Free cruise quiz from award-winning UK cruise specialists
Which cruise line is right for me?
Struggling to choose a cruise? Take our two-minute quiz to find your cruise personality and the cruise lines that could suit you. Then chat to the people who know the ships.
CLIA Masters
Finalists at the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards, and CLIA Expedition Champions.
First Mate Champion 2024, Royal Caribbean Guru and Wave Awards 2023 Best Independent Travel Agent.
on Virgin Voyages alone, plus Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Disney, Cunard, Princess and Fred. Olsen.
CruiseMatch
Struggling to choose? Start here
This quiz is just for fun, and a great starting point if you’re struggling to narrow things down. Tap the answers that sound like you. Where we ask for your top three, tap them in order of importance.
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Why we built this quiz
There's no wrong cruise line. Just the wrong one for you.
We know cruising. We’re CLIA Masters and multi-award-winning cruise specialists, and if there’s one thing we’re passionate about, it’s matching people to the right ship. A lot of the time we spend with our customers goes on exactly that: narrowing down which cruise line is right for them.
Pick the wrong cruise line for your first cruise and it could put you off cruising forever. As ambassadors for cruising, that’s the one thing we never want to happen. Whether you book with us or not, we want you to fall in love with cruising, and that starts with the right cruise line, because no two are built the same.
- CLIA Master, and a finalist at the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards
- CLIA Expedition Champion
- Royal Caribbean Guru
- Virgin Voyages Gold Tier First Mate and First Mate Champion 2024
- Best Independent Travel Agent, Wave Awards 2023
- 100+ nights on Virgin Voyages alone, across 14+ sailings
How do I choose a cruise?
A cruise line for every kind of traveller
Most cruise lines visit the same ports. What changes your holiday is the style of the ship and who it’s built for. Here’s how we start narrowing it down.
Classic ocean liner
Cunard
For lovers of maritime tradition: the pomp and pageantry of afternoon tea, gala evenings, dressing up and classic cruise itineraries.
Explore Cunard →
Rebellious and boutique
Virgin Voyages
For the rebellious spirit who loves boutique design, great food and a little risqué fun. Adults only, always.
Explore Virgin Voyages →
The whole family
Royal Caribbean and Disney
From grandparents to infants, with nurseries, kids’ clubs, waterslides and big shows. Disney Cruise Line adds the characters and the magic.
Explore Royal Caribbean →
Elevated family time
Celebrity Cruises
For families who’d rather skip the giant splash pads: contemporary, elevated ships with great food and a calmer kids’ club.
Explore Celebrity →
Then there’s the level of cruise
Cruise lines sit on a ladder too. Entry-level lines like P&O Cruises and MSC Cruises are great value. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises step up to premium. Disney Cruise Line is high-end, and priced like it. At the top are the six-star, ultra-luxury lines.
Then factor in where in the world you want to go, and when, because cruising is a year-round, worldwide holiday. There really is a cruise for everyone.
Cruise personalities
Which cruise personality are you?
The quiz matches you to one of eight cruise personalities, then weighs up who’s travelling, ship style, budget and where you want to go. Here’s where each one usually lands.
Bars, buzz and new friends
The Social Sailor
You’re there for the people, the bars and the stories you’ll tell afterwards.
Look at Virgin Voyages, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.
Sun, sea and slow mornings
The Sun-Lounger Strategist
Good weather, a great pool deck and nobody asking you to do anything.
Look at Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages and P&O Cruises.
Dinner is the main event
The Floating Foodie
You plan your day around dinner and want proper restaurants, not a buffet queue.
Look at Virgin Voyages, Celebrity Cruises and Cunard.
Glaciers, whales and fjords
The Wild Explorer
The scenery is the star, with a comfy bed at the end of the day.
Look at Celebrity Cruises‘s Millennium class, Holland America Line and Virgin Voyages in Alaska.
Slides and shows every hour
The Big-Ship Thrill Seeker
Something new every hour. The ship is the destination.
Look at Royal Caribbean‘s Icon and Oasis Class, Norwegian Cruise Line and, for families, Disney Cruise Line.
A new city every day
The Culture Collector
Every port is a new city to explore, so you want time ashore and a ship that feels like a great hotel.
Look at Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean in Europe and Cunard.
Treatments and sunrise yoga
The Spa Seeker
Coming home feeling better than when you left.
Look at Celebrity Cruises and Virgin Voyages.
The best of everything
The Suite Life Sailor
A great cabin, priority everything and service that remembers your name.
Look at Celebrity Cruises‘s The Retreat, Royal Caribbean‘s Royal Suite Class and Virgin Voyages‘s RockStar Quarters.
At a glance
Cruise lines compared
A quick look at how the main cruise lines we book compare. Scroll sideways on a phone to see the full table.
| Cruise line | Best for | Children | Ship feel | Dining |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Voyages | Couples, friends, solo travellers | Adults only (18+) | Modern and boutique | Restaurants included, no main dining room |
| Royal Caribbean | Families, groups, first-timers | Kids' and teen clubs, nursery on selected ships | Big and busy, lots to do | Main dining room plus speciality restaurants |
| Celebrity Cruises | Couples, foodies, families with calmer kids | Camp at Sea kids' club | Modern (Edge Series) or classic (Millennium class) | Strong food focus, speciality dining |
| Disney Cruise Line | Families of all ages | Nursery, kids' and teen clubs, characters | Classic, themed | Rotational dining with your own servers |
| Cunard | Couples who love tradition | Kids' clubs, fewer children on board | Classic ocean liner | Restaurant by cabin grade, from Britannia to Queens Grill |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Groups and flexible families | Kids' club | Relaxed, no set dining times | Freestyle dining with lots of choice |
| MSC Cruises | Families and value seekers | Kids' clubs for all ages | Modern, international | Main dining plus speciality restaurants |
| P&O Cruises | UK families, no-fly cruisers | Kids' clubs, night nursery on selected ships | Familiar British feel | Main dining plus speciality restaurants |
| Holland America Line | Couples and scenery lovers | Kids' club, fewer children on board | Classic, mid-sized | Traditional dining room, live music |
| Fred. Olsen | Couples and solo travellers, no-fly | Few children on board | Small and traditional | Traditional dining |
Facilities vary by ship, so we'll always confirm what's on board for your sailing.
Your questions answered
Choosing a cruise line: FAQs
How do I choose a cruise?
Start with who’s travelling and the style of ship you’d enjoy, then your budget, then where and when you want to go. Our quiz is a fun starting point, and a quick chat with us is the shortcut: we’ll narrow it down to the cruise lines and ships that really suit you.
Which cruise line is best for families?
It depends on your children. For waterslides, big shows and kids’ clubs for every age, Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line are brilliant, and both have nurseries on selected ships. For families who want a calmer, more elevated feel, Celebrity Cruises is a lovely choice.
Which cruise line is best for adults only?
Virgin Voyages is adults only (18+) on every sailing, with a modern, social feel. Other lines such as Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have adults-only areas on board, like the Solarium, if you’re happy to share the rest of the ship with families.
Which cruise line is best for food?
Our foodie favourites are Virgin Voyages, which has no main dining room, just individual restaurants included in your fare, and Celebrity Cruises, which is known for its speciality dining. For tradition and white-glove service, Cunard‘s Grill restaurants are hard to beat.
What's the difference between Celebrity's Edge Series and Millennium class?
The Edge Series ships are Celebrity’s newest: modern, design-led and full of new restaurants and spaces like the Magic Carpet. The Millennium class ships are smaller, with a classic, elegant feel. Both have the same great service, so it comes down to the style you prefer and the itinerary.
Which cruise line is best for a first cruise?
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are great all-rounders for first-timers, and adults-only travellers love Virgin Voyages. The most important thing is that it matches how you like to holiday, because the wrong first cruise can put you off for good.
How accurate is the quiz?
It’s just for fun and a starting point. It can’t know everything about you, and ships, prices and itineraries change all the time. That’s why the best next step is always a chat with us.
Does it cost more to book through Magical Traveller?
No. You won’t pay more than booking direct, and you get UK specialists who have sailed the ships and will help before, during and after your cruise. Flight-inclusive packages are ATOL protected.
What happens after I take the quiz?
If you send us your details, we’ll look at your answers and come back to you with three sailings and real prices. There’s no obligation and no hard sell.
What our travellers say
Five stars from the people who've sailed with us
Don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what our customers say about booking with us.
The quiz is a starting point. We're the shortcut.
Whether the quiz helped or not, the quickest way to the right cruise is a chat with us. We know these cruise lines better than any web form ever could.