PHOTO: The 322-guest Paul Gauguin luxury ship sails in French Polynesia. (Courtesy of Paul Gauguin Cruises)
Travel + Leisure, the glossy high-profile magazine, announced its World's Best Awards this week, and the big cruise line winners include Paul Gauguin Cruises, Crystal Cruises and Tauck.
Although none of the cruise lines are new to the list, Paul Gauguin Cruises, a tiny company with just 420 berths on two luxury vessels, snagged the No. 1 spot in the small-ship category for the first time. Last year, the company was seventh on the list.
For Paul Gauguin Cruises, the highly coveted honor means it bested the über-luxury lines such as last year's winner Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises, all members of the T+L list's Hall of Fame for repeat appearances over the years. Interestingly, Windstar Cruises, a fast-growing player that is adding three former Seabourn yachts to its fleet, tied with Seabourn for the No. 2 spot.
Claiming the top spot in that highly competitive category gives Paul Gauguin Cruises bragging rights and possibly attracts the attention of luxury travelers who may not have heard of the company.
"We are thrilled to be acknowledged as the world's best small-ship cruise line, which is particularly special this year, as we celebrate our fifth anniversary," said Diane Moore, president of Paul Gauguin Cruises. "Thank you to the readers of Travel + Leisure for this prestigious award. It's a testament to our talented staff who provide exemplary service to our guests and deliver extraordinary experiences aboard our voyages every day."
Crystal Cruises captured the top position in the large-ship cruise line category for an unprecedented 19th time. Crystal operates the 1,070-guest Crystal Serenity and the 922-passenger Crystal Symphony.
The Crystal ships are not new - 11 and 19 years old - but they undergo major refurbishments every two or three years, so they always look fresh and modern. And they are kept in spotless condition. The onboard cuisine is unsurpassed and varied.
Crystal maintains extraordinarily high service levels and a supremely friendly and comfortable ambience not always found on cruise ships - or in luxury hotels, for that matter. Plus, Crystal maintains an extraordinarily close relationship with its top travel agent suppliers.
Also of note, in the large-ship category Azamara Club Cruises moved up one notch to second place. That's a positive for this small company, which operates two 686-passenger ships. Azamara is working hard to position itself as an upmarket, destination-intensive cruise line, and it looks like the efforts are paying off.
In the hot river cruise segment, tour operator Tauck again took the top spot for its fleet of six river ships, soon to grow to nine by 2016. The ships are beautiful and spacious - the newest have the very clever loft staterooms that give lower-level cabins a soaring ceiling and massive window - and they carry at least four Tauck Directors on every departure, ensuring a high level of personal service.
In the mega-ship category, the top four spots were filled by repeat Hall of Fame performers. Disney Cruise Line moved up a notch to No. 1, followed by last year's winner, Celebrity Cruises.
For the full list of T+L World's Best Awards, click here.
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