2023 Member Choice Awards: Best Cruise Line Onboard Experiences
The time spent onboard a cruise ship in 2022 was met with rave reviews from Cruiseline.com and Shipmate members. Members' feedback taught us that outstanding service, activities, and dining could significantly boost the overall cruise experience and, in turn, the review score.
For the 2023 Member Choice Awards for Best Cruise Line Onboard Experience, we culled the ratings of on-ship offerings from our member reviews to rank the cruise lines. This information combines the best overall rankings across all mainstream, premium, luxury, and river cruise lines. These awards represent members’ top picks for food and dining, onboard activities and entertainment, service, staff, and cabins.
These are the 2023 Member Choice Award winners for the Best Cruise Line Onboard Experience.
Best Cruise Line for Food & Dining
This award combines our communities’ picks for the overall best dining experience and food quality at sea across all the cruise lines. The 2023 Member Choice Award Winners of Best Cruise Line for Food & Dining are:
- Celebrity Cruises - 4.35
- American Cruise Line - 4.30
- Disney Cruise Line - 4.26
- Viking Cruises - 4.25
- Royal Caribbean - 4.24
Celebrity Cruises retained its spot in the top position for the best cruise line for food and dining. Celebrity continues to wow members with creative cuisine at eateries like Le Petite Chef, Murano, Sushi on Five, and Blu. Members consistently raved about the variety of restaurant options, excellent service, and the quality of food they received on Celebrity Cruises’ ships across the board.
River line American Cruise Line came in second in this category, a first for the brand and a bit of a surprise. American Cruise Line ranked favorably by our members in the dining category for attentive service at smaller dining venues, paired with several pleasing menu options at each eatery. The line focuses its cuisine by ship, based on the sailing region. On Mississippi River cruises, you will find Cajun and creole dishes, fresh seafood and homestyle classics on Southeastern sailings, unique game meats in the Pacific Northwest, and local seafood dishes during cruises in the Northeast.
Once again, Disney Cruise Line came in at number three this year, receiving excellent reviews for family and adult-friendly eateries like Animator’s Palace, Remy, and Palo. Viking Cruises (a combination of Viking Ocean and Viking River) was a new addition to the list, getting high marks from members for upscale eateries and curated menus for the sailing destination. Royal Caribbean slipped a few slots from last year, dropping from number two to five on this list. Remember that this does not necessarily indicate service or food quality slip. During the review collection process this year, cruisers had more options for ranking dining venues onboard rather than just one rating for the overall food and dining experience.
Best Cruise Line for Onboard Activities/Entertainment
In today’s world of cruising, crew and staff members are not only tasked with creating an unforgettable experience for guests but also a safe and healthy environment. As measures evolved through the past year, the staff kept the ships running seamlessly and in tip-top shape. Our award for the best cruise line for service and staff award recognizes the cruise line’s efforts to create outstanding service above and beyond guests' expectations.
These are the 2023 Member Choice Award winners of best cruise line for service and staff:
- Royal Caribbean - 4.68
- Celebrity Cruises - 4.67
- Carnival Cruise Line - 4.61
- Disney Cruise Line - 4.60
- American Cruise Line - 4.59
Member reviews brought Royal Caribbean from the number two position last year to the number one spot in this year's service and staff category. In this highly competitive category is tough to stay in the top five, but Royal Caribbean’s crew and onboard staff deliver a consistent product across their fleet and are recognized with high marks and praise from our community.
Second to fifth places are separated by tiny hundredths/thousandths of point differences, showing how incredibly close all the lines are. If you are cruising with Celebrity, Carnival, Disney, or American Cruise Line, you will experience some of the best service quality available on the high seas.
Over the years of doing these awards, we’ve come to appreciate how important this category is and have learned how much crew members and staff can significantly impact a person’s cruise experience and make it memorable. We congratulate all the winners in this category!
Best Cruise Line for Staterooms
Cruisers' perception of their stateroom can influence their overall review of the sailing. So no matter if you are a traveler that uses the cabin as a quick stop for sleeping or if you see it as your private oasis to spend a large chunk of time, the stateroom can significantly influence the cruise review.
The best-in-cabin category encompasses the types of accommodations offered on the ship, cabin design, elements incorporated into the room that add to passenger comfort and enjoyment, the amount of space the room offers, and even how comfortable the bed is for sleeping!
These cruise lines stood out for being the top-ranked in this area, making them the 2023 Member Choice Award Winners for the best staterooms:
- Celebrity Cruises - 4.53
- Royal Caribbean - 4.49
- American Cruise Line - 4.45
- Holland America Line - 4.449
- Disney Cruise Line - 4.447
Celebrity Cruises had the stronghold in these rankings, with all its ships offering a unique variety of stateroom options with superb features. Celebrity consistently gets high marks for elegantly designed, relaxed stateroom spaces providing ample storage and relaxation space. The line’s premium Concierge Class and Aqua Class cabins earn excellent reviews for service and unique offerings that complete the guests’ sailing experience. In addition, its creme-de-la-creme suites offer access to ‘The Retreat.’ This exclusive ship-within-a-ship area features a private pool, lounge spaces, restaurants, and a bar.
Number two in this category, Royal Caribbean, has some of the world's largest ships and offers some of the most unique staterooms at sea. In addition, on most Royal Caribbean ships, you will find cabin options for solo travelers, families, couples, and suites of all varieties. The broad range of stateroom categories appeals to the budget-conscious to the high-end suite guest looking for more lavish accommodations and inclusions.
American Cruise Line, Holland America Line, and Disney Cruise Line closely rounded out this category, all getting high marks for stateroom amenities and offering great spaces for guests to call their home away from home. These three were all separated by hundredths of points, making this an extremely close category.
More 2023 Member Choice Awards
Best Cruise Ships for Onboard Experience
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