More than 350 guests enjoyed the eleventh edition at the Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineering (UPCT)
The Excellence Cruise Awards ceremony celebrated its eleventh edition with over 350 guests enjoying the gala held in the auditorium of the Higher Technical School of Industrial Engineering in Cartagena. As in previous years, the gala brought together top executives from cruise lines, cruise tour operators, shipping agents, ports and destinations, travel agents, press, partners, professionals, and businesspeople from Cartagena and Murcia, along with other industry suppliers. These were the award winners:
Best Spanish Port 2017 – Port of Barcelona
- Best Cruise Line for Your First Cruise 2017 – MSC CRUISES
- Best River Tourism Company 2017 – CROISIEUROPE
- Best In-Flight Entertainment 2017 – ROYAL CARIBBEAN
- Best Cruise Line for Value 2017 – COSTA CRUISES
- Best Luxury Cruise Line 2017 – SILVERSEA CRUISES
- Best Premium Cruise Line 2017 - PRINCESS CRUISES
- Best Ship in Northern Europe 2017 – NORWEGIAN GETAWAY
- Best Ship in the Mediterranean 2017 - MSC MERAVIGLIA
- Best Brand Recognition among Travel Agencies 2017 – COSTA CRUISES
- Best Crew 2017 – PULLMANTUR
- Best Brand Image Among Consumers 2017 – COSTA CRUISES
- Best Popular Cruise Line 2017 – MSC CRUISES
As in every edition, special awards were presented.
- Recognition from Cruises News Media Group – Oceania Cruises
- Recognition of the Port of Cartagena – Cartagena Port of Cultures Tourism Consortium
- Cruises News Media Group Recognition – Pullmantur Monarch's Northern Fjords Itinerary
The gala featured a spectacular performance by Carla Habermeyer, who captivated the audience with her laser harp, and was directed and presented by comedian and showman Mr. Corrales. The Excellence Cruise Awards are the result of a large-scale survey conducted among domestic cruise passengers, which lends special value to the results, as they represent the passengers' own feedback.
This edition, promoted and sponsored by the Cartagena Port Authority, the Cartagena City Council and the Murcia Region Tourism Institute, also has the sponsorship of the Association of Maritime Activities Entrepreneurs (ASEAM) of Cartagena, the Almirante tourist train, Sureste Incoming, Cruises Atlantic Islands, Blazquez Cruises Maritime Agency, and Cruise-Friendly Commerce.
The choice of the city is due, among other considerations, to the consolidation of the Port of Cartagena as one of the Spanish destinations that has experienced the greatest growth in recent years. While Cartagena debuted as a cruise embarkation port in 2016, in 2017 it inaugurated new access points to its remodeled cruise terminal. For 2018, it has scheduled more than 140 cruise calls with over 200,000 passengers. The Excellence Cruise Awards, whose first edition was held in 2008 in Barcelona, are a brand of CruisesNews Media Group, organizer of the International Cruise Summit in Madrid and publisher of CruisesNews and TopRiver magazines.
