Best and worst cruise lines

Our ocean cruise ratings reveal a huge difference in the quality of the cruise experience, so it always pays to do your research before booking – for 2023 or beyond.

Our results are driven by thousands of cruise-line guests rating their experience of the facilities onboard – the cabin, food and drink and customer service – so you can avoid queuing for the restaurant every morning, or being ripped off over tips. 

From luxury small-ship cruises to big-name brands with full entertainment and leisure facilities, we know from guests that the cruise lines rated top are always those that have the best passenger-to-space ratio on board — and it's just as important as cruise lines continue to recover from the pandemic. See the full results below to find out which cruise lines provide enough room, and which ones pack you in like sardines. 

For the first time, we asked about your experiences if you needed any medical treatment while on board, and how much it cost. You told us that doctors and nurses were generally good, but you often had to cough up hundreds for a consultation and medication. Comprehensive travel insurance will cover these fees – make sure you’re fully covered for Covid-related travel disruption as well.

Find out how to get the best cruise deals.

The best ocean cruise lines

It’s no coincidence that this year’s top-rated ocean cruise companies are all-inclusive. Some brands lure you in with a low headline price, but then slap on costly extras – for drinks, meals, excursions and service charges – once you’re on board. 

Noble Caledonia, Viking and Saga, which include everything from wi-fi to excursions in the headline fare, were among the top-ranking brands. Tui’s highly rated cruise line, Marella, has a low average price per night, which includes drinks and tips. No wonder customers think its cruises are great value.

Read the full reviews for Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs) Noble Caledonia, Viking, Marella and Saga.

Ocean cruise lines rated

In the table below, we show the latest results from our survey of Which? members.

What makes a Which? Recommended Provider? Cruise line

Which? Recommended Providers (WRPs) are the cream of the crop and, as a minimum, we only consider giving the accolade to cruise lines with the highest customer scores.

That’s not all. We know that pricing transparency is important, so we only make a company a WRP if it provides clear information about gratuities, excursions and drinks at the booking stage. After all, it's hard for customers to compare prices if they can't find these details before parting with their cash. This year, WRP was withheld from Seabourn and Oceania due to lack of clarity on tipping and drinks costs.

All our Which? Recommended Providers also scored at least four out of five stars for both customer service and that all important passenger-to-space ratio.

Which? is independent. You can be sure that our recommendations are influenced only by our survey results and policy analysis. We're not influenced by third parties and we don't accept freebies from product manufacturers, retailers, or providers.