Who Is Top Of The Leaderboard?

The winners in the annual Cruise Industry awards have recently been announced.  I was really pleased to see that this year there are some changes on the leaderboard, which makes it nice for all of those hard working staff on board.

So, who is in the hall of fame this year? The best new cruise ship goes to P&O Britannia. Having been on this ship at its launch in March, it is lovely to see. A really nice ship, not for everyone though, and some of you P&O “old timers” may not like the new feel or decor of the ship, however, it is nice and deserves its award.

Now onto the best cruise ship refurbishment. This has gone to the Celebrity Eclipse and rightly so. It went into dry dock and came out with a load of new and improved features. A truly lovely and loved ship.

We come to the best “luxury” cruise ship. The winner is Crystal Cruises.  I have to admit I am not a lover of Crystal. Yes, they are beautiful ships but I think there are better out there (oo I hear you say!). Would be rude to mention who I think at this time though!

What about who is best for families? Well, you guessed it – Royal Caribbean. Not a surprise is it?  There are a few cruise lines who cater for families very well, but Royal Caribbean has to have the edge. Great programmes for the little ones as well as teenagers and lets face it so much to do on the ships. Well done!

We all know that the cruise itinerary is one of the main factors in choosing your cruise. Nice to see that the winner in this category is good old Fred Olsen. They do leave from more regional ports in the UK then any other cruise line, they also offer a huge variety of itineraries such as mini cruises right down to cruising up the Amazon. I for one really think there great for the regional options.

Best cruise line for adventure is a strange one but the winner is Hurtigruten. Cruises to the Arctic, Greenland and the Antarctic along with sleeping in a “ice” hotel, husky sledding has to be the main reason why they are worthy winners of this category.

What about best cruise line for value for money? Well, Thomson Cruises are the winners here. I think with the variety of regional airports, competitive fares and tips all included has to be some of the reasons why. Good choice to make.

The best cruise line for dining goes to P&O again on the Britannia. The Epicurean and Sindhu restaurants really do deserve this.

And I could go on and on! Seriously though it is nice to see a varied group of winners and not all the same.

Do you agree with them though?