The website Cruise Critic has announced the winners of its 2008 Editor's Picks Awards.
Royal Caribbean International topped the league table, coming first in five categories, with Princess Cruises getting a very respectable three awards.
It's an interesting snapshot of who does what best in the cruise industry - but only if you are in the US. There's no mention of UK lines P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines or Ocean Village, nor of river cruise specialist Viking, which might not win any "best for" awards when it comes to ships, but has some great itineraries (Russia, Ukraine, China anyone?).
With a Cruise Critic UK website now established, maybe it's time to open up the voting a bit?
And the winners are ...
Best Luxury Cruise Ships - Crystal Cruises
Best Dining - Oceania Cruises
Best for Romance - Princess Cruises
Best Spa and Fitness - Royal Caribbean International
Best Cabins - Holland America Line
Best Value for Money - Carnival Cruise Lines
Best Itineraries - Azamara Cruises
Best Entertainment - Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Shore Excursions - Carnival Cruise Lines
Best Family Cruises
Best Kids' Programs - Disney Cruise Line
Best Teen Programs - Royal Caribbean International
Best Multi-Generational - Princess Cruises - Grand Class
Best Luxury Cruises
Best Luxury Dining - Crystal Cruises
Best Luxury Service - SeaDream Yacht Club
Best Luxury Staterooms - Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best Dining
Best Main Restaurant - Carnival Cruise Lines - Conquest Class
Best Specialty Restaurants - Oceania Cruises
Best Healthful & Alternative Dining - Celebrity Cruises
Best for Romance
Best for Honeymoons - Windstar Cruises
Best for Weddings - Princess Cruises
Best for Couples - Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Paul Gauguin
Best Spa, Recreation and Fitness
Best Pool Deck - Royal Caribbean International - Voyager/Freedom Classes
Best for Fitness Enthusiasts - Royal Caribbean International
Best Spas - Costa Cruises' Samsara Spa - Concordia Class
Best Cabins
Best Standard Staterooms - Holland America Line - Signature Class
Best Suites - Norwegian Cruise Line - Jewel Class
Best Family Cabins - Disney Cruise Line
Jane Archer
Comments (2)
Voting in the UK? There wasn't even voting in North America. These are picks from the "editors." What makes them even more useless and suspect to me is that they provided no criteria or information on why the "editors" made the choices they did.
Posted by Anonymous | October 22, 2008 12:01 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 12:01
Cruise Critic has pointed out that these is supposed to be just .com awards - so just US lines. So I must eat humble pie and look forward to a time in the future when we Brits get our own awards. Even better, UK and US lines should go head to head. After all, more US cruiselines are sailing from the UK so more Brits are finding there is more to cruising than P&O Cruises and Fred Olsen so they are all in the same boat (if you'll excuse the pun).
Posted by Jane Archer | October 22, 2008 6:17 PM
Posted on October 22, 2008 18:17