1. Price Slide the ball to your budget maximum. Your per day cruise budget is dollars or less. A cruise ship vacation typically costs between $100–$300 per person, per day.

2. Cruise ship itineraries Which routes and ports of call do you prefer? Alaska & West Coast Caribbean & Eastern Seaboard Europe Hawaii, Oceania Mediterranean Mexico & Latin America Asia-Pacific No preference

3. A cruise ship for everybody. While everybody is welcome on cruise ships, some are especially appropriate for and cater to particular categories of travelers. How would you categorize yourself? Couples Familes Gays & Lesbians Groups Seniors Singles No preference

4. Space per passenger Space ratio is a measure of cubic space per passenger derived by dividing gross tons by the number of passengers. If you prefer a ship that does not feel crowded, choose "spacious". If you're gregarious or worried about feeling all alone, choose "intimate". Spacious Intimate No preference

5. Passenger capacity larger cruise ships have a passenger capacity of over 6000 people. Smaller ships carry several hundred travelers. Larger passenger capacity preferred Smaller passenger capacity preferred No preference

6. Crew to passenger ratio In addition their nautical duties of operating and navigating the ship, the cruise crew includes people who will entertain and serve you. The higher the ratio of crew to passengers, the more individualized attention you can expect. Ships with the highest crew ratio have more than twice the number of crew to passengers than the lowest crew ratio ships. High ratio of crew to passengers. Low ratio of crew to passengers. No preference

7. What's cooking? The food on cruise ships is generally very good. There is usually plenty to choose from in the way of entrees, appetizers, salads, soups, vegetables, and desserts. Certain cruise ships are a cut above the competition in their restaurant offerings. Ships that earned high marks for their food preferred.

8. That's entertainment! According to USA Today, Cruise ship entertainment is unquestionably better than ever. To stay competitive, cruise lines are spending more money than ever before on entertainment and it's the passengers who win. Ships with good reviews of their entertainment offerings preferred.

9. Keeping in shape Cruise ships offer a variety ways to keep in shape, including: exercise machines, basketball courts, rappelling walls, spinning classes, etc. Ships that have the best excercise and workout facilities preferred.

10. Dancing on the high seas. Dance enthusiasts will enjoy the opportunities to step out aboard cruise ships. As with everything else, some ships are do dancing better than others. Ships that cater to people who like to dance preferred.

11. Traveling with disabilities. All cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters should be ADA compliant, but some cruise lines do more than others. Certain cruise ships provide excellent wheelchair accessibility and offer special considerations for passengers with hearing and visual impairments. Ships that excel in accommodating disabled passengers preferred.

12. Your best bets Cruise ship gamblers tend to be inexperienced impulse gamblers rather than serious competitive gamblers. Ships which gamblers say is a good bet preferred.

13. The most hygienic cruise ships While relatively rare, outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships make the news. To prevent illness, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) inspects and rates onboard sanitation standards. The CDC ratings are here. Included in this selector are over 120 ships that recently passed the CDC inspection. Yes, give extra weight to those ships that received high sanitation inspection scores.

14. Expert Reviews & Ratings Positively rated or reviewed by Cruise Critic, Cruiseline.com, Consumer Reports, Cruiseable and/or other similar websites.