We feel incredibly fortunate to have sailed seven very different cruises in the past year. We’re not travel agents. We don’t get free cruises. Price matters to us, and we share our honest experiences because the opinions of ordinary travelers matter.
In the past year we sailed river voyages with Viking and AmaWaterways, ocean cruises with Norwegian and Princess, and two expedition voyages aboard Seabourn Venture. In this post we rank all seven cruises from our least favorite to our favorite, explain what we liked and didn’t like about each, and show what surprised us when we compared current brochure prices.
Why cruise type and cruise line matter
The type of cruise — river, ocean, or expedition — dictates almost everything about your experience. River cruises focus on destinations and cultural stops. Ocean cruises range from large resort ships to premium lines to ultra-luxury small ships. Expedition cruises trade big ship entertainment for rare ports and wildlife encounters.
Inside each type, the cruise line and the ship size change the experience. Service levels, dining, fitness options, onboard energy, and the passenger demographic all vary by line.
Check out our full video review at Youtube by clicking below!
Our rankings — from least favorite to favorite
Here are our rankings and the reasoning behind each placement.
| Rank | Cruise | What we loved | What we didn’t love / Surprises | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Norwegian Escape (The Haven) | Gorgeous aft suite in The Haven. Peaceful, isolated, and luxurious inside The Haven. | Outside The Haven the ship feels crowded and noisy. Many paid add-ons and “More at Sea” options pushed the total cost very high. | Families or groups who want big ship entertainment plus a private retreat. |
| 6 | Viking River Mimir | Smooth logistics, well run excursions, clean and quiet ship, good included wine, meaningful cultural touches like Jewish WWII history tours. | Included excursions are often simple walking tours. Optional excursions can be pricey. Limited fitness options and the early full payment policy reduces flexibility. | Travelers who want calm, well-organized cultural travel with a slower pace. |
| 5 | AmaWaterways AmaLucia (Ah-mah Loo-see-ah) | Excellent service, Sip and Sail social hour, included active excursions like biking and longer walks that are fulfilling for active travelers. | Virtually no evening entertainment. Wine was not quite as strong as Viking’s selection. | Active, culturally curious travelers who want a more flexible river experience. |
| 4 | Regal Princess | Strong entertainment, great fitness center, warm service, mature passenger mix, excellent transatlantic itinerary and suite experience. | Upselling and shifting package rules can make the true cost unclear. Newer family-focused ships in the fleet may change the onboard feel. | Travelers who want a premium ocean cruise with good entertainment and balance of relaxation and activity. |
| 3 | Seabourn Ovation | Smaller ship feel, exceptional service, spacious suites, most drinks and gratuities included, outstanding dining and special onboard events. | Excursions are extra. You won’t find large production shows — it’s a quieter, refined experience. | Travelers seeking ultra-luxury ocean cruising with refined service and calm atmosphere. |
| 2 | Seabourn Venture — Arctic | Purpose-built expedition ship. Excellent expedition team. Spacious suites with practical features like drying closets. Excursions included. | Premium price. Cold weather logistics add complexity, but the ship handles it well. | Adventurous travelers who want exploration without sacrificing comfort and service. |
| 1 | Seabourn Venture — Antarctica | Remote, otherworldly destinations, huge icebergs, penguin colonies, wildlife encounters. Everything included made it feel like a complete experience. | Highest overall price when factoring flights and cruise cost. Pre-cruise hotels and logistics can vary by embarkation city. | Travelers seeking once-in-a-lifetime expedition experiences with five-star service. |
Highlights and honest takes on each cruise
Norwegian Escape — The Haven (ranked 7)
We enjoyed our gorgeous aft suite in The Haven. It was peaceful, isolated, and surprisingly luxurious. Service inside The Haven was excellent, and the private dining and pool area felt like a true retreat.
Once you left that area, the rest of the ship felt crowded and noisy. Norwegian’s “More at Sea” options and packaged add-ons make the final cost much higher than the brochure price. At current brochure prices, the Escape would cost over twenty thousand dollars for the full cruise plus crew gratuities. For us this made it a less attractive overall value.
Viking River Mimir — Grand European Tour (ranked 6)
Viking runs an extremely smooth operation. Transfers, excursions, and onboard routines were consistent and dependable. We liked evening participation events like trivia and the included wine at meals. Viking adds meaningful cultural touches and has a broad selection of itineraries, which is helpful if you need date flexibility.
What we didn’t love was the predictability. Included excursions tend to be straightforward walking tours and optional, more immersive excursions can be expensive. Ship amenities for fitness are limited and Viking’s early full payment policy reduces booking flexibility.
If you’re heading on a river cruise soon, you will find our Printable River Cruise Packing List helpful!
AmaWaterways AmaLucia Rhine River Cruise — (ranked 5)
AmaWaterways delivered a warmer, more active river experience. Service was excellent. We appreciated the Sip and Sail hour as a friendly way to meet fellow passengers. For active travelers like us, included excursions with biking and longer walks were much more fulfilling than a standard walking tour.
The food was good, though the wine didn’t quite match Viking’s selection. Evening entertainment was minimal and the ship quieted down after dinner, which may disappoint travelers seeking lively nights onboard.
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| AmaWaterways Larger French Balcony |
Regal Princess — transatlantic & suites (ranked 4)
We’ve sailed Princess more than any other line and the Regal Princess remains a favorite. The Medallion technology makes service more personal and the entertainment and fitness facilities are excellent. Our transatlantic itinerary allowed us to relax at sea while still visiting European ports at the end of the voyage.
We do not love the current upsell environment. Package rules change and add-on pricing is increasing, which makes the true cost less predictable. Still, for value and balance, Princess remains a strong choice.
Seabourn Ovation — Lisbon to Barbados (ranked 3)
Seabourn shows the difference between a large premium ship and a small ultra-luxury experience. Ovation’s service is exceptional. By the end of the first day crew members call passengers by name naturally. Suites are generous and most drinks and gratuities are included. Dining options are excellent across venues and the team creates memorable moments like champagne and caviar events.
You won’t find large production shows here, but the quiet, refined atmosphere and outstanding food make it one of our top picks. When we track prices, Seabourn sailings often present strong value for what’s included.
Seabourn Venture — Arctic (ranked 2)
The Venture is a purpose-built expedition ship. At about 260 guests full it feels intimate and focused on exploration. Suites have practical expedition features like drying closets and heated floors. The expedition team’s expertise turned every landing and zodiac ride into a learning moment. We saw wildlife, the northern lights, and had encounters that even impressed the expedition staff.
It’s a premium product and the price reflects that. But everything is included — excursions, lectures, many drinks and gratuities — which helps justify the cost when compared with ocean cruises that layer on fees.
Seabourn Venture — Antarctica (ranked 1)
Antarctica was our top cruise of the year. The sense of traveling somewhere truly remote is a major part of the appeal. The Drake crossing felt manageable on the Venture’s Polar Class design. Once ashore, the landscapes and wildlife were otherworldly. Seeing penguins up close was as magical as seeing polar bears in the Arctic.
Antarctic trips are expensive, especially with flights, but the overall included nature of the expedition — landings, guides, lectures, and service — makes the price easier to accept. We watched prices for months and found a deal that made this trip possible.
Pricing takeaways
We used current brochure pricing for comparable 2025 and 2026 sailings. A few important things to remember:
Brochure price does not equal final price. Daily packages, shore excursions, specialty dining, and gratuities add up quickly on many ocean cruises.
Expedition cruises look expensive at first, but when you factor in included excursions, lectures, many drinks, and gratuities, the value comparison changes. The Seabourn Antarctic cruise was the most expensive per day on paper, but it included almost everything. The Norwegian Escape looked less expensive per day on paper but add-ons and gratuities pushed the total above many others.
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| Base price BEFORE add-ons |
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| AFTER add-ons like Premier Package and “More at Sea" |
How we hunt for deals
Cruise pricing is dynamic and can change weekly or even daily. We watch fares for months. We combine the help of a trusted travel adviser with our own monitoring on aggregator sites (like Vacations To Go) to spot genuine price drops. Expedition sailings rarely go on deep sale but when they do, the savings can be substantial.
We typically book when a fare drops to a level we’re comfortable with and then keep watching. If the price falls after booking, we follow the cruise line’s policy or work with our adviser to secure the lower rate when possible.
What we’ll choose going forward
We’re moving toward smaller ships that offer personal service, quality food, fitness options, mostly adult atmospheres, and comfortable cabins. We will pay for those things. We also want exciting ports and places we’ve never seen. Expedition cruising gives us the balance of both — comfort and new destinations — which is why it has become so appealing to us.
Conclusion
Seven cruises. Three cruise types. One big surprise: brochure price alone doesn’t tell the story. What’s included matters more than sticker price. For many travelers, a slightly higher all-in cruise can be better value than a cheaper itinerary loaded with optional fees.
We know not everyone can do seven cruises a year. We don’t take that lightly. Thank you for letting us share what we learned. If this helped you decide which cruise type might suit you, please share it or leave a comment.
Which kind of cruise would you choose next — river, ocean, or expedition? Tell us in the comments. Make meaningful and healthy travel happen.
