Best Cruises of 2012 According to Cruise Critic

One of the most wonderful ways to travel is by cruising. There are many different cruise lines that offer different things and travel to different areas, so it may be difficult to choose which cruise is the best. Cruise Critic has announced awards for the best cruises based on several categories. The winners may help you choose which cruise is best for you.

Cruise Critic, an online cruise guide, has released their Editor's Pick Awards for cruises. They gave awards for 18 different categories and awarded 12 different cruise lines.

"Each year, our Editors' Picks Awards reflect the cruise lines and ships that we feel best exemplify excellence in categories we consider the most important to people when choosing a cruise," says Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief of Cruise Critic. "In the cruise industry, many lines go above and beyond, but our awards narrow down the list to those that stand out as the best of the best."

For their choice of Best New Ship, Cruise Critic chose the Carnival Breeze. The new Carnival ship is fun for all and offers new restaurants and entertainment.

For those who have never taken a cruise before, Cruise Critic gives the Best for First-Timers award to Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Epic. It is a new ship for Norwegian and offers a large selection of restaurants, a huge spa and fitness area and a newly upgraded kids program.

For those who wants their money's worth, the Best Value for Money award goes to Carnival Cruise Lines. They offer low prices and great values that are hard to beat. As part of its Fun Ship 2.0 update, many ships will also be getting burger, BBQ and taco dining venues which come at no extra cost to use.

One of the best parts of cruising is the ability to sign up for shore excursions so that you can enjoy an activity at the ports of call. The Best Shore Excursions award goes to Disney Cruise Line as they spend plenty of time and money to create unique port adventures that are suited for adults and children.

Cruises stop at several ports, which is another reason that cruising is a fantastic way to travel. The Best U.S. Port award goes to San Francisco. It has been considered one of the best U.S. ports for several years but efforts to revamp its waterfront and a new state-of-the-air cruise terminal has made it an even better port to stop at. There is also plenty to see in the California city and it is easily accessible by plane as well.

With the popularity of river cruises increasing, Cruise Critic also gave awards to various river cruise lines. The Best New River Ship award goes to Viking Cruise Line's Longships. Viking debuted six new Longships this year that offer plenty of amenities for a smaller ship. The ships are specially designed as they run on hybrid engines and solar panels.

The Best River Cruise Line award goes to Uniworld River Cruises for its excellent service, lavish decor, terriffic food, unique themed tours and innovative ship designs.

To see the rest of the awards including Best Dining, Best for Families, Best Itineraries, Best Entertainment and more, check out Cruise Critic's Editor's Pick Awards.