Hapag-Lloyd, Seabourn,
SeaDream, Crystal, Celebrity
and Cunard are the winners of
the most comprehensive annual
ranking of cruise ships.
THE top-scoring vessels of the 2013 Berlitz
Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships
have been revealed, four days before its official
release as an iPhone/iPad app and three
weeks before the book is published in October.
Small and boutique ships were again the
best rated, with only the premium class of one
big ship awarded over 1,700 points out of a
possible 2,000.
Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa retained its numberone
spot for the 13th consecutive year, scoring
the most points of the 284 ships rated (1,852)
and topping the small ships category.
SeaDream I and SeaDream II were the next
highest scorers (1,788 and 1,786 respectively),
which also placed them in the top two of the
boutique ships category, followed by Seabourn
Legend (1,774).
Seabourn had three ships in the top 10 of this
category as well as three in the top 10 small
ships, including Seabourn Quest (1,776) and
Seabourn Odyssey (1,775) in second and third
place after Europa.
Queen Mary 2 (Grill class) dominated the
large resort-style ships (1,702), followed by
joint runners-up Celebrity Solstice, which will
be based in Australia this summer, and
Celebrity Equinox (1,611).
The best of the mid-size ships, according to the
Berlitz rating system, was Crystal Serenity (1,717).
Oceania Cruises’ new Riviera (1,702) and
Crystal Cruises’ other ship Crystal Symphony
(1,701) came a close second and third.
The reviews, devised by British cruise critic
and author Douglas Ward, take into account
400 items based on personal cruises, visits
and revisits to almost all of the world’s
ocean-going ships.
In the new book, Ward also outlines his six
biggest cruise line rip-offs and 15 ways that
costs are cut.
To get the best value for money, he
recommends choosing an older ship and
booking through a travel agent.
The 2013 Berlitz Guide app will be available
on iTunes on 15 September; the book is due
out 1 October.
