Cruise Critic released its 2014 US Editors' Picks awards and Royal Caribbean came away with two awards, most notably best new cruise ship with Quantum of the Seas.
Cruise Critic gave Royal Caribbean's newest ship the top nod and commented, "Quantum of the Seas is all about innovation. Bumper cars and skydiving at sea grab the headlines, but the ship itself is simply revolutionary. The technology available onboard makes staying in touch a snap, and thoughtful details like USB ports in cabins and interactive kiosks for booking onboard activities are perfect for the modern cruiser."
Royal Caribbean also won Best Inside Cabins award mostly on the strength of its virtual balcony staterooms.
First introduced on Navigator of the Seas, the virtual balconies have transformed what an inside stateroom can be and Cruise Critic's editors seemed to like what they saw, "When Royal Caribbean introduced virtual balconies into some inside cabins on Navigator of the Seas, the line surpassed its competition. The cabins, also found on Quantum of the Seas, give passengers the feeling of being in an outside cabin via real-time video from outside the ship that's piped in and displayed on wall-sized digital screens."
