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

Nearly 800,000 travellers voted in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, which ranked cruise lines by ship size. Princess Cruises topped the megaship category, while Virgin Voyages led among large ships.

Princess scored 92.35 for its megaships Sun Princess and Star Princess, each able to carry up to 4,300 passengers. Royal Caribbean placed second with 86.45; its largest ships hold up to 7,600. MSC Cruises, Carnival and Norwegian followed. In the large-ship category, Disney ranked second and Holland America third, with Celebrity and Princess completing the top five.