2024 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards Winners Announced
Cruise Ship Interiors (CSI), the world’s premier exhibition and conference fully dedicated to the cruise ship industry, has revealed the winners of the 2024 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards (CSIA) during a ceremony at the CSI Design Expo Europe.
The awards celebrate the vast and varied talent within the ship interiors sector, recognising excellence across 11 categories, including Best Refurbishment, Guest Experience Tech of the Year, and Best Dining Space.
The winners of the 2024 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards are:
- Best Dining Space: Irth, Cruise Saudi, Aroya Cruises, SMC Design
- Best Suite, sponsored by Bath Fitter: Studio DADO and Fincantieri for Regent Suite, Regent Seven Seas
- Best Stateroom, sponsored by Ball & Young: SMC Design and Meyer Werft, Balcony Cabin, NYK Cruises Asuka III
- Best Public Space, sponsored by Varuna Cruise Engineering Powered by STIM Tech Group: Tillberg Design of Sweden, for Sanctuary onboard Sun Princess, Princess Cruises
- Best Onboard Experience, sponsored by JSN United: Royal Caribbean, Wilson Butler Architects and Breakfast, NY, for The Pearl, Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
- Best Dining Space, sponsored by Lavagnoli: SMC Design and MJM Marine for Irth, Aroya Cruises
- Best Refurbished Space, sponsored by Somec Group: Windstar Cruises, DESIGN STUDIO BERG++ and Civil Marine Contract for Wind Star Lounge, Wind Star
- Guest Experience Tech of the Year, sponsored by Cocon Decor: MRD Lighting, Lighting Design
- Interior Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Fantoni: Meyer Turku, Sustainable Stateroom
- Galley Innovation of the Year, sponsored by Workhouse: MKN – SteelPlus
- Brand Partnership of the Year, sponsored by Ocean Shade Canopies and Awnings: Princess Cruises & Akula
- Legend of Design: George Scammell, director interior asset management, Princess Cruises
Glittering Awards Ceremony
The awards ceremony commenced with a drinks reception hosted by Trimline. Guests from various companies, including AmaWaterways, Ambassador Cruise Line, Carnival Maritime, Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Disney Cruise Line, Explora Journeys, Holland America Line & Seabourn, Hurtigruten, HX, Marella Cruises, Meyer Turku, Meyer Werft, MSC Cruise, and Norwegian Cruise Line, gathered to celebrate the winners.
Elite Exhibitions CEO Toby Walters opened the event by expressing gratitude to the awards sponsors, including global headline sponsor Kalmar Lighting. The marble awards were crafted by Laticrete.
SMC Design emerged as one of the evening’s standout winners, securing its first prize for Best Stateroom in collaboration with Meyer Werft for the Balcony Cabin on NYK Cruises’ Asuka III. This vessel aims to attract both seasoned and first-time cruisers, prompting NYK Cruises to seek an interior that feels fresh and inviting, with a global appeal.
Its second accolade, Best Dining Space, was awarded for its partnership with Cruise Saudi, an innovative new cruise line, on the fully renovated and reimagined Aroya Cruises. Irth, the winning dining venue, serves as the flagship Saudi restaurant, offering an immersive dining experience with speciality recipes crafted from the freshest local ingredients.
Royal Caribbean was among the most nominated brands, with its latest vessel, the Icon of the Seas, being the largest cruise ship in history and nominated in several categories. Royal Caribbean won the Best Onboard Experience award in collaboration with Wilson Butler Architects and Breakfast, NY for The Pearl.
This experience features a smooth sphere and shimmering surface that opens to large portals revealing a vibrant interior where thousands of kinetic tiles ebb and flow, mirroring the energy of the water outside and the Royal Promenade below.
Windstar Cruises, DESIGN STUDIO BERG+, and Civil Marine Contract won Best Refurbished Space for the Wind Star Lounge on Wind Star. The transformation of this space is vital; during the day, it now serves as a tranquil retreat where guests can enjoy a book and a coffee from the adjacent Yacht Club Café. As night falls, the lounge transforms into a lively pre-dinner cocktail bar, before becoming a dynamic venue for dancing with the entertainment team or enjoying the renowned crew show.
Legend of Design
The awards concluded with the presentation of a previously unannounced honour, The Legend of Design award. This accolade was bestowed upon George Scammell, director of interior asset management at Princess Cruises, recognised for his significant contributions to the cruise ship interiors sector over his decades-long career as a designer. He has not only influenced trends but has also been an invaluable mentor and leader to many designers who now lead their own teams.
Recently, Elite Exhibitions announced that CSI will host the Cruise Ship Interiors Design Expo Europe event at Germany’s Hamburg Messe Und Congress (HMC) in 2025, further solidifying the event’s status as the leading platform in the region connecting the cruise ship interiors supply chain.
