31 ships · contemporary · Miami, USA
30 ships · contemporary · Miami, USA
24 ships · contemporary · Geneva, Switzerland
21 ships · contemporary · Miami, USA
17 ships · premium
16 ships · premium
11 ships · premium
8 ships · contemporary
4 ships · premium
4 ships · premium
Most cruise brands belong to four groups. Knowing the parent helps: sister lines often share ships of similar design, loyalty perks and booking systems.
Carnival Corporation is the largest cruise company. Its brands are Carnival Cruise Line, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn, AIDA (German-speaking), Costa (Italian) and P&O Cruises (British).
Royal Caribbean Group runs Royal Caribbean, home of the largest cruise ships afloat, the premium Celebrity Cruises and the luxury line Silversea.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings owns Norwegian Cruise Line, which pioneered freestyle dining without fixed tables, plus the upscale Oceania and the all-inclusive Regent Seven Seas.
MSC Group, the family-owned shipping company, operates MSC Cruises and its luxury brand Explora Journeys.
Independents include Disney Cruise Line, part of the Walt Disney Company; Virgin Voyages, backed by the Virgin Group; and Viking, which runs both river and ocean ships.
The popular lines differ less in ship size than in who they are built for.
Where they sail matters as much. In our sailings for the next 12 months, MSC is mostly in the Mediterranean, Carnival and Disney concentrate on the Bahamas, Holland America leans on Alaska, and Celebrity runs a large Galápagos program alongside the Caribbean.
We capture the cheapest cabin, per person, from booking sites in several markets, on the date shown on each page. Taking the median nightly fare across every upcoming sailing gives a fair picture of each line's price level:
The median across all ten lines is about €198 a night. Two results need context. Cunard sits low because long voyages usually cost less per night than short ones. Virgin Voyages sits at the top partly because its fares already include tips, Wi-Fi and basic drinks, which other lines charge on top. Compare what is included before you compare the headline number.
Start from the cards above. Each line page has a fleet table with every ship's size, age and passenger count, the regions it sails and its price level.
For current offers, open the line's deals feed, for example Carnival deals or Royal Caribbean deals. Every fare drop we capture lands in the main deals feed. To see where a fleet is right now, use the line tracker, such as the MSC ship tracker or the Disney cruise tracker.
Once you have a shortlist, follow a sailing and set a price alert. Basic ($0.99 a month) covers five alerts and 90 days of price history; Pro ($1.49 a month) makes alerts unlimited and shows the cheapest booking market. Plans are on the pricing page.
Carnival Corporation. Its brands include Carnival Cruise Line, Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Seabourn, AIDA, Costa and P&O Cruises. Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and MSC Group are the other big owners.
In our price captures Carnival has the lowest median fare, about €132 per person per night for the cheapest cabin, followed by MSC at €160 and Norwegian at €165. MSC has the lowest single fare we hold, €53 for a one-night sailing.
Among the ten lines we track, Royal Caribbean has the largest fleet with 31 ships, just ahead of Carnival with 30 and MSC with 24. Every ship is listed on its line's fleet page with size, age and upcoming sailings.
Disney Cruise Line is built around children, with character entertainment and themed kids' clubs, but it is also the priciest mainstream line we track at a median €323 per night. Royal Caribbean and Carnival offer big-ship activities for children at far lower nightly fares.
Virgin Voyages and Viking accept guests aged 18 and over only. Most luxury lines allow children but have very few of them on board, and the big family lines run adults-only areas on many ships.
All major lines follow the same international SOLAS safety rules, and ships sailing from US ports are inspected by the US Coast Guard. Sanitation scores from the CDC Vessel Sanitation Program are public, so you can check any ship that calls at US ports before you book.
Updated 12 Oct 2026 · data refreshed nightly