Q – 4.23.26 – I must confess that I have been a subscriber to Consumer Reports magazine for more than three decades. I believe strongly in their consumer stance and I have demonstrated that belief with occasional donations. Our washer/dryer, bedding, and the two automobiles in our garage are all purchases based on their favorable ratings and honest testing process.
So I was really excited to see that they were naming, actually naming the best and “worst” cruis elines in their latest issue. I can only imagine the research that went into that project – something new for the magazine – identifying the best and the worst travel products. I know that your outfit does similar work but you don;t lay claim to analyzing cruise lines in a research lab.
The results were rather surprising. Ritz-Carlton Yachts, your # 1, were never mentioned. The three best lines, for varying reasons, were Lindblad/National Geographic, Windstar, and, are you ready, Viking.
The three “worst” were, I assume, the lines with the lowest overall scores in a variety of categories: They were Carnival, MSC, and Norwegian.
So what do I do now; stop following Cruisetruth.com or cancel my subscription to Consumer Reports? Seriously wondering what your reaction is to these newly published ratings?
A – This is a hard question to answer because we are, as well, lifetime supporters and believers in the work of Consumer Reports. Many years ago, we helped address ome of their travel questions and they were bright and entirely honest in their approach.
We have mixed feelings about these new cruise rankings. They do not even list the current three top lines, Ritz-Carlton Yachts, Hapag-Lloyd, and Scenic (Eclipse ships). But let’s give them credit for being open about how they reached their conclusions and compiled their comparative listing of the 19 lines in the report.
CR surveyed 18,850 members with questions about the most recent “ocean cruise they’d taken in the previous 36 months.”
They then tried to evaluate guest satisfaction in areas such as value for price paid, customer service, quality of the food, onshore excursions, and entertainment. Survey respondents were graded on their responses and the three top lines received the highest scores.
We can see why the shore excursions and intellectual approach of National Geographic wins over fans. Windstar’s ships average 150-340 guests and each includes a Spa and some excellent dining at a reasonable price. Viking offers Scandi-modern 1,000 guest ships with excellent onboard lectures, a policy of no children, and no casinos. They attempt to spend more time in port and have no formal nights. That is a series of policies that has wide support among their core clientele, retirees who want to learn about destinations in depth at pricing that is lower than the TrueLux lines.
We do not believe in “Reader Polls” as they place far too much weight on the reviewer’s most recent cruise experience. Viking has 104 ships in the water at this time. The fact is that an overwhelming percentage of cruisers thoroughly enjoy whatever product they have sailed. Given its total number of guests, Viking is always going to do well in polls even though it is not inclusive or a member of the very top-tier luxury lines.
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