Travellers' Top Rated Cruise Destinations Revealed

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26 Jul, 2017, 09:00 GMT

Budapest named world's top cruise destination; Cork, Guernsey & Glasgow make the top 5 for British Isles & Western Europe

-Cruise Critic announces highest ranking destinations of the year, based on passenger feedback-

LONDON, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic, the world's leading cruise review and planning site, has announced the winners of the second Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Destination Awards. The awards name the best cruise destinations of the year – across 15 regions around the world – based entirely on reviews posted to Cruise Critic.com.

"Picking a cruise itinerary isn't easy, particularly given the increasing number of amazing destinations accessible by cruise," explains Adam Coulter, UK managing editor, Cruise Critic. "Analysing first-hand visitor feedback of cruise destinations world-wide enables us to identify those they loved most, which is true testament to their appeal. By sharing this insight, we hope to inspire and guide travellers to select a cruise itinerary, which they too, will love."

Budapest the Best
A popular river cruise destination, Budapest was ranked the Best Cruise Destination for 2017, with the city's beauty and cultural tours commended by travellers.

Cork, Guernsey and Glasgow Ranked Favourites
Amsterdam was rated top for the second consecutive year in the British Isles and Western Europe destination category. The winner sees calls from a range of river and ocean cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises and Viking River Cruises. In second place, maintaining its position from 2016 was Cork's Cobh, followed by Lisbon, Guernsey's St. Peter Port, and Glasgow's Greenock in third, fourth and fifth places, respectively.

Other popular ports include St. Petersburg, which sees visits from lines such as MSC Cruises, including its recently launched MSC Meraviglia, and P&O Cruises. Princess Cruises offers 52 St. Petersburg visits in 2017.

Alaska is another hot destination, and Glacier Bay maintained the number one spot in the Alaska category. In response to demand for Alaska itineraries, some cruise lines have increased capacity to this region, including Holland America Line which this year added its seventh Alaska-serving ship, ms Oosterdam. After a fifteen-year absence, Seabourn has returned to Alaska with Seabourn Sojourn.

Sail into a Game of Thrones Set
Dubrovnik, a new entry for this year's awards, sees visits from the likes of Thomson Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania, and was highly acclaimed by visitors for its churches, monasteries, and Game of Thrones tours. Singapore, another new entry, was praised by visitors for its cleanliness and stunning Gardens by the Bay nature park, and can also be reached direct from the UK with lines such as Cunard, Fred. Olsen Cruise Line and P&O Cruises.

Brits favour Europe and the Baltics
Kotor, Mykonos, Tallinn, Dubrovnik and Copenhagen were the destinations UK travellers ranked in their top five, respectively.

First Place Cruise Destinations:
Top-Rated British Isles and Western Europe Port: Amsterdam
Top-Rated Alaska Port: Glacier Bay
Top-Rated Asia & South Pacific Port: Singapore
Top-Rated Australia & New Zealand Port: Akaroa
Top-Rated Private Islands Port: Disney Cruise Line's Castaway Cay
Top-Rated Baltic & Scandinavia Port: St. Petersburg
Top-Rated Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda Port: Kings Wharf
Top-Rated Southern Caribbean Port: Curacao
Top-Rated Western Caribbean & Riviera Maya Port: Cozumel
Top-Rated Eastern Mediterranean Port: Dubrovnik
Top Rated European River Port: Budapest
Top Rated Western Mediterranean Port: Villefranche
Top-Rated Hawaii Port: Kauai
Top-Rated Mexican Riviera, Central & South America Port: Cabo San Lucas
Top-Rated US & Canada Port: Quebec City

For the full list of winners, visit the 2017 Cruise Critic Cruisers' Destination Awards.
For photos of the winning destinations, please click here.
For the video of the winning destinations, click here.

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 350,000 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.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.citymaps.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com and www.viator.com. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 390 million average unique monthly visitors* in 49 markets worldwide, and offers advice from millions of travelers, with 465 million reviews and opinions covering 7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.
*Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q3 2016