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The Street

Come Cruise With Me Staff

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival win key cruise line awards

Cunard (Organization) Carnival Royal Caribbean Carnival Cruise Line Michael Bailey Caribbean Cruises Holland America Line

Cruise Hive readers have been heard. They voted on a variety of cruise awards from mid-October through December 22, 2024 and they reached some predictable, and some surprising, results.

In addition to the awards, Cruise Hive's final news show of 2024 shares how Cunard has handled an outbreak on one of its iconic ships. Norovirus had a surprising resurgence nationwide in 2024, but Cunard and other cruise lines have taken aggressive steps to keep the virus in check.

That's something cruise lines have largely been able to do, as while there have been outbreaks, there have not been any ship-wide disasters.

Here's a look at some of the award winners, some thoughts from Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty, and a look at what happened on the Cunard ship.

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These are the 2024 Cruise Hive award winners

Transcript:

A big warm welcome back, cruisers, and thank you for joining our last Cruise Hive news updates of 2024.

So, let's finish off in style as we proceed with four new stories. We have two major results from this year's Cruise Hive awards. We take a look at back-to-back outbreak on iconic ocean liner and Royal Caribbean CEO reveals his biggest moments of 2024.

So join us as we delve fully into all these updates brought to you directly from cruisehive.com.

Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Beyond was voted best overall cruise ship in the 2024 Cruise Hive awards.

The 3,260 guest vessel launched in April 2022 and christened by Simone Biles in November of that year in Fort Lauderdale edged out competitors like Icon of the Seas and Rotterdam. Sailing year-round Caribbean voyages the 140,500 gross ton ship is celebrated for its innovative features including the Retreat, expanded sun deck and the Magic Carpet dining platforms.

Guests enjoy 32 dining venues like Le Voyage by Michelin star chef Daniel Boulud. At the helm is Captain Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a major cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bailey highlighted his top four moments of 2024 starting with the launch of Icon of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship on January 27th from Port Miami.

The 20-deck $2 billion ship carries up to 7,600 passengers. In June, Bailey celebrated the annual President's Cruise Aboard Oasis of the Seas featuring Boy George with stops in the Mediterranean. July saw the christening of Utopia of the Seas at Port Canaveral by Meghan Trainor.

And finally, the nine-month Ultimate World Cruise concluding in September showcased 150 destinations worldwide despite some challenges.

Carnival Cruise Lines Bolt Roller Coaster, the first-ever cruise ship roller coaster, was voted best cruise ship feature in the 2024 Cruise Hive Awards, earning 34% of votes. Bolt, introduced on Carnival XL class ships Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration, and Carnival Jubilee, features an 800-foot electric track atop Deck 19 with speeds up to 40 mph and 360-degree views 187 feet above sea level.

Developed by Mora Rides, Bolt costs $15 per ride for two laps and has height and weight restrictions. Voting for the award concluded on December 22 highlighting Bolt's innovative appeal among cruisers. Full results for all winners can be found over on cruisehive.com.

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Cunard's Queen Mary fights outbreaks

Cunard Lines Queen Mary II has reported consecutive outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness during its recent cruises.

The latest incident occurred on a Christmas sailing departing New York on December 21st for a two-week Caribbean voyage. So far, 223 passengers and 44 crew members have experienced symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting. A previous outbreak affected 150 individuals on the prior cruise.

Enhanced cleaning protocols and isolation measures were implemented but failed to prevent this second outbreak. Norovirus, common in the winter, is suspected but unconfirmed. The ship carries over 2,500 guests and over 1,200 crew members.

And that's it for me today, cruisers. My name is Paul, and all the news you require is on cruisehive.com.

Now, if anyone has any news, you can email us at newstips at cruisehive.com. Please show your support by liking our video and please subscribing to our channel. I hope you have a good day, cruisers, and I'll see you in the next video.

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