Now THAT'S How Cruise Awards Should Be Done

Having given the so-called British Travel Awards a major kicking recently for their laughable selection of Cruise Awards, it was refreshing to see the Cruise Critic UK Awards come out this week with a sane, sensible and highly credible approach to pretty much the same thing.

Using their own in-house editorial experts, led by extremely knowledgeable editor-in-chief Carolyn Spencer-Brown, they have 25 individual awards - from the obvious things of Best New Ship and Best For Kids to Best Itineraries and Best Buffet - and all have the ring of authenticity and genuine cruise know-how.

In full, the 2011 award winners are:

Best New Ship - Carnival Magic
Best New River Ship - SS Antoinette (Uniworld)
Best For Luxury - Seabourn Cruise Line
Best for First Timers - Ventura (P&O Cruises)
Best Line for Kids - Royal Caribbean
Best Itineraries - Cunard Line
Best for Adventure - Star Clippers
Best River Cruise Line - Viking River Cruises
Best Value for Money - Voyages of Discovery
Best for Fly-Cruises - Thomson Cruises
Best for Dining - Oceania Cruises
Best Buffet - Marina (Oceania Cruises)
Best Alternative Restaurant - The Verandah (Cunard's Queen Elizabeth)
Best for Entertainment - Cunard Line
Best for Healthy Cruising - Celebrity Cruises
Best Suites - Marina (Oceania Cruises)
Best Cabins - Holland America Line
Best Shore Excursions - Noble Caledonia
Best Guest Speakers - Voyages to Antiquity
Best for Honeymooners - Princess Cruises
Best for Wine Lovers - Celebrity's Solstice-Class
Best Cruise Ship Bar - The Glass House (P&O's Azura)
Best UK Port of Call - Newcastle
Best UK Departure Port - Southampton

All the category winners come fully explained with the 'why' of their choice and some useful info on the award-winner, and categories like Best Value and Best Suites are extremely relevant to today's cruisers (are you taking note, BTA?).

The categories like Best Bar and Best for Wine-Lovers are just plain fun, and the choice of Newcastle as best UK port of call is sure to start some earnest debate on the subject (as well as rewarding a go-ahead port authority - for my money, Lerwick in the Shetlands would be hard to beat as they simply work so hard to attract ships and provide a unique port experience, but that's a very minor quibble).

Do I agree with all the selections? No, but then you probably would struggle to get any two major cruise experts to agree anyway as there is so much that's subjective about these types of awards (as well as so much choice these days).

I probably wouldn't have given Cunard Best Itineraries as their ships are all so big there are many ports they CAN'T visit (unlike, say, Crystal, Silversea or even someone like Orion Expedition Cruises, whose itineraries are truly eye-catching), while I also think there are many other better contenders for Best Alternative Restaurant than QE's Verandah.

Ideally, I'd also like to see more categories to highlight the major differentiation these days between the large mega-ships and the smaller, more boutique types (for instance, how do you compare a new ship like Carnival Magic against the tiny-by-comparison Seabourn Quest?).

But that is really just nit-picking as against the big beefs I have with the comparable cruise section of the BTA. All in all, the Cruise Critic UK awards are a laudable and highly worthwhile exercise, and all the winners are to be congratulated.

For the full story, go to this page on Cruise Critic UK and click on the necessary link to see the Winners.

SeaDream Honoured By Cruise Critic

In the first annual Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards, SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream I has been placed as No 1 for Service in the Small Ship category.



Cruise Critic Editor-In-Chief Carolyn Spencer Brown explained: “Cruise Critic members who have reviewed the ship are clearly very happy with their cruise experience. SeaDream I gets excellent ratings for service, which is attentive and formal, without being fussy or intrusive.”

Cruise Critic-issued awards are based entirely on reviews/ratings submitted by cruisers when they posted a review. Cruise Critic, the online guide to cruises, is one of the most influential travel sites on the web. With a world-renowned editorial staff, it provides objective cruise reviews, features, ports-of-call profiles and destination information.

Acknowledging the award, Bob Lepisto, President of SeaDream, said: “The crew aboard SeaDream I & SeaDream II are to be thanked for their tireless efforts to ensure each guest is well taken care of. Independent reviews like this reaffirm our claim of providing unbeatable service.”

Just last month, SeaDream I was showcased in London, at Tower Bridge, to over 400 UK travel industry professionals and the media, with a series of exclusive invitational events. Following her first visit to London, the ship sailed to Hamburg for a 20-day dry-dock and now, for the first time, is positioned for her northern-summer season in the Baltic, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Together with sister vessel, the ships are rated the ‘World’s Best Small Ship Cruise Line’ (source: the Berlitz Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships). The expression “yachting” is not only a statement about size, it describes a lifestyle aboard the intimate vessels. Chic and stylish, SeaDream’s 56-stateroom vessels are favoured for their elegant informality, personal service provided by a crew of 95, state-of-the-art facilities, inclusive open bar and gratuities, ocean-view accommodations, luxury spa and world class cuisine. Itineraries include the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Amazon.

For more information, visit www.seadream.com or contact the luxury-cruise experts of booking agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Embarkation for all ports!

OK folks, here's a quick 'Welcome Aboard' message from your new 'captain' for Time Spent At Sea, which is something we hope will develop into one of the most entertaining and informative Blogs about the wide World of Cruising (oops - cheap plug alert!).

My name is Simon Veness (one half of the almost-well-known Veness travel-writing team) and, as some people will already be aware, editor of World of Cruising magazine, Europe's longest-running and premier publication on the subject of cruising and cruise ships (whoops - there I go again!). By way of introduction, I have been cruising since I was nine (although there is no truth in the rumour I was on the maiden voyage of the original Queen Mary) and am a complete cruise addict. I am firmly of the opinion this is the best kind of holiday anyone will take - provided they choose the right voyage for their personal taste.

Modern cruising is a vastly different animal to that which many people associate with the image of yesteryear (or even my first experiences) and there is a vast amount of choice these days, hence it is vital people do their 'homework' before booking their first (or next) cruise. Our magazine obviously provides a lot of insight (oops - gratuitous plug No. 3!), but that should really be just the starting point for the booking process.

A good, up-to-date guidebook is also highly advisable (I use both Steve Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation and the inestimable Doug Ward's encyclopaedic Berlitz Guide to Cruising), while the internet is obviously invaluable, too, with sites like Cruise Critic providing a wealth of up-to-date info.

Obviously, we are happy to take all kinds of queries on the subject and develop an even greater database of info and advice, while UK cruise devotees should also make an early advance note in their diaries for March 27-28, 2010, when the second big CRUISE show, sponsored by the Daily Telegraph, will be open in London (at Olympia next year, as opposed the rather cavernous ExCel in 2009) and well worth visiting for special displays, talks and - especially - cruise deals. Check out their website early and often for how to get tickets in advance at reduced prices.

Finally, by way of a final 'plug' for this blog (and I promise to keep it relatively Ad-free in future!), we also have a companion Twitter with our sister company The Cruise Line Ltd which also provides little news nuggets and updates on what we're doing (and some juicy special offers!).

We will also, of course, continue to offer Blogs by some of our other notable contributors, like well-known travel writer and cruise aficionado Anthony Nicholas, and hopefully it will all add up to some fabulous Time Spent At Sea. All aboard, now............!