The Talk Travel cruise quiz

Which cruise line is right for you?

Answer 10 quick questions about how you actually like to vacation, and get matched with the cruise line that fits you best, plus two runners-up and the honest tradeoffs to know before you book.

There are no wrong answers, only the wrong ship.

10 questions · About 2 minutes · No email needed

Looking along the side of a cruise ship at sea, past rows of balconies and blue waterslides to a white wake on the open ocean
How it works

How the quiz finds your cruise match

Every cruise line has a personality. Some are family theme parks, some are party ships, some are quiet floating country clubs. The trick is matching the line to your personality, not just the price.

This quiz compares 14 major ocean cruise lines on the same set of criteria: who they're built for, entertainment, nightlife, food, dining flexibility, peace and quiet, time in port, enrichment, luxury, what's included, ship size, price and the regions they sail best.

  • Dealbreakers come first. Traveling with kids? Adults-only lines are off the table. Want the lowest price, or hate big crowds? The lines that can't deliver are left out.
  • Your answers are weighted. Your number one priority and your budget count the most, so a great match on what matters to you beats a pile of features you'll never use.
  • Close calls are explained. If two lines finish neck and neck, the results tell you why one edged ahead, so you can compare both.

It's a smart starting point, not a scientific personality test. Ship class, itinerary and season can change the experience a lot, which is exactly where a travel advisor who knows these lines comes in.

The cruise lines we compare

  • Carnival Cruise Line
  • Celebrity Cruises
  • Cunard
  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Explora Journeys
  • Holland America Line
  • MSC Cruises
  • Norwegian Cruise Line
  • Oceania Cruises
  • Princess Cruises
  • Royal Caribbean International
  • Silversea Cruises
  • Viking Ocean Cruises
  • Virgin Voyages

A note on fairness

Samantha and her Fabulous Adventures teammate Kelly Roma have been named Top 10 Virgin Voyages First Mates four years in a row, so yes, we know Virgin inside and out. But this doesn't mean this quiz plays favorites. No line gets a bonus, and every line is scored with the same rules.

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