It’s that time of year again. The issue in which we announce our “Head of the Class” winners — the top rated cruise ships of 2002. Essentially they were chosen by you, our readers, subscribers and independent surveyors. We just did the math.

      This year we’re bringing you the cruise ships that received a perfect score of 10 in each of the 13 different areas that set the standards for CruiseReports’ ratings. But first, we’re presenting you with the ships that received the highest combined Quality Rating and Value Rating, and those that received the top score for Quality and Value in each cruise category — Resort, Tour and Lifestyle — out of the 36 ships we reviewed last year. The average rating for the combined score in 2002 is 24.7; for Quality is 8.9; and for Value is 15.8. So the ships listed below scored above and beyond those averages.

     And the winners of CruiseReports 2002 Head of the Class awards go to: