This is a compilation of all of my favorite parts of cruises from 2025. Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Escape, Carnival Radiance, and Regal Princess are the only cruises eligible for these awards.
Best Ship
Norwegian Encore
This was difficult for me between Norwegian Encore and Prima. If you could take the Indulge Food Hall and the dry slides from Prima and put them on Encore, I think it would be the perfect ship for me.
Encore has great entertainment, my favorite Norwegian bars (District Brewhouse, Sugarcane Mojito bar), and a huge screen on the lido deck that allows them to show two things at once.
I love the observation lounge on Encore. They made these windows smaller on the Prima class.
Best Cruise Director
Giuseppe – Regal Princess
This was only my second Princess cruise. I assumed that all of their Cruise Directors were boring like the one I had on my first Princess cruise. I was wrong. Giuseppe was a lot of fun. He didn’t just host events, he participated in events like Voice of the Sea and Liar’s Club.
Best Dining Team
Joey, Edwin, and Clarizza – Carnival Radiance
Joey’s dining team on Carnival Radiance was a lot of fun to be around. They always had a good time during showtime. They also served the food the way I like it. One plate at a time with impeccable timing.
Best Entertainment Team Member
Noem – Carnival Radiance Fun Squad
Noem was the comedy host for the majority of my two week Hawaii cruise so I got a lot of exposure to him. He is very talented and entertaining. He does voices and wears costumes. I expect to see him as a cruise director in the future.
Best Bartender
Dr. Bong – Norwegian Prima
Dr. Bong is the most entertaining bartender I’ve had on Norwegian. He does magic tricks and will even make a show out of mixing drinks at times.
Best Alchemists
Nikola and Marina – Carnival Radiance
I couldn’t pick just one Alchemist so I picked a team. Marina made the best dirty martinis this year and Nikola made the best custom drinks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nikola had record attendance at his mixology class. Everyone wanted to be there.
Best Ship Excursion
Sunset Haleakala Crater in Maui.
This was an amazing tour ascending 10,000 feet in the afternoon with a clear view of the crater. Then being able to view the sunset on the outside of the crater. I’ve heard that sunrise on the crater is great as well if you’re doing an overnight.
Best Private Excursion
Pearl Harbor and City Tour – Honolulu
The Deluxe Pearl Harbor and Honolulu City tour I did was excellent. They picked us up at the ship, gave us an overview or Pearl Harbor. Gave us three hours to explore Pearl Harbor on our own. Then took us for a drive through tour of the Punch Bowl and downtown before bringing us back to the port. Drinks and snacks were included. It is a great option if you miss out on the free USS Arizona tickets like I did because that ticket is included in the tour.
Best Tour Guide
Mejo – Transformers Tour in Tortola
There are a lot of buses stopping at the same sites in Tortola, but Mejo and his Transformer bus are the star at every stop. Mejo plays his music loud and sings. He may stop in the road to get out and dance. He was informative and entertaining.
Best Singer
Shari Mocheit – Carnival Radiance
Best Comedian
Corey Rodrigues – Regal Princess
I was relieved when I saw Corey’s adult show was going to be in theater. I went to both of his family friendly shows and I knew he was going to pack them in for his adult show. He is the sixth Princess comedian I’ve seen and the first one to have a show in the theater. He packed the place for a 10:30pm. He’s the best comedian I’ve seen on Princess and the best I saw on all cruises in 2025.
Best Naturalist
Steve – Carnival Radiance
Steve is the best naturalist I’ve ever had. Not only did he do presentations all cruise long, he also did nature walks in the mornings and stargazing at night. I definitely recommend following Steve The Naturalist on social media if you’re interested in information on Hawaii and Alaska.
Best Home Port
New York City
New York is a great place to sail out of if you’re planning on spending time there before or after the cruise. I’ve been there three times now and I feel like I’ll never run out of things to do there. Their public transportation is great and it’s nice having multiple airport options.
Best Port of Call
Honolulu
Honolulu is like the New York City of Hawaii. There’s so much to do there you can’t possibly do it all in one day. I need to get back there for a couple more days at some point.
Best Show
The Choir of Man – Norwegian Encore/Escape
Choir of Man is a great show that is on multiple Norwegian ships. It’s set in one of my favorite places: a bar. Before the show you can even go on stage a get a beer from the cast. They serve Heineken.
Best Dining Room
The Manhattan Room – Norwegian Escape
All of the newer Norwegian ships have a Manhattan room which is a traditional cruise line dining room. They also have two smaller more casual dining rooms. The difference between Escape and the other Manhattan rooms I’ve been in is the live entertainment and the dance floor.
Best Casual Dining
Indulge Food Hall – Norwegian Prima
I love the Indulge Food Hall. This is a place that has tablets on the tables where you can order from multiple food venues and they deliver to your table. Or you can sit at a counter if you just want to eat food from that place. I ate almost every meal there on Prima and I’ll try to do the same this year on Viva.
Best Dining Experience
Chef’s Table Lumiere – Regal Princess
They really have a nice setup for the Chef’s Table on Regal Princess. They have a special table that was made just for this experience. The centerpiece is a Murano. They have the Director of Restaurant Operations, the Executive Chef, a wine expert, and the pastry chef all there to explain the courses and wine pairings.
Best Coffee
Butter Pecan Latte – Regal Princess
Princess has a nice selection of lattes but this is my favorite cruise coffee. It’s almost worth booking Princess just to get one every day.
Best Drink
Jalapeno Cucumber Mojito – Sugarcane Mojito Bar
The jalapeno cucumber mojito has become my favorite drink on Norwegian. The jalapeno and the cucumber provide a nice balance. If you want a little more heat, drink it without the straw.
That concludes my “Best of” for 2025. I have five cruises in 2026. Four on Norwegian and one on Princess. All are ships I have never been on and I’ll be visiting 10 ports I’ve never been to before.