$700 vs. $8,000 Cruise: Ranking Every Ship We Took This Year!

$700 vs. $8,000 Cruise: Ranking Every Ship We Took This Year!

This episode of the Ritzy Travel Guide, we rate 
every single cruise ship we went on in the past year. I show you what were the best and worst 
experiences we had. From the biggest to the smallest and the cheapest of the lot to the most 
expensive. We’ll review who has the best pools, who has the most dynamic entertainment, some 
of them really wowed. We’ll grade all the food, show you the restaurants we loved to the 
not so good. We’ll go through the best cabins and why we say that, the ships 
we dressed up for and those we didn’t, and which was unexpectedly the most romantic. 
We’ll also include some of the best excursions we took around the world. We’ve got a whole lot 
to show you. This is the Ritzy Travel Guide! Welcome back to the Ritzy Travel Guide. My name is 
Bill and it’s great to have you along with us. So, this is our annual review episode where 
we go through all of the ships we tried over the past 12 months. During this 
time, we’ve been on seven cruise ships, all totally different to each other. And 
each is from a totally different price point, from budget right up to super deluxe. We’ve 
got some ships that are very laid-back, a couple which are very active and busy. And we’ve 
got a very unusual one from right around the other side of the world that’s perfect for intrepid 
explorers. Plus, I have some unseen footage that we’ve never shown you before because the final 
two ships that I’m showing you in this video, we haven’t even released our review yet. We literally 
just stepped off the ship, just got back. You’re seeing them before anybody else. Right. So, seven 
ships to show you. Let’s wind the clock right back to last December. We’ll start off with ship number 
one. And I think it’s one of the best allrounders out there in the entire cruise industry, 
but often gets overlooked and shouldn’t be. It’s from Holland America and it’s their 
flagship, the Rotterdam, and it’s in the premium sector of the cruise industry. On 
this cruise, we went around Central America, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal. Launched in 
2021, it has 2,668 passengers, which I think is a really manageable size. It’s not one of these 
mega ships and has won a lot of awards. And I can understand why because it is getting a lot 
of things right. Right. Here we go. Embarcation day. And from the very moment you step aboard, you 
get the feel and tone of the ship. And to my eyes, I think the designers have done a great job. 
They’ve really blended a timeless elegant feel with more contemporary whilst at the same time 
giving a sense of space and openness. It’s got a certain grandeur. It’s got a certain elegance 
to it, doesn’t it? Come aboard the ship, first impressions. It’s very important. They are 
very important. This one looks quite classy in the lighting. I think it does look classy. 
Certain executive feel to it, don’t you think? There’s no gimmicks, no bling, no unnecessary 
shine or shimmery extras. It’s just welllaid out and bits that don’t drop or snap or fall off, 
which is always reassuring at sea. These aren’t flimsy ships. Let’s go outside and show you the 
pools and the decks. The Rotterdam has two pools, one right in the center and one at the aft deck. 
Let’s take a look at both. Here we go. The Lido pool. And we really enjoyed this area and we think 
it’s one of the best designed we’ve seen for a while. Now I think these Pinnacle class ships have 
absolutely got this section bang on right. There’s three very artistic looking hot tubs with a 
great view right down the center. And once again, a lot of seating flanked along both sides of the 
ship. And as with most modern ships these days, there is a retractable roof that can be open or 
closed depending on the weather and the season. And that’s very important if you’re on a cold 
climate cruise or at a time of the year when weather is going to be unpredictable. Some 
other cruise lines such as Virgin and Princess are launching ships without retractable roofs 
which does limit their out of season appeal. There’s also more facilities at the aft. Lots of space 
also with hot tubs. So with Rotterdam pool areas are good. Right, let’s talk about food. Here we 
go. the main dining room. I have to say, when you see it in person, it’s a real showstopper. It 
has a lot of wow factor. Some have compared it to looking a little bit like you’re inside of a whale 
with the bones coming up from the sides. There is a real sense of occasion and size. What I do like 
is that it’s much more spacious than the average main dining room these days. Look how far spaced 
out the tables are, not on top of each other. Some competitors shove the table mere inches 
away from each other. Not here. You get that sense of privacy if that’s what you want. I 
tell you the other aspect we liked. We never had a problem getting a table. We chose Anytime 
Dining which is normally the death knell with some of the competition with lines going right out of 
the door. We never had that problem. We always got a seat within moments. That is a testament to 
three things. Firstly, having enough seating for their passenger capacity. and secondly having an 
efficient kitchen and thirdly sufficient staff. Also a contributing factor to not feeling full 
is that the buffet aboard is extremely good. And so half the ship went that and half came in here. 
I’d have to say it was of good quality, right up there in comparison to other premium lines with 
good international selections. Some east meets west Mediterranean meat and seafoods. There was a 
good variety. In general across the entire cruise industry, standards of the main dining room and 
cuisine are falling, but we did not feel that was the case here on Holland America. It’s consistent 
and good. I must say I do like this dining room. You go to many dining rooms from the different 
cruise lines and some of them quite similar, but not this one. I really like the contemporary 
feel to it and I do like a nice feature staircase. Back in the day, cruise ships always had feature 
staircases. Now they’re phasing them out. I think it’s a shame. Why not have a little bit of a 
drama? Why not have a little bit of sparkle and pizzazz? And Holland America is starting to get 
itself quite the reputation for music. And there is a section of the ship they call the Music Walk, 
where you can drift between three venues, all on the same deck, and get a different experience from 
each. First up, there is the BB King’s Blues Club. And I think it’s in one of the finest venues on 
the ship. A really dramatic two-story affair. The lights go down low, and you’re seemingly 
transported to Beale Street in Memphis as it becomes a live music hub playing a range of smoky 
R&B, soul, and blues. It has got a great vibe and really pulsates late into the evening. One 
of our favourite places to while away our time. My wife loves live music and this one really hit 
the spot. Just along the music walk corridor is the Rolling Stone. Here it is. It’s got a great 
look and decoration to it. You can dance away to a live band, mostly rock music, but anything 
from pop to country and beyond. Finally, directly opposite is Billboard. It’s a really popular 
venue to relax, have a drink, and socialize. Now, what if you’re someone who likes a 
sedate, relaxed afternoon as the sea goes by. First off is the observation bar. Hooray. Why do 
I say that? Because they are getting increasingly phased out on new ships, which I think is a 
crying shame because they give a fantastic view. And let’s face it, you’re on a cruise ship. You’re 
supposed to be able to see out, but so many newer ships have deleted them or annoyingly given access 
to them only for suite guests. Thank god Holland America ships still have a lovely observation 
lounge called the Explorations. It’s a lovely spacious lounge right up high top of the ship at 
the front. Now, earlier on I said that the buffet aboard Rotterdam is good. Let me show you why I 
say that and show you some of what we had. First off, it’s spacious and well laid out. On all three 
Pinnacle class ships, the buffet is called the Lido. Well, we’ve got some coconut curried muscles 
in a huge paella style pan. And we have some shrimp diabolo. We have some spiced pork belly. 
Wow, look at that suckling pig on the buffet tonight. Just counter after counter of tempting 
stuff. Ribs, steak, fish, tempura skewers. Sole. Not often you get sole on a buffet. Wow, 
look at that paella. Huge vat of fish and mussels and shrimp. We have a lobster mac and cheese. Doesn’t 
that look beautiful? Oh, and right next door we have some escargot. Two of your favorite things in 
the same place at once. Escargot. You’re not moving from this counter, are you? It’s got absolutely 
everything in life that you’ve ever dreamed of. And we were really impressed with the breadth and 
variety of food on offer. It was of a generally high standard. One of the tests for how good 
a buffet is is by how popular it is for dinner because on most cruise lines, the main dining room 
is the place to be at night because it’s supposed to have the better food. Here, I would say at 
least half the diners at night were in here, the buffet. So, that’s a testament to its quality 
and variety. Okay, what about cabins? Let’s show you. For us on that sailing, we were booked into a 
balcony. Absolutely no complaints. We felt it was well laid out, decorated in nice neutral colors 
with a good selection of storage space and a comfy bed. I always do a bed test, and this one was 
good. I tell you what, the bathroom is spacious, too, given the grade of cabin we had paid for. I 
think it looks just as premium as a luxury line that I’ll be showing you later in this video. Wait 
for that comparison between the two bathrooms. As for specialtity dining, Holland America and 
Rotterdam have quite a good selection. I won’t run through all of them now because after this 
you can go back and watch the dedicated video we have on the Rotterdam. Most cuisines are covered 
and I tell you what, Holland America’s prices for specialtity are more reasonable than other 
cruise lines. Here they generally max out at about $55. That is cheaper than other cruise lines 
I could mention. Looking at you, Celebrity, for one, their prices are closer to or over a 
hundred bucks for their version of this. Also, a shout out to the crew. It has to be some of 
the most friendly we found at sea. Genuinely so. It never seemed forced or put on, and 
it becomes infectuous when you’re greeted by smiley people. You return it back. The staff 
were often singing and coming up to say hi. Do you s… do you sing every night? Yes. Oh, I see. 
There was no reason for it. You just felt happy and felt like singing. Always happy. Well done. 
So, what is Holland America and the ship the Rotterdam getting wrong? Actually, very little. 
This is why I said at the beginning of the video, I feel they’re going under the radar 
because the vast majority of things, they’re getting really well done. This ship is 
in that Goldilocks zone. It’s big enough to have a wide range of facilities, but not so huge, such 
as the 6,000 mega ship size, which can get manic. But as with everything in life, I would say check 
you are the target audience for Holland America. If you like theme parks, this is absolutely the 
wrong ship. If you want high adrenaline action, again, it’s the wrong market. And also the typical 
age group of those who travel on Holland America does skew a little bit older. Typically in their 
60s, 70s and 80s. Now that doesn’t worry us, not at all because we’re there for the ship. We’re there 
for the experience. We’re there for the quality of the offering. But for us, it’s not an issue. 
We think Holland America is getting a lot right. By the way, if you’re enjoying this video, please 
do give it a thumbs up, give it a like, as it lets us know we’re on the right track, and we’ll try 
to put out more of this type of material. Okay, should we now take a look at ship number two 
on our list of what we did in the past year? But just before we do that, I’d like to mention 
every ship we’re showing you in this video, we do have a full length dedicated review video on 
our channel. These are released for every ship we go on. You can find them in our playlist. Often 
there’s one and in fact two reviews per ship. You can see the entire review in its entirety because 
we go into so much more detail than we can in this video. Right. Second ship that we did this past 
year and it was our Christmas cruise. And for this we wanted to go very traditional. This episode 
it’s our special edition cruising at Christmas. We’ll take you aboard one of the most iconic 
cruise lines in the world. We show you exactly what it’s like to step aboard a ship at this 
festive time of year where every corner twinkles, the decorations shimmer, and holiday cheer fills 
the air. It’s just like stepping into a living, breathing Christmas card. And as it’s a special 
Christmas market cruise, we’ll be dropping into some of the prettiest towns you can imagine. We’ll 
be drinking mulled wine, visiting gorgeous markets, and getting thoroughly swept up in the atmosphere. 
And who are we cruising with on this particular edition? Well, a cruise line that’s perhaps 
the most synonymous with celebrating Christmas, and that’s Cunard and their newly released ship, 
the Queen Anne. It was launched to great fanfare in May 2024 and positions itself as the future for 
Cunard. Are we ready for a festive cruise? I think this time you’ll see lots of red on board, but 
it’s festive red. Christmas trees everywhere. I can practically smell the mulled wine from here 
and the gingerbread. Can’t quite hear Christmas carols from here, but I’m imagining I can. Would 
the Queen Anne look beautifully decorated? We held our breath. Well, as it turned out, we needn’t 
have been anxious at all. The ship was looking gorgeous. You couldn’t get any more festive. 
As we took our first few steps around the main sections of the ship, it was dazzling, sparkling, 
and twinkling all at once, you can’t help but have a smile. And then here in the grand lobby, looking 
absolutely resplendant with a Christmas village set at the base of the sweeping staircase. Here, 
there was a gingerbread model of the Queen Anne ship itself. As you look around, you feel like 
you’ve been transported back in times to Dickens or a Victorian village scene. Their decorating 
team did a fantastic job. Certain cruise lines really make an effort at Christmas and Cunard 
is one of them. And it is really important if you’re on a cold climate cruise that the interior 
looks amazing because you’re really not going to be out on deck as much. So, the Queen Anne was 
looking beautiful with all his decorations up. And what with it being the festive season, there 
were so many tempting treats that caught my eye as I drifted along the corridors. There’s a pop-up 
Christmas event. Culinary spread!. Wow, look at that. What we got? We got some turkey sausage 
roll. Well, I didn’t really have a full English breakfast this morning, didn’t I? A taste of 
Christmas. It is. Look at that. A surprise. Look at that. Look at that. Doesn’t that look festive? 
With a bit of marzipan on top. Thank you very much. Oh my goodness. Look at those donuts. Oh, I see. 
No, I think that’s probably enough there. Who needs to go to watercolor class when I’ve made 
a work of art on my plate? We’re supposed to go on an insight stalk. He found the Christmas 
special. Well, I was on the way to the inside and I happened to see this pop-up store. I’ll tell you 
what, this Christmas cake is an absolute triumph. Just the right combination of gooyness, sweetness, 
savouriness. Hits the spot and can’t starve in the meantime. Look, that’s Christmas on a plate, 
isn’t it? Are you going to go for your talk now? I didn’t. I had one last peruse of the delicious 
Christmas tray of snacks they continued to bring out for the next hour or so. The smell was 
intoxicating. It would have tested the resistance and willpower of a saint. A quick look at the 
cabin so you can see what a Cunard Queen Anne balcony looks like. Well, dark blue with gold 
piping is the answer. This is a Britannia class balcony, one of the most popular on the ship. 
A lot of people go for this one. Personally, we like the color scheme. Looks very traditional. 
And Cunard still gives a bottle of sparkling wine to each incoming passenger. Smalish bottle, yes, 
but it gets the sailaway off to a nice start. If you haven’t been on a Cunard cruise, often tea 
is one of the absolute highlights. At precisely 3:00 on the dot, the waiters parade out in the 
Queen’s Room with their silver trays and white gloves. You’re probably not even hungry as 
you sit there, but you absolutely go for the spectacle and atmosphere and it’s included 
in the cruise fair. It’s not an additional cost item. And then you keep sampling and 
eating until basically, well, you pop. Well, I’m going to be very tempted by quite a lot. 
Okay. Okay profiteroles. Cherry, almond, and cake. Consider it one of life’s little 
guilty pleasures. Time to clear the Queen’s Room because Gala Night is about to get underway. Always 
one of the most enjoyable aspects of any cruise, particularly if you’re with Cunard, as it gives 
you a chance to dress up. Here we go in the grand lobby. There are generally two gala nights per 
week with Cunard and the majority of passengers do embrace the opportunity to put on their finest. 
And at Christmas when all the decorations are up, it’s the perfect opportunity to snap away and get 
that family photo to remember it all by. And there are several great spots around the ship to give 
you that backdrop to enhance it all. And then into the chart room, which is the perfect bling 
bling destination to photograph yourself. It’s upholstered, veloured, chandeliered, and velveted to 
within an inch of it’s life. Perfect place to perch and pose. and then off to dinner. It’s a great 
walk to the restaurant. There’s always lots of buzz in the public areas on a gala night. The 
atmosphere is lovely, especially at Christmas. The first gala night, Cunard always gives 
a round of complimentary bubbles. Cheers. I must say, it’s extremely good menu tonight, 
isn’t it? Lots of interesting things on offer. Yes, I think I could order about five. The 
shellfish bisque even has some cognac in it drizzled lovingly in there. Beautiful. And seafood 
in a tarragon sauce. Doesn’t that look good? I’m glad I ordered that one. That is delicious. It’s 
creamy. It’s got bacon. It’s got seafood. It’s got tarragon. Absolutely delicious. Just the 
right balance of guilt and taste. Chateaubriand, isn’t that nice? Whenever I see that on the 
menu, I always try to order it. Here we are. Sticky toffee pudding. What’s not to like? 
Coffee and sticky toffee pudding. So, the Queen Anne was looking beautiful for Christmas. 
But what about the ship itself? What do we think? What are they getting right? What are they 
getting wrong? Well, if you’re not aware, Queen Anne has caused quite a bit of stir in the 
Cunard world because not everyone is liking it. A lot of the traditional Cunard passengers say it’s 
gone too modern. It’s lost the plot. They feel it strayed too far from the normal designs you get 
aboard a Cunard ship. But on the people we’ve been speaking to while we’re aboard, those who are 
new to Cunard who had no experience of the older ships really did like it. They thought it was a 
good-looking ship that had covered a lot of the bases well. So there is this disconnect. If you’re 
an existing Cunard passenger, you may not like it, but if you’re new to Cunard, there’s a good 
chance you will. And I can see what the bosses at Cunard are trying to achieve. All cruise lines 
do need to keep up with the times. Try to remain relevant. And I did remark that several key 
areas have perhaps overdone the modernism. But there are some genuinely good points on 
the Queen Anne, such as the Commodore Club. This is the observation lounge. It’s bigger 
than most Cunard ships and nicely done. The chart room also has had a makeover. Maybe you 
might think it’s a bit bling. Looks a bit like a jewelry shop. And then there’s the library. 
I think it’s one of the nicest at sea. No, it’s not huge. It’s not as big as what’s on Queen 
Mary 2, but it does have great views out. It’s beautifully furnished with a nod to old maritime 
ships with lovely props. It’s a delightful place to while away a few hours. And the Britannia main 
dining room, it still has swooping lines. It has a more minimalist look. So, in general, do we 
think the Queen Anne is a hit or a miss? Well, we did have to go on it two times to come to a 
conclusion. First time round, we really weren’t sure. We felt it had lost a lot of that art deco 
feel. But the second time four months later, we really came to warm to it. There are some great 
new additional restaurants that serve good food in lovely positions, that is welcome. And the two 
pool areas are very spacious and well laid out. They have a sort of retro feel to them. Also, the 
main pool has a retractable roof because just like the Rotterdam, which we just reviewed, the Queen 
Anne is also a Pinnacle Class ship. And the ship does have a good space to passenger ratio. So 
by the end of this Christmas cruise, we’d come to quite like the Queen Anne. Not as much as 
some of the other Cunard ships in their fleet, but it is doing quite well. One last point 
to mention. If you’re on a Christmas cruise, there are some great Christmas market to 
go and visit. On that sailing, we saw some marvelous places, including Bruges in Belgium 
and Hamburg in Germany. We’ve been to Bruges at various times of the year and it looks gorgeous 
no matter which month you come, but especially so in December, when the decorations go up, and it 
looks even more stunning. It’s Rudolph the horse. Oh dear viewer, if only there was smell-o-vision, 
you would get the aroma that’s coming out of that window. It’s a window of magic. It’s a window 
of senses. After walking around for a few hours, you’ll probably want to sit down and watch the 
world go by. And there are several restaurants and bars around the market square. All beautifully lit 
and so inviting. I feel we need a little break, a little cup of hot chocolate or coffee, maybe 
some snacks, some brioche buns, some speculaas or something like that. And the cakes and pastries 
are all made on site. We could have happily ordered half the menu. The house of sin. Happy 
sin. As the sun starts to set and the lights come on, it gets even more pretty. Try to get a cruise 
that’s here until at least the late afternoon or early evening so you can see the lights come on 
at night. I tell you what, one absolutely needs at these Christmas markets, a glass of warm gluwein to get into the festive Christmassy spirits. As the sun sets, the pretty lights come 
on and some gluwein. A Christmas in Bruges. Quite giddy quite quickly after 
your second or third glass of gluwein. The city at night is so pretty, so 
enchanting, and it’s all largely as it was hundreds of years ago. And you can’t 
say that about many places these days. Right, we ready for the next ship. 
We’re up to ship number three. And this was right around to the 
other side of the world, to Asia for a totally different experience. 
Small ship boutique cruising. This episode we take you right around to the 
other side of the world to one of the most magical destinations you could ever imagine. It will 
captivate and inspire you, Vietnam. We’re going on small ship luxury cruising to Halong Bay. And 
it’s cruising unlike anywhere else you would have witnessed. It’s mesmerizing. And we’re taking you 
aboard the beautifully equipped ship that we were on with jaw-dropping views from every direction, 
no matter where you sat. And all the while being served gourmet food as the sun set over the bay 
and visiting locations that could have come right out of the movies. In fact, they have. So join us 
as we whisk you to the other side of the world in this totally different form of cruising and 
explore all that it has to offer. From the adventurous to the awe-inspiring to the serene 
and the magical. This is the Ritzy Travel Guide and it’s a remarkable destination and 
you cruise at a totally different pace. Let’s see how that started off. So, you 
ready for a bit of small ship cruising? Do we call it small ship, small boat? Not 
sure. They call it cruising anyhow. Now, there’s not many cabins on board. This 
is quite small, quite boutique. It’s quite niche. Right on we get. Exciting to see 
what it’s going to be like. There’s a whole in a merry time here. They’re all looking 
very smart and ship-shape with their attire, aren’t they? Oh, you’ve got rose petals. Oh, 
hang on. There’s somebody up there dropping them from up there. I was I was wondering where 
they were magically coming from. You can catch some for everybody. It’s everybody’s honeymoon. 
It is, isn’t it? It’s a carpet of petals. Right. Let’s have a look. It’s got a certain 
timeless elegance to it. Very wood panelled. I feel like I’m going to an Edwardian hotel. 
Feel like I should be dinging a bell there. There’s an old-world charm to wood panelling, 
isn’t there? Isn’t there just? And with that, we were ready for check-in. And the benefit of a 
small ship embarkation takes about 21 seconds. And upon entering, there’s a delightful blend of Asia 
meets oldworld London. You feel like you’ve just got out of a time machine and gone back to 1884 
and Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes about to sweep around the corner with his portmanteau and cloak. What 
a lovely start of the cruise. Wood panel coming from everywhere. It’s like a high-end river 
cruise you get throughout Europe, except with this one, you’re going to sea in Asia. It’s a 
whimsical collage of cultures and experience. And ‘xin chao’ means hello or welcome in Vietnamese. 
And you’ll hear it wherever you go with an accompanying bow. All very formal, but 
rather nice. So, safety briefing over, we had a chance to look around the dining room, 
and we were really looking forward to eating here because this particular cruise line really prides 
itself on its cuisine. It’s fine European food meets Asian fine dining. And with that, we took 
a little wander to the top deck. Wow, it’s all action stations out here. Everybody’s getting 
ready to steam out. It’s steaming out hour. And look, there’s even a sea plane. Look. Oh, 
yeah. There’s a little sea plane. See? I’m surprised that’s not going to get mowed down. I 
mean, have they spotted that sea plane? We’d only been on board for about 30 minutes by then, and 
already this Asian style of cruising was really grabbing us. Full of buzz, full of action. There’s 
a pool. Hang on. Would you call it a jacuzzi? It’s going to be a bar up here, isn’t there? I quite 
like the fact that the top deck is a lot of space. So maybe they have yoga in the morning. I think Oh 
yeah, we’re in Vietnam. So there’ll be Tai Chi in the morning. There will be Tai Chi in the morning, 
which my wife, against my better judgment, forced me to join in. I’ll subject you to a little 
bit of that later. And the scenery is absolutely stunning. It unwraps itself in front of you. Huge 
majestic limestone cliffs towering above. What a glorious sight. We’re out on the back deck 
watching a whole flotilla, a whole armada of ships heading out to Halong Bay. Look how close 
we’re getting to this. You can practically stick your arm out and touch. I don’t think the captain 
wants you to stick your arm out and touch, but you can almost do that. Lunch in this direction 
and then fantastic view in this direction. You get so close to the limestone islands. It 
really is rather stunning. You see, you got to keep looking out the windows. Just as you think 
you should be tucking into your lunch, you go past another stunning vista. Don’t look at your lunch. 
No, just look at the view. Look out the window. Fabulous, isn’t it? And that’s why when you go 
to Halong Bay in Vietnam, you go for the small ship experience, not one of these big cruise 
ships. Mrs. Ritzy planning her own private launch. I feel it. She’ll be in the classifieds 
before we get home trying to find out how to get a Halong Bay yacht. Even though it’s a 
smaller boutique ship, you don’t compromise on their cabins. Let’s take a look. Right. Should we 
go and take a look at our cabin? There’s always a certain amount of eagerness, anticipation because 
first of all, we’re on a small ship and secondly, it’s an Asian small ship. So, it’s the game of 
what’s behind the door. Oh my god. What? The view is 180. Look at that view. Wow. Look at that. 
It’s literally 180. And we have an end cabin, which means we have the beauty of a 180 view. 
Look at that. And because you’re in Halong Bay, it’s actually a view worth having. Look at 
that huge bed. Lovely panelling behind. Should I do a bed test? See how comfy it is? It’s quite 
tight, so I have to fairly vault my way on here. That’s quite comfy. There we are. Bed view. Isn’t 
that absolutely sparkling? You can imagine you’re here with us lying on the mattress. Actually, 
that doesn’t sound quite right, but you know what I mean. Dear viewer, are you imagining you’re 
here lying on the mattress looking out Vietnam in the distance, the slight gentle breeze as you look 
out the window, door is open. There. That’s Vietnam right outside there. I tell you what, here we are 
testing out the bed. We haven’t actually seen a bathroom. We can take a look at it. Looking 
rather nice from out here. His and hers. Yes, we got a bathtub. Look at that. It’s not just a 
bathtub, right? Even if you don’t feel like having a shower, you ought to have one. It’s a bath with 
a view, isn’t it? How often in a video do we ever show you bathtub view? Not often. Not often. In 
fact, not. We have never shown that at all. But when you’re in Halong Bay… Look. Look. They’re 
coming back. Oh, the tender’s coming. Apart from the delightful small ship experience you 
get, one of the main reasons you book a sailing around Halong Bay is the ability to drop in on the 
local communities and see the area. The whole of this region is UNESCO heritage rated. You can see 
some amazing caves. They really are worldclass in what you get to see. You also get to go out on 
small little boats as you’re rowed around the inlets and bays. This is quite astonishing and you get 
to see a lot of the local wildlife. Each day you have up to three excursions you can choose from. 
They’re all included in the price. Let me give you a tiny sampler of what we got up to there. We’re 
going to be going on bicycles into some Vietnamese villages to see some, well, village folk see some 
village activity. So, 15 minutes later and we were arriving on shore at the most scenic spot you 
can imagine. Vietnam, right there in front of you. Ready for our journey inland to the village. Well, 
here we go. This is going to be a bit of a laugh. We’re going cycling. 4 km I think we’re going. 
He said five. Five. That’s about four miles. Wow. What a beautiful serene way to spend the 
afternoon. First stop was the village pond for something very, very peculiar. All right, I hear a 
whole load of squealing and giggling here because apparently they’re trying out fish nibbling 
massage. I feel we should dangle our tootsies, dangle our toes in there, and give it a bash. 
I just had a nibble on my feet. Wa! I have to say it’s quite a strange sensation. It’s like 
somebody jabbing you with little needles. Wa! Look at that. Imagine somebody going like that 
with a safety pin into your feet. And there’s about 10 or 15 of them. Look at the thousands 
of them. Look, it’s all very weird. Right now, we’ve had our feet chewed off. Back to the 
bone. We’re going to try some rice wine. Here we go. Look at that choice of rice 
wine. Well, let’s try them all from Oh, what’s in there? It’s a cobra. Cobra rice wine. 
Oh, you have a mouse. Quite mild. Thank you. Strong wine. It’s a very strong wine. Is it? What 
is the alcohol level? But I have to cycle back. I will cycle into the sea. Yeah, it’s okay. 
40% alcohol. Good luck. It’s quite strong, isn’t it? I could light a cigarette with 
this or a bonfire. It’s quite strong. Yep. What happens if you have five of these? You 
there’s sour banana and honey. We had a merry afternoon trying out just about everything on 
the shelf. I can tell you what, it was quite a wobbly ride back to the ship on our bicycles. It’s 
just what you hoped Vietnam promised and indeed delivers on. We particularly excited because 
we realized this was just part of even more activities we could look forward to over the next 
couple of days. We were on the ship for 4 days and over that time we visited so many cute places 
full of atmosphere and intrigue and the cuisine aboard was superb. Some of the best we’ve had. 
All right, we’re off on a voyage of discovery. It’s so photogenic. If you’re fit and able-bodied, 
absolutely do try to do this. Life can be so stressful, and to be able to get away at a 
location such as this, if only for just the briefest moment in time, makes it all worthwhile. 
We had to pinch ourselves that we were there. Vietnam does give you these experiences that 
are worth the long distance travel, worth the planning and preparation to get yourself 
to the other side of the world and see with your own eyes a different way of life. If only we could 
have frozen that moment in time and bottled it up. It’s an astonishing part of the world. It really 
is. There’s no other word for it, astonishing. As you can see, we absolutely love that trip, 
and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. Now, after you finish this episode here, do go and look 
back for that video, that dedicated video we have on that trip around Halong Bay, because we show 
you a lot more than I’ve got time for here. Plus, that video includes details of the company we used 
and a whole load more suggestions. Later on, I’ll give you the links for all of the cruise ships we 
tried out over the past year, so you can easily go and click and watch them. Still to come, we look 
at one of the biggest ships, the flashiest launch of the year, and a launch from a cruise ship we 
were really eager to see. So, a lot still to come in this bumper packed edition. Right, are we ready 
for the next ship? We’re up to ship number four. That’s in the luxury sector. In fact, the ultra 
luxury sector. That’s the top category in the cruise industry. So, let me show you what we tried 
out a few months back. And after this, I’ll tell you all about the ship. This episode, we review 
one of the most highly rated cruise lines ever to sail the seas. Back in the day, it was so popular 
it won best cruise line award 20 years in a row. A record nobody has ever matched before or since. 
If you went with them, it signaled you’d reach the top. And then at their very height, boom, they 
went bust, gone seemingly forever. But just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they’re now back. 
And they claim better and stronger than ever. So, is this true? And are they once again the best? We 
were recently aboard to check everything from top to bottom to see if they can reclaim that title 
and if you should be on there, too. Yeah. So, who is it? Who do we try out? Well, they’re 
called Crystal. May or may not have heard of them, but back in the day, they were pretty much right 
at the top of the cruising pyramid. And at that time they owned everything that floated from 
riverboats sailing through much of the European countryside as well as expedition sea ships 
covering all remote corners of the world. They were so swish they even had their own crystal 
private jet to take you to their ships. They were the luxury allrounder because they had ships for 
all seasons all destinations. But along came the pandemic and hard times hit. But they are back now 
under the travel company Abercrombie and Kent and have been refurbished because the ships are older. 
One of them 25 years old, the other 35 years old. But does the age of the ships matter? Should we 
be worried about it? It was on that basis that we stepped aboard. Are we ready for a bit of crystal? 
Bit of ultra luxury six-star pampering. Look at that. So here we go. for eight nights aboard. 
In some of the cruise reviews we do, it’s all about the ship’s technology or the latest gadgets 
and gimmicks. With Crystal, it’s all about the elegance, the tradition, that return to the golden 
age of cruising. And the moment you get aboard, you really feel it. There’s that sense of luxury 
and calm and serenity. What you also feel is their service, which pops up the second you step aboard, 
as you’re greeted with a glass of champagne and a personalized welcome. The overall atmosphere on 
the ship is indeed refined and very polished. It feels like a private members club at sea. 
There are those glamorous sweeping staircases, high ceilings, and gorgeous chandeliers. You do 
indeed feel like you’re back to how cruising used to be 20 or 30 years ago at its best. And I feel 
they’ve got the ambiance absolutely right. Yes, the ships at Crystal might be older, but what 
many experienced travelers are now seeking is older ships so that you can get this feeling of 
space and comfort. You’re not cheek by jowl. You’re not fighting for a seat because what makes 
cruising relaxing is plenty of choice aboard and venues to chill and watch the world go by in 
comfort. Crystal is an all-inclusive cruise line, which pretty much means everything is included 
in the price. That means it includes your drinks, including alcoholic and non. It includes Wi-Fi, 
all of their specialtity dining at least once. And all suites get a complimentary butler and 
tips and gratuitities are also included. And one other aspect worth emphasizing is that everything 
aboard Crystal is available to all guests. There’s no blocked off areas, no hidden ship within a ship 
that certain other cruise lines are bringing in. So there’s no gated retreats or exclusive areas 
you can’t access. On Crystal, the entire ship is designed to deliver a suite class standard. So that 
does set it apart from many of the competitors who now split their ships into tiers. There is loads 
of choice, a surprising amount given the 600 plus passengers. We thought it might be a bit stayed or 
old-fashioned on Crystal. Not so. The performers were lively and fun. Everything from big band to 
swing, jive, and jazz. And what I think Crystal is brilliant at it is food offerings. And that 
includes right around the ship. They’ll seek you out throughout the evening in various venues. 
Staff will magically appear with trays of goodies. There’s no need for you to move. It’s brought to 
your chair. And they are gourmet offerings. It’s called Ultra Luxury for a reason. And evenings 
here are great fun. What a great show. That was phenomenal, wasn’t it? Let’s go to the piano 
bar. I hear the sound wafting down the corridor. A real old style wood panel section of a ship. We 
while away several hours here enjoying live music, great atmosphere. Those all inclusive drinks 
and nibbles keep coming. It’s a real find on the ship and a lovely observation lounge which 
serve great afternoon teas. We enjoyed that on a couple of occasions. It takes you right back 
to how afternoon tea used to be in these grand old ships. What I think Crystal is really getting 
right on board is their restaurants. Now, there are some other cruise lines out there that claim 
to have the finest cuisine at sea. Looking at you, Oceania, but does it? In fact, coming up later 
in this video, we do cruise with Oceania, so I’ll be able to verify whether it’s true or not. 
They’re claimed to be the finest at sea. Hold on for that. It’s coming up in a few minutes. But I 
tell you what, I think Crystal does have a superb claim to be the best cuisine at sea. What we had 
on board was astonishingly good across all of their outlets, including their main dining room, 
which is called the Waterside. Because main dining rooms these days on several other cruise lines, 
is going downhill in quality. Why? Because the cruise lines want to sell you their specialtity 
package. No issue here, as all of the restaurants on Crystal are included in the fare price, and the 
cuisine in them is equally good. In fact, I would venture to say that the food we had in Crystal’s 
main dining room is as good, if not better, than other people give in their expensive speciality. 
Various outlets aboard include Umi Uma by Nobu. That’s a very famous chain of Japanese and 
Peruvian fusion fare. Crystal is the only cruise company at sea that has a Nobu. Likewise, 
they have their beef bar, which is a steakhouse. This is a Monte Carlo based chain that’s also on 
the ship. We had some really good offerings here. And their final specialtity is Italian Osteria D’Ovidio. This is new to their ships and I reckon is an absolute standout. The cuisine is superb. I 
can’t recommend it more highly. Every spoonful in here is a surprise. After this, do watch our 
dedicated video. In fact, we have two videos on Crystal where we go through the whole ship, 
including the cabins and the other facilities. So, what do we think of Crystal? Can we recommend it? 
Absolutely. It was one of our highlight cruises for the year. They do know how to pamper you. 
And the ships, despite being older, still look good for their age. Some people actually prefer 
the look and feel of these older, more classic types of ship that Crystal has and don’t want 
it to be new and gleaming. But to counter this hesitation that their ships are older, Crystal 
has recently announced they’re coming out with some brand new builds. A couple of them in fact, 
and the first will be landing in 2 years time, and it’s called the Crystal Grace. Totally new, brand 
new. They hope that these new ships will appease those holding off from booking Crystal because 
their ships aren’t new. Now, don’t get me wrong, it is expensive, very expensive to travel with 
Crystal as it is with any of these ultra luxury cruise lines. In our two dedicated videos, we 
will go through the pros and cons and who we feel Crystal is suited to. Right, are we ready 
for the next ship? were up to ship number five. And it was with Princess and their brand 
new ship, the Star Princess. Let’s see how that went. This episode, we review one 
of the newest cruise ships in the world, the Star Princess. With a soaring glass sphere 
that sparkles and shimmers in the light, and a dome that’s so pretty, it almost takes your breath 
away. It’s been built to impress and totally dazzle you. Its pools and terraces seem to float 
above the sea. It’s all laden with features and attention grabbers. We just came back from seven 
nights aboard within days of its maiden voyage, and we’re going to take you right to the heart of 
the ship, so you can imagine what it would be like to be there. We’ll uncover the spaces that may 
surprise and intrigue you. But behind all of this, underneath that sparkle, lies the big question. Is 
it a success? Is it really the modern allrounder ship that we’ve all been waiting for? 
The future of cruising? Let’s find out. So, Princess are going bigger with their 
new ships. Much bigger. The Star Princess caters for up to 4,500 passengers. That is almost 
double the number of their traditional ships. So, it’s a big difference. Having now sailed in it, 
I think there are five things we liked and two we very much didn’t like. Let’s tell you how our 
sailing was. Star Princess is the second in what they call their sphere class. So cool because of 
this big bulging bubble on the side. Looks a bit like a goldfish bowl. It contains their atrium 
and several venues in the center of the ship. Show you more in a moment. But straight off before 
you get aboard, one of the five aspects we do like is the medallion. This you keep upon you. You can 
wear it like a watch. It’s a smart device. Rather than carrying a key card, this keeps track of your 
movements and location. It sounds a bit like big brother, but it does have its uses. First of all, 
family members know where each other is. No need to endlessly track each other down or find your 
lost group members. It also can have your drinks or food delivered right to you no matter where 
you are around the ship because the staff can locate you. As a proximity reader, it also lets you 
in your cabin and it opens up magically before you get there. No fumbling for keys or cards. It just 
opens up the door for you. Personally, I like the Medallion and I’m surprised other cruise lines 
haven’t emulated it or copied it. Virgin has done a little bit, but it’s not as smart or as 
clever. Now, one of the criticisms of the ship, or it could be praised depending which side of 
the divide you are on, is the look of it. It’s much more modern. Walking through the ship 
for the first time, particularly at night, it catches you rather by surprise. You look at it 
and almost do a double take. Is this a Princess ship? It’s a lot more modern than Princess of Old, 
isn’t it? The next aspect that strikes you is the scale and size of the ship. much bigger than 
any princess before with huge LED panels from floor to ceiling. And it carries on outside as 
much as in. Here is a quick glimpse of the Dome, one of the standout features of the sphere 
class with a huge waterfall coming from the ceiling. Bright rainbow colors. Another part of 
the ship that has been updated is the theater. Interestingly, this stage is designed to move 
and transform. It lifts, tilts, and even rotates. This was their pirate style stage show that’s 
called Meridian, complete with fire to singe the eyebrows right off the nearest spectator. So, 
Princess is trying to liven up their theatre acts, just a bit. It’s a 900 seat venue. It sounds a lot, 
but not really. With 4,500 passengers aboard, you’ve got to get there early and grab a seat. 
Now, what about the outside of the ship? It’s a spacious facility and generally the pools are big 
enough and for once it has sufficient hot tubs all around the ship. I lost count on the Star Princess 
how many there are dotted around on multiple levels of the ship, front, middle, and back. An 
outdoor section that we really enjoyed was the aft at the back of the ship with additional 
pool and relaxation areas. I tell you what, it’s a bit of a secret here. A lot of people 
had no idea this even existed and went almost the entire cruise without ever finding it because 
it is a bit hidden away. You need to go up a bit, down a bit, round a bit just to get there. And 
you’ll find an infinity pool. You do feel a bit like you’re a piranha dangling out the back of the 
ship. It’s a great spot. One of our favorite parts of the ship. Now, one of the real highlights of 
the Star Princess, the one that gets a lot of PR, a lot of media buzz and attention, is the Dome. To 
us, this is one of the real talking points of the ship. One of those signature spaces that really 
define both the Sun Princess and this her sister, the Star Princess is a little bit 
futuristic, a bit space age. Now, heading inside, and I think this is where it does 
become a little bit special. It’s part solarium, part entertainment lounge. It’s one of the most 
photographed spaces on board. You’ve got loungers, a small pool to one side, and a calm spa-like 
feeling that’s almost a bit zen, and some of the most comfortable seating on the ship. And when 
the sun goes down, that’s when it really delights. Walking in, lights lead the way. The whole space 
transforms into an immersive entertainment venue with live music, lighting effects, and projections 
that dance across that curved glass. Walking up, it’s like a viewing platform, a stadium. The 
Dome becomes this glowing multicolored crystal at the top of the ship. It’s bold, it’s 
futuristic, and whilst we were on board, they hosted what they call the candle lit 
evenings, which are intimate live performances with singers and musicians. It feels like a 
Christmas globe. Immersive, almost magical. For us, the Dome is a real showstopper. It’s 
atmospheric, it’s pretty and almost unique as a facility at sea. This, Princess has got 
absolutely right. We loved it in here. What else do we like about the Star Princess? 
Well, the flow of the ship. We do feel it’s been well laid out. It handles the numbers well. The 
buffet actually we feel is well designed and the food is not bad either. The selection was pretty 
good for this price point with a wide range of offerings. It’s not the best at sea, but it’s 
certainly not the worst. We have no complaints at all and the opening hours are reasonably 
generous. I tell you what was also excellent was the quick service food counters, especially 
the Detroit pizza and the burgers. They became almost irresistible. Well, my wife, who normally 
has ironclad resistance to fast food, couldn’t get enough of it. Service throughout the ship is 
also great. Staff were willing and friendly. So, what didn’t we like about the Star Princess? 
Well, there are two major aspects that we really didn’t enjoy and I mention them so you can 
decide if it’s relevant to you or not. First up, we’re talking about the central atrium, what 
they call the piazza. Princess have decided very much to make this an entertainment zone. They’ve 
even got bleacher style benches all around it on three levels. This means that at various times of 
the day, it is loud in here. And some of the most iconic, some of the most well-known Princess bars 
and lounges linked directly off this atrium such as Bellinis and Crooners. Both are beautifully 
decorated if it wasn’t for blaring music and activities right there in the atrium. On multiple 
occasions, we gave up trying to have a relaxing drink, a pleasant time, couldn’t even have a 
chat on some occasions because of that noisy atrium. And it’s such a shame. And that piazza is 
directly responsible for the second aspect that we had a problem with and that was our cabin. We had 
booked a cove balcony. This is what it is. It’s a bit like a sheltered balcony and it happened to 
be located near the center of the ship. Here it is in the same vicinity of that noisy atrium, this 
big glass bubble. But after a couple of nights of noisy discos, noisy music, noisy activities 
there. Those events were going into the early hours. My wife said she’d had enough. She went 
off to guest relations at 1:00 a.m. and said, “Is there any available cabin, any other 
cabin further away? We’d even take a downgrade if necessary. Anything to get away from that 
noise, the sphere, it acts like a beating drum.” Thankfully, the staff were very understanding and 
we did manage to get a cabin further away. Lucky the ship wasn’t full. So, if I was asked to give 
any advice whatsoever, it is to check the location of your cabin very carefully. And I, if it was 
me, would not pick a cabin clustered around that central atrium. I can’t guarantee the issue would 
be the same for you. This is how it was for us. Incidentally, shortly we will be bringing out 
a comparison video comparing all of the premium class of ships out there in the market. That 
covers the lines, five of them, Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, Cunard, and Virgin because 
we have tested all five of these premium class cruise lines in the past year. In that video, 
I will go through all the good and bad points of each and give you some of our thoughts on what 
makes the best overall package. So, Star Princess, our overall verdict. Do we recommend it? Well, 
I’d say by and large, yes. It has got many things right. Right. Two more ships, the final two ships 
to show you of our cruising year. And you haven’t seen either of these two yet. We haven’t released 
any of our review videos because we’ve literally just got off them. So, you’re seeing this hot off 
the press. In fact, you’re seeing a early preview, an early release. Nobody else has seen these. 
And they’re two totally different types of ship. Right. Let’s show you the first of these 
two. And it is an absolute whopper. One of the largest ships in the world. And it’s 
from MSC and their ship, the World America. Here it is. Absolutely ginormous. And you might be 
thinking, hold on a minute. We swore blind never to go on MSC again. That is absolutely true. Cuz 
two years ago when we last went on an MSC cruise, we pretty much hated it and swore blind never to 
go on MSC again because that trip was chaotic. It was frustrating and anything but enjoyable. Yet 
here we are again on one of their ships. Why? Remind me. Why are we doing this again? Yes, I 
can see your fair running onto this ship with excitement. Why? Well, because the PR department 
promised a totally different experience, an upgraded experience, and their marketing blitz 
promised all sorts of facilities, fun and games, frolics, plenty of theme park attractions, bright 
lights, shows, and food galore. But would any of it be any good at all? The ship is almost 
brand new, less than 6 months old. So, off we went to Miami for a seven night cruise around the 
Caribbean to find out. As soon as you step on it, there are two things that catch you. First of all, 
it’s large, huge. Secondly, it’s a bit like their version of several Royal Caribbean ships. Inside 
though, it is pure MSC. Plenty of big sparkling lights. The center of the ship has lots of bling, 
silver reflective surfaces, and their trademark ceilings, which can project anything from the 
ocean floor to a spaceship circling the moon. It’s their statement section. This is unmistakably 
their look. Likewise, outside on the aft, the promenade deck. You may have seen this on 
several other ships. It has neon everywhere. But pull yourself away from the bright lights, and 
the ship designers have come up with some really nice sections. Some very well done crafted bars 
with different themes. There’s a mixology bar, an onboard brewery, which is concocting both beer 
and gin with an accompanying gin room, which is nicely themed with period bottles and props. It’s 
a bit like stepping into a Victorian apothecary. This new ship has also been Americanized to a 
certain extent as it’s homeport in Miami. So, there’s a sports bar and this was one of the most 
popular hangouts during our sailing. There’s also a duelling pianos lounge which doubles up as a 
comedy club as well as a karaoke hall where anyone can come and entertain us. I hate myself for 
you. There are the usual kid zones, bumper cars, and no end of areas to play in, including right 
at the top of the ship, the theme park zone. This is where the daredevil in you can come out. And 
there’s a huge swing. Here it is. It’s called the cliffhanger, and it literally dangles you, swings 
you out to sea. Are you itching to go on this one? Are you jumping out of your chair saying me? 
There’s also an assault course up high as well as some flumes which seem to be beckoning me 
in. Most of these I did try such as this one. I felt all psychedelic in the 
‘ 70s. I was almost tripping and grooving my way down. And it is 
quite a long ride. Very psychedelic. There’s also the Jaw Drop which we 
both tried. You hurtle down several floors to the bottom. Are you ready? Yeah. 
Ready? Shall I see? Three, two, one, go. In our full review video, I’ll show 
you inside the Jaw Drop and how it feels to plummet nine stories. So, 
watch out for that upcoming video. So, how were the cabins? Well, for that 
sailing, we were booked into one of their infinite verandas. You know the type. You also 
see them on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, where you don’t have a balcony, but you have a 
big window in its place. My wife quite likes them as the space where the balcony would have been 
is now inside, making the cabin bigger. I have to say the cabin does look smart. Looks premium 
almost. Higher grade than you might expect on MSC. It’s a nice looking cabin, isn’t it? Yeah. I 
think it’s been done very well, actually. Got that nice I think this slightly upmarket feel, 
would you say? This is quite unique. It has a divider and you can put a lot of things on it 
because if you know what is sometimes missing in a cabin is storage, you know, things to put 
your pens and papers and and iPads and things that you want out of the way. Ah, how about the 
food? Well, we tried both their speciality as well as the main dining room. Both were actually quite 
satisfactory. I would say middle ranking. Again, bearing in mind the price point. They were very 
acceptable. Not the best at sea, but you get what you’re paying for. I tell you what is good on 
board, and that’s the entertainment. There are in effect two main performance venues on the 
ship. There’s the main theater and then what they confusingly call the Panorama Lounge, which 
is actually a very impressive mini concert hall with fabulous seating and great sounds and visuals 
with immersive screens. And throughout the cruise, they put on some of the best shows we’ve attended 
to at sea. I kid you not. Yes, MSC might have some issues that we really don’t agree with. 
So, we do want to give them full credit for these performances. They were astonishingly good. 
But the flip side, as ever with MSC, with almost 7,000 people aboard chasing these shows, less 
than 5% or 10% will ever get to witness them because of seating capacity. So, it is vital to 
book the shows the moment you get aboard. That is job number one. Now, let’s take a look at what we 
didn’t like. First off, the sheer numbers aboard. There’s a peak capacity of 6,700. That’s a huge 
number, and it shows when you use the principal parts of the ship, especially so in places like the pools
It’s Bay Watch. Rammed! Okay, let’s see if we can find a spot outside. No matter what others might 
tell you, it can and does get packed. Most days, you couldn’t get near a recliner, a lounger, or a 
chair. Now, I know having a jammed pool area isn’t unique to MSC. Several other cruise lines also 
have pool areas that look like this. But if you’re asking, has MSC World America solved this problem? 
No, it has not. The entire week, we almost never got to use this section because we refused to 
go there at 6:00 a.m. and illegally block off seating. Now, there are other pool areas. Here is 
the adults only section at the back. It’s supposed to alleviate the congestion problem to solve the 
overcapacity. Sadly, it doesn’t because both these two adult pools are too small. Nowhere near enough 
to make a dent in the problem. Okay. Now, there’s quite a lot of observations as you walk around 
the ship. Firstly, here at the back at the Aft, you’ve got two pools. This is the Zenpool area, 
which is adults only. So far, so good. Problem is that they’re really very small, you’ve 
got 6,500 passengers, 6,800 passengers, two relatively small pools. It’s like corks floating 
around. Trust me, those get seriously jammed. Now, because we’re just giving you a sneak preview, 
those two full review videos haven’t yet come out. They will be shortly. It will go through the whole 
gamut of issues we found with MSC. Some parts we really like. Don’t get me wrong. We’re not here 
to slam MSC. Some parts of World America we liked, others less so. And that review video will go 
through the good and bad points so that you can make your decision and decide whether you 
think World America is for you. Incidentally, in that second video, what we call the cruise 
diary, I will show you MSC’s private island in the Bahamas. It’s called Ocean Cay. It is a 
stunner. We’ll show you around it. The video also shows you some of the exploits we got up to, such 
as ziplining through the jungles of Honduras. for purposes of clarity and avoidance of doubt: can I 
just point out this is very very very very high. I can fully recommend that, as you fly through 
the treetops. You might need a rum or two for Dutch courage before you fling yourself 
off the top. Here’s me getting an absolute adrenaline rush. And guess what? Just as you 
get to the bottom, to add to the surprise, a local on a horseback gallops out of nowhere, 
takes you to the end. I’ve never seen that before. Watch out for this video. So, at this 
juncture, what’s our verdict on MSC? Well, it’s unbeatable on price. If you haven’t 
got a huge budget, it is one of the best, if not the best budget option, better than 
some of the other alternatives out there. Okay, let’s look at number seven. The final 
ship we went on over the past year, and it’s a luxury option for those who are looking for a 
little bit of pampering, and it’s from Oceania. So, this is very much an upmarket product. 
Oceania have been around for quite a few years. Up until recently, their ships were quite 
old, many from the defunct Renaissance line and their R class ships. But loyal customers were 
delighted to hear that there were going to be some brand new ships coming in the Vista class. 
The first of these was launched. That was in May 2023 and immediately received positive comments. 
Then this year, just recently, the sister ship in this Vista class, the Allura, was launched. This 
is the one we’ve been going on, the one we’ve just tried. It’s only been out a couple of months. The 
paint is still fresh. It has a capacity of just 1,200. So Oceania is in this luxury sector. Its 
competitors will be the likes of Azamara, Viking, Windstar, and Explora journeys. So let’s take you 
aboard. Remember, the full review video hasn’t even come out yet, so I’m giving you a sneak 
preview. Let’s take you aboard so you can see how it went for us on the Allura. Here we go as we 
depart from Miami for the voyage to the Caribbean and back. Miami is always such a dramatic port to 
sail out of. Loads to see the highrises and those beaches. You get unbelievably close up. I tell you 
what, if you’re a ship watcher, just set up camp on the beach from 4:00 onwards in the afternoon. 
You can watch 6, 8, 10 cruise ships sweep by you in succession. Straight away, you can see the Allura 
has quite an up market look. I feel the pool area is one of the prettiest out there. It has 
gorgeous lines and during the day you can see it all better. I think it looks great. Beautifully 
laid out with a lot of space. And this is what a luxury price tag brings you. We often get asked 
what is the major reason you might want to pay for luxury because the equation is this: Luxury 
equals space. There’s far less people for the given ship size. On our Oceania cruise, we barely 
felt congested, rarely felt jostled or lacking in space. This pool area might look small, but it’s 
not. And we never had a problem getting a lounger or a seat or a table. That’s rare on a cruise ship 
these days. These pools on these Vista class ships are a huge plus point. They’ve got it right. Let’s 
head inside. And it does feel quite sophisticated when you’re there to see it in person. It’s a bit 
like stepping onto Regent to a certain extent. This is a ship designed for those who like 
things a little bit calm, elegant with a strong focus on comfort. From the moment you get 
on board, it does feel quite grown up, polished, and unmistakably Oceania. It’s an overall layout 
which encourages you to wander rather than rush around like the more hectic ships. Let’s 
take a quick look at the cabin we were in, which was a concierge grade balcony. It was 
furnished in contemporary style, and we liked it. The bed was comfortable, though we did have some 
issues, and I’ll also explain that, but the linens were soft and good. The bathroom also was very 
well thought out and reasonably spacious with a decent sized shower area. The balcony also has 
to be commended for the space it has, more than enough for a recliner, two chairs, and a table. 
And on a couple of occasions, we ordered afternoon and evening snacks out there from room service 
and had a very nice mezze platter delivered. Now, because our cabin was a Concierge Grade, we 
did get access to a spa pool deck with a private terrace and also thelasso pool and hot tubs. In our 
full review video, I’ll go through the various cabin grades and the perks you get for each so 
you can decide whether you might want to pay up for this type of upgrade. Now, what about the 
food? What have we got to say about that? Well, quite a lot really because Oceania has it’s self-created
slogan of the Finest Cuisine at Sea. Now, in our full review video, we will take you through 
every single dining outlet aboard. There are four specialtity, including the much vaulned Jacques. 
That’s the French outlet. Now, for us, that was excellent. There’s also an Italian, a steakhouse, 
and an Asian, too. Those also were very good. We also really like what’s called the Baristas, 
the coffee house. We love that. Fantastic view out all around. Some delightful pastries. And 
there’s the main dining room or what Oceania call the Grand Dining Room. Here it is. It’s a 
really very pretty space on the ship. In fact, I think it’s one of the prettiest main dining 
rooms at sea at the moment. It has a Raffles Hotel in Singapore type of feel to it if you’ve 
been there. It’s like the naval equivalent of the raffles. There’s also a culinary center that you 
can sign up for. It’s an optional extra, but it was extremely popular during our sailing. Oceania 
also serves an afternoon tea, usually to the accompaniment of a string quartet. And the trolleys 
come swishing around the corner, laden with any number of tempting and forbidden desserts, 
tarts, and savories. There’s no point resisting. The only reason you came here was to eat in 
the first place. Just give in and go with the flow Now, did we enjoy our time aboard Oceania
and the Allura? Absolutely, yes, we did. In fact, my wife said it was one of our favorite cruises 
of the year. So, in answer to that question, absolutely did enjoy it. Was it perfect? Was it 
flawless? No. Absolutely it wasn’t. In that review video, we’ll cover both sides of the coin. That 
cruise we did go to some great port destinations including to Roatan where we went to a gorgeous 
animal sanctuary. They had a marvellous collection of animals. We had a fantastic time there and 
particularly with the sloths. It’s not often you can get up close to them and here you really 
can. It was one of the highlights of the trip and we’ll show you a lot more of the port destinations 
we went to with Oceania when that upcoming cruise diary is released. Incidentally, there are a lot 
of new ships being launched in 2026. Some really interesting sounding ones. And the very next 
video to be released on our channel on Ritzy Travel Guide will be our annual look at all of the 
new ships being launched in 2026. I’ve got all the inside scoop and information for you, highlighting 
which ones pique our interest. So, in conclusion to this particular video, which of the seven ships 
we went on in the past 12 months did we most enjoy would we most recommend to you? Well, it depends 
who you ask. If you ask me or my wife? First off, my wife, what she liked: in fact, she had two. 
The last one just mentioned Oceania. She felt that really suited her. She also liked the 
Christmas cruise with Cunard and the Queen Anne because you get a warm fuzzy feeling when you go 
on a beautifully decorated ship at a festive time of the year. As for me, I think there were three 
ships on this list which really hit the mark. First off, Crystal, I do love that experience and 
their service. My wife felt it was a bit quiet, but I really love the cuisine. For me, that 
is the finest cuisine at sea out of any of the cruise lines. I too enjoyed Cunard Christmas. It 
put such a smile on our face. We were there with the entire family. It was a very memorable time 
and I think you would enjoy a festive Christmas on a traditional cruise line as well. I also enjoyed 
that Asian trip in Vietnam. It was such a fun trip because after we got off that cruise, we went to 
an elephant sanctuary for a landbased tour that’s right in the jungle. And on that we slept amongst 
the elephants and fed them breakfast as well as bathing them. This is a separate video that’s 
also on our channel you can watch where you can see what it’s like to go deep into the jungle in 
Asia. Now having finished this, please do go off and watch all the relevant indepth reviews for 
these seven ships. Here are all the thumbnails. You’ll find them on our channel. There’s a huge 
amount of information in there for you. I will also leave the direct links in the description 
box below. As I record this, it’s coming up to the end of the year. Could I take the opportunity 
to wish you all a happy and merry Christmas and a fabulous new year! It’s been wonderful having you 
with us on the Ritzy Travel Guide throughout this year. 2026, we have so much planned to share 
with you here on the Ritzy Travel Guide. Do continue to join us for that. We do so much love 
having you with us. Our new video for those maiden launches of the new cruise ships in 2026 will 
be out very shortly. If it’s already available, you can see it here. If not, wait just a couple 
of weeks and it will be there. And we have several other videos on our channel you can watch now. 
And we’ll see you in one of these right now.

$700 vs. $8,000: We Rate 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.

————————————————-

Contact us, and FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:

Email : ritzytravelguide@gmail.com
https://www.instagram.com/ritzytravelguide/