NOMINATED: River Cruising
Launched in 2017, AmaWaterways' 158-passenger AmaKristina features connecting cabins and triple-occupancy staterooms that are tailored to multigenerational families and groups traveling together. The vessel features AmaWaterways' twin-balcony concept in staterooms on the two upper decks, which is a French balcony adjacent to a step-out one. There are three dining venues onboard, including the Chef's Table restaurant, which hosts an intimate multicourse tasting menu with regional wine pairings, offered at no additional charge. There is also a sundeck with a running track; a heated pool with underwater bar stools; a fitness center; and a hair salon and spa. The AmaKristina sails the Rhine River between Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland, and was named after the company's co-founder, Kristin Karst.
NOMINATED: River Cruising
Avalon Waterways' 166-passenger Avalon Passion was launched in 2016 as one of the company's newest Suite Ship class of river cruise vessels. Avalon designed its Suite Ships with staterooms on the upper two decks that have beds facing out toward floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall sliding glass doors that when opened provide passengers with a 7-foot-wide French balcony. Referred to as Panorama Suites, they measure between 200 and 300 square feet each. The Avalon Passion is also one of the first vessels to host Avalon's new Active Discovery program, a series of active and locally immersive excursions.
NOMINATED: Overall Individual
The 4,000-passenger Carnival Vista, christened last year, offers a number of new features for the line: the SkyRide recumbent bicycle that riders propel beneath an 800-foot-long track suspended 150 feet above the waterline; an IMAX theater; a craft brewery; and Family Harbor, a class of cabins grouped around a key-carded lounge for families. The Vista operated in the Mediterranean until its naming ceremony in New York, after which it headed to Miami for year-round Caribbean service.
NOMINATED: Overall Individual, Premium
The fifth and largest of the Celebrity Solstice-class ships, the 3,046-passenger Reflection debuted in October 2012 with 72 more cabins, adding capacity for between 150 and 200 more passengers than its sisters. Boasting the class' signature amenities like the Lawn Club and Solarium, the Reflection added cabin categories, including Celebrity's first two-bedroom suite, a 1,636-square-foot apartment that offers a glass-sided shower cantilevered over the ocean.
NOMINATED: River Cruising
The all-suite Crystal Mozart launched in 2016 as Crystal Cruises' first river cruise ship. A former Peter Deilmann vessel that was acquired by Crystal in 2015, the 158-passenger, extra-wide river cruise ship underwent an extensive redesign and was relaunched on the Danube River. Some of its unique features include a pop-up bar area on the top deck and suites that all feature king-size beds and Nespresso machines. Taking its cue from its parent company's background in blue water cruising, there are multiple dining venues, including Waterside, the main dining room; Blue, a casual indoor dining venue; Bistro Mozart, which serves light bites; Pantry, a self-service wine and beverage bar; and the Vintage Room, an intimate dining room that can seat a dozen guests for an exclusive winemaker's dinner. The Crystal Life Spa features a fitness center, spa and salon facilities and an indoor pool.
NOMINATED: Luxury
Crystal Cruises announced it is making major improvements to its two oceangoing vessels, the Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony. Changes will include adding suites and reconfiguring dining so that full open seating is available. The larger of the two ships, the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity, previously underwent a $52 million makeover in 2013. It is scheduled for its next overhaul in 2018.
NOMINATED: Overall Individual
In 2016 Royal Caribbean International christened the 5,479-passenger Harmony of the Seas as the world's largest cruise ship. The Oasis-class vessel benefits from Quantum-class amenities such as a Bionic Bar on its Promenade and Wow wrist bands instead of key cards for cabin access and purchases. Three waterslides atop the forward part of the ship overlook its Central Park atrium and a dry slide, "The Ultimate Abyss," overlooks the aft. The Harmony spent its first few months sailing in Europe before repositioning for Caribbean sailings.
NOMINATED: Overall Individual, Premium
The 2,650-passenger Koningsdam set sail from Civitavecchia, Italy, in 2016. Its three-story, midship atrium features arcing chrome grills that give the feel of an upward spiral to the open area, which permits views between the first three decks of the ship. Cabin innovations include extra storage beneath the beds, floor-to-ceiling glass doors in the showers, bedside USB outlets and more. Alternative dining options include the Pinnacle Grill steak house and Sel de Mer, a French seafood brasserie.
NOMINATED: New
Majestic Princess is the third in a class that also includes the Royal Princess and Regal Princess but the first to be devoted to the Chinese market. It began sailing from Shanghai this summer and in 2018-19 will spend September through March in Australia. Its design includes "Movies Under the Stars" (the largest outdoor screen at sea), a multilevel piazza-style atrium and a glass-floor walkway that extends 8 meters beyond the edge of the ship.
NOMINATED: New, Premium
The start of a new class for MSC Cruises, the 4,500-passenger MSC Meraviglia features a custom-built dinner theater for Cirque du Soleil. It also has a promenade with a long LED roof, a water park with three water slides and a Himalayan rope course. Launched in 2017, the Meraviglia is sailing in Europe, but in the fall of 2019, it will reposition to Miami, sailing to the Caribbean as part of a North American expansion program by MSC.
NOMINATED: Overall Individual
The largest ship ever homeported in Miami, the 4,270-passenger Escape expands on the Breakaway/Getaway platform, with more hot tubs than its predecessors, bigger waterslides, a new private dining room and more. Food and beverage options include the Cellars, Norwegian's first wine bar; Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville and 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar; and Food Republic, where guests order dinner via iPads.
NOMINATED: New
Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, the Norwegian Joy is a sister ship to the Norwegian Escape and the first Norwegian ship to be built for the Chinese market. It has more stores than the Escape to accommodate the Chinese preference for shopping, multiple karaoke rooms, an electric go-kart track on the top deck and a laser tag course. The later two elements are included on the Norwegian Bliss, which is coming to the Alaska market in 2018.
NOMINATED: Luxury
The QM2's amenities include a Canyon Ranch SpaClub, a cultural enrichment program, a kennel for up to 22 dogs and the first planetarium at sea. The 13-deck, 1,132-foot ship has room for up to 2,620 passengers. The ship was "remastered" this year after 10 years in service, with a more contemporary interpretation of art deco design in its suites and the addition of 15 solo cabins and 30 Britannia Club rooms.
NOMINATED: Premium, Overall Individual
The cast of "The Love Boat" named the 3,560-passenger Regal Princess in 2014 in Fort Lauderdale. The sister ship to the Royal Princess, which debuted in 2013, it has been sailing since its inaugural cruise from Venice in May 2014. It has many of the Royal Princess' signature features, like the SeaWalk, a 60-foot-long glass walkway hovering 128 feet above the ocean. Princess offers its own craft beer on the ship, Seawitch West Coast IPA, produced for Princess by the Strike Brewing Co. of San Jose, Calif.
NOMINATED: Premium
One of the two larger ships operated by Oceania Cruises, the Riviera was launched in May 2012 and carries 1,250 passengers. Its reception area features two spiral staircases decorated with Lalique crystals, six crystal pillars and a hand-crafted Italian chandelier which weighs 300 pounds. It has 10 dining areas and a Canyon Ranch Spa. The cabins of the Oceania-class ships offer more living space than those of the previous Regatta-class vessels.
NOMINATED: Luxury
Christened in Singapore in January, the Seabourn Encore has one more deck than other Seabourn ships, increasing its capacity from 450 to 600. New to the line is the Thomas Keller-designed chophouse. The interiors have been crafted by Adam D. Tihany, who softened the angles of previous Seabourn ships and lightened the color palette. The Encore has an enclave of cabanas called the Retreat on its top deck.
NOMINATED: Luxury
Regent's 738-passenger Regent Seven Seas Explorer, delivered in July in Monte Carlo, expanded the line's fleet to four. Billed by Regent as the most luxurious cruise ship ever, the Explorer has a 3,875-square-foot, $10,000-a-night suite as its centerpiece. Its cocoon-inspired spa on Deck 5 offers Regent-exclusive treatments devised by Canyon Ranch SpaClub and Red Flower, a New York-based manufacturer of beauty and aromatherapy products. Most of the extensive modern art collection displayed on the ship was hand-picked by CEO Frank Del Rio and his wife.
NOMINATED: New, Luxury
The design of the Silver Muse features luxury that "whispers," according to one company executive. Launched this spring, the 596-passenger ship is Silversea's largest and its first new vessel in years. New to the Muse are Speccanapoli, which serves Neapolitan pizza from ovens on the pool deck mezzanine, and a Hot Rocks tabletop cooking concept that adds an alfresco dinner option to the poolside Grill restaurant in the evenings. The 1,389-square-foot Balsorano Suite showcases some of Silversea chairman Manfredi Lefebvre's personal items and preferences.
NOMINATED: River Cruising
Christened in Paris in 2017, the Joie de Vivre showcases vibrant artwork and interior touches that pay homage to 20th century Paris. The dining venues include Le Bistrot, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner in Parisian bistro style. The Club L'Esprit is a pool and juice bar by day that at night transforms into Claude's, a spirited supper club and live music venue. During a couple of nights on each sailing, Claude's is also converted into a small cinema that shows French movies. La Cave du Vin is a 12-person venue on the lowest deck of the ship where a cooking demonstration is followed by a meal that incorporates the resulting dishes. The open-seating main restaurant evokes a Cannes Film Festival feel, with gold palm trees adorning the buffet area alongside elegant tables. The Joie de Vivre offers five categories of staterooms, ranging from 162-square-foot lower-deck cabins to 410-square-foot suites. All suites and staterooms on the upper two decks have wall-to-wall retractable windows that drop down with the flip of a switch, converting them into French balconies. The Joie de Vivre also has a fitness room and a spa treatment room, two 24-hour tea-and-coffee stations and a guest laundry room.
NOMINATED: River Cruising
One of Viking's trademark 190-passenger Longships, the Viking Magni launched in fall 2013. Almost identical to its sister Longships, the Magni features an off-center corridor that allows for larger cabins and a greater variety of cabin categories, ranging from 135-square-foot staterooms with French balconies to 270-square-foot, two-room suites with balconies off the living room and French balconies off the bedroom. The relaxed indoor/outdoor Aquavit Lounge venue at the bow of the ship sits atop a squared-off hull. Viking Longships are characterized by contemporary Scandinavian decor and entry atriums that are flooded with natural light.