Assessing What's On Offer

Specialist Reports Styles of Holiday Cruise Holidays Assessing What's On Offer 

There are various systems of rating ships but broadly you may find the following useful:

Star Ratings
Cruise ships are rated up to six star for the most luxurious. Most are three to five stars. In addition some inspection systems may grade for example as moderate, standard and superior within the star category.

Space Ratio
This gives the relative space per passenger on the ship. The higher the ratio, the more spacious the ship.

Tonnage
Not weight nowadays, but a measure of cubic capacity. Enclosed deck pools for example will push up this figure.

Capacity
Sometimes indicated by the number of cabins, though the number of berths gives a more accurate idea. For an idea of standard of service this is usefully listed alongside crew numbers (the more there are, the better the service should be).