Seabourn and Viking Each Win Two Condé Nast Traveller Awards
Based on UK reader votes, the 29th edition gave Seabourn the top small-ship score of 98.73, with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection second on 98.26.
Seabourn and Viking each won two cruise categories in Condé Nast Traveller’s latest Readers’ Choice Awards, announced overnight. The 29th edition is based on votes from UK readers. Seabourn led the small- and medium-ship fields, and Viking topped the river and expedition categories.
Seabourn’s small-ship score of 98.73 was the highest among the six category winners. Cunard took the large-ship award, while Royal Caribbean won in the megaship category.
Seabourn wins across two size brackets
In the small-ship category, covering vessels carrying fewer than 500 passengers, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection placed second with 98.26. Silversea followed at 97.49, ahead of SeaDream Yacht Club at 96.32. Oceania Cruises scored 95.12, and Star Clipper completed the six-place ranking with 94.69.
For medium ships, defined as carrying between 500 and 2,499 passengers, Seabourn received 98.12. Viking placed second with 97.68, followed by Cunard with 97.39. Explora Journeys and Silversea rounded out the top five, scoring 96.55 and 96.26 respectively.
Seabourn operates across both size brackets, with the 458-guest Seabourn Quest and the 600-guest sister ships Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation.
Viking leads river and expedition rankings
Viking earned 97.31 in the river category, ahead of The Oberoi Luxury Nile Cruisers at 97.09. Emerald Cruises took third place with 96.83. The remaining three places went to AmaWaterways with 96.11, Aqua Expeditions with 95.52 and Uniworld with 95.05.
The expedition result put Viking at 98.34, narrowly ahead of Seabourn’s 98.18. HX Expeditions placed third with 97.63, followed by Holland America Line at 97.19. Silversea received 96.37, and PONANT EXPLORATIONS was sixth at 95.05. The awards announcement did not include executive comment from Seabourn or Viking.
Cunard and Royal Caribbean top larger-ship categories
The large-ship category covers vessels accommodating between 2,500 and 4,000 passengers. Cunard’s winning score was 93.69, followed by Celebrity Cruises at 93.11. Holland America Line placed third with 92.50, ahead of Virgin Voyages at 91.85 and Carnival Cruise Line at 90.23.
For megaships carrying more than 4,000 passengers, Royal Caribbean scored 91.79. Princess Cruises took second place with 90.14, while MSC Cruises received 88.47 and Norwegian Cruise Line scored 87.40.
