Cruise Critic Names the U.K.'s Top Cruise Lines of the Year in 2024's 'Best in Cruise Awards'

P&O Cruises named the 'Best Cruise Line of the Year' in the Mainstream Category; Explora, Viking and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) also receive the top honour in their respective categories 

LONDON, Dec. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic^®, the world's leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, has named the winners of its 16^th annual cruise awards in its new Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards – naming the U.K.'s best cruise lines and destinations of the year, based on expert insight and traveller ratings. This year's awards are the site's most comprehensive to-date, combining the highly coveted editor-selected awards with the site's popular consumer-led Cruisers' Choice awards, which are based entirely on ratings and reviews from cruisers over the past year.

"Our team of editors and writers has cruised to just about every corner of the globe this year," shares Adam Coulter, Executive Editor of Cruise Critic UK. "From the Arctic and Galapagos, to the Caribbean and Alaska. On cruises with family, to couples' getaways and solo adventures. And one thing that we can say with absolute confidence is that there's never been a better time to find a cruise ship to suit your needs – and this year's awards highlight just that."

2024 Award Highlights

     Mainstream Awards

• Best Mainstream Cruise Line: P&O Cruises
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "P&O Cruises are by far the biggest U.K. cruise line, but it's not a position the line takes lightly, constantly striving to up their game. This is a line that 100% knows its guests, and does not miss a beat in terms of delivering what they want – time and again."
  
  
• Best New Ship: Cunard's Queen Anne
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "Cunard's first new vessel in 14 years, Queen Anne is an undeniably beautiful ship that strikes the perfect balance to achieve a timeless yet modern cruising experience. Queen Anne's wellness programme is among the best at sea, the Pavilion pool feels like a chic resort, and dining includes a partnership with Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr."

     River Awards

• Best River Cruise Line: Viking Cruises
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "The choice of rivers, the quality of cuisine, the consistency of service, the depth of enrichment and the inclusivity when it comes to drinks and shore excursions, makes Viking a clear winner for us when it comes to river cruises."
  
  
• Best New River Ship: Viking Hathor & Viking Sobek
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "Viking Hathor & Viking Sobek offer a comfortable and stylish way to explore Egypt. For those who know Viking, they feel familiar, with the line's hallmark Nordic decor and quiet luxury. Yet they're clearly designed for the Nile, both offering an immense top deck that provides shaded views of the scenery as the ships pass by."

     Luxury Awards

• Best Luxury Cruise Line: Explora Journeys
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "Excellent dining, fabulous pools and posh suites with delightful extras make a luxury sailing out-of-this-world, and that's what Explora Journeys has produced in just a few years on the water. Entering an Explora Journeys ship is like walking into a luxury hotel, from an eye-catching Lobby Bar to the Steinway piano and one-of-a-kind shopping."
  
  
• Best New Luxury Ship: Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's Ilma
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection set the luxury bar high with first ship Evrima and has taken it to the next level with second ship Ilma. Coming in at roughly twice the size of its older sister, Ilma retains the outstanding service levels, stunning accommodation and cuisine of Michelin-star quality which defines this brand. We especially love that in a second-in-class ship, Ritz-Carlton has refined the original blueprint, to perfection."

     Expedition Awards

• Best Expedition Cruise Line: HX Hurtigruten Expeditions
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "With five dedicated expedition ships, including two new-builds and three recently refurbished, HX offers expedition travel to both Poles, Spitsbergen, the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Iceland and the Galapagos. The line also places a strong emphasis on environmental and scientific discovery, backed up with outstanding expedition teams."
  
  
• Best Itineraries: Ponant
  According to Cruise Critic's Editors: "Ponant is always devising new routes that will make you grab a map. From cruises that traverse the North Pole to sailings that dive deep into Indonesia, Ponant keeps developing new routes, with a fleet that includes sailing ships, small expedition ships and one of the industry's most powerful icebreakers."

2024 Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards 

Mainstream Category

Best Mainstream Cruise Line: P&O Cruises
Best New Ship: Cunard's Queen Anne
Best Cabins: Celebrity Cruises
Best Dining: Virgin Voyages
Best Entertainment: Royal Caribbean International
Best for Families: P&O Cruises
Best for Romance: Princess Cruises
Best for LGBTQ+ Travelers: Virgin Voyages
Best Nightlife: MSC Cruises
Best Service: Holland America Line
Best for Solo Travelers: Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Best Spa: Norwegian Cruise Line
Best Specialty Dining: Celebrity Cruises
Best Suites: Royal Caribbean International
Best Suite Complex: MSC Cruises' MSC Yacht Club
Best Value for Money: Marella
Best App: MSC Cruises
Best U.K. Departure Port: Southampton
Best U.K. Port of Call: Liverpool

River Category

Best River Cruise Line: Viking
Best New River Ship: Viking Hathor & Viking Sobek
Best for Active Cruisers: Avalon Waterways
Best Cabins: Avalon Waterways
Best Dining: Riverside Luxury Cruises
Best for Entertainment: Scenic
Best Enrichment: Viking Cruises
Best for Families: A-ROSA
Best for First-Timers: TUI River Cruises
Best for Romance: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Best for Luxury: Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Best Service: Viking
Best for Solo Travelers: Saga River Cruises
Best Value for Money: TUI River Cruises

Luxury Category

Best Luxury Cruise Line: Explora Journeys
Best New Luxury Ship: Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection's Ilma
Best Cabins: Silversea Cruises
Best Dining: Explora Journeys
Best Enrichment: Viking
Best for Families: Explora Journeys
Best for Romance: Emerald Yacht Cruises
Best Itineraries: Windstar
Best Service: Crystal
Best Shore Excursions: Oceania Cruises
Best for Solo Travelers: Hebridean Island Cruises
Best Spa: Viking
Best Value for Money: Seabourn

Expedition Category

Best Expedition Cruise Line: HX
Best for Adventure: Quark Expeditions
Best Cabins: Seabourn Cruise Line
Best Dining: Scenic
Best Itineraries: Ponant
Best for Light Expedition: Viking
Best for Luxury: Silversea Expeditions
Best Science Offerings: HX
Best Service: Seabourn
Best Spa: Viking
Best Value for Money: Swan Hellenic
Best in Antarctica: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions
Best in the Arctic: HX
Best in the Galapagos: National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions

Cruisers' Choice Category

Top-Rated Mainstream Cruise Lines
     1.    Margaritaville at Sea
     2.    Virgin Voyages
     3.    Celebrity Cruises

Top-Rated River Cruise Lines     
     1.    Avalon Waterways
     2.    Emerald River Cruises
     3.    Viking Cruises

Top-Rated Luxury Cruise Lines
     1.    Crystal Cruises
     2.    Explora Journeys
     3.    Viking Cruises

Top-Rated Expedition Cruise Lines
     1.    Viking Cruises
     2.    Quark Expeditions
     3.    National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions

To view the full details of each category, visit the 2024 U.K. Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards.

About Cruise Critic

Cruise Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travellers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruise enthusiasts. The site features more than 650,000 cruise reviews and hosts the world's largest online cruise community where travellers 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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