The Best Cruises for Girls Trips

Girls’ trips have become increasingly popular as friends look for ways to actually plan the trips they’ve been talking about for years. While it's always tough to make that talk a reality, a cruise can be a great option for a girls' trip. As long as everyone in the group is okay with sailing on the open ocean, it's an easy vacation to plan for.

Wondering what the best cruises for girls' trips are, and what makes a cruise great for a girls' trip? Over the past decade, I’ve gone on girls’ trip cruises almost every year, and have found them to be the easier and most fun option. Read my opinions on the best cruise for a girls' trip based on my experience.

Disclosure: I've been on Disney Cruise Line, MSC, and Royal Caribbean Cruises at no cost, but have also paid my own way many times. All opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, and a purchase may result in a commission paid to us at no cost.

Best Cruises for Girls Trips

What Makes a Cruise Great for a Girls' Trip?

When planning a girls' trip, you'll need to find a destination that everyone enjoys, with plenty of food options, flexible room options, and fun activities. You'll also need to figure out transportation, especially if you are flying to your destination.

Cruises make all of that easy. Here's how:

• Easy planning: book one trip, and you'll have food, transportation, and lodging set. You'll just need to figure out excursions.
• Shared costs: each person can pay for their own portion of the cruise, and you won't have to worry about splitting the cost of a rental car or of food and bar bills. There also won't be a surprise at the end of the trip on how much you've spent.
• Easy entertainment: with shows, games, trivia, bingo, and casinos (on some cruise lines), there's so much to keep you entertained.
• Everyone can do their own thing: tired and want to skip the show? It's easy to do when you are on a cruise. When I've cruised with my friends, sometimes we've split up to do something different. Or, someone chooses to spend time in the spa while others take a nap.
• Several different destinations: can't decide where you want to go? When you are on a cruise, you'll visit multiple destinations. (Or, none at all, like what happened on my last girls' cruise).
• Easy to do something before or after: it's easy to extend your trip to do something different. On our girls' cruises, we often go to Walt Disney World for a day or two first, before sailing from Port Canaveral. Or, we visit Miami Beach before sailing out of PortMiami.
• Flexible budgets: While the cruise price is set, individuals can choose to do spa treatments or specialty dining, while others don't.

How Long Should a Girl's Trip Cruise Be?

Often, as parents, it's hard to get away for too long. A three- to four-day cruise is a fantastic option for a girls' trip. I always recommend arriving a day before sailing (if flying), and you can extend that by a day or two if you want to do something in advance.

As my kids have gotten older and more independent, I've been able to extend my girls' trips by a few more days. But it can be tough for everyone to get time off, so if you really want to plan something and not just talk about it, a shorter cruise is easiest.

Location for Your Cruise

For a shorter cruise, the best destination is the Caribbean/the Bahamas. Leaving through Florida gives you a wide variety of flight options (especially for sailings out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale, where you can go through either airport).

Many cruise lines have private island destinations, and there are also many different ports with a wide variety of activities. My favorites have included Key West, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Bimini, Bahamas.

Cruise Lines

Once you decide on a cruise length and destination, you'll need to consider the various cruise lines. There are many options, and within those options, there are different types of ships. Unless your group is loyal to a specific cruise line, consider what you want to do on board, the itinerary, the vibe, and pricing when choosing a cruise line.

Disney Cruise Line

The Disney Cruise Line may not be an intuitive choice for a girls' trip, but it's the one my friends and I have sailed on the most. While it's known for being a family-friendly cruise line, the adult-only sections and activities are surprisingly robust.

Adult-friendly options include dining at Palo (and Lumiere/Remy on some of the ships), the Cove coffee shop, adult-only pool areas, the Senses Spa (including the Rainforest Room), and adult-only game shows and trivia. Disney Cruise Line, however, does not offer a casino on its ships.

We love sailing on Disney because of the service and nostalgia. While there are lots of kids on board, it's easy to do the adult-only activities during your sailing. This type of cruise is best for Disney lovers and those prioritizing great service over exciting nightlife.

Virgin Voyages

Virgin Voyages is a relative newcomer in the world of cruising. As an adult-only cruise line, it's a fantastic option for a girls' trip.

Virgin is unique in that it doesn't offer a main dining room. Instead, guests can dine at the delicious specialty restaurants at no additional charge. The food on Virgin Voyages is fantastic.

Virgin Voyages has a strong focus on wellness, with a large fitness center and fitness classes. But it also has a strong party atmosphere, with a little bit of a risque feel. Entertainment options are fun but a little more limited than those of the other cruise lines listed here. There are fewer large-scale productions and more nightlife/party entertainment.

Virgin Voyages rooms generally accommodate two people, and the beds can be separated into a V-shape.

I've been on Virgin Voyages three times with friends, and have always enjoyed it. The food options are especially strong, but I also like the lazy sort of days that a sea day on Virgin brings.

Celebrity Cruise Line

I've been on two Celebrity cruises with my friends, and they are among our favorites. It really offers a nice variety of activities and amenities perfect for a girls' trip. Celebrity feels a little more relaxed and sophisticated than some of the larger mainstream cruise lines.

While Celebrity Cruise Line is owned by the Royal Caribbean Group, it is a quieter, smaller sibling to Royal Caribbean. While it isn't adults-only, I've found there are fewer kids on board than on some other family-friendly lines. There are also some really nice adult-only spaces and great entertainment, including comedians and musical acts.

I've also found Celebrity's service to be fantastic. Earlier this year, we encountered bad weather on our sailing on the Celebrity Reflection and were unable to dock at any ports. The crew did a fantastic job of keeping us entertained, and even gave us extra on-board credit.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean is known for its flashy, colorful ships, with lots of exciting amenities and activities. With dozens of ships (currently 30) across 7 classes, you are likely to find the perfect itinerary for the dates that you want to travel.

Royal Caribbean offers so much on the ships that you won't want to leave. They are lively, however, with lots of kids. There are, however, some fantastic adult-only sections that are perfect for a girls' trip. My favorite is the solarium, an adult-only atrium area with pools, a bar, and lounge chairs.

Royal Caribbean also offers lots of world-class entertainment. Options vary by ship, but can include full-length Broadway musicals, ice shows, and aqua shows. There's also lots of nightlife, with so many different options.

MSC

MSC, a well-known European cruise line, recently made a splash in the US market with the MSC World America ship. While MSC had sailed in the US prior to this ship's introduction, the World America is the first MSC ship designed specifically for the US market.

MSC offers a nice blend of restaurants, entertainment, activities, and amenities. Their spas are particularly great for girls' trips. For a special splurge, consider the Yacht Club, which is their luxurious "ship within a ship" concept. Guests staying at the Yacht Club can enjoy priority boarding and disembarkation, exclusive restaurants, butler access, a private pool deck, and more. It's a great option if you want a luxury experience without moving to a higher-end cruise line.

Overall, there's no best cruise line for a girls' trip. But there are some really great options, depending on the type of group you are sailing with.