Ship reviews
Long-form, structured reviews of the ships the editorial team has actually sailed. Each review includes a category-by-category rating breakdown and a clear who-should-book / who-should-skip verdict.
Carnival Celebration — An Honest Look at Excel-Class Value
Carnival's newest flagship delivers more than the brand's reputation suggests — but a few rough edges remain in the buffet and embarkation flow.
Icon of the Seas — Yes, the Largest Ship Actually Works
Sensory overload would be the natural expectation. Instead, Royal Caribbean's neighborhood concept genuinely delivers a 7,600-passenger ship that doesn't feel like one.
Norwegian Prima — The Design Bet Paid Off
Smaller than the Oasis and Excel megaships and better for it. The Prima is the most design-forward Norwegian build to date.
Disney Wish — The Premium Tax and What It Buys
The Wish prices like a small Mediterranean apartment for a week. The cruise that arrives is, by most measures, the strongest family ship at sea.
Celebrity Ascent — Grown-Up Cruising Done Right
The fourth Edge-series ship doubles down on the formula — design-forward spaces, the leading main dining in the segment, and a confidently quiet evening pace.
MSC Seascape Yacht Club — The The Suite Bargain at Sea
The Yacht Club ship-within-a-ship concept delivers a near-Seabourn experience at half the price. Outside the Yacht Club, the value calculus changes.
Wonder of the Seas — Oasis-Class Near Perfection
The fifth and final Oasis-class refinement adds a dedicated Suite Neighborhood and the line's strongest production show lineup. The ceiling is real.
Norwegian Encore — Go-Karts, Haven, and Everything After
The last Breakaway Plus ship has aged gracefully. Six years in, the Encore is one of Norwegian's most consistent value picks.
Carnival Mardi Gras — The Original Excel Still Holds Up
Five years after launch, the original Excel-class ship still feels like the most ambitious thing Carnival has ever built. A few of those ambitions paid off; one or two didn't.
Disney Fantasy — The Rotational Dining Still Wins
Thirteen years after launch, the Fantasy is showing a few signs of age but the core experience — and the rotational dining concept — is as strong as ever.