World of Travel: My Personal Cruise Rating System: 10 Areas to Judge

Rating cruise ships is tough to do because the reader always wants a comparison to a ship they are familiar with. However, very few travelers have sailed on every ship at sea so there's often no way to offer apple-to-apple comparisons.

I've been lucky enough to sail with many cruise lines, including American Safari Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, NCLA (Hawaii with an American crew), NCL, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, SeaDream Yacht Club, Windstar Cruises, and the Yachts of Seabourn.

Even with all those sailings under my belt though, it's still not easy to draft a comprehensive review that explains just why I loved one experience and not another. So, while I was thinking about that, I drafted a list of general things I prefer when cruising. Sharing this list may give you the baseline from which I judge all the voyages I discuss here at Luxury Cruise Bible.

My Personal Cruise Rating System: 10 Areas to Judge

Ship Size & Design
I intrinsically prefer small ships (under 200 passengers) but I have enjoyed the experience aboard much larger vessels. In those cases, ship design is very important.
Uncompromising Service
In my opinion, excellent service should never be effusive or overwrought. I embrace friendly and consistent attention from the crew.
Relaxed Atmosphere / No Formal Nights
Some cruisers will totally disagree with me on this one: I don't care for formal nights so I give higher marks to ships with a more relaxed dress code. Country club casual works for me.
Cuisine
Inventive menus and variety are very important to me. Catering to special diets (gluten-free, sugar-free, etc.) also means a lot. There should be plenty of salads available at lunch, desserts must be exquisite, and the cheese board selection should be enticing.
Provisions
A chef can only do so much with the provisions he or she receives. I place special emphasis on the quality of provisions (food and wine) a ship receives.
Open Seating
Open seating gets the nod because I like the freedom of deciding when I dine and with whom.
Passenger Demographics
I love meeting people from all over the world so I appreciate a ship that caters to foreign travelers.
Unusual Shore Excursions
Exciting and educational shore excursions can set a cruise line apart from its competitors. Lines offering interesting and unusual land components get a high five.
Internet Access
In this day and age, there is no reason for poor and/or expensive Internet service aboard a cruise ship (especially if the vessel is new).
Cruise Fare
"Would I pay more for the next cruise on this ship than I did this time around?" It's a question I ask every time I disembark a ship and the answer cuts through all of the above points. Will I put my money where my mouth is?