Editor's note: This article is solely an opinion piece, based on publicly available passenger reviews, loyalty program changes, onboard pricing changes, and industry reporting we found online.
Cruising is not dying. In fact, the ships are full, the newest vessels are huge, and the industry keeps adding private islands, slides, dining concepts, and premium upsells.
That is exactly why so many longtime passengers are annoyed. They are not saying cruising disappeared. They are saying the old value proposition did.
The complaints repeat across brands: more people, more charges, fewer inclusions, shorter staffing, tighter menus, and a vacation that can feel less graceful than it used to.
12. Holland America Line
Holland America still has one of the clearest identities in cruising: calmer ships, older guests, live music, and itineraries that appeal to people who actually care about the ports.
The complaints are more subtle. Some loyalists say food quality, entertainment depth, and ship maintenance are uneven compared with the line they remember.
It is not a loud decline. It is the kind regular passengers notice because they have sailed the old version.
11. Princess Cruises
Princess used to occupy a comfortable middle ground: nicer than mass-market chaos, less formal than old luxury, and strong for Alaska, Europe, and Panama Canal trips.
Passengers now complain about app friction, add-on packages, busier ships, and a dining experience that can feel less special than the brochures suggest.
Princess can still deliver a lovely itinerary. The question is whether the onboard experience feels as polished as the price implies.
10. Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity built its reputation on being the grown-up upgrade from mainstream cruising.
That makes every cut feel louder. Passengers who paid for quieter spaces and better food are sensitive to crowded ships, changed inclusions, and specialty dining prices that creep higher every year.
Celebrity still has strong ships and plenty of fans. The complaints come from people who remember when the line felt clearly above the pack, not just more expensive.
9. Disney Cruise Line
Disney is different because the service is often excellent. The decline complaint is mostly about value.
The fares have climbed so high that even happy families come home asking whether the magic justified the bill. Short sailings, crowded character moments, and premium-price cabins make the math harder.
For families with young kids, it can still be unforgettable. For everyone else, the price gap has become difficult to ignore.
Read more: 29 Ridiculous Time Wasters All Cruisers Must Avoid
8. Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean has leaned hard into mega-ship spectacle: bigger slides, bigger neighborhoods, bigger crowds, bigger everything.
That works if you want a floating resort. It frustrates passengers who remember when the line felt more like a cruise and less like a theme park with cabins.
The ships can be impressive. The problem is that impressive does not always mean relaxing, especially when every marquee activity has a line.
7. Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival still delivers cheap, lively vacations better than almost anyone. That is why the ships stay full.
Passengers complain when the low fare turns into a lower-feeling product: crowded pools, long buffet lines, fewer quiet areas, and food that can feel more functional than fun.
Carnival is honest about being casual. The decline complaint is that casual sometimes crosses into chaotic.
6. Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian sold freedom: dine when you want, dress how you want, plan your cruise your way.
Many passengers now feel that freedom comes wrapped in too many packages, surcharges, dining reservations, and fine print. The line still offers flexibility, but not always simplicity.
When “free at sea” starts feeling like a puzzle, passengers notice. Especially repeat cruisers who remember when the upsell pressure felt lighter.
5. MSC Cruises
MSC attracts travelers with modern ships and aggressive pricing. The ships can look fantastic in photos.
The complaints are usually about service rhythm, food consistency, crowd management, and communication. Americans in particular can find the European style less intuitive than Carnival, Royal Caribbean, or Norwegian.
MSC can be a good deal if expectations are set correctly. It becomes disappointing when passengers expect luxury because the ship looks glossy.
Read more: 21 Cruise Drink Package Mistakes That Cost Passengers
4. P&O Cruises
P&O has a loyal base, especially among U.K. cruisers who liked its traditional feel.
The complaint is that newer mega-ships and value pricing changed the atmosphere. Some longtime passengers say the line feels busier, less refined, and more average than it once did.
That shift may bring in new families. It also risks alienating the passengers who valued P&O because it did not feel like every other mass-market cruise.
3. Cunard
Cunard carries one of cruising’s strongest old-world images: formal nights, ocean-liner history, afternoon tea, and a sense of occasion.
That image is fragile. When passengers dislike a new ship layout, service pacing, or dining change, it feels like a break from tradition rather than a normal update.
Cunard does not need to be modern for everyone. It needs to feel unmistakably Cunard. That is where some loyalists say the line has wobbled.
2. Oceania Cruises
Oceania has long marketed itself around food, refinement, and a quieter premium experience.
That creates a high bar. Recent complaints focus on inconsistent older ships, changed inclusions, small cabins on some vessels, and food that passengers say no longer feels as far ahead of competitors as promised.
Premium cruisers forgive small flaws when the value feels special. They complain loudly when the bill feels special and the experience does not.
1. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Regent sits in the danger zone for any ultra-luxury brand: expectations are enormous before passengers even board.
The complaints are not usually about whether the cruise is pleasant. They are about whether included flights, hotels, excursions, dining, and service feel seamless enough for the fare.
When travelers pay for an all-inclusive dream, every rough transfer, sold-out excursion, or underwhelming meal feels bigger. At this price, “pretty good” can feel like downhill.
The Pattern
Cruise passengers are not only reacting to one bad meal or one crowded pool. They are reacting to a feeling that the included vacation has been sliced into smaller paid pieces.
You can see the same frustration in cruise shore excursion mistakes, cruise cabin mistakes that ruin trips, airport lounges that no longer feel worth it, hotel chains travelers say have gone downhill, and restaurant chains diners say lost their old appeal.
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