The annual USA Today 10 Best Readers Choice Awards have been announced.  Scoring high, Carnival Cruise Line in three categories. Today we have highlights of those awards and the answer to a common question on this topic.

Big Win For Carnival
Carnival Sunshine was named Best Mid-Sized Ship, and Carnival Breeze was voted Best Cruise Ship for Families. Carnival ships dominated the Best Cruise Ship for Families category with Carnival Breeze, Carnival Horizon and Carnival Vista holding three of the top four spots. All good wins but the next one blows them all away:

USA Today Top Ten winners
Best Ocean Cruise Line

1. Carnival Cruise Line
2. Princess Cruises
3. Viking Ocean Cruises
4. Norwegian Cruise Line
5. Royal Caribbean International
6. Azamara Club Cruises
7. Windstar Cruises
8. Cunard Line
9. MSC Cruises
10. Celebrity Cruises

My thoughts:
-Those who voted for #1 and #2 have not sailed #3.
-On the other hand #1: I am so proud of you! It’s like Tom Cruise won an Oscar. He’s been bringing people into theaters for decades, they owe him.
-#2 scored far higher than earned
-#10…ouch!
-#5 = hosed
-#8- there should be a separate category for you
-Wait, Holland America Line not even on the list? Yikes!

USA Today Top Ten winners
Best River Cruise Line

1. Viking River Cruises
2. AmaWaterways
3. American Cruise Lines
4. American Queen Steamboat Company
5. Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
6. Vantage Deluxe World Travel
7. Aqua Expeditions
8. Gate 1 Travel
9. Emerald Waterways
10. Avalon Waterways

My thoughts
– Might as well stick Viking at #1. They won’t give that up. Happy Viking River travelers feed ravenous Viking Ocean Cruises.
– That American & American Queen scored high speaks to a stronger than expected demand in North America.
– I wish Crystal River Cruises would have made the list- extraordinarily good reports of late. I have no clue why.
– Also on the wish list: CrosiEurope

Roger C from Tulsa asks: “Readers Choice: is it really readers that pick the winners?”

Yes, with the USAToday Top Ten anyway. But that is after a panel people who have personal experience with most or all of them make a list to choose from. Nominees were selected by a panel of USA Today and 10Best.com editors and contributors, like me.

List established, they are voted on by the public.

So who is picking?

USA Today Top Ten winners
The Selection Panel And Obvious Reason We Have This Story Here

DON AND HEIDI BUCOLO

Don and Heidi Bucolo, also known as DB & The Princess, are the husband and wife team behind EatSleepCruise.com. The pair took their first cruise vacation together over 10 years ago and have been hooked ever since. You can find them on the web and social media sharing detailed cruise ship reviews, shore excursion reviews, guides on ports of call, hotel reviews, travel tips and the latest cruise news to help travelers “sea the world, one port at a time.”

CARRIE FINLEY BAJAK

Carrie Finley is a cruise travel writer who lives in Southern California. Carrie cruises around the world and reports about her adventures on CruiseBuzz.net and via social media where she shares cruise news, tips and insight from the ships and ports. Carrie has curated small ship and river cruise experiences for AFAR.com and is frequently a guest Blogger-at-Large for cruise lines.

DANIELLE FEAR

Danielle Fear is one of the UK’s most recognized and trusted cruise bloggers and is better known to her readers as Cruise Miss. As well as maintaining an award-winning blog, she also works as a freelance writer and social media professional covering all aspects of sea travel. Having embarked on more than 55 sailings, including a recent 108-night World Cruise, it’s fair to say that Danielle knows a thing or two about cruising.

SHERRY LASKIN

Sherry is a cruise and travel writer who explores the world without flying. Based out of Florida’s Space Coast, she’s the creator and editor of award-winning website, CruiseMaven.com and her newest site, Guide to River Cruising. Sherry’s River Cruise Radio podcast takes listeners to the rivers in Europe and the USA via guest interviews and river cruise advice. Whether crossing oceans or traversing rivers in South America, Europe and the USA, Sherry is on the water at least four months every year. Cross-country train trips in North America and Europe make up another month or two. In her free time, she is either trying a new recipe, planning an around the world adventure without flying, fumbling on her ukulele or taking tap lessons.

JASON LEPPERT

Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 135 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. He also contributes to Cruise Travel, Porthole and Cruise Business Review magazines; Oyster.com; ShermansCruise.com; MiceChat.com and the Cruise Radio podcast.

CHRIS OWEN

Chris Owen is a photojournalist from Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information about cruise vacations with travelers. Also certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris offers a unique perspective; tapping his behind-the-scenes working knowledge of cruise vacations. Beginning his cruise history as a family vacation option, Chris has written his way through a variety of cruise lines, ships and itineraries. His goal is simple: to never forget that travel has a positive impact on our world, and to introduce cruising to as many people as possible.

DOUG PARKER

Doug Parker is the creator and executive producer of Cruise Radio, a weekly podcast that shares cruise reviews and other cruise news.

MING TAPPIN

Ming Tappin is a cruise industry veteran residing in Vancouver, Canada. Ming caught the cruise bug in 1991 and entered the cruise industry in 1994, working with travel agencies to promote cruising to their clients. To date, Ming has sailed on over 50 cruises and has experienced 19 ocean and river cruise lines. Ming is the owner of Your Cruise Coach and is a journalist for Canadian travel trade publication company PAX Global Media, with regular columns in its printed magazine and websites. She has also been published in Lakeland Boating as well as Paul Gauguin Cruises, and currently contributes to the blogs What Travel Writers Say and Vacay Network.

Back up to that hard-earned win of Carnival Cruise Line for a moment.

“We are honored to be recognized by the readers of USA Today and 10Best.com for these coveted awards,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Our team works diligently to provide our guests with new levels of fun and excitement, delivered by our amazing onboard crew, and it’s wonderful to see these efforts recognized and rewarded.”

Frankly? This should happen more often from The Most Popular Cruise Line In The World.

With the recent addition of San Francisco, Carnival operates from 19 North American homeports.

Interesting thought: roughly half of the U.S. population is within a five-hour drive to one of the locations. Providing a convenient and cost-effective means for guests to get to and from their cruises, the line carries more than 5.2 million guests annually.

In other contests

Best Cruise Ship for Dining category are as follows:

1. Royal Princess – Princess Cruises
2. Carnival Horizon – Carnival Cruise Line
3. Viking Star – Viking Ocean Cruise
4. Viking Sea – Viking Ocean Cruise
5. Carnival Vista – Carnival Cruise Line
6. Star Pride – Windstar Cruises
7. MSC Seaside – MSC Cruises
8. Azamara Journey – Azamara Club Cruises
9. Koningsdam – Holland America Line
10. Norwegian Bliss – Norwegian Cruise Line

Yikes, Yikes, Yikes Oceania

Best Cruise Ship for Families category are as follows:

1. Carnival Breeze – Carnival Cruise Line
2. Regal Princess – Princess Cruises
3. Carnival Horizon – Carnival Cruise Line
4. Carnival Vista – Carnival Cruise Line
5. Royal Princess – Princess Cruises
6. MSC Seaside – MSC Cruises
7. Disney Dream – Disney Cruise Line
8. Disney Magic – Disney Cruise Line
9. Disney Fantasy – Disney Cruise Line
10. Allure of the Seas – Royal Caribbean International

I think voters read the question wrong. I can’t think of any reality where this list would influence a family cruise decision.

Best Adventure Cruise Line category are as follows:

1. Adventure Canada
2. One Ocean Expeditions
3. Quark Expeditions
4. G Adventures
5. Zegrahm Expeditions
6. UnCruise Adventures
7. Aurora Expeditions
8. Lindblad Expeditions / National Geographic
9. International Expeditions
10. Celebrity Cruises…this is just not a happy list for them.