By James Shillinglaw, Dec 01, 2022
Leading cruise reviews site Cruise Critic revealed its 14th annual Editors’ Picks Awards on Wednesday, honoring the best cruise lines sailing the high seas. Cruise Critic doled out a number of honors, including best new ship, best dining and best luxury cruise line.
Norwegian Prima (pictured above), the first ship in Norwegian’s Prima ship class, took home Best New Ship of the Year. In justifying the decision, Cruise Critic editors noted that guests “will appreciate Norwegian Prima’s high-end décor and modern cabins—all paired with new thrills, fun shows and fantastic dining choices.”
Meanwhile, Virgin Voyages took top honors for its culinary offerings with the Best Dining award, which was hailed by Cruise Critic as having “something for everyone” and “best of all, every venue is included in your fare.” Budget conscious travelers should look no further than Carnival Cruise Line, which took home Best Value for the Money and “offers a moderately priced cruise vacation that doesn’t nickel-and-dime passengers.” Vancouver was named this year’s Best North American Homeport, with 2022 marking the first time in two years that the port welcomed cruisers to its city.
In the luxury award category, Silversea Cruises earned Best Luxury Cruise Line for its full-range of luxury offerings and constant innovation through new programs like in-suite wellness options and an excursion and dining program. Meanwhile, Emerald Cruises’ brand-new Emerald Azzurra was named Best New Luxury Ship, as a 100-guest vessel that editors say looks and feels like a luxury yacht. Rounding out the category was Oceania Cruises, which won the Best Itineraries award for introducing guests to fresh experiences and thoughtful planning.
In the new expedition awards category, Viking Expeditions’ brand-new sister-ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, were named Best New Expedition Ships for their ability to deliver the high-quality experience for which the line is known in its first-ever expedition vessels. Quark Expedition received Best for Adventure, which was credited with “maximizing your expedition adventure” with excursions such as kayaking, trekking and even Arctic hot-air ballooning. Hurtigruten was named the Best Value for Money, awarded for its competitive pricing, upgraded expedition ships and overall offerings.
“This is our first full set of Editors’ Picks Awards since before the pandemic, which marks a huge milestone for the industry,” said Colleen McDaniel, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. “Our editors have spent the full year sailing on a wide-range of cruise ships – from brand-new mega ships to smaller luxury vessels and expedition ships. We’ve covered the industry extensively and have seen lines overcome incredible challenges—not only returning to near-normalcy, but delivering products that truly create incredible experiences for travelers of every interest. Cruising is not only back, it’s exceeding expectations—and this year’s list of winners proves exactly that.” Following are the awards by category:
OCEAN CATEGORY
Best New Ship: Norwegian Prima
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Dining: Virgin Voyages
Best Entertainment: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best for Families: Disney Cruise Line
Best Innovation/Tech: Princess Cruises
Best for LGBTQ+ Travelers: Virgin Voyages
Best Nightlife: Virgin Voyages
Best Service: Holland America Line
Best for Solo Travelers: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Spa: Holland America Line
Best Specialty Dining: Celebrity Cruises
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Suite Complex: MSC Cruises
Best Value for Money: Carnival Cruise Line
Best App: Royal Caribbean International
Best North American Homeport: Vancouver
LUXURY CATEGORY
Best Luxury Cruise Line: Silversea Cruises
Best New Luxury Ship: Emerald Azzurra
Best Cabins: Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Best Dining: Silversea Cruises
Best Enrichment: Viking Ocean Cruises
Best Itineraries: Oceania Cruises
Best Service: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Shore Excursions: Windstar Cruises
Best for Solo Travelers: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Spa: Viking Ocean Cruises
Best Value for Money: SeaDream Yacht Club
EXPEDITION CATEGORY
Best New Luxury Ship: Viking Octantis & Viking Polaris
Best for Adventure: Quark Expeditions
Best Cabins: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Dining: Scenic
Best for Light Expedition: American Queen Voyages
Best for Luxury: Silversea Expeditions
Best Science Offerings: Viking Expeditions
Best Service: Scenic
Best Value for Money: Hurtigruten
Best in Alaska: UnCruise Adventures
Best in Antarctica: Silversea Expeditions
Best in the Arctic: Ponant Cruises
Best in the Galapagos: Lindblad Expeditions
For the complete list of winners in each category, visit www.cruisecritic.com/editors-picks/ocean/.
