Cruise reviews: Passengers award Oasis of the Seas and Azamara top prize

Add to My Stories Share A 5,400-passenger floating resort may sound like some people's idea of a nightmare, but it has come out as the surprise winner in the first ever Cruise Critic Cruiser's Choice Awards.Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas won rave reviews from passengers and swept the board in its class with recognition for best cabins, dining, embarkation, entertainment, value, fitness and public rooms as well as best large ship overall. Many had believed the 225,282-ton vessel would be unpopular when it first launched two years ago, but Oasis has proved critics wrong, becoming a popular choice among Caribbean cruisers.

Big is better: Oasis of the Seas was voted best in classThe ship was frequently given a rating of five or five plus rosettes, the highest accolade, by passengers, who described the record-breaking ship as 'awesome' and 'wonderful'.Cruise Critic member Graham Sitton described his voyage as 'almost a fantasy experience' and user Skeeterman simply said: 'What a great ship, great crew, great cruiseline'.

More...

• Missed out on tickets for the 2012 Olympics? Thomas Cook says you can still 'book with us'
• Europe's first solar-powered tunnel opens between Paris and Amsterdam
• Dunkirk spirit revisited: Dover Castle opens up the secret tunnels where Operation Dynamo evacuation mission was masterminded

Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.co.uk, said: 'This ship, which sails in the Caribbean year-round, has confounded the soothsayers who claimed that the mega-ship floating-resort experience would be a turn-off for cruise travellers.
'The reviews and ratings that we have seen clearly demonstrate that Oasis of the Seas is providing a winning formula and truly exceptional levels of quality.'

Small and mighty: Azamara's Journey scored incredibly highly for its more boutique offeringsBut, in a story of little and large, the lesser known Azamara brand dominated the small ships class, receiving a higher review score overall than even Oasis, 5.3 compared to 5.0.Azamara has two ships, Journey and Quest, which take 694 passengers and promises to offer more overnights and longer stays at their many ports of call.Journey won the best ship accolade and was nominated in six other categories, with Quest following closely behind.They scored particularly highly for shore excursions, service and dining.In the mid-sized category, it wasn't a luxury brand that topped the charts, but affordable Thomson with its ship Spirit.The vessel was voted the best overall, coming out on top for dining, entertainment, value, service and shore excursions.The win will be a boost for Thomson, which recently announced it would once again be sailing from a number of UK regional ports in summer 2012 after a three-year hiatus.Ms Spencer Brown said: 'The reviews and ratings submitted by our members are an outstanding resource for cruise travellers and offer a fantastic insight into the different cruise experiences you will find on each ship.'