Ranked: The Cruise Lines So Bad Passengers Paid to Escape Early

Cruises are meant to be the ultimate escape – sun, sea and zero stress. But for some unlucky passengers, their dream holiday turns into a floating fiasco.
With millions of Brits sailing the seas this summer and beyond, the analytics team at side hustle experts, OddsMonkey, dived into reviews of 20 top cruise lines travelling the globe – and some big-name ships aren’t making waves for the right reasons.

Their data experts trawled through thousands of “Poor” and “Terrible” reviews on Cruise Critic – the go-to site for cruise ratings, owned by Tripadvisor since 2007 – to uncover the cruise lines that left travellers fuming.

And what they found is enough to make any holidaymaker think twice before booking. From jam-packed decks to sloppy service and nightmare experiences, these are the ships passengers say they’d never set foot on again.

A couple aboard the Costa Fascinosa aiming to celebrate their honeymoon said: “It felt less like a holiday and more like a punishment.

Topping the charts for disappointment was Costa Cruises, with a staggering 40.05% of its reviews rated either “Poor” or “Terrible.” 

MSC Cruises followed close behind with 33.30% negative reviews, while Ambassador Cruise Line clocked in at 28.92%. 

Household names weren’t spared either. Despite their long-standing reputations, lines like Norwegian, Carnival, and even the once-posh Cunard all racked up just shy of 15,000 complaints from unhappy guests collectively.

One couple aboard Costa Cruises’ Costa Fascinosa, hoping to celebrate their honeymoon, said the trip was so unbearable they actually paid extra to leave the cruise early: “Dinner was appalling. The food quality was so poor I wouldn’t have served it to a pet, and plates were practically thrown onto our table. 

“The ship itself is tired, outdated, and smells foul. In the end, the experience was so intolerable that we made the decision to leave the cruise early. That’s right – we paid extra just to get away from them. 

“That alone should say everything you need to know. If I could give this cruise less than one star, I would. We will never travel with Costa Cruises again.”

A passenger of MSC Cruises also shared their horror: “Cleanliness on board is another major issue: dirty tables, spilled drinks, leftover food on seats, and stained furniture are common. I even ended up with marks on my clothes after sitting down. The overall atmosphere feels chaotic, and most staff seem exhausted or disengaged, offering minimal service.”

A fellow traveller of MSC Cruises, aboard Euribia – one of the company’s newest and flashiest vessels – said it felt more like a detention centre than a luxury holiday: “Overcrowding. That’s one word that can sum up this entire experience. 

“The Euribia is one of the newest vessels in the fleet and the 14th largest ship on the planet so you would assume with 6,000 plus people, it would be well thought out with plenty of staff to match. 

“It’s a ship for 6,000 prisoners with spaces and amenities designed for half of that number.”

Not every cruise line was under fire. Viking Ocean Cruises flowed away with the best reputation, with just 3.87% of its reviews marked as negative – making it the top-rated line for keeping passengers happy. Azamara, Disney Cruises and Celebrity Cruises also ranked well, with consistently low volumes of unhappy reviews.