ROYAL CARIBBEAN is the best value cruise liner in the world, according to a new report.
The cruise company has four of the largest passenger ships in the world – which means they can offer much more affordable rates.
Royal Caribbean has moved up by one spot on the US News rankings in 2020.
The cruise ship's Oasis-class ships are the world’s four largest passenger ships and each handle more than 6,500 passengers at a time, which allow Royal Caribbean to keep costs down.
Two larger cruise ships are in the production pipeline, with maiden voyages planned for 2021 and 2023.
According to US News, travellers can find itineraries for under $200 (£150) to the Caribbean and Europe with Royal Caribbean.
Celebrity Cruises slid to second place in the 2020 rankings.
Rates for Celebrity cruises to Caribbean destinations start as low as $130 (£100) per person, per night, according to the report.
Norwegian Cruise Line reprises its third-place ranking for 2020.
According to the report, Norwegian is known for its "fun, laid-back ambience and inventive ‘freestyle cruising’ concept".
The company bucks industry trends like enforced dress codes and fixed dining times to cater to a different variety of vacationers.
Cruising continues to prove itself a popular and expanding vacation industry, with the Cruise Lines International Association estimating that 30 million passengers will travel on cruise ships in 2019.
Proactive responses to changing consumer needs are helping power growth.
Nicola Wood, travel editor at U.S. News in a statement: "Cruise lines are constantly adapting to new trends and providing updated amenities to directly cater to what consumers want.
The best value cruise lines
- Royal Caribbean
- Celebrity
- Norwegian
- Princess
- Carnival
- Holland America
- MSC Cruises
- Costa Cruises
More than 26 million passengers set sail in 2017, according to the cruise lines association, which produced $134 billion (£104 billion) in economic output.
And those numbers are expected to increase when data becomes available for 2018 and 2019.
More than 80 percent of cruise line association-certified travel agents are expecting increased year-over-year sales for 2019, according to the association.
US News scores cruise lines by an aggregation of expert opinion, traveller satisfaction reviews, and a health rating based on reports from the Vessel Sanitation Program, administered by the Centers for Disease Control.
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This article was originally published by Fox New Business and has been reproduced with permission.
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