According to industry sources, Celebrity Cruises has become the first ocean cruise line to earn Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) Star Award. It joins an exclusive group of fewer than 20 land-based properties with more than 1,000 rooms in the world to receive the award. This is the first year Forbes Travel Guide has featured an ocean cruise category.

“Forbes Travel Guide is thrilled to announce Celebrity ships as the world’s first Star-Rated resorts at sea in the new ocean cruise category,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “Celebrity has delivered on Forbes Travel Guide’s standards time and time again during meticulous incognito inspections – offering guests experiences that rival those at the very best land-based properties.”

The line earned Star Ratings on five of its “resort at sea” ships: Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Flora, Celebrity Millennium and Celebrity Summit. The remainder of the line’s 15-ship fleet will be evaluated in the year ahead, except for the line’s smaller Galapagos ships.

“We always reach for the stars at Celebrity Cruises… To now be Star-rated multiple times over is such an incredible honor from the Forbes Travel Guide team. It’s confirmation that with our resorts at sea, our guests truly sail on the world’s best places to the world’s best places,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Celebrity Cruises president and CEO.

FTG is the only global rating system for luxury hotels, restaurants, spas, and now, ocean cruises.