Cruise Critic has announced the winners of their 8th annual Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards. The site features over 350,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 500 of the most popular cruise ships.
Large Ship Category
Celebrity Cruises was this year’s big winner in the large ship category, winning five awards including Best Overall, Best Dining, Best Public Rooms, and Best Service for Celebrity Equinox, and Best for Value for Celebrity Silhouette.
Royal Caribbean received four awards in the large ship category, including Best Cabins, Best Embarkation, and Best for Fitness & Recreation for Harmony of the Seas, and Best Entertainment for Allure of the Seas. Allure features a number of chart-topping shows including Mamma Mia! and How to Train Your Dragon performed on ice.
Mid-Size Ship Category
Oceania Cruises was awarded the most accolades in the mid-size category, receiving five awards for Best Overall, Best Cabins, Best Dining, Best for Fitness & Recreation, and Best Public Rooms for its ship, Riviera. This is the fourth consecutive year that the line was awarded in all five categories.
Celestyal Cruises won two awards for Celestyal Crystal – Best Shore Excursions and Best for Value. The ship sailed Cuba year-round, but will be redeployed to the Mediterranean later in 2018.
Small-Mid Ship Category
Viking Ocean Cruises was the runaway winner in the small-mid category, winning in every category but one. Viking Sea was named Best Overall, Best Cabins, Best Best for Fitness & Recreation, Best Shore Excursions and Best for Value; Viking Sky was named Best Entertainment and Best Public Rooms; and Viking Star was named Best Dining and Best Service. Viking Sea was also named Best for First-Timers across all size categories.
Small Ship Category
Windstar Cruises won four awards in the small category, all for different ships in the fleet. Star Pride was named Best Cabins, Wind Spirit named Best for Fitness & Recreation, Wind Star named Best Service, and Star Legend won Best Public Rooms. Wind Star and Wind Spirit are both four-masted sailing ships, while Star Pride and Star Legend are luxury yachts.
Silversea Cruises won three awards in the small category – Best Overall, Best Shore Excursions, and Best for Value for its 100-guest Silver Galapagos.
The winners are awarded in four ship size classes, based on passenger capacity.
Best Cruise Ships for Dining:
- Celebrity Equinox (Large) – Celebrity Cruises
- Riviera (Mid-Sized) – Oceania Cruises
- Viking Star (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
- National Geographic Explorer (Small) – Lindblad Expeditions
Best Cruise Ships for Entertainment:
- Allure of the Seas (Large) – Royal Caribbean International
- Disney Wonder (Mid-Sized) – Disney Cruise Line
- Viking Sky (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
- L’Austral (Small) — Ponant
Best Cruise Ships for Service:
- Celebrity Equinox (Large) – Celebrity Cruises
- Amsterdam (Mid-Sized) – Holland America Line
- Viking Star (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
- Wind Star (Small) – Windstar Cruises
For the full list of winners, click here.
