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13 cruise lines

Cruise Line Guides

Fleet, ship classes, headquarters, dress code, major US homeports, and who each line fits best. Verified against official cruise line pages.

Adults-Only

1 line

Luxury

1 line

Mainstream

4 lines

Premium

6 lines

Ultra-Luxury

1 line

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cruise lines does this guide cover?
We currently cover 13 major cruise lines. We verify line-level facts against each line's official website and flag any value we cannot independently confirm as "Not published" rather than guessing.
Which cruise line is the biggest?
Royal Caribbean International operates Icon of the Seas, which debuted in January 2024 as the largest cruise ship in the world by gross tonnage. Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, and Norwegian Cruise Line are the three largest mainstream cruise brands in North America by fleet and passenger volume.
Which cruise lines depart from US homeports?
Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian, Princess, Holland America, and Celebrity all sail regular itineraries from major US homeports including PortMiami, Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, Galveston, Seattle, and Long Beach. See each line's detail page for the specific homeports it uses.
Do all cruise lines have formal nights?
No. Mainstream lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival include one or more designated formal or "elegant" evenings on most sailings of five nights or longer. Disney Cruise Line skews casual with themed evenings like Pirate Night. Luxury and expedition brands vary widely. See each line's dress code section for specifics.

Sources

The cruise line details on these cards come from the following pages. See our research methodology for how we vet and update data.

42 sources

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