Cunard’s newest cruise ship has been branded the best new vessel of the year in recent awards held by sea travel experts.

The Queen Anne, which made its maiden voyage from Southampton in May, has won Best New Ship in the Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards.

The 113,000-tonne vessel is Cunard’s first new ship in 14 years and was praised by the online cruise community for striking the ‘perfect balance’ between ‘timeless yet modern.’

Cruise Critic’s editors said: “Queen Anne's wellness programme is among the best at sea, the Pavilion pool feels like a chic resort, and dining includes a partnership with Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr."

The 3,000-passenger cruise ship’s home port is Southampton but was built over five years at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy.

READ MORE: Queen Anne leaves for maiden voyage with Southampton fireworks display

When it arrived at Mayflower Terminal on April 30, Queen Anne was greeted with a water salute and received an official blessing and plaque exchange ceremony.

Queen Anne left Southampton for her maiden voyage in May.Queen Anne left Southampton for its maiden voyage in May. (Image: Supplied) People flocked from across the country to see the vessel arrive, such as Tim Bonde, who come down to Southampton from Derbyshire.

He said: “I’m on the reserve list for a maiden voyage cabin, but I don’t think that’s likely to happen.

"I’ve been on all the other Cunard shipping" target="_blank">ships and I absolutely love them all.

"It’s always more of a voyage than a cruising holiday and this is just a fantastic experience.”

Andrew Stretch came to see Queen Anne in.Andrew Stretch came to see Queen Anne in. (Image: Ross Marshall) Andrew Stretch was also in attendance to see Queen Anne arrive for the first time.

READ MORE: Cunard cruise ship Queen Anne arrives in Southampton

Andrew said: "I’ve been following the building of the ship all through its journey.

"Cunard is without doubt the top cruise liner even though they are a little bit more expensive.”

Fireworks then lit up the night sky as Queen Anne left the port for her maiden voyage on May 3, a seven-night cruise to Lisbon via La Coruña.

The Queen Anne is the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, offering six standards of accommodation across its 14 decks.

The ship boasts the onboard space called The Pavilion – an area with a specially designed glass dome roof that can retract in warmer climates.