Royal Caribbean named the ‘Best Cruise Line of the Year’ in the Mainstream Category; Explora, AmaWaterways and Lindblad also receive the top honor in their respective categories
NEEDHAM, Mass., Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Cruise Critic®, the world’s leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, has named the winners of its 16th annual cruise awards in its new Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards – naming the best cruise lines and destinations of the year, based on expert insight and traveler ratings. This year’s awards are the site’s most comprehensive to-date, combining the highly coveted editor-selected awards with the site’s popular consumer-led Cruisers’ Choice awards, which are based entirely on ratings and reviews from cruisers over the past year.
“Our editors have spent months at sea this year, collectively, experiencing all the industry has to offer,” shares Colleen McDaniel, Editor-in-Chief of Cruise Critic. “We’ve tried and tested ships of all shapes and sizes, in regions across every corner of the globe, and these awards are based on our collective insights to recognize which lines are standing out above the rest.”
“But what’s really exciting is that, for the first time, we’re rolling out our editor-selected awards right alongside our consumer-led awards, which are based on the reviews and ratings submitted by cruisers over the past year.” explains McDaniel. “We’ve consistently heard from travelers that researching and booking a cruise is a layered experience — they want to hear recommendations from experts, and they also want to hear what fellow travelers have to say about their experiences.”
2024 Award Highlights
Selected by Cruise Critic’s international team of cruise experts
Mainstream Awards
River Awards
Luxury Awards
Expedition Awards
Cruisers’ Choice
Based on the reviews and ratings submitted by consumers over the past year
2024 Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards
Mainstream Category
Best Mainstream Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International
Best New Ship: Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Dining: Virgin Voyages
Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Best for Romance: Princess Cruises
Best for LGBTQ+ Travelers: Virgin Voyages
Best Nightlife: Royal Caribbean International
Best Service: Holland America Line
Best for Solo Travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Spa: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Specialty Dining: Celebrity Cruises
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Suite Complex: MSC Cruises’ MSC Yacht Club
Best Value for Money: Carnival Cruise Line
Best App: Royal Caribbean International
Best North American Homeport: Long Beach, California
River Category
Best River Cruise Line: AmaWaterways
Best New River Ship: Viking Hathor & Viking Sobek
Best for Active Cruisers: AmaWaterways
Best Cabins: Avalon Waterways
Best Dining: Riverside
Best for Entertainment: Scenic
Best Enrichment: Viking Cruises
Best for Families: Adventures by Disney
Best for First-Timers: Emerald Waterways
Best for Honeymooners: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Best for Luxury: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Best Service: Tauck
Best for Solo Travelers: American Cruise Lines
Best Value for Money: Gate 1 Travel
Luxury Category
Best Luxury Cruise Line: Explora
Best New Luxury Ship: Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma
Best Cabins: Silversea Cruises
Best Dining: Explora
Best Enrichment: Viking Cruises
Best for Families: Explora
Best for Romance: Emerald
Best Itineraries: Windstar Cruises
Best Service: Crystal Cruises
Best Shore Excursions: Oceania Cruises
Best for Solo Travelers: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best Spa: Viking Cruises
Best Value for Money: Seabourn Cruise Line
Expedition Category
Best Expedition Cruise Line: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Best for Adventure: Quark Expeditions
Best Cabins: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Dining: Scenic
Best Itineraries: Ponant
Best for Light Expedition: Viking Cruises
Best for Luxury: Silversea Expeditions
Best Science Offerings: HX
Best Service: Silversea
Best Spa: Viking Cruises
Best Value for Money: Atlas
Best in Alaska: UnCruise Adventures
Best in Antarctica: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Best in the Arctic: Ponant Cruises
Best in the Galapagos: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Cruisers’ Choice Category
Top-Rated Mainstream Cruise Lines
Top-Rated River Cruise Lines
Top-Rated Luxury Cruise Lines
Top-Rated Expedition Cruise Lines
To view the full details of each category, visit the 2024 Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards. For photos of this year’s winners, click here.
About Cruise Critic
Cruise Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travelers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruise enthusiasts. The site features more than 650,000 cruise reviews and hosts the world’s largest online cruise community where travelers share experiences and opinions with fellow cruisers. Cruise Critic was the first consumer cruise site on the Internet, launched in October 1995 by The Independent Traveler, Inc., a subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Inc.
About Tripadvisor
Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform*, helps millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use Tripadvisor’s website and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than a billion reviews and contributions, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.
Tripadvisor LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP). The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.
* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, November 2024
** Source: Tripadvisor internal log files
Media Contact:
Aubrey Manzo Dunn
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SOURCE Cruise Critic
