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The Best Cruise Lines of 2015: Do You Agree with Cruise Critic’s Picks?

by | October 5, 2015

Cruise Critic announced its list of the best cruise lines and ships of 2015—including the best new ship, the most romantic cruise line, and the line that offers the best nightlife.

In this annual series, winners are chosen by a panel of Cruise Critic’s editors, who are some of the most experienced cruise reporters around. (Editor in chief Carolyn Spencer Brown has sailed on hundreds of ships, and she shared some of her most memorable travel experiences with us in this interview.)

So what ships did they name No. 1? Well, the Viking Star got the honor of the best new ocean cruise ship, while Uniworld’s S.S. Maria Theresa took the best new river ship category. For families, the nod went to Royal Caribbean, and for romance, Windstar took the top spot (I can attest to that, I took my honeymoon on a Windstar cruise).

Cruise lines were also evaluated for their food, their shore excursions, their nightlife offerings, even their various cabins. Here’s a selection of the winners; check out the full list at Cruise Critic, and let us know: Do you agree with the selections?

Ocean Cruises

  • Best new ocean cruise ship: Viking Star
  • Best Cruise Line for Luxury: Crystal Cruises
  • Best Cruise Line for Families: Royal Caribbean
  • Best Cruise Line for Value: Carnival
  • Best Cruise Line for Dining: Celebrity
  • Best Cruise Line Suites: Royal Caribbean
  • Best Shore Excursions: Azamara Club Cruises
  • Best for Romance: Windstar
  • Best for Nightlife: Norwegian Cruise Line

River Cruises

  • Best River Cruise Line: Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
  • Best New River Cruise Ship: S.S. Maria Theresa, Uniworld
  • Best Cruise Line for Dining: AmaWaterways
  • Best River Cruise Line Shore Excursions: Uniworld
  • Best for Value: Emerald Waterways

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1 Comment

  1. Kathy @ Goseeittravel

    “Best” is so hard to determine in a market so differentiated by ship size, style, demographics of the passengers and even the types of destinations or types of expeditions! But I’ve had terrific experiences on most of these “bests”!

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