The coolest things in cruise right now

At Sailawaze HQ we have long known that cruising is much more than sitting around on a ship and twiddling your thumbs. We also know it’s not a holiday type that only appeals to an older demographic – there’s oodles to keep guests entertained of all ages.

So, to shout from the rooftops (or should that be top deck?) about the under-sung cool side of cruise, Sailawaze is shining a spotlight on the innovation that has advanced the cruise experience in the past 18 months via our Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2024.

Open to all cruise lines across ocean, river and expedition sectors, as well as ports, the awards welcomed over 150 nominations which a judging panel of cruise industry experts whittled down into a shortlist.

Win £2,000 cruise credit

Now we need YOU to take over and vote for what you like best about cruising – whether you’ve tried it yourself or whether you like the sound of it. By voting for your faves you could be in with a chance of winning £2,000 cruise credit towards your dream holiday.

From rides and robots to race tracks and raw food, we’re celebrating it all this year. The awards have been split into eight categories comprising dining concepts, wellbeing programmes, sustainability developments, technology, shore excursions and more.

Let’s take a look at just some of the awesome stuff cruises are offering that’s up for a prize in our Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2024…

Food & Beverage

The myths about cruising would have it that all cruise food is from a buffet and dead boring – not so!

Virgin Voyages (which has a strict No Buffet policy) has a first-to-sea Korean BBQ and more than 20 eateries. TUI River Cruises offers a host of experiential events, from seasonal top-deck BBQs and ice cream parties to murder mystery afternoon teas and gala dinners with singing waiters!

If you like getting involved in the food process, Windstar guests can accompany chefs to local markets while Regent Seven Seas Cruises serves up a whopping 128 culinary-focused shore excursions in the Mediterranean.

It’s not always food you’d expect onboard either; Aqua Expeditions features Peruvian-Japanese Nikkei cuisine, Explora Journeys boasts a sushi bar complete with sakes and shōchū, and P&O Cruises has a “perception challenging” vegan restaurant on its newest ship.

Lines go to great lengths to ensure holidaymakers’ stomachs are satiated – everything is made by hand onboard Riverside Luxury Cruises, for instance, even the jam! While Cunard has partnered up with renowned chef Michel Roux to guarantee the crème de la crème.

Shortlist: Cunard, Virgin Voyages, Celestial, Regent Seven Seas, P&O Cruises, Explora Journeys, Aqua Expeditions, Riverside Luxury Cruises, TUI River Cruises and Windstar Cruises.

– Take action: Vote in the Food & Beverage award category here – 

Wellness

Cruising is all about eating far too much and then sprawling, tummies swollen, on a sun lounger for the rest of the day, right? Incorrect!

Cruise lines are doing oh so much to boost onboard health and wellness. Amawaterways is the first river cruise ship to offer a full-sized pickleball court, and Virgin Voyages has an Athletic Club complete with a boxing ring, outdoor active training camp and basketball court.

To reach that zen state, Explora Journeys provides in-suite apps for guided meditation, morning stretches and sleep-boosting soundtracks, and Swan Hellenic has Deepak Chopra- certified meditation and yoga teachers.

If spas are more your thing, Silversea’s is inspired by the traditions of Ancient Rome and gives 100-minute-long signature treatments with passengers able to quaff as much champagne and caviar as they like throughout. We rather like the sound of a Roman Emperor era…

Shortlist: Swan Hellenic, AmaWayerways, Silversea, Viking Cruises, Emerald Cruises, Virgin Voyages and Explora Journeys.

– Take action: Vote in the Wellness award category here – 

Technology

Be gone reams of paper and actual door keys, cruise tech is seriously impressive these days. Princess Cruises Medallion unlocks cabin doors, offers personalised service and even helps you track down wayward cruise companions.

MSC Cruises doles out a wealth of high-tech fun, from a wine bar that uses the same tech as the CIA to an interactive cinema. There’s VR racing too – also available on Norwegian Cruise Line – while Royal Caribbean has robots that can do everything from doubling as diving boards to mixing drinks.

Meanwhile, Scenic’s smorgasbord of technology gets you high – the brand’s Discovery Yachts have two helicopters. Rather get down low? There’s an onboard submersible for you to explore the deep in. Staying merely on the water is so last year.

Shortlist: Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and Scenic.

– Take action: Vote in the Technology award category here – 

Sustainability

Research shows many prospective cruisers have sustainability in mind when heading away – but the overwhelming majority don’t understand the extent of the cruise industry’s existing sustainability efforts.

Like, did you know that Hurtigruten has hybrid-powered ships equipped with large battery packs? Or that Portsmouth International Port has the largest solar canopy array in any UK port? Or that MSC Cruises operated the industry’s first net-zero greenhouse gas emissions voyage in 2023?

Elsewhere, AE Expeditions is big on sustainable food sourcing, eliminating fish eggs and tuna from menus while small Scottish brand The Majestic Line rescued and converted two Irish fishing vessels for its first two ships.

And that’s before we get started on most lines eliminating single-use plastic and converting food waste for good.

Shortlist: Hurtigruten, The Majestic Line, Portsmouth International Port, MSC Cruises and AE Expeditions.

– Take action: Vote in the Sustainability award category here – 

Excursions

Listen up guys, there is a crazy amount of incredible stuff you can do while away on a cruise – even we hadn’t fully appreciated the full range until the Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2024 nominations started flooding in.

With Norway’s Havila Voyages you can journey to the North Cape, the northernmost point of mainland Europe, where guests can see the curve of the earth. Or what about husky sledding or a midnight concert at Tromso Cathedral?

Fancy trying out an alternative career while on holiday? Thanks to Oceania Cruises you can become a shepherd for a day in Spain or fish with local crews in Italy.

Alternatively, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines offers a beekeeping tour in Lithuania and RIB rides around the Giant’s Causeway in Belfast; Uniworld has exclusive after-hours visits to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice; while Holland America Line is the only cruise line to take guests to Canada’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Adventure lovers will relish the opportunity to camp in Antarctica in the style of early explorers with HX Expeditions or admire elephants on a guided Chobe National Park tour in South Africa with CroisiEurope.

That’s right, cruise excursions are much more than tramping around a city after an umbrella-wielding guide these days!

Shortlist: Azamara, Havila Voyages, HX Hurtigruten Expedition, Oceania Cruises, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Amadeus River Cruises, Holland America Line, Uniworld River Cruises, CroisiEurope and Pandaw Expeditions.

– Take action: Vote in the Excursions award category here – 

Inclusion

White, able-bodied, heterosexual couples have long filled the imagery surrounding cruise holidays but lines are increasingly eager to break away from this and highlight the welcoming nature of cruising.

Celebrity Cruises’ Pride celebrations last the entire month of June along with famous mega bash, Pride Party at Sea; VIVA Cruises offers specific LGBTQ+ cruises; and Virgin Voyages is proud of its gender-neutral toilets and drag entertainment.

Saga Cruises provides chauffeur service as standard on all cruises, and Disney Cruise Line’s new ships Disney Wish and Disney Treasure offer snazzy Communication Staterooms boasting a vibrating bed shaker under the mattress and an indicating panel with light signals for the doorbell for travellers with hearing or vision impairments.

Royal Caribbean offers an Autism Friendly Program, with autism-friendly dietary menu options available, and A-Rosa Cruises is eager to attract families to river cruising. Newest ship A-ROSA SENA features a dedicated kids’ club room and 12 family cabins that sleep up to five.

Shortlist: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Saga Cruises, VIVA Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, A-Rosa and Virgin Voyages.

– Take action: Vote in the Inclusion award category here – 

Entertainment

It’s not just bingo, deck quoits and quizzes on cruise ships these days – oh no. There’s a mind-boggling amount to keep passengers entertained both day and night in these modern floating hotels.

P&O Cruises has a multi-sensory immersive submarine simulation game; Carnival Cruise Line’s newest ship features a technology-rich underwater-themed area; and Royal Caribbean has an AquaTheater showcasing acrobatics, synchronised swimming and high-dives plus an Ice Arena graced by the stunts of world-class professional figure skaters.

That’s not all! NCL boasts the world’s first freefall dry slide and a three-level racetrack at sea; Marella Cruises features an immersive secret speakeasy bar; and Princess Cruises’s newest vessel includes a Victorian-themed bar complete with mind-bending entertainment performed by magicians.

In our experience, no other sector of the travel industry is so keen to keep holidaymakers Having Fun At All Times as cruising – there’s simply no time for boredom!

Shortlist: Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Marella Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and P&O Cruises.

– Take action: Vote in the Entertainment award category here – 

Collaborations

Cruise lines dole out cool stuff all on their own, but sometimes they partner up with other fab brands to really get the good stuff to travellers looking for that little bit extra onboard and ashore.

For instance, A-Rosa Cruises offers swimming lessons onboard river cruise ships thanks to Wasserlust Swimming School while Carnival Cruise Line brings Dr. Seuss characters to the high seas with its Seuss at Sea program. There’s also a Space Cruisers program via the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex – think designing mission patches and building a Mars base activities.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’s collab with Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team has resulted in exclusive VIP Aston Martin Formula One Team driving experiences. Similarly, MSC Cruises’ partnership with Formula 1 offers fan hospitality packages comprising race weekend experiences at global Grand Prix. Cricket fans will appreciate Ambassador Cruise Line’s relations with Essex Cricket Club, granting passengers free game tickets.

There are celebrity partnerships too – P&O Cruises has buddied up with singer Gary Barlow, now Musical Director of The 710 Club on newest ship Arvia.

Shortlist: Ponant, A-Rosa, MSC Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ambassador Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

– Take action: Vote in the Collaborations award category here – 

Like the sound of all this? Now head to our Sailawaze Excellence Awards 2024 voting page to cast your vote for who should win. We know you’re spoiled for choice with this lot so don’t worry, you can vote more than once.

Good luck and here’s hoping you bag the £2,000 cruise credit!