Travel + Leisure rankings are out.
If you are planning to take a big trip within the next few months, you may want to know which airline, cruise line or airport is ranked the highest. After all, if other users are satisfied with their itinerary, you probably will be too.
Affluent Media Group’s Travel + Leisure publication announced its World’s Best Awards 2014 winners last week. The magazine has been polling its readers since 1996 and based on that information it scores each award category and nominee.
Cruise Lines
Among mega-ship cruise lines, Disney Cruise Line moved past Celebrity Cruises to claim the top spot this year. Other top nominees included the Cunard Line, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean International.
For large-ship cruise lines, Crystal Cruises held on to the top spot for 2014. It was followed by Azamara Club Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises and the Holland America Line.
Among small-ship cruise lines, Paul Gauguin Cruises made a name for itself, moving from No. 7 to the top spot in 2014, replacing Seabourn which dropped to No. 2. The next three positions were held by Windstar Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Silversea Cruises.
A newer category, river boat cruises, was added in 2010. As it did last year, Tauck took the top spot in this category. Moving up to the second position was Viking Cruises, then Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, Grand Circle Cruise Line and AmaWaterways.
Airlines and Airports
Among domestic airlines, Virgin America took the top spot for the seventh consecutive year. JetBlue Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines followed.
Singapore Airlines once again dominated the top spot among international airlines. Emirates Airline and Cathay Pacific Airways followed; Virgin Atlantic Airways and Asiana Airlines rounded out the top five.
Travel + Leisure also ranks domestic and international airports. On the home front, Portland’s airport took top honors followed by Tampa, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Charlotte and Orlando. Singapore, Hong Kong, Dubai, Seoul’s Inchon and Zurich were the top five international airports.
Safaris, Tours and Car Rental Companies
If you are planning a safari, top honors once again went to Rothschild Safaris. The Africa Adventure Company claimed the number two spot followed by Micato Safaris, Wilderness Safaris with andBeyond coming in fifth.
Many travelers rely upon tour operators to get them around. Classic Journeys was voted the top operator in 2014, followed by VBT Bicycling & Walking Vacations, Butterfield & Robinson, Wilderness Travel and Tauck.
Among car rental agencies National Car Rental finished first followed by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Hertz Rent A Car came in third, falling from it previous top position. The top five were rounded out by Avis Car Rental and Alamo.
Poll Methodology
Travel + Leisure polled readers online from December 2, 2013, to March 31, 2014. They also reach out to readers of the their Jan., Feb., March and April issues to gain their responses. The scores represent indexed averages of responses concerning applicable characteristics, ranging from four to six, depending on the category. Each candidate was rated on a 5-point scale of Excellent, Above average, Average, Below average and Poor to assemble the final scores and rankings.
See Also — 7 Tips for Saving Money on Your Next Cruise
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