The winners of the 2016 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards have been announced, naming the best cruise ships of the year, based entirely on member reviews posted to the Cruise Critic website.
Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Dream was named Best Overall in the Large Ship category; this is the fourth year in a row a Disney ship has received top honors in the annual awards. The ship also took the top spot in the Best for Families, Best Entertainment, Best Service and Best Cabins categories.
Disney Wonder was also awarded Best Entertainment and Best Service in the Mid-Size Category.
Oceania Cruises’ nabbed Best Dining in the Mid-Size category for the fifth year in a row, this year for its ship Marina.
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Freedom was named Best Value-for-Money in the Large Ship category, with Holland America Maasdam winning in the Mid-Size category and Island Windjammers’ Sagitta in the Small Ship category.
Viking Star was the only new ship named to the list of winners, launched by the brand-new cruise line, Viking Ocean Cruises, in 2015. The ship was named Best for First-Timers, and also received Best Cabins and Best Public Rooms in the Small Ship category.
First-place winners include:
Best Cruises Overall
Disney Dream (Large)
Holland America Maasdam (Mid-Size)
Celebrity Xpedition (Small)
Best Cruise Ship Cabins
Disney Dream (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Viking Star (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Dining
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Oceania Marina (Mid-Size)
Island Windjammers Sagitta (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Embarkation
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Holland America Maasdam (Mid-Size)
Windstar Wind Surf (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Entertainment
Disney Dream (Large)
Disney Wonder (Mid-Size)
Pacific Princess (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Fitness & Recreation
Disney Fantasy (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Oceania Nautica (Small)
Best Cruise Ship Public Rooms
Disney Dream (Large)
Oceania Riviera (Mid-Size)
Viking Star (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Service
Disney Dream (Large)
Disney Wonder (Mid-Size)
Windstar Star Breeze (Small)
Best Cruise Ship Shore Excursions
Norwegian Jewel (Large)
Coral Princess (Mid-Size)
Celebrity Xpedition (Small)
Best Cruise Ships for Value
Carnival Freedom (Large)
Holland America Maasdam (Mid-Size)
Island Windjammers Sagitta (Small)
Best Cruise Ship for Families: Disney Dream
Best Cruise Ship for First-Timers: Viking Star
The Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards are awarded in three ship classes, based on passenger capacity (Large: 2,000+ passengers; Mid-Size: 1,200 to 1,999 passengers; Small: 1,199 or fewer passengers) and are calculated using the ratings submitted with each Cruise Critic member review.
For the full list of winners, visit the 2016 Cruise Critic Cruisers’ Choice Awards.