Cruise Critic Hosts the First-Ever Consumer Vote in the 9th Annual Bacardi Cruise Competition

PENNINGTON, N.J., June 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic, the world's largest cruise website, has partnered with Bacardi's Global Travel Retail Division to host the consumer voting portion of the 2014 Bacardi Cruise Competition. Voting will take place on CruiseCritic.com through July 16, 2014.

Bartenders from cruise and ferry lines across the globe compete for the title of "Bacardi Bartender of the Year" by developing travel-inspired cocktails using Bacardi's extensive family of brands. The list of applicants has been narrowed down to 25 semi-finalists, representing five lines -- Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International and Tallink & Silja Line. Of those, five finalists will be chosen by Bacardi judges, and the sixth will be chosen by Cruise Critic's international community of cruisers and visitors to the site.

Now in its ninth year, this is the first time the competition is reaching out to consumers to vote for their favorite bartenders and cocktails. In addition to online voting, a handful of cocktail mixology sessions will be held on select cruise sailings, as part of Cruise Critic's popular onboard Meet & Mingle member events.

"For this year's competition, it was important for us to reach out to those who benefit first-hand from the talents of our semi-finalists – the cruisers themselves," says Zachary Sulkes, Regional Manager of Bacardi Global Travel Retail Americas. "Partnering with Cruise Critic was a natural choice – its community of cruisers is the largest in the world, and their passion for cruising is unparalleled."

The six finalists will compete in the Bacardi Cruise Competition finals in September, with the winner taking away a cash prize and the title of 2014 Bacardi Bartender of the Year. Carnival Cruise Lines' Adri Ford is the reigning Bacardi Bartender of the Year, winning the competition in 2012 and 2013.

To view the 25 semi-finalists and their submitted cocktail recipes, plus a free recipe guide, visit www.cruisecritic.com/bacardicruise.

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.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 21 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com,  www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 260 million unique monthly visitors*, and more than 125 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.1 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.

*Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

Cruise Critic and The Independent Traveler are either trademarks or registered trademarks of The Independent Traveler, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

© 2014 The Independent Traveler, Inc. All rights reserved.

Media Contact:
Aubrey Manzo, Cruise Critic
[email protected]
609-730-9155 ext. 274

SOURCE Cruise Critic