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The publication evaluated 17 cruise lines through a combination of expert evaluations (30%), traveler reviews (50%) and health ratings published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Vessel Sanitation Program (20%). Complementing the itinerary will be gourmet Pacific Northwest cuisine and more than 40 regional wines curated by an onboard culinary team.
Best cruise ships and cruise lines of 2023, according to readers
Those assessments were combined to generate results for the cruise lines in six categories, including river cruising. French luxury cruise line Ponant aims to make passengers feel as if they're traveling on their own private yachts. Guests enjoy Ladurée macarons, Veuve Clicquot Champagne, and luxurious Hermès bath products on board.
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For instance, SeaDream's intimate yachts can stealthily visit ports that large ships can't manage. Regent Seven Seas packs all-inclusive gourmet dining and suites into their luxury offerings. While Scenic Eclipse makes adventurous expedition sailing a posh white-gloved affair. To help you navigate the waters of luxury cruises (and to help you find the best pampering cruise ship), check out the seven best luxury cruises sailing right now. The line's ships are sleek and modern, and sail to some of the world's most interesting ports of call.
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The line's Seabourn Pursuit will be sailing the South Pacific come 2024. In April and August, it will offer itineraries that focus on the history of World War II, with visits to islands involved in the conflict, including Chuuk and Guadalcanal. In January, Ponant kicks off the first of 12 expeditions in partnership with the Explorers Club, the science-minded nonprofit. The series begins with a 30-day “half-circumnavigation” of Antarctica aboard the luxury icebreaker Le Commandant Charcot, starting in South America and wrapping in New Zealand. The cruise lines and itineraries to consider in the year ahead, as selected by T+L news director Paul Brady. If you're willing to pay, up to 24 passengers a night can enjoy a seven-course meal at La Reserve by Wine Spectator.
Navigator — Regent Seven SeasArrow
In fact, Silversea's butlers take white-glove service to a whole new level — they'll handle your laundry with more care than you do, scour port towns to find your favorite tastes of home, and even help you pack and unpack your suitcase. Further, Silversea's new culinary program, nicknamed S.A.L.T. (for Sea and Land Taste), brings the taste of destinations on board through cooking classes. Of course, there's no need to cook for yourself aboard a Silversea ship, as each one features several restaurants with multi-course menus to whet your appetite every night. Carnival Cruise Line caters to families and casual cruisers with its fleet of ships. Sky Princess carries up to 3,660 passengers on itineraries around Europe and the Caribbean.
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Cruises are booming right now, buoyed partly by the popularity of domestic seacations that hauled in first-time sailors. So much so that Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 34,000-mile world trip for 2024 sold out in just over two hours, while the adults-only Virgin Voyages, which aims to throw cruise stereotypes overboard, rose to first place in Large Ships. And we’ve brought back last year's new category showcasing the expedition cruises – small, often sustainable vessels with a shoal of scientific experts onboard – that follow in the wake of adventurers such as Sir Ernest Shackleton. Over two weeks, you'll visit Native American burial grounds and archeological sites in West Virginia and learn about the underground railroad in Ohio. You can taste bourbon and explore the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory or the Kentucky Derby Museum & Horse Park in Louisville. Take time to appreciate American artistry at the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, Kentucky.
2024 Member Choice Awards: Best Cruise Lines and Ships for Onboard Experience - Cruiseline.com
2024 Member Choice Awards: Best Cruise Lines and Ships for Onboard Experience.
Posted: Wed, 21 Feb 2024 02:13:08 GMT [source]
Disney dominates the family cruise category, as it has every year since U.S. To qualify for this category, at least 62% of a cruise line's online traveler reviews must be made by couples. Viking dominates this category due to its "adult-focused environment and luxurious and romantic amenities, such as fireplaces in each ship's common area and private verandas in every stateroom," according to a U.S. Viking, a cruise line based in Basel, Switzerland, is no stranger to accolades. News' luxury list last year too — despite Chairman Torstein Hagen indicating he isn't a fan of the word. On the Pacific end of your voyage, you'll visit Astoria, Oregon — the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains.
Best Small Cruise Ship: SeaDream II
Onboard amenities include a fitness center, a Sky Deck with a whirlpool and shade system, free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs and a self-serve beverage station. The Avalon Choice program allows cruisers to customize the details of their experience, ensuring each vacation is a perfect fit. SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream II offers an intimate and luxurious yachting experience. With just 56 cabins, travelers and crew get to know each other quickly, and it really does feel like you're traveling on a friend's yacht instead of a cruise ship. Oceania Riviera dining is legendary across all of the cruise ship's dining venues, including complimentary specialty restaurants. If you've ever dreamed of having your own butler, Silversea is the luxury cruise line for you.
"T+L readers rave about the consistency of Viking's vessels and their Scandinavian design," cruise expert Fran Golden reported when Viking once again topped T+L's World's Best Awards last year. Viking came in at No. 1 in T+L's best mid-size ship category and river cruise category. Golden said the WBA Hall of Fame honoree's 50 river "longships" are "light-filled floating boutique hotels."
It's a self-contained cooking school at sea that offers hands-on experience at 12 individual cooking stations (two people per station). Classes focusing on a variety of topics do incur an extra fee, but get rave reviews from past participants. Impressively, all the top lines that readers chose as the best cruise lines for large ships are WBA Hall of Fame honorees. Read on to find out why Disney Cruise Line is the crème de la crème. Holland America Line, celebrating 75 years in Alaska in 2022, is in the No. 4 spot. "Food is excellent, crew is friendly and attentive; and cabins are large compared to other cruise lines," one voter wrote.
Royal Caribbean International, with its smaller 1990s ships such as Enchantment of the Seas and Vision of the Seas, comes in at No. 5. Most luxury cruise lines allow kids, though they often don't cater to them the way the larger lines do. Off-ship experiences include sampling local beer and oysters in Astoria, Oregon; visiting Multnomah Falls or hiking Beacon Rock; and having a private vineyard visit and downtown wine walk in Walla Walla, Washington. In Tennessee's two famous music cities, you'll have a chance to visit Elvis Presley's Graceland, stroll blues club-lined Beale Street and check out the Grand Ole Opry. You'll also visit Paducah, Kentucky, and Dover and Clarksville in Tennessee, where experiences include whiskey and bourbon tasting, tours of landmark art murals and, of course, Civil War history. Fares include transfers, complimentary wine and beer at lunch and dinner, no-fee specialty restaurants and free unlimited internet.
Chefs spend the day preparing for this pull-out-all-the-stops event at which they serve roast suckling pig, carved meats, pasta, salads and an array of mouth-watering desserts. Beautiful interiors and intuitive spaces that are designed for the way people want to gather and relax are hallmarks of Seabourn Ovation's indoor and outdoor public areas, which were created by renowned designer Adam D. Tihany. All 300 suites have balconies that are perfect for enjoying breakfast, drinks or dinner alfresco.
This decadent spread includes a Champagne toast and buffet loaded with caviar and other snacks, all to be enjoyed during a shoreside beach barbecue. The first thing you notice about Viking Venus is its open, airy feel and the care put into the design of every space onboard. All accommodations include a veranda, and even the tightest quarters -- the Deluxe Veranda and the Veranda categories -- are comfortably sized at 270 square feet. Larger accommodations include the Penthouse Veranda at 338 square feet, the 405-square-foot Penthouse Junior Suite and the Explorer Suite, which spans 757 to 1,163 square feet, including balcony. Thoughtful touches in all cabins include bedside USB ports, quiet-closing drawers, heated bathroom floors and anti-fog mirrors. Foodies might also wish to pay a visit to the well-equipped Culinary Center onboard Oceania Riviera (as well as on twin sister ship Oceania Marina).
Emerald Yacht Cruises, a line best known for its river ships, launched its first ocean-going vessel, Emerald Azzura, in 2022 followed by an identical sister ship, Emerald Sakara, in 2023. Both ships are intimate with a capacity of 100 passengers in 50 staterooms. The line was recognized for offering for Best Value for the Money. The line’s newest ship, Silver Nova, which holds 728 passengers was ranked as the Best New Luxury Ship. This environmentally-friendly ship, which began its inaugural cruise in August, 2023 is the industry’s first hybrid luxury cruise ship.
The new Regent Seven Seas Grandeur is headed for the Caribbean and then Europe, but will return to the U.S. in the fall for a series of scenic New England cruises that also hit New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. A favorite of T+L readers, the Paul Gauguin will spend Christmas and New Year’s going round-trip from Tahiti to the Society Islands. Oceania Vista, the line’s first new ship in 11 years, will spend next summer in the Mediterranean. One highlight will be an epic 24-day journey from Venice to Athens that calls in at iconic cities such as Rome, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Istanbul. Silversea also loves to throw a good soiree and does so on every warm-weather cruise in the form of its deck party.
Cruise Critic is an online cruise community with more than 650,000 ship reviews of 700 ships from experts and cruise aficionados. For the best in-suite views, book a room at the back of the ship, Kelly Cochrane, executive chef of Regent Seven Seas Cruises tells T+L. Meena Thiruvengadam is a lifelong traveler and veteran journalist who has visited more than 50 countries across six continents. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Departures, TripSavvy, and other publications. These are the best cruise lines in the world, according to the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards.
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