Cruise lines
The biggest ships sail Caribbean cruises that depart from Florida. Those weeks are built around pools, restaurants, shows, and, on several lines, a stop at the line’s own beach. A Bermuda cruise from the Northeast is usually on a smaller ship, and it stays long enough for more than one outing.
These are large ocean ships. Many carry 4,000 to about 7,000 passengers. Some of the ships on the shorter cruises carry about 2,000 to 4,000.
Ranges are per person, two to a cabin. They move with the month and the cabin. On the large ships, taxes, port charges, and gratuities are usually extra. On river ships, expedition ships, luxury ships, and yachts, more of that is already in the fare.
The Florida ships are the ones with several pools and, on Royal Caribbean, Carnival’s Excel class, and MSC’s largest ships, a water park. Many of those weeks also stop at the line’s own beach: Perfect Day at CocoCay, Celebration Key, Ocean Cay, Great Stirrup Cay, or Castaway Cay. That stop has a beach and no city to walk. Holland America and Celebrity do not have that water park or that island.
The main dining room and the buffet are in the fare. Specialty rooms are usually extra. A ship of 4,000 passengers needs more than one restaurant, so the list is long. On a 2,000-passenger ship the list is shorter and the rooms are less crowded.
The ship is usually in port from morning to late afternoon. One plan is enough: a beach, a reef, or a town. You are back on the ship for the rest of the time. A Bermuda sailing usually stays longer, and those ships are smaller.
A Caribbean cruise of the same length that departs from the Northeast, on a ship of the same size, spends more nights at sea. A quieter ship is on the luxury and yacht pages.
Each card is one line. The table is on a wider screen.
Passengers. Older ships about 1,400–1,900. Pinnacle class about 2,650.
Where they go. Caribbean cruises, Alaska cruises, and longer voyages.
Price range. Balcony often $1,300–$2,600.
Passengers. Older Millennium ships about 2,000. Solstice class about 2,850. Edge class about 3,200.
Where they go. Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, plus Europe and Alaska.
Price range. Balcony often $1,300–$2,800.
Passengers. Older Fantasy and Spirit ships about 2,100–2,600. Excel class (Mardi Gras and newer) about 5,200–6,500.
Where they go. Caribbean and Bahamas cruises from Florida and other East Coast ports.
Price range. Interior often $400–$1,100. Balcony often $800–$1,800.
Passengers. Older Jewel-class ships about 2,400. Prima class about 3,100. Encore and Breakaway classes about 4,000.
Where they go. Caribbean cruises from Florida and the Northeast. A stop at the line’s private island is common on the short cruises.
Price range. Interior often $500–$1,300. Balcony often $900–$2,200.
Passengers. Older Grand-class ships about 2,600. Sun and Sphere classes about 3,500–4,300.
Where they go. Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, including some longer ones.
Price range. Balcony often $1,200–$2,600.
Passengers. Magic and Wonder about 2,700. Wish, Dream, and Fantasy about 4,000.
Where they go. Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral. Wonder also sails Alaska.
Price range. The fare for about a week is often $2,000–$4,500 a person. The fare is higher during school holidays. The fare is not comparable to Carnival’s.
Passengers. Smaller ships about 2,500–3,200. Seaside class about 4,100. World class about 6,700.
Where they go. The large ships start in Miami and Port Canaveral. MSC Opera, about 2,600 guests, starts southern Caribbean cruises in La Romana from late 2026, and later in Fort-de-France. Mediterranean cruises use the other ships.
Price range. Interior often $400–$1,100. Balcony often $800–$1,900. Drinks and gratuities are sometimes bundled, sometimes not.
Passengers. Freedom and Voyager classes about 3,100–4,300. Oasis and Icon classes about 5,600–7,600. The San Juan ships, such as Rhapsody of the Seas, are smaller, about 2,000–2,400.
Where they go. The largest ships depart from Florida. Mid-size ships start and end in San Juan through the year. An Oasis or Icon cruise usually starts in Florida and only stops in San Juan.
Price range. Interior often $500–$1,400. Balcony often $900–$2,400. The fare during a holiday week can be well above that.
Bermuda cruises that depart from New York, Boston, or Baltimore are usually 5 to 7 nights on ships of about 2,000 to 4,000 passengers. The useful ones stay in port long enough to see the island.
A Caribbean cruise that departs from the Northeast adds sea days. The ship can be the same size. Those extra sea days are still on the itinerary.