Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Ambassadors Cruise Group announced today that its two leading cruise brands, Windstar Cruises and Majestic America Line, both were recognized for delivering exemplary small-ship cruise experiences in the annual World’s Best Awards survey by the travel savvy readers of Travel + Leisure magazine.

Windstar Cruises, which operates a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts that explore the hidden harbors and secluded coves of the world’s most treasured destination, earned a top five ranking, moving up one position from last year. Majestic America Line, one of the world’s premier river cruise lines and the largest river and coastal cruising company in America, made its debut with an eighth place ranking, becoming the only company to make the top 10 that exclusively sails domestically.
This is a fantastic honor and we’re ecstatic that both the romantic, luxurious experience delivered by Windstar Cruises and the great American experiences of Majestic America Line were recognized as noteworthy by such a discerning audience, said David A. Giersdorf, President, Ambassadors Cruise Group. The crew and staff of both companies work tirelessly to ensure memorable travel experiences that exceed our guest’s expectations and it’s very fulfilling to have their efforts validated by such a prominent source.

The jet-setting readers of Travel + Leisure rated contenders in the small-ship cruise category on a variety of criteria, including service, itineraries and destinations, food, cabins, entertainment and activities, and value.

Windstar’s commitment to providing guests with the most casually elegant, enriching and luxurious cruise vacation has consistently earned high praise from the some of the most notable names in the travel world. In addition to back-to-back rankings in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards in 2006 and now 2007, all three ships in Windstar’s fleet of luxury sailing yachts were lauded among The World’s Best Small Ships by Conde Nast Traveler readers and, just recently, the company was recognized as the best small-ship cruise vacation by the readers of Celebrated Living.

Majestic America Line, formed through the combination of American West Steamboat Company and the vessels of the Delta Queen Steamboat Company last year, offers uniquely American cruise itineraries that allow guests to experience the scenic and historic places and varied cultures that have shaped America through the years. The company’s elegant, 223-guest Empress of the North was recognized as one of the highest rated small cruise ships in the world by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler earlier this year earning a perfect score of 100 in crew and service.

The subscribers of Travel + Leisure highly sophisticated and seasoned travelers have selected the world’s best services and places annually since 1997. The questionnaire, developed by the editors of Travel + Leisure in association with Harris Interactive, was made available to subscribers in the first quarter of 2007. A complete list of winners in every category is on the magazine’s Web site: http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest. Winners will also be featured in the August issue of Travel + Leisure, on newsstands July 24.