Experts Pick Ships They Like Best : Combinations of excellent food, design and service add up to vessels that stand out.

No two ships, no two cruises--or, for that matter, no two passengers--are alike. So a list of 10 best anythings can lead to argument.

But, based on 10 years of sailing experience (22 cruises in the last year alone), these are the 10 ships we believe are presently the best in service. We judged them “best” on a variety of factors: the overall ship design, the consistent quality of service, housekeeping and food, and those extra, often unique, qualities that makes one ocean liner stand out from the rest of the fleet. Each has something special for certain passengers that makes that cruise memorable.

In alphabetical order, they are:

CROWN ODYSSEY

Royal Cruise Line does the best handholding in the business when it comes to shepherding passengers from their home gateway to the ship and back--a sometimes chaotic experience on other lines. And they certainly know how to treat a single lady--bring aboard a gentleman host to dance and play bridge with her.

The 1,000-passenger Crown Odyssey, built by Royal in 1988, is tailor-made for its primary audience of passengers over-50. It’s mid-sized and theatrically decorated without being vulgar.

The Coronet movie theater is the best at sea, with Dolby sound, big-screen projection and cushy suede loge seats.

Lunch is our favorite meal aboard, once we decide where to eat. The dining room is where the Greek waiters try to talk us into two desserts instead of the low-fat, low-calorie menus. The Yacht Club has a buffet with Greek salads and hot and cold dishes. The card room serves light luncheons of soup, salad and sandwich. And the Penthouse Grill on deck is where fresh grilled hamburgers, hot dogs and spit-roasted Greek lamb gyros sandwiches sizzle.

The prettiest cabins, short of the penthouse suites, are those with bay windows that extend out from the sides of the ship, allowing views forward, aft and out to sea.

And there is a free New Beginnings program of lectures and fitness classes designed for the emotional and physical revitalization of people adjusting to retirement, recently widowed or recovering from illness.

Quibble: Some might carp that there are no children’s facilities, cabin TVs or self-service laundry on board, but the company’s philosophy is that adult passengers are there to relax and be pampered.

CRYSTAL HARMONY

Crystal Cruises’ only ship, like its name, seems to sparkle and radiate class. While the ship itself is splendid, what excels is the fine service, food, and entertainment, and a sense of celebration that infuses all the shipboard special events.

The 49,000-ton ship carries only 960 passengers in a space many lines would allot for 1,500 or more, and with its alternative dining choices lets passengers make a reservation at Prego, an intimate Italian restaurant, or Kyoto, an Asian-themed room, at no extra charge except tips for service.

Entertainment is professionally produced, with performers who don’t have to double as cruise staff. The Caesars Palace at Sea casino serves free drinks to players at the tables, just like Las Vegas. And we love the gala pasta buffet lunch, which turns the pool deck into an Italian village complete with floating gondola.

Quibble: The line is still struggling to correct the shortage of storage in the standard cabins and the short, deep bathtubs in some mid-category accommodations.

FANTASY

For sheer energy and glitter, there’s nothing like Carnival Cruise Line’s most audacious example yet of architecture-as-entertainment. With a huge six-deck glass atrium and red neon-lit glass elevators, it’s knockout glitz even when it borders on tacky.

The 70,367-ton, 1,500-passenger Fantasy is the seagoing equivalent of Las Vegas, with a huge casino, slick production shows and 15 miles of neon tubing programmed to make the lounges and public rooms change colors.

We like the theme bars such as Cleopatra’s, patterned after an Egyptian tomb with sarcophagi and hieroglyphics, and Cats, inspired by the set for the stage musical, with oversized tin cans and rubber tires.

Also impressive is the 12,000-square-foot Nautica Spa, and a gym with 35 exercise machines and a staff of instructors on hand.

Quibble: Too bright and noisy for those who compare it to living inside a jukebox--but Carnival knows what its passengers like. Besides, it only sails three- and four-day itineraries.

FRONTIER SPIRIT

The 164-passenger Frontier Spirit is the most luxurious of the expedition ships, with room service, live music in the evenings, 18 cabins and two suites with private verandas, and in-cabin amenities such as hair dryers, color TVs and refrigerators.

And having debuted in 1990 to the sound of the “ecotourism” boom, it also has the latest in environment-friendly facilities: a refrigerated holding room for garbage, glass grinders, paper incinerators and plastic and metal shredders, so that refuse can be held until off-loading.

For passengers who come back with wet shoes after exploring in rubber dinghies, there’s a special heated room that will dry sneakers overnight.

Quibble: Some expedition veterans complain that it’s too luxurious, that dinner served in courses takes too long to eat. But when you’re paying premium prices, shouldn’t you expect more than a university dining hall?

HORIZON

This Celebrity Cruises ship slipped into service without the usual hype and ballyhoo when the Horizon and its sister ship, Meridian (a renovated older vessel), were inaugurated two years ago. .

But for solid value for the money, the Horizon can’t be beat, with prices from $135 a day per person, double occupancy, on the Bermuda itinerary, and $170 a day in the Caribbean--the latter including round-trip air fare.

The ship is glamorous but not glitzy, and the food (supervised by top London restaurateur Michel Roux) is excellent. Celebrity Line chefs, trained at Roux’s Waterside Inn, turn out tournedos Rossini and apple tart Tatin. There’s even a special set of children’s menus.

Quibble: Passengers should be cautioned that they must specify whether they want a double bed when booking the cabin, since twin beds cannot be pushed together as on most new ships.

NORDIC EMPRESS

The best ship going for first-time cruisers, the Royal Caribbean Cruise liner provides a nearly perfect introduction to sailing on its three- and four-day itineraries. Carrying 1,600 passengers, what it does is give the tactful equivalent of a crash course in how a cruise works.

At an orientation program before sailing, cruise staff members, boutique salespeople, casino manager and shore excursion staff members explain service and price systems. The ship’s photographer tells passengers that he’ll be taking their pictures frequently during the cruise, they are under no obligation to buy any.

It’s far more sumptuous than other short-cruise vessels, with a nine-deck atrium with waterfall, a two-deck dining room with walls of glass, and a well-designed pool deck that draws passengers day and night.

Quibble: The show lounge balcony has weak sight lines and seating that’s awkward to get into, which is a pity, since the production shows are among the best at sea.

ROTTERDAM

The grande dame of the sea, this is what ocean liners used to be, when lighting was muted instead of neon, and passengers dressed up to stroll along the promenade decks. While a few years older than the Norway and the QE2, her nearest rivals , the Rotterdam, launched in 1959, comes closest to evoking the majesty of the golden days.

Holland America’s extensive renovation in late 1989 restored the vessel’s interior to its original 1930s Art Deco look. The food aboard is good mainstream cuisine without being startling or innovative. Rooms are fairly large but warm, with wood furniture and batik-print bedspreads. Service is friendly and caring. The cruise line follows a “no tipping required” policy. Most of all, there is the sense of getting your money’s worth.

Quibble: The Rotterdam was built before the days of modular unit construction, so cabins are of various shapes and sizes within the same price category. Study deck plans to get the best values.

ROYAL PRINCESS

An elegant, modern lady of a ship with as much style and class as when she made her debut in 1984, this is the queen of Princess Cruise’s nine-ship fleet--despite the introduction of three dazzling new mega-ships since. We admire its magnificent broad sweep across five natural teak decks at the stern, and its human scale, comfortably large rather than intimidatingly huge.

The Royal Princess brought a lot of new design elements into the mainstream: outside cabins with big windows and bathtubs; many private verandas; a self-service laundry and two lavish, 806-square-foot suites with Jacuzzi bathtubs.

She also introduced a lap pool and a big, sunny top-deck spa and gymnasium at a time when most ships still had plunge pools and an afterthought of a gym. Because of this, the Royal Princess is still tough to beat for overall passenger popularity and smooth working.

Quibble: Some cabins have views obstructed by hanging lifeboats, but they sell at a lower price.

SEABOURN SPIRIT

True luxury of the sort SeabournSpirit offers is a rare commodity. It means elegant but subtle service in surroundings where nothing is likely to go wrong. It means having little details smoothed out before you notice them. It means, in short, never having to hear “I’m sorry.”

Life aboard is stylish but never stuffy, with passengers usually dressed up for evening. If you don’t feel like dressing up, you can order a full dinner served course by course in your cabin.

Cabins are all suites with a minimum of 277 square feet, a five-foot picture window, and a marble bathroom with full-size tubs and double sinks.

Seabourn Cruise Line’s sister ship, Seabourn Pride, is virtually identical, but the Spirit has made small design improvements in the lobby, show lounge and pool area. The 10,000-ton ship carries 200 passengers instead of the 400 that most vessels this size would.

The fold-out water-sports platform with swimming pool is outstanding, with all sorts of equipment options for the asking. The dining room is equal to the best shore-side restaurants, and passengers can arrive when they wish and sit where they please. And there’s a firm no-tipping policy.

Quibble: At about $650 a day, it’s expensive, and some passengers grouse when they have to pay extra for bar drinks and wines, even though cabins have complimentary fully stocked bars.

WIND SPIRIT

What makes this Windstar Cruises ship special is what it doesn’t have: a dress code, regimentation, ship’s photographer, table assignment and meal sitting, organized deck games or tipping.

What it does have is a young, casually elegant style: beautifully designed cabins and bathrooms, all identical; in-cabin TVs with VCRs; a staff of veteran waiters and stewards from the parent company, Holland America, and a water-sports platform that can be lowered from the back of the vessel for windsurfing, water-skiing, jet-skiing or snorkeling.

Several notches upscale from the “barefoot” sailing ships, the three 148-passenger Windstar vessels offer low-key luxury aimed at young to middle-aged couples who would rather be alone on a remote beach than on a bus tour of St. Thomas. The Wind Spirit, the last of the trio to be built, has made slight improvements in the layout of the lounge, casino and library. Otherwise, the three are identical.

Quibble: Purists might complain that the computer-operated sails lack the romance of authentic sailing vessels.

Experts’ Top 10 (in alphabetical order)

Crown Odyssey

Crystal Harmony

Fantasy

Frontier Spirit

Horizon

Nordic Empress

Rotterdam

Royal Princess

Seabourn Spirit

Wind Spirit