Hapad Lloyd’s Europa 2 has been named as the top-rated ship in the newest edition of Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships.
Author Douglas Ward put the new ship to the top of the pile, knocking sister ship Europa off the top spot. Europa 2 is the first new ship to claim the title in 14 years.
The guide is being made into an app, set to launch later this week ahead of National Cruise Week (September 21 – 29). The paperback and ebook formats of the guide will be published on October 1.
The guide rates 285 ocean-going ships, including five new ships.
Only two ships have achieved the score required to be in the most exclusive five star plus category – Europa and Europa 2.
The three top-rated large resort ships are all Cunard Line – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria., with Celebrity Reflection and Silhouette coming in a close fourth and fifth respectively.
Crystal Serenity topped the list for mid-sized vessels (between 751 and 1,750 passengers), Europe 2 was top of the charts in the small ship category and Hanseatic was crowned top in the boutique ships group.
Douglas Ward said: “Europa 2 is a stunningly spacious, top-notch informal ship for sophisticated cosmopolitan travellers and their families – the benchmark in contemporary cruising.
“The choice of dining venues and types of cuisine are excellent and the service is attentive and friendly but unobtrusive.
“It all adds up to the very best informal cruise ship available today – unless you own a private motor yacht.”