We’ve sailed on all 10 major cruise lines in the past year and share the best cruise lines of 2026. Plus, after 100+ of cruises across MSC, Norwegian, Carnival, Virgin Voyages, Holland America, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Princess, Viking Ocean, and Celebrity — we’re giving you our honest 2026 cruise line rankings.
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In this video we break down what each cruise line does exceptionally well, where they fall short, and most importantly — which one actually fits your vacation style. Whether you’re searching for the best cruise line for families, the best cruise line for couples, or just trying to figure out which cruise ships offer the most value in 2026, this is the video you’ve been waiting for.
🏆 WHAT WE COVER IN THIS VIDEO
🚢 MSC Cruises — lowest prices at sea, the Yacht Club experience, and Ocean Cay Private Island
🚢 Norwegian Cruise Line — freestyle cruising, best mainstream line for solo travelers, and where the upcharges add up
🚢 Carnival Cruise Line — best for families and budget cruisers, but is it right for everyone?
🚢 Virgin Voyages — adults-only, all dining included, and a vibe unlike anything else at sea
🚢 Holland America Line — the best mainstream food quality and Alaska specialists
🚢 Disney Cruise Line — Broadway-quality shows, fireworks at sea, and why it’s worth the price for the right traveler
🚢 Royal Caribbean — best entertainment at sea, biggest ships, and Perfect Day at CocoCay
🚢 Princess Cruises — best all-inclusive packages and the go-to choice for destination-focused cruisers
🚢 Viking Ocean Cruises — the most inclusive experience at sea and a class by itself for cultural travelers
🚢 Celebrity Cruises — modern luxury, exceptional dining, and the Retreat experience
Whether you’re a first-time cruiser trying to pick the best cruise line or an experienced sailor wondering if it’s time to try something new, these rankings are based on real sailings — not press trips or sponsored opinions.
Which Cruise Line is the Best
0:00 Cruise Line Rankings 2026
0:35 MSC Cruises
3:03 Norwegian Cruise Line
5:26 Carnival Cruise Line
8:06 Virgin Voyages
11:03 Holland America Line
13:48 Disney Cruise Line
16:17 Royal Caribbean
19:24 Princess Cruises
22:32 Viking Ocean Cruises
25:05 Celebrity Cruises1
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The Cruise Rip-offs https://youtu.be/cjbKOLTVStQ
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Question – Which Cruise Line is your favorite?
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We’ve sailed all 10 major cruise lines and in this video, we’re answering the big question: which is the best cruise line? We provide honest cruise reviews, comparing top contenders like Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line.
25 Comments
Love HAL 💙
Excellent vid ! Would be great if you can make a overall summary page
But where is the ranking :(….
Please stop using the phrase "things cruise ships don't want you to know" there is nothing the cruise lines don't want you to know.
Seriously??? "gawdy" c'mon guys. At minimum use spell check. Its gaudy.
I usually enjoy your videos but the music in this one was too distracting. I could not finish it
what a terrible click bait bs. you didnt rank anything at all because you didnt want to upset any of the cruise lines so you can continue getting free stuff from all of them. coward
You mentioned that Carnival offers the most included dining options—I’d have to disagree. Norwegian deserves more credit here. They offer at least three included sit-down restaurants where you can relax and have your meals brought to you—Savor, Taste, and the Manhattan Room on the Breakaway class, as well as Hudson’s and the Commodore Room on the Prima class.
Then there’s Indulge Food Hall, which alone features around 7–11 included dining spots. You can order from a tablet, mix and match from multiple places, and have everything delivered right to your table.
On top of that, the Local Bar & Grill provides the same sit-down, order-and-serve experience. And on the Breakaway-class ships, you’ve also got the American Diner and O’Sheehan’s, both included.
Overall, Norwegian’s food quality and variety are easily among the best in cruising. You can eat at most of these spots just about anytime and sit wherever you like. And if that’s not enough, there’s also the Lido Deck. With so many included options, you really don’t need specialty dining—but if you want it, they still offer at least six specialty restaurants. And with free at sea, some of those specialty restaurants would be included
I appreciate the through breakdown of the pros and cons of each line.
This style of video is helpful, and I appreciate that you didn't rank everything. Each cruiseline has something great to enjoy and places they could improve. I choose to embrace the differences and choose a different line whenever possible to take advantage of the unique offerings and avoid repetition.
Great job @eatsleepcruise1
All the time msc is ranked mediocre. Fine if thats what you think. But it shouldnt be considered terrible. I love them and the marine reserve private island. Free range snorkelling all day. There is a lot to love here. Ships are gorgeous. Crew always willing to help. Pizza awesome.
"Heres our honest ranking"
Honestly….wheres the ranking?
Where's Costa? XD
Norwegian is my favorite
Completely misleading title. There is no ranking only what they believe to be pros and cons of each cruise lines. Here is your downvote.
3:34 dolphins build the ships?
The chapter times don't match the actual video. I assume that the rating is the order in which the lines appear in the video.
literally putting norwegian below carnival, carnival is known for its fights, cheap fares, questionable food and poor iteniaries. I think you ranked them based on how much they paid you…except celebrity.
Traditional cruising, smaller ships, destination focus – Holland America; Transatlantic, ultra traditional cruising, enrichment talks, ballroom dancing, like to dress up. – Cunard. Never complain about crowds, reservations, waits if on a ship with 5000+ passengers.
We took the Celebrity Beyond to the Med a few years ago. I am not a huge cruiser, but the new Celebrity ships are legit. 💯
Carnival celebration is a great ship, in my opinion. Has great food, and great staff.
I assume the ranking started with the least favorite to the #1 favorite at the end?
You made me waste 20 mins waiting for the rankings. Not watching this show ever again.
I thought the video was excellent, but I would remove ranking from the title. There is clearly no way to rank these lines as everyone has different needs/wants and therefore different lines are there to meet what everyone is looking for. I've traveled on 3 of the lines over the last year and agree with your pro's/con's for each.
There is nothing about MCS that I liked. My favorite are Royal, Carnival, MSC in that order.
I stopped when you got to the DCL part. Because that's where I gauge the honesty of any reviewer or if they're just looking to maintain perks! It's easy to be honest with the other lines as they're not so "sensitive" to criticism as DCL is. They(DCL) will stop giving access, invites, and other perks. DCL's chicken fingers are hard as ROCKS! The "entertainment shows are sadly lacking. Shows that can't execute and break down OFTEN. Service that's lacking, costs that are 3-5 TIMES the price of other lines for the same itinerary. Other than the Magic, ships that aren't maintained well. The secondary beds are hard as a wooden plank with some foam on it. Oh and I've had items STOLEN by cast members in my room. For which they did NOTHING and after that asked them NOT to come in my room EVER! I had forgotten to take out my mini cams. So I told the service desk and didn't even get an apology!