Crystal Cruises

You Can Dress Up: While there are casual nights when a collared shirt and pants or a sundress will do, there are also "Black Tie Optional" nights, and many passengers take full advantage of the opportunity.

Actual Nightlife: This is not the go-to-bed-early crowd you find on other luxury lines. After dinner, you'll encounter plenty of passengers in the casino, at show productions with live orchestras, doing the rumba and cha-cha, and hanging out in the piano bar and disco.

Extraordinary Cuisine: On the two large ocean-going ships, the line's calling card is Silk Road, a Japanese restaurant and sushi bar by acclaimed Japanese chef Noboyuki "Nobu" Matsuhisa, of the Food Network's "Iron Chef" fame, and certainly those tables are the first to fill up. There's also an Italian restaurant, with handmade pastas, but meals in the main dining room are impressive too: Half the menu is dedicated to classics such as beef Wellington; the other half is all about creative modern dishes.

Well-Executed Enrichment Program: Crystal's Creative Learning Institute leads the pack, bringing boldface names on board to talk about their areas of expertise, such as sports or politics. Past guests have included Barbara Walters, Buzz Aldrin, and James Carville. Plus, with the Computer University@Sea, you can learn new tricks on your iPad.

Age 50-plus: This line is for sophisticated world travelers who want great food and service. Longer cruises tend to attract older guests, even on more rugged itineraries, such as in Antarctica.

Multigenerational Families: Crystal has made an effort to serve these groups, and it's the only luxury line with dedicated playrooms and staff. It occasionally runs kids-cruise-free promotions.

It's Almost All-inclusive: Plan to spend extra for shore excursions and other temptations. Some passengers complain, for example, that there's a charge if you dine at Silk Road more than once, and that wine and liquor are often upsold.