best caribbean cruises

There are ways to rate the best Caribbean cruises. For example, ratings are done by Cruise Critic and Condé Nast Traveler. Out of these, Cruise Critic, publication of The Independent Traveler, Inc., rates the ships sailing for the cruise lines.

For Caribbean travel, the last time I checked, there were 98 different ships. Based on Cruise Critic ratings, the 10 best ships for Caribbean travel are:

1. Seabourn Legend
2. Seabourn Pride
3. SeaDream I
4. (Radisson) Seven Seas Voyager
5. Crystal Harmony
6. Crystal Symphony
7. (Oceania Cruises) Insignia
8. Radisson Diamond
9. (Oceania Cruises) Regatta
10. SeaDream II

The best of the best, the Seabourn Legend, is a small, ultra-luxury 208-passenger, all-outside, all-suite vessel.

The Legend has a classic decor, which was upgraded with the help of a multi-million refurbishment in November 2000.

Condé Nast Traveler

Every year, Condé Nast Traveler publishes the yearly Readers Choice Awards for 20 best cruise lines.

For cruise lines, the rated features are:

Itineraries
Crew/Service
Cabins/Design
Food/Dining
Activities/Facilities

The average score for cruise lines has been on the rise, partly reflecting increased competition in the business.

An excellent overall score in the rating, of above 90.0, was achieved in 2004 by an unprecedented 6 cruise lines.

Four of those belong to the Small-Ship category, with Silversea soaring highest. The company has Caribbean cruises.

Sea Cloud had a perfect 100 rating for Itineraries, while SeaDream Yacht Club had a perfect Crew/Service score for the second straight year. Both of these companies make Caribbean cruises.

For Large-Ship lines, Crystal had the top spot with a 94.6 — the company's highest ever overall score. Crystal also makes Caribbean Cruises.