Princess Cruises has been named the cruise line "Best for Romance" in the 2008 Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards, which honor the world's top cruise lines for outstanding performance in 10 major areas. The company also won the "Best for Weddings" and the "Best Multi-Generational" categories.  The winners were named by the editorial team of CruiseCritic.com, a leading cruise website featuring news, communities and reviews.

"We're delighted that the editors of Cruise Critic have recognized Princess as the best line for romance, a tradition that goes back to our early days as 'The Love Boat,'" said Jan Swartz, Princess senior vice president.  "And as the company that introduced weddings at sea and has long offered an onboard experience to appeal to all ages, we're incredibly pleased the editors have recognized our leadership in these areas."

Princess Cruises will introduce a new ship, Ruby Princess, on November 6 with a romance-themed christening ceremony featuring godparents Trista and Ryan Sutter, who became "romance royalty" following their appearance on the hit television reality series The Bachelorette.

The line has its own Department of Romance, featuring distinguished experts from the worlds of love, dating and marriage, including actor Gavin MacLeod, The Love Boat's "Captain Stubing;" Dr. Ruth Westheimer, the always-provocative couples therapist; Alex Michel, the first Bachelor on ABC's hit show; Trish McDermott, vice president of love at Engage.com; and Lisa Light, destination wedding expert and author.

In 1998 Princess introduced the first weddings at sea performed by the ships' captains, who in the ensuing decade have married more than 5,000 couples in waters around the globe.