When it comes time to take a vacation, consider a cruise. Cruises take passengers around the world to some of the most beautiful, exotic and exciting locales on the planet. Each cruise line features different amenities like spas, stage showsÌýand high-quality restaurantsÌýalong the way to the destination.
Using a , ±¬ÁÏTV created a list of the world's best cruise lines, including large, medium and small ship lines, as well as river cruises. The poll, from October 2017, and users rated each line on a five-point scale, from excellent to poor. These multiple categories are compiled—so there may be some duplicate lines with different offerings—to create this definitive list of cruise vacations.
How do large ships compare to river ships? Which line will take you to Egypt? What about Antarctica? Read on to find out. We begin with a cruise line from Scandinavia.
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#45. Norwegian Cruise Line (Large ships)
Score: 80.17
is actually based in Florida, and sails to Hawaii, Asia, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, PanamaÌýand Alaska. Some of their cruises cost less than $400 for a seven-day trip, and go as high as $1,000.
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#44. P&O Cruises (Medium ships)
Score: 80.77
Based in Southampton, England, offer trips to the Baltic, South Pacific, Norwegian fjords and Arabian Gulf. Their Belgium cruise starts at $392 for three days. A visit to the Canary Islands costs $1141. One of the medium ships, the Oriana, is adults-only with seven bars and pubs.
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#43. Celebrity Cruises (Medium ships)
Score: 80.87
features trips to the Galapagos Islands, AlaskaÌýand Europe. The company also has a flight booking service to help its customers reach the ship stress-free. While trips to the Caribbean are more common on the medium ships, Celebrity now offers a Southeast Asia cruise starting at $1,269 per person.
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#42. Costa Cruises (Large ships)
Score: 82.19
has trips to the Caribbean, Dubai and the Indian Ocean. These trips start around $500 per person. Some of their cruise lines feature an in-cabin spa.
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#41. P&O Cruises (Large ships)
Score: 82.22
Based in Southampton, England, have trips to the Baltic, South Pacific, Norwegian fjords and Arabian Gulf. These larger ships are more family-oriented, with luxurious suites complete with private balconies.
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#40. Star Clippers (Small ships)
Score: 82.48
offers trips to Greece, Southeast Asia and Jamaica. The trip to Greece is featured as a ", starting at $1,730 per person.
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#39. Royal Caribbean International (Large ships)
Score: 83.44
, based in Florida, runs weekend getaways and longer trips to destinations like Bermuda and Cuba. The weekend trips start at $189 per person, with a four-night trip to Havana starting at $329 per person.
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#38. American Queen Steamboat Co. (River ships)
Score: 84.1
American Queen Steamboat Co. features a , such as Mark Twain or the Civil War. The river tours include trips on the Columbia and Ohio Rivers, as well.
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#37. Silversea (Small ships)
Score: 84.27
boasts "ultra-luxury" cruises to Antarctica, Asia,Ìýand Central America. The company is based in Monaco. A 16-day trip with Silversea from Tokyo to Hong Kong costs $10,000.
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#36. Celebrity Cruises (Large ships)
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#35. French Country Waterways (River ships)
Score: 84.46
features trips throughout French wine country, complete with tastings and meals at renowned French restaurants. GuestsÌýtravel on a private barge, starting at $4,195 per person.
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#34. Holland America Line (Large ships)
Score: 84.57
offers trips to Mexico, the Pacific NorthwestÌýand Thailand. A 19-day trip through Scandinavia, tracing the routes of the Vikings, starts at $3,699 per person.
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#33. Holland America Line (Medium ships)
Score: 85.48
offers trips to Mexico, the Pacific Northwest and Thailand. Some of the ship amenities and activities include a night with the B.B. King's All-Star Band.
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#32. Princess Cruises (Medium ships)
Score: 85.67
offers trips through the Panama Canal, along the California coastÌýand to South America. A trip to the Caribbean starts at $539 per person. On their website, you can actually of each of their cruise ships.
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#31. MSC Cruises (Large ships )
Score: 85.73
features trips to South Africa, India and Uruguay. Depending on the room, MSC Cruises offers 24-hour butler service and free massages.
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#30. Silversea (Medium ships)
Score: 85.81
boasts "ultra-luxury" cruises, one of them being on a ship calledÌýthe Silver Whisper, which has the amenities of a "grand resort"—all in the middle of the ocean.
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#29. Seabourn Cruise Line (Medium ships)
Score: 85.87
Based in Seattle, offers trips throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean,Ìýand Patagonia. A 21-day trip to Antarctica and Patagonia starts at $11,999 per person. Currently, they're promoting a trip to Cuba, which was not available by air or sea before.Ìý
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#28. Disney Cruise Line (Medium ships )
Score: 86.86
Owned by the Walt Disney Company, offers trips to Mexico, Bermuda and Alaska. A seven-night trip through the British Virgin Islands starts at $2,565 per person.
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#27. American Cruise Lines (Small ships )
Score: 87.39
operates trips on the Mississippi River, around New England and to Alaska. Taking a trip on the Cumberland River starts at $3,995 per person. Ìý
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#26. Oceania Cruises (Medium ships )
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#25. Princess Cruises (Large ships)
Score: 87.88
offers trips through the Panama Canal, along the California coast and to South America. For $449 per person, you can enjoy a three-day trip around Japan with Princess Cruises.
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#24. Quark Expeditions (Small ships)
Score: 88.17
Quark Expeditions specializes in Arctic and Antarctic cruises, with trips to South Georgia Island. A 10-day trip to Greenland starts at $6,395.
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#23. Compagnie du Ponant (Small ships)
Score: 88.26
sends passengers to a variety of locations throughout Corsica, Greenland and Croatia. An eight-day trip to Croatia starts at $5,386 per person.
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#22. Cunard Line (Medium ships)
Score: 88.46
Owned by Carnival Corporation, will take you to the British Isles, Ireland and Cape Town. A 22-day trip to Melbourne starts at $3,359 per person.
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#21. Viking Ocean Cruises (Medium ships)
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#20. Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Medium ships)
Score: 88.92
features cruise destinations like the Pacific Rim and Alaska. A 22-night cruise from Miami to Honolulu starts at $10,299 per person.
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#19. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (Small ships )
Score: 88.99
takes passengers on trips to Belize, the Galápagos Islands and Scotland. Its partnership with the exploration magazine gives passengers the opportunity to travel alongside environmental researchers, photographersÌýand writers. A 10-day trip to Baja starts at $7,530.
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#18. Celebrity Cruises (Small ships)
Score: 89.17
featuresÌýCruises to the Caribbean starting at $649 per person. One of their smallest ships, the Celebrity Flora, holds only 100 people and is selling tickets to the Galapagos starting in 2020.
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#17. Cunard Line (Large ships)
Score: 89.26
Owned by Carnival Corporation, will take you to the British Isles, Ireland and Cape Town. A 12-night cruise to the Canary Islands starts at $1,629 per person. In 2022, there will be a new large ship in theÌýfleet, but the name has not been announced.
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#16. Disney Cruise Line (Large ships )
Score: 89.6
Owned by the Walt Disney Company, offers trips to Mexico, Bermuda and Alaska. A two-night trip to Mexico starts at $1,280 per person.
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#15. Vantage (River ships)
Score: 89.66
cruises rivers around the world, including through Portugal, Spain and Greece. A 13-day trip through Croatia starts at $4,198 per person.
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#14. SeaDream Yacht Club (Small ships )
Score: 89.67
has voyages through Mediterranean wine country and to Barbados. A 14-day trip to Puerto Rico starts at $2,999 per person.
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#13. Paul Gauguin Cruises (Small ships )
Score: 89.71
offers passengers trips to Fiji, Bali and Tahiti. A trip to the Cook Islands, Fiji and Tonga starts at $7,045. Ìý
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#12. Regent Seven Seas Cruises (Small ships)
Score: 89.77
features destinations like the Pacific Rim and Alaska. A 36-night cruise from Sydney to Singapore starts at $26,799 per person.
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#11. Windstar Cruises (Small ships)
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#10. Avalon Waterways (River ships)
Score: 90.56
offers river cruises through Holland, Germany Vietnam,Ìýand India. An 11-day cruise through the Amazon starts at $4,669 per person.
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#9. Crystal Cruises (Small ships)
Score: 91.63
yacht line takes voyagers to destinations like the Greek Isles and the United Arab Emirates. A 10-day round-trip to Dubai starts at $5,395 per person.
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#8. Crystal Cruises (Medium ships)
Score: 92.2
' full-sized cruises go to South Africa, Monaco and Antarctica. The line features a 33-day Christmas cruise from New Orleans to Rio de Janeiro.
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#7. Aqua Expeditions (River ships)
Score: 92.3
take river trips in the Amazon, Vietnam,Ìýand Cambodia. A seven-night trip along the Mekong and Tonle Sap River starts at $9,450 per person.
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#6. Seabourn Cruise Line (Small ships)
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#5. Amawaterways (River ships)
Score: 93.22
travels rivers in Vietnam, Botswana and South Africa. The line features special wine tours in Bordeaux, France as well. A seven-night round-trip stopping in Paris and Normandy starts at $3,599 per person.
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#4. Tauck (River ships)
Score: 94.47
river cruises take passengers to iconic German castles and French historic sites. An 11-day trip from Switzerland to the Netherlands starts at $6,290 per person.
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#3. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises (River ships)
Score: 94.72
bring its guests through Russia, IndiaÌýand Egypt. A 13-day trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg starts at $6,299 per person. Ìý
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#2. Grand Circle Cruise Line (River ships)
Score: 95.03
carries travelers through the rivers of Holland, Belgium and France. A 13-night trip through French wine country starts at $4,095 per person.
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#1. Viking River Cruises (River ships)