Cruise Awards, Explained and Sourced
Who gives the major cruise awards, how winners are chosen, and who won — with the source and year beside every result.
Get Quotes on Award-Winning Cruise LinesCruise Awards Without the Hype
Every cruise line has an award to mention. Some come from surveys of hundreds of thousands of readers, some from editors who sail dozens of ships a year, some from travel agents, and some from programs few travelers have heard of. Cruise awards are useful — if you know who voted, what was measured and which year it was.
Cruise Awards explains the major cruise industry awards in one place: who gives each one, how winners are decided, when results come out, and the latest named winners with the publication and year beside every result. We report only what the award organizers or reliable trade sources published. We do not hand out an award of our own.
The Major Cruise Awards at a Glance
| Award | Who decides | Usually announced | Latest headline result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards | Reader survey | July | 2026: Virgin Voyages (mega-ship), Disney Cruise Line (large-ship), Crystal (midsize), Viking (small-ship), Quasar Expeditions (intimate-ship) |
| Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards | Reader votes | October | 2026: Princess Cruises No. 1 megaships; Virgin Voyages No. 1 large ships |
| Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards | Editors’ picks plus Cruisers’ Choice from member ratings | December | 2025: Virgin Voyages best ocean line (editors); Margaritaville at Sea No. 1 Cruisers’ Choice (ocean) |
| World Cruise Awards | Awards program with a ceremony each autumn | October | 2026: Norwegian Cruise Line named world’s best cruise line |
| USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice | Expert panel nominates, readers vote | Winter | 2026: Viking No. 1 best ocean cruise line |
| Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards | Travel professionals, two voting rounds | December | 2025: category winners incl. Princess (Alaska, as reported by Princess) |
Full results and sources for each year are on cruise awards 2026 and best cruise line awards 2025. Ship-level honors are on best cruise ship awards.
Why Best Cruise Line Awards Disagree
Different voters
Magazine readers, review-site members and travel agents value different things. A family line can top one list and miss another.
Different size bands
Programs group lines by ship size, but the cut-offs differ. Check which band a winner was in before comparing.
Different years
A line may quote a past win for years. Always look for the edition year beside the claim.
Different questions
Some ask for overall favorites, others score service, food, cabins, itineraries and value separately.
Our page on how cruise awards are decided goes through each method, and using awards to choose a cruise turns them into a practical shortlist.
From Award List to Booking
Awards narrow the field; they do not choose your cruise. A line voted best for families may be the wrong ship for a quiet anniversary, and a small-ship winner may not sail where you want to go. Once you have a shortlist, our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can price the winners side by side on your dates — and tell you which of them has the better promotion running right now.
For new ships that are too young to have won anything yet, see New Cruises; for river cruise awards, World’s Best River Cruise decodes them line by line.
Cruise Awards: Quick Answers
Which cruise award matters most?
None is definitive. Reader-voted awards such as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler show what their readers love; Cruise Critic’s Cruisers’ Choice reflects member reviews; Travel Weekly’s reflects travel professionals. The most useful one is whichever voters resemble you.
Does Cruise Awards give out awards?
No. This site explains awards given by publications and organizations, with the source and year for each result. We do not run an award or a ranking of our own.
Why does the same line win in one award and not another?
Different voters, different categories and different size bands. A ship counted as large in one program can be a mega-ship in another.
When are cruise awards announced?
Roughly: USA TODAY 10Best in winter, Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best in July, Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice and the World Cruise Awards in October, and Cruise Critic and Travel Weekly in December, based on recent editions.
More Cruise Sites From Our Network
Cruise Awards is part of the Smart Traveler network, led by Mister Cruise. He has sold travel since 1972 and worked full-time in the industry since 1977. He has sold or originated more than $500 million in cruises and has trained more than 500 travel agents.
Send us your shortlist of award-winning lines and our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise will price them on your dates and book the one that fits. Meet Mister Cruise →
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