No Spin Travel - Travel Writing, Geoff Edwards

Cruis Ship Ratings

It is awards time again. Nope, not the Oscars, but the suspicious, at least to me, "reader's ratings" of cruise ships dutifully issued yearly by travel magazines. One gave Carnival top honors in 11 different categories. I can tell you from experience that the Carnival Pride and the Carnival Conquest are good, but quite dissimilar ships. But they're just 2 of 19 in the Carnival fleet, and while at the top of the totem, some of the others are much closer to the water line.

Let's just say you are a "reader" and you've only been on Carnival. Who do you vote for? What if you've only been on two different cruise lines, or even three? It's like voting for a candidate in the presidential primaries, and only familiar with one or two of the nine or ten office seekers. Or let's say on one ship a "voter" had an inside cabin, and, on the other, was upgraded to a verandah suite? The ship with the inside cabin may well be the better boat, but I just bet that vote goes to that suite experience. (I want to say "sweets to the suite", but I won't). Believe me, these are not polls to rely on.

As a matter of fact, you might be interested in which "top" cruise lines have advertised in the magazine during the past year. The corporate umbrella of one magazine supplies the in-cabin books that laud each particular ship. This endeavor makes money, but there's a lot of competition scrambling for the account. Do you think that magazine's "readers poll" won't get slightly fine tuned so that there is some reference to those that pay the freight?

Well, maybe not. Maybe as CEO's go to jail, mutual funds filch a few bucks, and the mayor of a major city is arrested for embezzlement, maybe, just maybe, the last shards of integrity still survive in the travel magazine industry. And then again, maybe not.

One very well respected magazine held a Reader's Poll and named the Paul Gauguin the best ship in the world. No doubt it's a great ship, probably one of the best, but the best in the world? I don't think so. There just is no "best ship in the world."

I‘ve been on a bunch of ships, from low key Windstar to high end Crystal, and, yes, the Paul Gauguin. I've been around the world twice, even crashed on a reef that took the decks from under me, and I can honestly say, I have found something special about each ship and trip. Do I have a favorite? Not possible!

People want a cruise to satisfy their needs and expectations. If you're over 60, you'll probably feel like some great 50's music. If you're in your twenties, the disco will do it. If you have kids, Disney is the best. Check with a cruise specialist travel agent, and explain what you're looking for. I guarantee there's a cabin out there with your name on it.