Recent research from Bounce shows that Royal Caribbean is this year’s best cruise line, with MSC Cruises and Carnival Cruise Line respectively taking on second and third place.
Based on experts’ analysis of itineraries, fleet size, passenger capacity, cabin numbers, and social media presence, Royal Caribbean came away with a total score of 9.32 out of 10.
The cruise line took the top spot in six of the seven categories for consideration. Its two newest ships, Star of the Seas and Icon of the Seas, put it in second place in the cruise liner capacity category, clocking in at 7,600 passengers.
The runners-up
MSC Cruises garnered a score of 8.80 out of 10, sliding it into second place. MSC ranked relatively well across the board, taking second place for its 5.2 million Facebook likes. It also ranks third in five categories at and is in the top five for its over 76,000 YouTube subscribers.
Carnival Cruise Line stands in third place. The company scored highly for its number of cruise ships at 26. It also takes second place in terms of the number of rooms at 2,641; this distinction is shared by two ships, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Mardi Gras. Carnival also has one of the largest followings on YouTube. With 115,000 subscribers, it took second place in that particular category.