Boutique cruise lines bring something extra to the cruising experience, whether it be small ships with attractive passenger-to-staff ratios, luxury amenities, unique on-board activities and excursions or all-inclusive fares.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Boutique Cruise Line are as follows:
- Windstar Cruises
- Variety Cruises
- Star Clippers
- Quark Expeditions
- Hurtigruten
- Paul Gauguin Cruises
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Azamara Club Cruises
- Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
- Crystal Cruises
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Carrie Finley Bajak (CruiseBuzz.net), Fran Golden (USA TODAY), Sherry Laskin Kennedy (CruiseMaven), Jason Leppert (PopularCruising.com), Chris Owen (ChrisCruises.com), Doug Parker (Cruise Radio) and Aaron Saunders (Fromthedeckchair.com) were chosen based on their expertise in the world of cruising.
Congratulations to all our winning cruise lines!
License the 10Best Readers' Choice Award Logo
The Experts
Carrie Finley Bajak
Carrie Finley is a cruise travel writer who lives... Read More
Carrie Finley is a cruise travel writer who lives in Southern California. Carrie cruises around the world and reports about her adventures on CruiseBuzz.net and via social media where she shares cruise news, tips and insight from the ships and ports. Carrie has curated small ship and river cruise experiences for AFAR.com and is frequently a guest Blogger-at-Large for cruise lines.
Carrie Finley Bajak

Carrie Finley is a cruise travel writer who lives in Southern California. Carrie cruises around the world and reports about her adventures on CruiseBuzz.net and via social media where she shares cruise news, tips and insight from the ships and ports. Carrie has curated small ship and river cruise experiences for AFAR.com and is frequently a guest Blogger-at-Large for cruise lines.
Fran Golden
Fran Golden is a well-known cruise writer and... Read More
Fran Golden is a well-known cruise writer and frequent contributor to USAToday.com. She is contributing editor for Porthole magazine and writes regularly for Virtuoso Life magazine, Cruise Business Review, Sherman's Travel and World of Cruising. She is also co-author of books including Frommer's EasyGuide to River Cruising (2016).
Fran Golden

Fran Golden is a well-known cruise writer and frequent contributor to USAToday.com. She is contributing editor for Porthole magazine and writes regularly for Virtuoso Life magazine, Cruise Business Review, Sherman's Travel and World of Cruising. She is also co-author of books including Frommer's EasyGuide to River Cruising (2016).
Sherry Laskin
Sherry is editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com... Read More
Sherry is editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com and a solo traveler who refuses to fly. With way too much wanderlust, Sherry explores the world on oceans and rivers. When on land, she’s aboard trains and on road trips, stopping to try local food and visit quirky museums along the way.
Sherry Laskin

Sherry is editor and creator of CruiseMaven.com and a solo traveler who refuses to fly. With way too much wanderlust, Sherry explores the world on oceans and rivers. When on land, she’s aboard trains and on road trips, stopping to try local food and visit quirky museums along the way.
Jason Leppert
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert... Read More
Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 150 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. He also contributes to Cruise Travel, Porthole and Cruise Business Review magazines; USA Today 10Best; Oyster.com; MiceChat.com and the Cruise Radio podcast.
Jason Leppert

Jason Leppert is a San Diego-based cruising expert with more than 150 sailings under his belt and a fresh, millennial perspective on the industry. He has been cruising since before he was two years old, thanks to his parents’ shared passion for traveling and their desire to experience all journeys together as a family. Now, he regularly sails and writes “he said, she said” cruise columns with his wife Heidi. He is the founding editor of Popular Cruising, producer of the successful Popular Cruising YouTube channel and Cruise Editor for TravelAge West. He also contributes to Cruise Travel, Porthole and Cruise Business Review magazines; USA Today 10Best; Oyster.com; MiceChat.com and the Cruise Radio podcast.
Chris Owen
Chris Owen is a photojournalist from Florida... Read More
Chris Owen is a photojournalist from Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information about cruise vacations with travelers. Also certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris offers a unique perspective; tapping his behind-the-scenes working knowledge of cruise vacations. Beginning his cruise history as a family vacation option, Chris has written his way through a variety of cruise lines, ships and itineraries. His goal is simple: to never forget that travel has a positive impact on our world, and to introduce cruising to as many people as possible.
Chris Owen

Chris Owen is a photojournalist from Florida charged with sharing frank, inside information about cruise vacations with travelers. Also certified a Master Cruise Counselor by the Cruise Lines International Association, Chris offers a unique perspective; tapping his behind-the-scenes working knowledge of cruise vacations. Beginning his cruise history as a family vacation option, Chris has written his way through a variety of cruise lines, ships and itineraries. His goal is simple: to never forget that travel has a positive impact on our world, and to introduce cruising to as many people as possible.
Doug Parker
Doug Parker is the creator and executive producer... Read More
Doug Parker is the creator and executive producer of Cruise Radio, a weekly podcast that shares cruise reviews and other cruise news.
Doug Parker
Doug Parker is the creator and executive producer of Cruise Radio, a weekly podcast that shares cruise reviews and other cruise news.
Aaron Saunders
Aaron Saunders is the founder of From the Deck... Read More
Aaron Saunders is the founder of From the Deck Chair, an online site dedicated to cruising. He writes weekly about cruises in his Ports and Bows column, which is syndicated across seven different newspapers in Canada, and is the author of three books on cruising and maritime history, including the Frommer’s 2017 EasyGuide to Cruising. He is based in Canada.
Aaron Saunders

Aaron Saunders is the founder of From the Deck Chair, an online site dedicated to cruising. He writes weekly about cruises in his Ports and Bows column, which is syndicated across seven different newspapers in Canada, and is the author of three books on cruising and maritime history, including the Frommer’s 2017 EasyGuide to Cruising. He is based in Canada.