Open-water cruises: what to think about

Ships that cross open ocean between ports, the big-ship cruise most people picture.

What to think about

• Days at sea are part of the trip, so the ship itself matters more than on the other two kinds.
• Ports are often a day apart or more, and bigger ships dock at the ports that fit them.
• Lines group their ships into classes, so two ships from one line can be very different.

Lines with ships of this kind

The cruise line posts that list ships of this kind are below.