GettyImages-Cruise Ship in Miami
Residents of the city wave as they watch the world's largest luxury liner, the Freedom of the Seas, docks at the port of Miami 25 May 2006. ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP/Getty Images

The travelers’ verdict on the world’s best cruise brands in various categories is out.

The latest Condé Nast Traveler awards 2019, has crowned Royal Caribbean Cruise with the top rank in Megaships while Disney Cruise Line emerged the top winner in the Large Ships section.

In the gallop poll, Condé Nast Traveler readers ranked the top cruise lines spread in various categories based on carrying capacity.

The Conde Nast Readers' Choice Awards is the most coveted recognition of excellence in the travel industry. This year the award has greater significance as Condé Nast Traveler received the largest number of responses to decide the final winners.

The categories ranged from mega-ships to river cruises. Some of the top picks are repeat winners as in the Crystal cruise which led the awards in three categories.

Top winners’ list

The award categories fall into five categories--Mega Ships, Large Ships, Medium Ship, Small Ships, and River Cruise Ships.

The top three cruise companies in different categories are the following.

Mega Ships (more than 4,000 passengers)

  • Royal Caribbean International
  • MSC Cruises
  • Norwegian Cruise Line

Large Ships (2,500 to 4,000 passengers)

  • Disney Cruise Line
  • Cunard
  • Holland America Line

Small Ships (fewer than 500 passengers)

  • Crystal Ocean Cruises
  • Windstar Cruises
  • Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic

River Ships

  • Crystal River Cruises
  • Viking River Cruises
  • Uniworld Boutique River Cruises

Meanwhile, Crystal cruise is excited at having made history in the 2019 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards by winning top honors in all the eligible categories.

It won awards for Best Medium-Ship Cruise Line, Best Small-Ship Cruise Line, and Best River Cruise Line.

This is a record 26th year that Crystal has been receiving the top recognition.

“We are honored and humbled by this recognition and thrilled that our mission of delivering the world’s best vacation experiences is being fulfilled,” said Crystal’s president and CEO, Tom Wolber.

The company’s oceangoing ships, Crystal Symphony, and Crystal Serenity are the most awarded sea-based luxury ships.

The cruise line recently added new Seabreeze Penthouses and Penthouse Suites for butler-serviced accommodations and globally inspired dining experiences.

The outlook on the cruise industry is also upbeat. The rising integration of retailing and travel as expounded in Costco travel is a boon for the travel sector.

Condé Nast Traveler is a luxury travel magazine published by Condé Nast, a unit of Advance Publications that purchased Signature magazine of Diners Club members in 1986 and transformed into a huge brand.

It enjoyed big growth under the leadership of Sir Harold Evans with the motto “Truth in Travel." Now the magazine is led by Melinda Stevens and the prominent competitors are National Geographic Traveler and Travel + Leisure.

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