Best Ocean, River, and Luxury Cruise Lines of 2016 Named by Cruise Critic

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LONDON , Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cruise Critic, the world's leading cruise reviews site and online cruise community, today announced the winners of its annual UK Editors' Picks Awards for 2016. Winners are selected by a global panel of impartial cruise experts from Cruise Critic, and highlight the best cruise lines across numerous categories, and this year include inaugural luxury awards.

"It's been a mammoth year for ocean, river and luxury cruise ship launches – many of which are the largest addition to each line's fleet.  These awards consider the needs of UK travellers - whatever their budget, and personal preferences – to help them plan the perfect holiday on the water," explained Cruise Critic UK editor Adam Coulter . "The ever-increasing itinerary and ship options offered are impressive, and by sharing our combined first-hand insight and expertise, we can celebrate some of the top choices available."

Thomson Cruises' TUI Discovery launched in June, and was awarded 'Best New Ship' on the ocean. Specifically-tailored to the UK market, it was commended by editors for introducing a number of exciting firsts for a UK cruise line, including a climbing wall and outdoor cinema.

Uniworld sailed away with a trio of awards in the river categories, including 'Best River Cruise Line', for its combination of beautiful décor, outstanding service and sublime cuisine, and "Best for Luxury" and "Best Dining."

The new luxury awards saw Seabourn, which launches Seabourn Encore in December 2016 , awarded 'Best Luxury Cruise Line', and 'Best Dining'. Seabourn's intuitive service, high crew-to-passenger ratio, and exotic itineraries were commended by judges. Regent Seven Seas' 2016 launch, Regent Explorer, received the 'Best New Luxury Ship' accolade.

Other ocean cruise line award winners included Celebrity for 'Best Cabins' and 'Best Shore Excursions'. Royal Caribbean retained all three awards from 2015, including 'Best for Families', 'Best Entertainment', and 'Best Suites'. Fred. Olsen, which offers more UK port departures than any other cruise line, was praised for its itineraries for the second year.

River cruise line winners included Crystal Cruises, taking 'Best New River Ship' for Crystal Mozart, while Emerald Waterways received 'Best Value' for the second consecutive year. Awards for 'Best Enrichment' and 'Best Itineraries' were given to Viking River Cruises.

For the eighth consecutive year, Southampton Port, which has invested millions into recent cruise terminal refurbishments, was named 'Best UK Departure Port', while Liverpool took back its crown from 2014 as 'Best UK Port of Call'.

2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (Ocean):
TUI Discovery                                        
Cunard QM2
P&O Cruises
Royal Caribbean International
Celebrity Cruises
Royal Caribbean International
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Celebrity Cruises
Hurtigruten
Princess Cruises
Royal Caribbean International
Celestyal Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line
Southampton Port
Liverpool Port

2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (River):
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Crystal Cruises' Crystal Mozart
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
AmaWaterways
Viking River Cruises
Scenic
Viking River Cruises
A-Rosa
AmaWaterways
Emerald Waterways

2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards (Luxury):
Seabourn Cruise Line
Regent Seven Seas' Regent Explorer 
Azamara Quest/Journey
Oceania Cruises
Seabourn Cruise Line
Crystal Cruises
Azamara Club Cruises
Crystal Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruises
Windstar Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruises

For the full details of this year's winners, visit the 2016 Cruise Critic UK Editors' Picks Awards listing.

Cruise Critic® is an online cruise guide, offering a comprehensive resource for cruise travellers, from first-time cruisers to avid cruise enthusiasts. The site features more than 160,000 cruise reviews and hosts the world's largest online cruise community where travellers 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.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 24 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, www.besttables.com 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, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million average monthly unique visitors*, and reached 385 million reviews and opinions covering 6.6 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions.

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Vikki Bulbeck , Cruise Critic
vbulbeck@cruisecritic.co.uk
020 3194 2137