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4 Cruise Lines With the Worst Amenities

Low ratings and new fees mean these lines give you less once onboard.

By Calista Headrick , Edited by Sara Albertelli

Updated Oct. 18, 2026

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A cruise used to feel like one price that covered nearly everything, but that's not really true anymore. Consumer Reports members said they paid just over $2,750 per adult for a typical cruise, and that number often keeps climbing once you board. Dining room entrées, show seats, Wi-Fi, and gratuities have all gotten pricier or harder to count on, so the fare you see at booking has drifted further from what you actually spend.

If you want to save money on travel, it's smarter to judge a line by what it includes rather than what it advertises. These lines score low with passengers and have trimmed perks lately.

Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian finished dead last among 19 lines in Consumer Reports' January 2026 satisfaction survey of about 18,850 members. The recent cuts help explain why. Since September 26, 2025, the main dining rooms include just one entrée per person, and a second one costs $5. Norwegian also added a $10 per person charge for no-shows or late cancellations at specialty restaurants.

Entertainment took a hit, too. As of April 1, 2026, you can no longer reserve seats before you sail for mainstage shows, game shows, or headliner acts, and some passengers say that means standing in line for 30 minutes or longer.

For comparison, Virgin Voyages includes all 20+ of its restaurants in the fare, while specialty dining on traditional lines typically runs $35 to $75 per person per meal.

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Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival's budget reputation shows up in the ratings, with Consumer Reports again placing it among the lower-scoring lines. You can still order two dining room entrées before a $5 fee kicks in on the third, but plenty of other costs have crept up.

The onboard service charge on things like bar drinks went from 18% to 20%, and daily gratuities rose to $17 per person in standard cabins on April 2, 2026. Wi-Fi isn't cheap either. The Social plan, which only covers select social media apps, now starts at $20.40 per day pre-cruise and $22 onboard.

Cabin condition depends a lot on which ship you pick. Carnival Elation feels very dated next to the line's newer ships, and Carnival Sunshine, originally launched in the 1990s as Carnival Destiny, still has narrow spaces and older cabin layouts despite updates. If you land a rock-bottom fare on an older Carnival ship, set your expectations accordingly.

MSC Cruises

MSC also landed near the bottom of the Consumer Reports survey. Like Norwegian, it charges $5 for a second entrée from certain parts of the dinner menu, though appetizers and desserts stay unlimited.

Drinks can also be a sore spot. The Premium Extra package runs roughly $85 to $95 per person per day with gratuities included, yet nothing from Venchi, the ship's chocolate and coffee partner, is covered by any drink package. Wi-Fi draws complaints, too, with one passenger describing service that was basically unusable for about half the trip.

MSC is also a good example of how package pricing can turn a bare fare into something closer to inclusive. On one sailing, bundling the fare with the Browse Wi-Fi package and Premium Extra drink package added about $56 per day. If you already plan to buy both, price the bundle against buying each separately before you commit.

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Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean ranked low in the survey, too, and some observers see it slipping from its former reputation. Many negative reviews target the line as a whole, particularly extra charges for specialty dining and drinks.

But ship choice matters a lot here. The lowest-ranked ships are Vision-class vessels from the late 1990s, including Grandeur, Rhapsody, and Enchantment of the Seas, which lack the amenities of newer ships. Size doesn't guarantee a better experience, either. In June 2026 combined ratings, Spectrum of the Seas ranked last with a 3.3 Cruise Critic average, driven partly by broken onboard equipment.

If you want big-ship cruising with more bundled in, Celebrity sells an All Included upgrade with a Classic Drinks Package and basic Wi-Fi, though daily gratuities are no longer covered.

Bottom line

The cheapest fare isn't always the cheapest cruise. These four lines all rate low with passengers, and each has trimmed perks or raised prices on the extras that make a trip feel special. Before you book, read the inclusions list line by line and check which specific ship you'll be sailing.

Even lines known for bundling can change the fine print. Virgin Voyages moved gratuities out of its fare on October 7, 2025, and they now run $20 per person per day prepaid. Comparing total cost instead of headline price is one of the easy ways to travel more, since money you don't lose to surprise charges can go toward your next trip.

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Norwegian Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line

MSC Cruises

Royal Caribbean International

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