Carnival Cruise Line was named the Best Ocean Cruise Line by readers of USA Today and 10Best.Com. Along with this honor, several of Carnival’s ships also secured top spots in categories including Best Cruise Ship for Families and Best Mid-Sized Ship. Second Place in the Best Ocean Cruise Line category went to Princess Cruise Line, with Viking taking third. Rounding out the top five were Norwegian and Royal Caribbean, respectively.
How Were The Winners Picked?
The original nominees in each category were selected by editors for both USA Today and 10Best.com as well as a group of industry experts, including our own Doug Parker. After that, it was up to the readers from both outlets — a combined 6.6 million of them! — to pick the final winners.
“We are honored to be recognized by the readers of USA Today and 10Best.com for these coveted awards,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Our team works diligently to provide our guests with new levels of fun and excitement, delivered by our amazing onboard crew, and it’s wonderful to see these efforts recognized and rewarded.”
READ MORE: Carnival Horizon Review
In all, Carnival walked away with three first-place wins. As well as Best Ocean Cruise Line, the Carnival Sunshine was named Best Mid-Sized Ship (followed by the Coral Princess and the Queen Mary 2), and the Carnival Breeze was crowned Best Cruise Ship for Families (with Regal Princess and Carnival Horizon taking second and third place in the category). Elsewhere, Princess Cruise Line’s Regal Princess was named the Best Large Cruise ship (with Carnival Breeze and Carnival Horizon taking the second and third slots), and the Viking Sea nabbed the award for Best Small Ship (meaning under 1,000 passengers).
Why Carnival Won The Top Prize
This was actually the second year in a row that Carnival was named Best Ocean Cruise Line. In announcing the award, 10Best wrote that “Carnival… caters to families and casual cruisers with its fleet of ‘Fun Ships.’ On these big ship cruises, passengers have no excuse to feel bored; ships come equipped with water parks, glitzy casinos, live entertainment and a focus on diverse, casual dining, highlighted by a partnership with celebrity chef Guy Fieri to bring Guy’s Burger Joint to the fleet. All of this comes at affordable price points.”
Carnival Sunshine Tour (2018)
When it came to Best Dining At Sea, the Royal Princess took top honors, with Carnival Horizon and Viking Star filling the runner-up slots. To see the complete list of winners — including those in the river cruise category, click here.
If you were to pick your favorite cruise ship, which one would take the top spot?
