Cruise Critic Names Best Cruise Ships, Lines and Ports in 2011 Editors' Picks Awards

PENNINGTON, N.J., Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic® (http://www.cruisecritic.com), the influential cruise news and reviews Web site, today announced the 2011 Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards, which honor the top cruise lines, ships and ports.

This year's award for "Best New Ship" went to Disney Cruise Line for its innovative new-build, Disney Dream, which also carried off the award for "Best Inside Cabins." The line also received the "Best Standard Cabins" award. Carnival Cruise Lines was awarded "Best Value for Money" for its commitment to keeping onboard costs down, and received "Best Cruise Ship Bar" for its popular new venue, the Red Frog Pub. Royal Caribbean was confirmed as the family favorite, receiving the "Best for Families" award for the fourth consecutive year.

Celebrity Cruises received the most accolades with four awards, honoring its outstanding food and drink offerings, as well as its dedication to health-conscious options. The line was awarded "Best for Dining," "Best Alternative Restaurant" (for Qsine), "Best for Wine-Lovers" and "Best for Healthy Cruising."

New Orleans was honored with "Best U.S. Port of Call" for its vibrant atmosphere, easy access to the city and full range of activities, including family-friendly attractions, world-class museums, distinctive restaurants and fabulous nightlife.

Cruise Critic editors evaluated lines and ships in 25 categories by comparing like-for-like, taking into account the audience to which each line markets, in order to highlight the very best cruise lines and their particular strengths. The annual Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards complement the Cruisers' Choice Awards, which are announced in the spring and highlight the cruise ships which receive the highest ratings from reviews posted on Cruise Critic.

"Cruise lines offer exceptional hospitality and some of the best vacation experiences in the world, so to choose just a handful of ships and lines to honor is really tough," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. "We aim to highlight those lines that deserve credit in specific areas -- where we believe they truly excel -- such as dining, accommodations or onboard activities. Some of the categories are chosen easily, and others are selected after much debate and consideration, but all are very well-deserved. Congratulations to all of this year's winners."

For more information on this year's winners, as well as information on why each award was given to a particular line or ship, please go to: http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4659

About Cruise Critic:

Cruise Critic is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travelers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruisers. The site features both professional and member reviews of more than 350 ships and hosts an active community where travelers share experiences and opinions with fellow cruisers.  

Launched in October 1995 by The Independent Traveler, Inc., Cruise Critic was the first consumer cruise site on the Internet.

The Independent Traveler, Inc. is a subsidiary of TripAdvisor® LLC, which is an operating company of Expedia. 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. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2011 The Independent Traveler, Inc. All rights reserved.  

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Carrie Gonzalez, Cruise Critic
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SOURCE Cruise Critic