Last night, the Kursaal Theater hosted a grand cruise ship celebration with the 2025 2025 Cruise Excellence Awards, which brought together top executives from cruise lines alongside government officials, tour operators, shipping agents, port authorities, travel agents, industry professionals, business leaders, and suppliers from Melilla and the Spanish mainland.
During an entertaining gala directed and hosted by the showman and comedian Mr. Corrales, guests who had traveled from various parts of the peninsula and from abroad were treated to an innovative show by Estudio Creativo Girasomnis, which brought advanced visual effects to life on stage to the beat of drums and the movements of an LED baton.
One by one, the winners took the stage to accept their awards, and the list of winners was as follows:
- Best Cruise Port – Port of Barcelona
- Best Family-Owned Cruise Line – MSC Cruises
- Best Premium Cruise Line – Virgin Voyages
- Best Luxury Cruise Line – Silversea Cruises
- Best Entertainment – Royal Caribbean International
- Best Value for the Money – MSC Cruises
- Best Ship in the Mediterranean – Sun Princess (Princess Cruises)
- Best Ship in Northern Europe – Celebrity Apex (Celebrity Cruises)
- Best Brand Image Among Consumers – MSC Cruises
- Best River Cruise Line – Croisieurope
- Best Cruise Line for a First Cruise – Costa Cruises
- Best Dining – Oceania Cruises
- Best Itinerary – Norwegian Cruise Line
- Best Exotic Itinerary – Regent Seven Seas
- Highest Brand Recognition Among Travel Agencies – Royal Caribbean International
- Expedition 's Best Cruise Line – Silversea Cruises
- Best World Cruise – Oceania Cruises
The following were also presented during the event: Special Recognitions:
- Explore Journeys – for its innovation in ship design.
- Ponant – for its commitment to sustainability and its zero-emissions ship project.
- Virgin Voyages – LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Engagement
- Crystal Cruises – for its return to the market with exceptionally high standards of luxury.
Melilla Tourism also took the opportunity to present awards to Africa Travel, the Zona Centro Association, and the Melilla Port Authority.
The Cruise Excellence Awards, the first edition of which was held in Barcelona in 2008, are based on a large-scale survey of cruise passengers and domestic travel agents and are a brand of CruisesNews Media Group, the organizer of the International Cruise Summit in Madrid and publisher of CruisesNews magazine.
This 18th edition of the Cruise Excellence Awards was organized and sponsored by the City of Melilla, Melilla Tourism, and the Melilla Port Authority, in collaboration with other public and private organizations such as Puertos del Estado and the Lantimar Group.
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