World's Best Cruise Ships Named in 2013 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards

PENNINGTON, N.J., Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic® (http://www.cruisecritic.com), the leading cruise reviews site and largest online cruise community, has released its 2013 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards -- the cruise awards based entirely on reviews submitted by cruisers.

Disney Cruise Line's newest ship, Disney Fantasy, swept the boards in the large ship class, taking five top places including best in class.  Disney Fantasy, which debuted in March 2012, was named Best Large Ship, and took first place in five other categories: Best Cabins, Best Entertainment, Best Public Rooms, and Best Service. Its sister ship, Disney Dream, won Best Shore Excursions.

Holland America's Noordam ship was named Best Mid-Sized Ship, and Azamara Quest won Best Small Ship -- along with Best for Fitness and Best Service in the Small Ship category.

The Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards are based on reviews submitted by cruisers for cruises taken during 2012. They are awarded in three ship classes, according to passenger capacity – small (1,199 passengers or fewer), mid-sized (1,200 to 1,999) and large (2,000+). The top 10 ships in each class are named in the following categories:  Overall, Cabins, Dining, Embarkation, Entertainment, Fitness, Public Rooms, Service, Shore Excursions and Value for Money.  Awards are also given to the top-ranked ships in popular cruise regions; Alaska, Bahamas, Caribbean and the Mediterranean.   This year's winners include:

Best Large Ships
Disney Fantasy: Best Overall Large Ship, Best Cabins, Best Entertainment, Best Public Rooms, Best Service
Disney Dream: Best Shore Excursions
Celebrity Reflection: Best Dining
Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean): Best for Fitness, Best for Embarkation
Celebrity Eclipse: Best Value for Money

Best Mid-Sized Ships
Noordam (Holland America): Best Overall Mid-Sized Ship
Marina (Oceania): Best Cabins, Best Dining, Best Public Rooms
Thomson Dream: Best Entertainment, Best Service
Westerdam (Holland America): Best for Fitness, Best Shore Excursions
Norwegian Spirit: Best Value for Money
Celebrity Summit: Best for Embarkation

Best Small Ships
Azamara Quest: Best Overall Small Ship, Best for Fitness, Best for Service
Azamara Journey: Best Value for Money
Crystal Serenity: Best Dining, Best Entertainment
Crystal Symphony: Best Public Rooms
Seabourn Odyssey: Best Cabins
Seven Seas Navigator (Regent): Best Shore Excursions
Wind Surf (Windstar): Best for Embarkation

Best for Families (all ship sizes) - Disney Fantasy

Best Destination Cruises
Best Cruise to Alaska: Volendam (Holland America)
Best Cruise to the Bahamas: Disney Dream
Best Cruise to the Caribbean: Disney Fantasy
Best Cruise to the Mediterranean: Riviera (Oceania)
Best from Florida: Disney Fantasy
Best from the Northeast: Norwegian Star
Best from the West Coast  Westerdam (Holland America)

"These awards are based entirely on reviews submitted by cruisers, so offer a terrific insight into what consumers think of the ships they have sailed on," explained Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. "It's interesting to note that eight out of 10 awards in the Large Ship category went to ships launched within the past two years, so it seems that cruisers are enthusiastic about many of the emerging trends in dining, entertainment and onboard experiences."

Cruise Critic boasts the largest online cruise community in the world with more than 100,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 400 of the most popular cruise ships. Awards are based on reviews and ratings submitted to the site for cruises taken in 2012. Visit Cruise Critic for the complete list of 2013 Cruisers' Choice Awards winners.

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 100,000 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.

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*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor, Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, January 2013

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SOURCE Cruise Critic