After traveling with most major cruise lines, I'd only book a trip with 2 of them again

• I'm an avid cruiser and have gone on more than 15 trips with most of the major cruise lines.

• However, moving forward, I'll probably only book with Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean.

• Both Disney and Royal Caribbean offer great entertainment, activities, and food.

As an avid cruiser of over 30 years, I've gone on more than 15 trips on most of the major cruise lines, and can understand why people love cruising so much.

And 2024 is shaping up to be the year of cruises, with 36 million people expected to cruise this year.

Although I've found the quality and offerings of each line have varied greatly, two stand out to me in terms of food, activities, and entertainment.

Here are the ways I think Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean outshine their competition.

Both cruise lines offer fun and unique activities.

I find a lot of cruise lines don't offer enough activities beyond relaxing poolside. But this is never an issue on Disney Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean ships. Both lines offer extensive programming that goes far beyond the usual trivia and napkin-folding classes.

Some Royal Caribbean ships like Icon of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas have full water parks on board. In fact, Icon of the Seas has the largest water park at sea. There's also plenty to do as a thrill lover, like Royal Caribbean's Crown's Edge, a skywalk-and-ropes course on Icon of the Seas that left me suspended over the ocean.

When I'm on a Disney ship, some of my favorite activities include animation classes and character meet-and-greets, which are available fleet-wide.

I love having great options for nightlife.

Once the sun goes down, I love having nightlife options on board. On Disney cruises, I enjoy hanging at the themed bars, like the Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge, which is exclusive to the Wish.

When I'm on a Royal Caribbean ship, I love hanging out at the piano bars and checking out the music hall when it's available.

Disney and Royal Caribbean both offer great food options.

Food is a big factor in deciding where I vacation, and unfortunately, I've found the meals to be largely underwhelming across most major cruise lines.

But from poolside bites to sit-down meals, I've found the food quality on Disney and Royal Caribbean to be better than what I've found at competitors.

I also love the variety of food offerings, like Disney's 24-hour room service, which includes Mickey ice cream bars.

Disney's theming is also excellent and extends to its dining spaces. For example, certain ships have an animation-themed restaurant and an immersive-dining show themed to Marvel.

I've found Royal Caribbean ships to have high-quality buffets and unique cruise offerings. For example, Icon of the Seas has a unique, globally inspired food hall. It also has unique dining experiences, like an Alice in Wonderland-themed, multi-course restaurant on Wonder of the Seas.

The cocktails on board go beyond the classics.

Both Disney and Royal Caribbean's cocktail programs go well beyond the classic piña colada.

Royal Caribbean has lots of interesting bar concepts that differ from ship to ship. On Icon of the Seas, for example, one of my favorite places to visit is Swim & Tonic, the largest swim-up bar at sea.

On Disney's Wish, I love Hook's Barbery, a speakeasy-style bar hidden within the ship's barbershop that will serve up an expertly crafted Old Fashioned.

I'm always blown away by the entertainment offerings on both cruise lines.

As a former theater kid who grew up seeing Broadway shows regularly, I love live performances. Luckily, both Disney and Royal Caribbean produce Broadway-quality stage productions that are included in the price of the cruise.

My favorites have included shows like "Beauty and the Beast" on the Disney Dream and "Wizard of Oz" on Icon of the Seas.

But both fleets offer more than just full-stage productions. When traveling with Disney, I love attending the spectacular fireworks at sea night.

One of my favorite unique offerings on some Royal Caribbean ships is a roaming pianist (known as the stowaway pianist), who can regularly be found playing in the elevators.

Disney and Royal Caribbean both have great private islands.

Both Royal Caribbean and Disney own private islands in the Bahamas — and I've found them to be my favorite of all the cruise-line-owned islands I've been to.

Disney's Castaway Cay offers lots of unique experiences, including a 5k on the island and snorkeling over hidden Disney items.

Royal Caribbean's Perfect Day at Coco Cay is sprawling, and some of my favorite places to enjoy are its water park and adults-only oceanfront day club.

Overall, Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean stand out against the competition.

I can't see myself booking a cruise with a company besides Disney Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean. I love the entertainment, dining, and service I've experienced with both cruise lines.

From standout shows to fun activities, I'm never bored when I travel with either.

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