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Investing.com -- Royal Caribbean (F:RCL) holds the top spot among global cruise brands based on guest satisfaction, outperforming rivals across market segments, according to Bernstein analysts.
The findings come from an analysis of more than 200,000 guest reviews on Tripadvisor’s Cruise Critic platform, covering 955 ships.
In the mainstream segment, the largest by capacity and offering broad appeal, Royal Caribbean ranked highest, with an average review score of 3.8 out of 5 across more than 43,000 reviews.
Carnival (NYSE:CCL) followed at 3.6, and Norwegian Cruise Line (NYSE:NCLH) trailed slightly at 3.5. Royal Caribbean’s ratings were consistent across most ship classes, except for the Quantum and Quantum Ultra lines, which were less well-received. This trend coincides with a shift back to Oasis class ships and the recent launch of the Icon (NASDAQ:ICLR) class.
Carnival Corp’s performance varied widely across its brands. While its flagship Carnival Cruise Line performed reasonably well in the mainstream category, other brands under its portfolio lagged.
Costa Cruises received notably low scores, consistent with Carnival’s move to rebrand two Costa ships under the Carnival name between 2022 and 2024. P&O Cruises also fell below segment averages.
In the premium category, which includes elevated service and accommodations, and more exclusive itineraries, Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Cruises brand tied for the lead with Disney (NYSE:DIS) Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages, each earning an average score of 4.0.
Virgin, a private company, slightly edged out the others, benefiting from a differentiated food and entertainment model.
Carnival’s premium brands, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, scored 3.7 and 3.8 respectively, despite the company having the largest footprint in this category.
The luxury segment showed the highest guest satisfaction overall, with Viking Ocean Cruises leading at 4.4, the highest among all scaled brands. Azamara and Windstar, both privately owned, also performed well. Royal Caribbean’s Silversea lagged in this segment, underperforming against peers.
Analysts noted that cruise review scores tend to be lower than those for hotels, likely due to Cruise Critic’s more discerning user base.
For instance, while Royal Caribbean’s 3.8 may seem modest, individual ships such as the Celebrity Edge score as high as 4.7 on Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
The brokerage underscores brand differentiation as a critical factor in cruise industry performance. While operators often report limited brand-level data, Bernstein argues that these distinctions matter, especially as companies adjust fleet strategy to focus on higher-yielding brands.