Cruiseline.com Reveals its First Community-Generated, Members' Choice Cruise Industry Awards
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 25, 2015 -- Cruiseline.com, the largest source of verified cruise reviews, today announced its first-ever major cruise line awards as culled from more than 8,100 cruise reviews submitted by its members in 2014. These data-driven recognitions are based on real passenger reviews, 80 percent of which are verified through travel agent partners. Cruiseline.com is the only site to verify that reviewers actually sailed on the ships they rate.
“Consumers have a lot of choice in cruising, which can be overwhelming. The key is finding what’s best for you, and that’s where Cruiseline.com comes in,” said Faraz Qureshi, general manager of Cruiseline.com. “For our first annual Members’ Choice awards, we thought there’s no better way to get a true snapshot of what’s hot and not in the industry than to dive into the thousands of user submitted reviews. The data is clear about which lines, ships and ports are delivering great experiences.”
Cruiseline.com members not only rate their overall cruise experience, but also all major attributes onboard. As a result, in addition to awards for Best Overall Mainstream Line and Best Ship, experience awards such as Best Line for Service, Best Line for Food and Dining and Best Line for Entertainment were handed out.
Traveler type (e.g. couples, families) was also evaluated to recommend the best voyages for all kinds of cruisers, including categories like Best Line for First Timers, Best Line for Families with Tweens & Teens, and Best Line for Inside Cabins. Finally, thousands of port ratings drove the winners for destination favorites like Best Caribbean Port and Best Northeast U.S. Departure Port.
The 2015 winners were determined from 8,166 reviews across nine major cruise lines*: Carnival Cruise Lines, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International.
Three top awards were named in each category. A full list of winners is available at http://cruiseline.com/advice/awards/members-choice/2015
2015 Winners
Traveler Experiences
Best Overall Mainstream Line:
#1 Royal Caribbean International -"The Royal Caribbean International ships are the best if you ask me. I will never go on another ship unless it is free because RCL is WOW."
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 Disney Cruise Line
Best Ship (Overall Rating)
#1 Allure of the Seas - “The destinations are not important to me on this ship; this ship is the destination because it's fun all by itself. Enjoy you won't be disappointed.”
#2 Norwegian Getaway
#3 Oasis of the Seas
Best New Ship of 2014
#1 Norwegian Getaway – “My family booked a last minute cruise during the New Years week and we were pleasantly surprised with NCL Free Style package and will have a hard time going back to other cruise lines. The Getaway was a great ship - very clean, great activities, never felt crowded, wonderful dining and entertainment options."
#2 Regal Princess
#3 Quantum of the Seas
Best Ship for First Timers
#1 Allure of the Seas – “This was my first cruise and I had an absolute blast!!! Can't wait until my next one. From the shows to the activities to the ports I had a ball. The food was awesome. Dining in the Main Dining room was an awesome experience. My room attendant was awesome. The shops on board were great.”
#2 Enchantment of the Seas
#3 Carnival Valor
Best Line for Couples
#1 Celebrity Cruises – “This was our second Celebrity cruise. My wife and I would have a hard time trying another cruise line because we have had such good luck with Celebrity.”
#2 Disney Cruise Line
#3 Royal Caribbean International
Best Line for Families with Young Children
#1 Disney Cruise Line – “My children literally begged to stay longer; I have 7, 10 and 12 year olds. I never had to feel guilty about checking my little one in because he loved it.”
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 Celebrity Cruises
Best Line for Families with Tweens & Teens
#1 Royal Caribbean International – “The trip was for our 16 year old granddaughter. She had a great time....she loved the teen club and Johnny Rockets.”
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 Carnival Cruise Lines
Best Line for Singles/Friends
#1 Celebrity Cruises – “I suppose it’s partly the people you choose to travel with, or the people you meet along the way and spend time with, but I can't imagine a better travel experience.”
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 MSC Cruises
Best Line for Large Groups
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "This was the first time we did a Disney cruise. It was the best food ever! The rooms were huge compared to other cruise lines and shows were wonderful! We were 19 total with children ranging from 1yr to 18yrs. Everyone had a great time."
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 MSC Cruises
Best Line for First Timers
#1 Royal Caribbean International – “First time on a cruise and I absolutely loved every minute of it. The ship was exceptionally clean. Food was great. All of the staff I met were wonderful. Love each and every one of them. They are so personal and they go out of their way to make sure that you are satisfied.”
#2 Carnival Cruise Lines
#3 Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Line for Onboard Activities
#1 Disney Cruise Line – “We actually enjoyed the ship and its activities so much, we didn't even disembark in first port so we could stay aboard and take advantage of the offerings on-board.”
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 Carnival Cruise Lines
Best Line for Entertainment
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "The shows! Go to the shows! I loved every single one of them. Especially the farewell show the last night....it was a full on high quality Broadway production."
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 MSC Cruises
Best Line for Service and Staff
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "We thought it was so amazing that every time we passed staff in the hall or lobby area, they said "hello" - no matter how many times we saw them - they said the most cheerful "hello." Just really great service and people.”
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 Celebrity Cruises
Best Line for Food and Dining
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "I love the fact that your wait staff goes with you each night to each dining room, and I love that you switch up and you aren't in the same dining room each night. Also each night for dinner there is always something fun.”
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 Royal Caribbean International
Best Line for Ship Quality
#1 Disney Cruise Line – “Beautiful ship....with all of those kids running around the cleanliness was unbelievable. Top notch customer service; they thought of every little detail. The ship is huge and tons of activities both kid and adult only friendly so you don't feel crowded.”
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 Royal Caribbean International
Best Line for Inside Cabins
#1 Carnival Cruise Lines – “I wanted to take my four granddaughters on their first cruise, and since we couldn't get two adjoining cabins, I took a deep breath and trusted our cruise agent's advice that five of us could fit in one cabin. With a queen bed, two flip down upper bunks and a trundle, it really did work, and with a little bathroom scheduling, I couldn't have been happier with our four day ‘slumber party.’”
#2 Royal Caribbean International
#3 Celebrity Cruises
Best Line for Ocean View Cabins
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "We had an oceanview stateroom - The stateroom was big, with lots of closet space. The staterooms were really excellent"
#2 MSC Cruises
#3 Costa Cruises
Best Line for Balcony Cabins
#1 Disney Cruise Line – "The nice thing about the cabin was how there was a split bathroom with toilet and sink in one half and tub/shower and sink in other half."
#2 Celebrity Cruises
#3 Royal Caribbean International
Best Line for Suites
#1 Royal Caribbean International – “The suite experience was well worth it. It really helped us to navigate with so many people on board. The concierge lounge was amazing and very helpful.”
#2 Princess Cruises
#3 Norwegian Cruise Line
Favorite Destinations
Best Caribbean Port
#1 Philipsburg, St. Maarten – “So much has changed. When you take the ferry to the middle of town, it is gorgeous as you approach. Love the new boardwalk. You can now rent chair with the new beach area right before entering town.”
#2 Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
#3 Castries, St. Lucia
Best Private Caribbean Island
#1 Castaway Cay – “THE BEST EVER!!! Food was awesome, shopping is convenient and a great variety of things to do.”
#2 Half Moon Cay
#3 Labadee
Best Alaskan Port
#1 Cruise Glacier Bay – “Absolutely gorgeous to see, pictures do not do it justice. It was a cold and rainy day but still wonderful. We sat in a hot tub up top and enjoyed the snow-capped mountains, awesome experience.”
#2 Skagway Alaska
#3 Cruise Hubbard Glacier
Best Mediterranean Port
#1 Dubrovnik, Croatia – “OMG what a gorgeous place. Go early and walk the wall around the old town. Amazing views.”
#2 Rhodes, Greece
#3 Malaga, Spain
Best Mexican Riviera Port
#1 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – “Another awesome port, did some great ATVing, glass bottom boat to Lovers Beach, and the famous Arch, just a wonderful day.”
#2 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
#3 Huatulco, Mexico
Best Canada / New England Port
#1 Bar Harbor, Maine – “Sunshine and blue sky and lobster rolls...Yippee. Beautiful fall foliage and a charming town to walk.”
#2 Quebec City, Quebec
#3 Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Best Departure Ports
Best Mediterranean Departure Port
#1 Venice, Italy – “You will want to get to Venice a day before to enjoy the beauty of this city.”
#2 Barcelona, Spain
#3 Piraeus (Athens), Greece
Northeast U.S. Departure Port
#1 Quebec City, Quebec – "It was nice having 2 days here as there was so much to see."
#2 Boston, Massachusetts
#3 New York, New York
Caribbean Departure Port
#1 New Orleans, Louisiana – “New Orleans rocks. Go early and visit the French Quarter, especially Frenchman street!”
#2 San Juan, Puerto Rico
#3 Port Canaveral, Florida
*A minimum of 25 reviews were required for each category. Luxury and river cruise lines were not considered in this data analysis.
About Cruiseline.com
Cruiseline.com launched in December 2012 as an independent, objective guide to cruises. With over 60,000 reviews and 45,000 photos to date, the site simplifies the task of choosing a cruise with unbiased opinions from fellow passengers. Unlike other cruise communities, Cruiseline.com guarantees the authenticity of thousands of verified reviews, and uses member opinions to rank the best cruises, ships and itineraries. The site also partners with top publishers such as US News & World Report to bring simplified search and verified cruise reviews to their audiences. In addition, Cruiseline.com develops and powers Ship Mate Cruise App, the largest mobile app for cruisers with over one million downloads. Ship Mate gets travelers excited for their cruise by providing a forum to meet others on their cruise, learning about and tracking their ship, and sharing photos with the community.For more information and to join the conversation, visit: http://www.Cruiseline.com.
Lauren Kaufman, LKPR, [email protected], +1 (917) 414-1604, [email protected]
Share this article