"There's no 'one-size fits all' in cruising but, rather, a whole host of options for every type of cruiser," explains Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of Cruise Critic. "Choosing the winners is never easy, and each year, cruise lines raise the bar, as new amenities are added, ships are refurbished, and new vessels are launched. Our 2009 picks represent not only the best cruise lines, but also some of the best travel companies in the world."

ZAGAT RELEASES RESULTS OF FIRST CRUISE LINE SURVEY

Cunard, Regent and SeaDream Are Top Rated, Respectively, for Large, Mid-Size and Small Ships While Royal Caribbean, Crystal and Windstar are Most Popular in Each Size Category Carnival Wins for Budget Travel and Singles; Disney for Families.

New York, NY. November 12, 2009 – Zagat released the results of its first Cruise Line survey today. The survey, conducted on ZAGAT.com, covers 22 major cruise lines as voted on by 2,379 regular cruise-goers who had taken 9.5 trips, each averaging nine days. All told the surveyors had taken a total of 22,700 separate cruises.

“The survey reveals what the cruise line industry is doing plenty right, but that there's still room for improvement,” said Tim Zagat, CEO of Zagat Survey. “Hopefully, these new results will help consumers during a time when making informed decisions is more important than ever.”

Background: The cruise lines in the survey were categorized as follows: Large Ships (1,500+ passengers), Mid-Size Ships (200 to 1,500) and Small Ships (less than 200), based on the average size of the ships in its fleet. Each line was then rated on Zagat's signature 30-point scale for five aspects of its performance: (1) Cabins, (2) Service, (3) Dining, (4) Facilities and (5) Shipboard Activities, with an “Overall Score” based on an average of the five separate ratings.

Smooth Sailing: The top cruise lines, based on their Overall Scores, are Cunard Line (Large), Regent Seven Seas (Mid-Size) and SeaDream Yacht Club (Small). Lines with mid-size ships tended to get the highest overall ratings. Thus, following Regent were Crystal, Seabourn and Silversea all with a score of 26 out of a possible 30. Following with overall rating of 25 are Cunard and Disney. Based on their ratings, the major category winners are as shown below:

When asked to name their personal favorites, the surveyors chose Royal Caribbean (Large), Crystal Cruises (Mid-Size) and Windstar Cruises (Small).

Setting Course: When choosing a cruise line, 88% of surveyors say that Ports of Call is their principal consideration, with Past Experience (81%) and Ticket Price (80%) following close behind. Other major issues are Cruise Duration (72%), Dates (69%) and Balcony/Deluxe Room Availability (64%). Departure Ports are cited by 61% of surveyors, with Ship Size and Activities tying at 58%.

Staying Afloat: As a result of the recession, many lines lowered their prices. The three named as “best for budget cruises” are Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line in that order. When asked how the economy has affected their cruising, 47% say they're looking for better values, while 23% report cruising less. Surveyors report these alternate ways to be cost-conscious: 20% are limiting their excursions, 19% are choosing cruises that depart closer to home, 15% cut back on what's included in their packages, 10% choose less expensive rooms and 5% take shorter cruises. A lucky 18% say the recession hasn't affected their cruising habits, while an unlucky 19% say they “don't cruise enough to have habits yet.”

Choppy Water: Although cruising is all about feeling good and relaxing, we asked surveyors about their top complaints: crowds/lines (23%), embarking/disembarking (15%), other passengers' behavior (12%), bad food (11%), poor service (11%), room sizes (5%), smoking (4%) and extra charges (3%). Surprisingly, bad weather, motion sickness, ship size and fixed dining times were not serious concerns.

More Winners: Other categories with smoother sailing are as follows:

The Survey in Detail: Please visit (www.zagat.com/cruiselines) for the full survey results.