Star Princess)
Holland America Rotterdam
Cunard Queen Anne
Paradise Grand (Boutique small-ship in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam)
Disclosure: Our cruise on Crystal Symphony was hosted by Crystal Cruises. While we were invited on this trip, Crystal Cruises had no prior viewing, approval, editorial control, or input in this video. All opinions, commentary, and decisions presented here are entirely our own. At Ritzy Travel Guide we remain committed to proving fair and balanced reviews.
We thank Six Star Cruises for arranging the sailing.
ABOUT THE RITZY TRAVEL GUIDE We provide honest, in-depth reviews of the world’s most unique travel experiences. Subscribe for more cruise comparisons and luxury travel tips!
Hi, welcome to Ritzy Travel Guide, my name is Bill, we are here bringing you our latest travel reviews from around the globe! We’ll be travelling right around the world on cruise ships, all inclusive resorts, tropical destinations… and the deals of the day.
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Contact us, and FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Email : ritzytravelguide@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/ritzytravelguide/
31 Comments
Welcome to the Ritzy Travel Guide! If you had to pick one of the Ships we featured which would it be? Let us know your choice in the comments!
Excellent as always Bill. Love your videos of you and Mrs. Rirtzy. Hello from Vancouver Island Canada. 2 HAL Cruises booked in 2026. Can't wait!!!
I love your channel and the exotic places your visit. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Look forward to your 2026 videos .
Happy Christmas to you both. HALs Noordam is at the OPT at the Quay as we speak how I wish I could be on a Queen to celebrate Christmas it is just the ultimate my grandmother was a Londoner lived near Russell Square she use to cook Turkey and all the trimmings in the heat 34degs here today ! Look forward to your future post
Diana C
I really enjoyed this year end review of your trips! Looking forward to next year's.
Holland America really looks like the best of all worlds within a reasonable price point. I'm really looking forward to the Oceania review……I'm trying to choose something special for a solo cruise for my 60th birthday in 2027. God, I love your channel. I've been subbed since nearly the beginning. Your humour is 1st class, and the presentation is top-notch. I'm so glad you guys do what you do!
Thank you Bill for a great end of year video. Your Ritzy travel guide and Gary Bembridge’s Tips for travellers are my two go-to cruise review channels. Each with your own unique style. Keep doing what you do and my best wishes to you and Mrs Ritzy for a wonderful Christmas and a subscriber filled 2026 😀
Wonderful video! Excellent footage, fabulous editing, and superb narration. It's as good as a TV production show. Great job! 👏 😊
Loved the comprehensive review and can't wait for your full review video(s) of Oceania Allura! Happy holidays!
I don't see a dichotomy Bill, I see wonderfully tasteful choices: when I want modern, they offer Anne, for traditional, well, there's the Grand Dame QM2, all within one line! I love having options, Cunard just does "classy" right.
Excellent summary. While I have pretty much settled on preferring Holland America's quality and consistency, I am certainly tempted by what you have to show and tell about Crystal and Oceana. I always really enjoy your videos. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Bill – I’m not alone in this, but we also just disembarked Queen Anne’s Christmas Cruise based on the video you posted with your beautiful family. We chose it as our very first cruise (ever) and just have to thank you. Your video was a huge inspiration to us (it made us both very emotional). It was the best holiday we have ever had, so much so that we even booked to go again in 2026! Thank you once again, and we look forward to watching more of your videos ❤
Great video, Bill. Merry Christmas!!🎄
Crap – we are in the sphere deck 11 on star right in middle(longest balcony) I guess we will have to deal with the noise as well
Just discovered your channel after it popped up in YouTube's algorithm from me watching several other cruise YouTuber channels. What a great, informative video about all seven ships you tried this past year! My husband and I also love trying as many different ship classes from as many cruise lines as possible, even if some of them might be a little out of our comfort zone. We don't have the budget for any of the smaller luxury cruise lines, but we enjoy trying all the mainstream/premium cruise lines like Carnival, Royal, Norwegian, Celebrity, Holland America, and Princess. We'll actually be on Rotterdam a week from today for a 12-night Panama Canal cruise, so I was excited to see how much you enjoyed that ship! My husband and I are 39 and 41, so we know we might be on the younger side for HAL, but that makes me more even more excited, as I'm looking for a slower, more relaxed vibe. I also just wanted to mention how much I enjoy your style of narrating the video, along with your sense of humor. It was really fun to watch and to get some ideas for our future cruises. We haven't tried MSC yet but are booked on World Atlantic sailing from Port Canaveral in a couple of years. And we're booked on Star Princess for early 2027. If you get a chance, I'd highly recommend giving Norwegian Aqua a try, as it's my current favorite cruise ship. It's not without problems, but the thermal suite and Indulge Food Hall alone made that cruise the best we've ever taken. Looking forward to watching your other videos!
Holland is cutting back on entertainment.
Hey Bill, I had made a comment multiple times before and recently you had told me your email was in the description, but for some reason, I cannot find it! That’s probably my issue, not yours, but where can I find your email?
I want to talk to you about some funds and where to invest/what you did in your career.
Please let me know and I’ll send you an email in the next week.
Thanks Bill! Another great detailed video! I’m watching it with my friend now.
Great video! I want to travel on the Rotterdam or the Nieuw Stattendam. Unfortunately there not in the Pacific.
I guess you're not wealthy or you would be cruising Ritz or Four Seasons without a YouTube channel in order to monetize! 🤣 I appreciate that you're down to Earth and "reasonable" for the average cruiser.
Hi Bill, loved the round-up. We've never done a luxury line, so Crystal would top our list, and being a sucker for Cunard, Queen Anne is a close second. Have a fabulous 2026! Paul & Lee ❤
This is the first video I've seen of yours and I just want to say it was presented really well, clear, concise and enjoyable as well. Thanks for the breakdowns !
♥♥I loved this review My favorites 1. The Holland-Rotterdam my favorites design Next 7. the newest and well designed 🌹 Looking forward to the full reviews and the 2026 New Lines coming out. So much fun in your travels, until next time take care.
Excellent video! I'm so relieved to hear you guys enjoyed Oceania even if there are caveats, excited to see that video – I found my parents a good deal with them from Australia to Singapore next year on Allura's sister Vista for their first Oceania cruise, and their first "luxury" cruise too. They've tried Princess and I'm hoping it'll be a step up 🙂 Such a great roundup video, first properly became aware of your channel this year and have been on a video binge since 😆all the best for 2026!
Merry Christmas 🎄 and Happy New Year 🥳 for all your family. See you on the next cruise 🚢 😎
By initial definition Uu are comparing apples and pears
Wow…that Asia cruise looks like a winner. I’ll watch the main video of that cruise. Very moving production.
Holland America are great for traditional cruising, not good for kids. We love them, been on 4 cruises with them and will be on two 14 night cruises in 2026 and 2027. One of them will be on Rotterdam in Norway so looking forward to that. Love Celebrity but have only been on the Summit twice. Once to Greenland and Iceland, my favorite cruise and one in Southern Caribbean from Puerto Rico. I do love Royal too but it’s hard to get a decent ship, decent itinerary at a decent price nowadays. I am going on Allure in a couple of weeks with my son but have no more scheduled with them yet. O
Wishing you and Mrs Ritzy a wonderful Christmas. We always enjoy your videos and look forward to your travels in 2026. Best wishes, Marie and Thomas Elgaard.
Merry Christmas and thank you so much for all the videos.
Hi Bill, From the title, I thought there would be a ranking of the cruises. I heard your comments at the end that mentioned verbally your three favorite and Mrs. Ritzy's two favorite – is this the ranking ?
Yet another great video! They're like mini vacations for your viewers.