Cruising - Do You Settle Or Go For Only The Best?

When we do our 108 day world cruise we will not be traveling in a penthouse suite, not even a balcony, although what we are paying for the journey could get us a super suite on other ships. But neither will we be traveling in an inside stateroom. A 108 days without a window would be a claustrophobic catastrophe for me.

We chose Crystal Serenity for its food, service, entertainment value (including the lectures), and the itinerary it presented for our trip.

Crystal Symphony's bathroom

Having cruised with the ship before, we know something of what to expect. The stateroom is one we had on the New York  to Dover, England cruise in May of 2012. The room is not real large and the window looks out on the Promenade Deck but the bathroom has double sinks (marble topped) and is bigger than the usual small closet-sized ones with the barely-turn-around showers where the curtain gets too intimate with you. Its close to the door to the outside deck so its almost like having a large balcony at our disposal.


The Cruise Critic Cruiser's 2014 Choice Awards were given out earlier this year and I checked to see how the Serenity did. For the small ship category it got a 4.6 rating. The top rating went to Seven Seas Navigator with a 5.2.

There were a lot of ships on the list that we've not sailed with mostly because they are all premium lines and the travel budget doesn't allow for that much luxury all the time.

Our room on the Symphony -Serenity's sister ship

So I am back to the question, do you settle or go for only the best?

I think it's all a matter of expectation. Some of the less expensive cruise lines offer great value and good service. Some food is better than others though but that is a matter of personal likes/dislikes. When you choose, look for the cruise that fits your budget, your timeline, your preferred destination, and keep your expectations reasonable. That last one is important. It's why my husband says, "There is no bad cruise."