- TUI Discovery Wins Best New Ship; Seabourn Awarded Best
Luxury Cruise Line -
LONDON, Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic,
the world's leading cruise reviews site and online cruise
community, today announced the winners of its annual UK Editors'
Picks Awards for 2016. Winners are selected by a global panel of
impartial cruise experts from Cruise Critic, and highlight the best
cruise lines across numerous categories, and this year include
inaugural luxury awards.
"It's been a mammoth year for ocean, river and luxury cruise
ship launches – many of which are the largest addition to each
line's fleet. These awards consider the needs of UK
travellers - whatever their budget, and personal preferences – to
help them plan the perfect holiday on the water," explained Cruise
Critic UK editor Adam Coulter. "The
ever-increasing itinerary and ship options offered are impressive,
and by sharing our combined first-hand insight and expertise, we
can celebrate some of the top choices available."
Thomson Cruises' TUI Discovery launched in June, and was awarded
'Best New Ship' on the ocean. Specifically-tailored to the UK
market, it was commended by editors for introducing a number of
exciting firsts for a UK cruise line, including a climbing wall and
outdoor cinema.
Uniworld sailed away with a trio of awards in the river
categories, including 'Best River Cruise Line', for its combination
of beautiful décor, outstanding service and sublime cuisine, and
"Best for Luxury" and "Best Dining."
The new luxury awards saw Seabourn, which launches Seabourn
Encore in December 2016, awarded
'Best Luxury Cruise Line', and 'Best Dining'. Seabourn's intuitive
service, high crew-to-passenger ratio, and exotic itineraries were
commended by judges. Regent Seven Seas' 2016 launch, Regent
Explorer, received the 'Best New Luxury Ship' accolade.
Other ocean cruise line award winners included Celebrity for
'Best Cabins' and 'Best Shore Excursions'. Royal Caribbean retained all three awards from 2015,
including 'Best for Families', 'Best Entertainment', and 'Best
Suites'. Fred. Olsen, which offers more UK port departures than any
other cruise line, was praised for its itineraries for the second
year.
River cruise line winners included Crystal Cruises, taking 'Best
New River Ship' for Crystal Mozart, while Emerald Waterways
received 'Best Value' for the second consecutive year. Awards for
'Best Enrichment' and 'Best Itineraries' were given to Viking River
Cruises.
For the eighth consecutive year, Southampton Port, which has
invested millions into recent cruise terminal refurbishments, was
named 'Best UK Departure Port', while Liverpool took back its crown from 2014 as
'Best UK Port of Call'.
2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (Ocean):
Best New Ship: TUI
Discovery
Best Refurbishment: Cunard QM2
Best Dining: P&O Cruises
Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Itineraries: Fred. Olsen Cruise
Lines
Best Shore Excursions: Celebrity Cruises
Best for Adventure: Hurtigruten
Best for Romance: Princess Cruises
Best for Families: Royal Caribbean International
Best Value: Celestyal Cruises
Best for Nightlife: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best UK Departure Port: Southampton Port
Best UK Port of Call: Liverpool Port
2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (River):
Best River Cruise Line:
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Best New River Ship: Crystal Cruises' Crystal Mozart
Best Luxury River Cruise Line: Uniworld Boutique River
Cruise Collection
Best Dining: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Best Cabins: AmaWaterways
Best Itineraries: Viking River Cruises
Best Shore Excursions: Scenic
Best Enrichment: Viking River Cruises
Best for Active Cruisers: A-Rosa
Best for Families: AmaWaterways
Best Value: Emerald Waterways
2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (Luxury):
Best Luxury Cruise Line: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best New Luxury Ship: Regent Seven Seas' Regent
Explorer
Best Luxury Refurbishment: Azamara Quest/Journey
Best Dining: Oceania Cruises
Best Cabins: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Itineraries: Crystal Cruises
Best Shore Excursions: Azamara Club Cruises
Best Enrichment: Crystal Cruises
Best Value: Viking Ocean Cruises
Best Romance: Windstar Cruises
Best Spa: Viking Ocean Cruises
For the full details of this year's winners, visit the 2016
Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards listing.
About Cruise Critic (www.cruisecritic.co.uk)
Cruise
Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive
resource for cruise travellers, from first-time cruisers to avid
cruise enthusiasts. The site features more than 160,000 cruise
reviews and hosts the world's largest online cruise community where
travellers share experiences and opinions with fellow cruisers.
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launched in October 1995 by The
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UK Media Contact:
Vikki
Bulbeck, Cruise Critic
vbulbeck@cruisecritic.co.uk
020 3194 2137