Cruisers Have Spoken: World's Largest Online Cruise Community Reveals Top Cruise Ships

PENNINGTON, N.J., Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  Cruise Critic® (http://www.cruisecritic.com), the leading cruise reviews site, has released the winners of its 2012 Cruisers' Choice Awards -- the cruise awards based entirely on ratings and reviews submitted by cruisers.

The Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards highlight the best cruise ships 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+). Awards are presented to the top 10 ships in each class in the following categories: Overall, Cabins, Dining, Embarkation, Entertainment, Fitness, Public Rooms, Service, Shore Excursions, Value-for-Money and Family. This year, for the first time, awards are also given to the best ships by destination and by the regions from which they sail.

Select 2012 Winners

LARGE CRUISE SHIPS -- The 2,850-passenger Celebrity Equinox took the overall top spot in the largest class of cruise ships, beating Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, which claimed the number-one spot last year. Celebrity Equinox is also the highest-rated large ship in the Value-for-Money and Public Rooms categories, while Oasis of the Seas held on to its title as the Cruisers' Choice for Entertainment. 

For a complete list of winners in all categories for large ships, please visit:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm?category=Overall&sort=large

MID-SIZED CRUISE SHIPS -- The 1,506-passenger Thomson Dream, which is owned by the UK-based line Thomson Cruises, was awarded first place in the Best Overall Medium Ship category, also winning the Best Entertainment and Best Service awards. Oceania's Marina was also a favorite in this class and came first for Dining, Fitness and Public Rooms.

For a complete list of winners in all categories for mid-sized ships, please visit:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm?category=Overall&sort=medium

SMALL CRUISE SHIPS -- In the small-ship class, 694-passenger Azamara Journey won Best Overall Small Ship along with Best Fitness and Best Service. Crystal Symphony also achieved exceptional ratings from cruisers and came first for Dining, Embarkation and Public Rooms.

For a complete list of winners in all categories for small ships, please visit:
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm?category=Overall&sort=small

This year, Cruise Critic introduced awards in destination categories to highlight the highest-rated ships sailing to the most popular destinations, as well as those sailing from some of the busiest cruise regions.  Winners include:

For the complete list of 2012 Cruisers' Choice Awards winners in all categories, please visit http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm.

"The most important opinions about cruises and cruise ships are those of the passengers who sail on them," said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. "With these awards, we give cruisers center stage and highlight the reviews they've submitted on Cruise Critic. Overall, the cruise lines do a fantastic job of keeping their customers happy, and the reviews on Cruise Critic reflect a very satisfied group of travelers who continue to cruise year after year."

Cruise Critic boasts the largest online cruise community in the world, with 800,000 registered members and more than 90,000 cruise reviews, covering approximately 400 of the most popular cruise ships. Awards are based on ratings and reviews submitted for cruises taken in 2011. It is necessary to register to submit a review. Cruise Critic membership is free of charge and requires a simple online registration. Members are asked to provide comprehensive reviews with details of where and when they sailed.

For the complete list of 2012 Cruisers' Choice Awards winners, please visit http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/cruiserschoice_index.cfm.

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 90,000 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 Web sites under 18 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 65 million unique monthly visitors*.  TripAdvisor's travel media brands include: www.tripadvisor.com, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.travelpod.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn

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

© 2012 The Independent Traveler, Inc. All rights reserved. 
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, August 2011

SOURCE Cruise Critic