any that doesn't have italian captains.

In all seriousness, though, it depends on your definition of "best". price, service, activities, demographics of other passengers, how new are their ships, etc.

I suggest a full-service cruise specialist to help you book a cruise if it's only your first or second time cruising.

I've been on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess. Of those three, I liked Royal Caribbean the best. I've had some issues with Carnival in the past, not with the ship or the staff, they've always been great. Most of the issues stem from inconsiderate people who think they are the only ones on the ship and common courtesy doesn't apply to them. This happens on all cruise lines, but I've had it happen more so on Carnival. I don't mean to come across as a prude or anything, I'm far from it, I love to have a good time like anyone else, but what I'm talking about is people pushing or cutting in front of you because they don't want to wait like everyone else or people being rude to the staff for no reason other than they are on a big trip and feel like they can be.

Having said all that, we've stopped cruising and started going to all inclusives.

I also have only been on one cruise and it was Royal Caribbean. They were amazing! The staff was friendly and the food was good. The rooms weren't bad either, although I wasn't expecting them to be as small as they were. They're more kid friendly than other cruise lines (besides Disney, but I've heard bad things about Disney's cruises).

Best time to go for a week-long cruise? I went during the winter because it was cheap and still warm (we went to the Bahamas). :)

@kamikazeken: Thank you! That's exactly what I was trying to get at without saying that exactly, lol. Seems there is a price point where you filter out the riff raff. Carnival has their place in the cruise industry, I mean everyone should go on a cruise at some point, it's a blast. But if you can afford a little more, go Royal Caribbean.

“I feel the need– the need for speed.”-- Tom Cruise in Top Gun

When you say "best", I guess the luxury lines - Silverseas, Raddison, and a few more that do not come to mind at the moment - would meet the criteria for a lot of people. Personally, I would not even want to go on one of them due to the formality involved. However, I know people who would avoid the lesser priced lines due to the crowds, the need to pay for liquor, the lack of formality, truly great service, etc. I have been on Royal Caribbean, and it suits me fine.

I have had the most fun on carnival, its def for the party and the longer cruises have the real nice boats, i think the food is the best and the service is always great, no complaints at all