Cruise Critic Names World's Best Cruise Ships for 2017 as Rated by Travelers

EWING, N.J., Feb. 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic^®, the world's leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, today announced the winners of the 2017 Cruisers' Choice Awards, based on ratings and reviews collected during a 12-month period.

"With these awards we consolidate the thousands of reviews submitted to Cruise Critic each year and honor those lines that received the best ratings from cruisers," explained Colleen McDaniel, Senior Executive Editor, Cruise Critic.  "Reviews offer incredibly helpful insights for those planning a cruise but also highlight the remarkable experiences and levels of service that people encounter every day on a cruise. We're thankful to everyone who added their voice to these awards by taking the time to write a review."

Disney Cruise Line takes top awards in eight categories, including Best Overall Large Ship for Disney Dream for the third consecutive year.  Disney Dream sails Bahamian itineraries year-round from Port Canaveral, Florida, and also won Best Cabins, Best Service, Best Public Rooms and Best Shore Excursions.   In the Mid-Size ship category, Disney Magic took top honors for Best Overall as well as Best for Families.

Viking Ocean Cruises, which launched its first ocean cruise ship in 2015, ranks number one in 10 categories.  Viking Sea, which sails European and Caribbean itineraries, won Best Overall in the Small-Mid size ship category, as well as Best Service, Best Entertainment, Best for Fitness, Best Public Rooms and Best Shore Excursion. Sister ship Viking Star won Best Value, Best Dining, Best Cabins and Best for First-Timers, in the same Small-Mid size category.

Celebrity Cruise Line's Galapagos-based ship, Celebrity Xpedition, won six top awards in the Small Ship class, including Best Overall, Best Value and Best Shore Excursions.

The winners of the 7^th annual Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards are awarded in four ship size classes, based on passenger capacity (Large: 2,000+ passengers; Mid-Size: 1,200 to 1,999 passengers; Small-Mid Size: 400- 1,199 passengers; Small: Fewer than 400 passengers.) The rankings are calculated using ratings published with user-submitted reviews on Cruise Critic.

First-place winners include:

Best Cruise Overall
Disney Dream (Large) – Disney Cruise Line
Disney Magic (Mid-Size) – Disney Cruise Line
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) – Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ship Cabins
Disney Dream (Large) – Disney Cruise Line
Marina (Mid-Size) - Oceania Cruises
Viking Star (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Star Legend (Small) – Windstar Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Dining
Celebrity Reflection (Large) - Celebrity Cruises
Marina (Mid-Size) - Oceania Cruises
Viking Star (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Wind Surf (Small) – Windstar Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Embarkation
Celebrity Reflection (Large) - Celebrity Cruises
Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) – Celestyal Cruises
Pacific Princess (Small-Mid) – Princess Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) - Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Entertainment                                              
Allure of the Seas (Large) – Royal Caribbean International          
Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) – Celestyal Cruises                                
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Silver Shadow (Small) – Silversea Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Fitness & Recreation                                
Disney Fantasy (Large) – Disney Cruise Line                                     
Marina (Mid-Size) - Oceania Cruises
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) - Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Public Rooms
Disney Dream (Large) – Disney Cruise Line
Marina (Mid-Size) - Oceania Cruises
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) - Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Service
Disney Dream (Large) – Disney Cruise Line
Marina (Mid-Size) - Oceania Cruises
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Paul Gauguin (Small) – Paul Gauguin Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Shore Excursions
Disney Dream (Large) – Disney Cruise Line
Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) – Celestyal Cruises
Viking Sea (Small-Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) - Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruise Ships for Value  
Norwegian Sky (Large) – Norwegian Cruise Line
Celestyal Crystal (Mid-Size) – Celestyal Cruises
Viking Star (Small Mid) – Viking Ocean Cruises
Celebrity Xpedition (Small) - Celebrity Cruises

Best Cruises for Families
Disney Magic – Disney Cruise Line

Best for First Timers
Viking Star –Viking Ocean Cruises

For the full list of winners, visit the 2017 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards. 

Cruise Critic boasts the world's largest online cruise community, with more than 160,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 500 cruise ships. Awards are based on reviews submitted for cruises taken in 2016.

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 150,000 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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Media Contact:
Carrie Gonzalez, Cruise Critic
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SOURCE Cruise Critic

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