Cruise & Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean Dominates at 2019 Travvy Awards

Image: Aerial of the cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas. (photo courtesy Royal Caribbean)
Image: Aerial of the cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas. (photo courtesy Royal Caribbean)
Alex Temblador
by Alex Temblador
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Thu January 24, 2019

Royal Caribbean International has been innovating the way travelers experience the high seas since 1968. The experience, service and ships they've provided to millions of customers in the past 50 years has led them toward dominating the 2019 Travvy Awards.

Royal Caribbean took home the gold in the most important cruise award of the night for Best Cruise Line - Overall. They also received first place for Best Cruise Line - Contemporary, as well as Best Cruise Entertainment, which is no surprise if you've ever looked at the behind-the-scenes footage of their 130,000 square foot entertainment training facility in Miami.

If all that wasn't impressive enough, Royal Caribbean International was also voted number one for the Best Cruise Line in the U.S./Canada and in the Caribbean/Bahamas. It came in third place among the Best Cruise Lines in Asia and in Australia/New Zealand/South Asia, and fourth place for the Best Cruise Line of Alaska. With three ships planned to set sail in 2020 to Alaska, whose to say that they won't be moving up in the Travvy's Alaska Cruise rankings in the next few years.

When it comes to specialized travel groups, Royal Caribbean was also a bit hit. They won the Travvy's award for Best Cruise Line for Families and LGBTQ travelers, and came in third for The Best Cruise Line for travelers with special needs.

In 2016, Royal Caribbean became the first and only cruise line to receive a badge from GayTravel.com, an award that deems a travel partner safe for LGBTQ travelers. Similarly, in 2014, the cruise line became the first to receive Autism-Friendly certification from an organization called Autism on the Seas. And with ships that have everything from laser tag to waterslides, ziplines, and rock-climbing walls, it's pretty clear why they were awarded the Best Cruise Line for Families.

Royal Caribbean International won first place for having the Best Cruise Ship Overall-the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas. The Harmony of the Seas has seven "neighborhoods" each with its own style, and fun-packed amenities like ziplines, waterslides, pools, spas, 20 dining options, and entertainment full of musicals and shows.

The Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas garnered a few wins, too. It won first place in the Best Cruise Ship Large category and second place for the Best Cruise Ship Contemporary. As the world's largest cruise ship, the Symphony of the Seas does everything bigger and better from luxury suites to a three-story dining room, and activities like an escape room and a slide that plunges 100 feet.

If you haven't taken a trip with Royal Caribbean International, what are you waiting for? The votes are in, and they're the "it" cruise line of 2019.


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