Nearly 800,000 travelers just voted to name the absolute best cruise lines of 2026

Nearly 800,000 voters helped determine Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards for cruise lines, ranking companies by ship size. In the “megaships” category, Princess Cruises took No. 1 with a score of 92.35, ahead of Royal Caribbean International (86.45). Princess entered the segment with Sun Princess and Star Princess, launched in 2024 and 2025, respectively, each able to carry up to 4,300 passengers. Royal Caribbean was second, cited for operating nine of the world’s largest ships, with capacities up to 7,600 and lengths near 1,200 feet. MSC Cruises placed third, followed by Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line. For “large ships” (2,500–3,999 passengers), Virgin Voyages led with 91, then Disney Cruise Line (90.75) and Holland America Line (90.57). Celebrity Cruises and Princess rounded out the top five.