Sailing away on a cruise — whether docking in the tropics of The Bahamas or the chillier abode of Alaska — is one of the best vacations you can opt for.

Why, you may ask? From my experience, the all-inclusive nature of cruises allows you to generally save money on a la carte travel expenses — like food, checking luggage and other forms of entertainment — and they’re the type of vacation I always look forward to. That’s right, nearly everything you can hope for or want is already on board.

Since I was a young girl, my family and I sailed on a family cruise annually. The process of handing over my boarding pass and packing for a seven-day getaway is second nature to me (and yes, I can tell you everything you’ll need to know about attending the Broadway-style productions, beating the buffet lines and dressing up for the lido deck’s White Hot Party).

Since my first toot-toot cruising adventure, I’ve experienced the following major lines: Carnival, Celebrity, NCL and Royal Caribbean. Plus, I will be embarking on my first Princess Cruise in April 2024 to California, Oregon and parts of Canada for its 7-Day Pacific Wine Country itinerary.

“The biggest perk that attracts people to cruising is the value,” Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic, told the New York Post. “To be able to travel for less than $100 per person, per day, and have your lodging, meals and entertainment all included in the cost is incredibly enticing. Even cruises that come at a higher cost – say, river or luxury cruises – tend to have strong value. In addition to the expected inclusions, those lines will often include things like alcoholic beverages, shore excursions and sometimes even airfare and transfers.”

As you’re gearing up to book your next year’s vacation, I’ve put together the all-in-one cruise review, chockfull of notes on what each major line is virtually known for (some with a more dazzling reputation for world-class dining, with others more of a favorite for family trips with younger children).

Additionally, I interviewed a team of travel agents to ask all the questions in the in-depth FAQ section following this review: when to book, navigating the ship when you’re on board, what to know as a first-time cruiser, what to pack and more.

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Best Cruise Line for Families We Reviewed

NCL

How many times I’ve sailed on this cruise line: 9

Where I’ve traveled to, collectively: Florida, The Bahamas, Bermuda

Food / dining rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Entertainment rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

An overview of NCL

As the most frequent cruise line on which I’ve sailed, NCL holds some of my fondest cruise memories. I’ve always traveled with my immediate family — my parents, my sister and my brother — and have also sailed with aunts, uncles and cousins on the same line throughout the years. In short, there’s something for every age.

I’ve sailed on NCL in 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 — practically every year growing up before we began our brief family cruise hiatus to vacation on the Jersey Shore. As for itineraries, we’ve rotated The Bahamas and Bermuda every so often as our embarkation port has always been New York and we never grew tired of the seven-day activities and destinations.

“Norwegian Cruise Line is known for its relaxed Freestyle cruising,” Ilana Schattaeur, content creator behind Life Well Cruised, a popular website and YouTube channel that shares cruise travel tips with both new and avid cruisers, told The Post. “There are no dress codes or set dining times, which appeals to those who enjoy setting their own pace. NCL has some of the best entertainment at sea, with great shows, live music and entertainers.”

While all cruise ships are different, NCL has some jaw-dropping features on some cruise ships as well.

The clientele and entertainment

Compared to other cruise lines I’ve sailed on, NCL tends to have way more children on board. If that doesn’t appeal to your idea of a vacation, Carnival has the closest experience to NCL from what I’ve experienced; Royal Caribbean has the same amount of children onboard, more or less, while Celebrity is about 90% adult (but more on that below).

My family and I have always enjoyed the entertainment aboard NCL — so much so that we’ve recognized when some other cruise lines have fallen short or provided different experiences. On NCL, you can expect a Broadway-style production every night in the main theater, complete with professional dancers, vocalists, performers, magicians, musicians, and the like. Your cruise director will likely double as a game show host on some nights during the cruise’s version of The Newlywed Game and a “Dancing with the Stars” style competition in one of the lounge areas.

NCL also hosts live jazz and Latin performances in some of the lobbies during the daytime. These are nice to sit down and watch if you’re not dining or relaxing on the deck. Plus, trivia games happen here, and there’s typically a nice prize at the end for serious players who started attending from day one.

Of course, you’re bound to be entertained by NCL’s casino on board. For all cruises — not only NCL — you can expect the hours to change or come to a halt when each ship is docked in port (side note: this is because of each port’s gambling laws; the cruise has to be a few knots away from port to resume operation). While I never cruised on NCL when I was at least 21 years old, this was a family hotspot for some of my family members who enjoy playing Blackjack or the slot machines (or my mom, who has a lucky penny machine).

The food and dining

Real talk — I’m Italian, so my family speaks about food (1) highly and (2) often. If NCL didn’t offer good food, we wouldn’t have sailed on it year after year. However, we were pleased with not only the food in the main dining rooms but also the service. Typically, there’s a small team of about four or five waiters who will serve your particular table each night, so you develop a nice relationship and banter with each of them during your vacation. Overall, it’s a nice touch, and we’ve always felt well-served and appreciated as guests.

The indoor buffet, as well as some outdoor burger stations and bars, were nice touches on NCL. When traveling with my family, we found it was fairly simple to enter and leave quickly (and, the most important part: to find a table without much of a wait). Of course, this is dependent on what time you eat, but we’ve always found a mix of stations — from make-your-own pasta counters to an all-you-can-eat Asian gourmet — for every preference.

For an extra surcharge per person, you can opt to experience NCL’s specialty dining restaurants. We’ve experienced a steakhouse, a French restaurant and an Italian one. While specialty dining restaurants vary from ship to ship, we always go for the steakhouse for the best chops and sides, and we remember NCL’s being one of the best we’ve experienced. The French restaurant was a unique experience (especially because the wait staff presented each of our entrees on dome-shaped silver platters) and the Italian one was just OK.

The bottom line

Whether you’re a first-time cruiser who’s looking to book a family vacation or haven’t sailed on an NCL liner before, I can’t recommend the line enough. It has been quite a while since I’ve traveled with the cruise line but I remember each detail vividly. From the incredible service, my family and I experienced to the fun events and delicious, well-varied food options, there are plenty of voyages you can choose from for a fair price, depending on when you book.

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