Best Cruise Line Awards 2025
The 2025 editions, several of which are still the latest for their programs.
Get Quotes on Award-Winning Cruise LinesThe best cruise line awards 2025 results, gathered by program. Several 2025 editions are still the latest available for their awards, so they remain the most current word on those categories.
Cruise Critic Best in Cruise Awards 2025
Cruise Critic announced its 17th annual Best in Cruise Awards on December 3, 2025. Editors chose most categories; the Cruisers’ Choice awards came from member ratings and reviews over the past year. Key ocean, luxury and expedition winners:
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Ocean Cruise Line | Virgin Voyages |
| Best New Ship | Celebrity Xcel |
| Best Value for Money (ocean) | Carnival Cruise Line |
| Best for Families (ocean) | MSC Cruises |
| Best Service (ocean) | Holland America Line |
| Best Enrichment (ocean) | Cunard Line |
| Best Luxury Cruise Line | Explora Journeys |
| Best New Luxury Ship | Oceania Allura |
| Best Expedition Cruise Line | National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions |
| Best River Cruise Line | Avalon Waterways |
| Cruisers’ Choice top-rated (ocean) | 1. Margaritaville at Sea, 2. Virgin Voyages, 3. Celebrity Cruises |
| Cruisers’ Choice top-rated (luxury) | 1. Viking, 2. Explora Journeys, 3. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection |
Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2025
Reader-voted, published in July 2025: Virgin Voyages (mega-ship, its third straight year), Disney Cruise Line (large-ship), Crystal (midsize-ship), Viking (small-ship) and Quasar Expeditions (intimate-ship) took the top spots.
Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2025
Princess Cruises announced that Sun Princess was readers’ No. 1 mega cruise ship for the second consecutive year, and Viking announced on October 7, 2025 that readers ranked it No. 1 for rivers and No. 1 for oceans for the fifth consecutive year.
USA TODAY 10Best and Travel Weekly, 2025
USA TODAY 10Best 2025
Carnival Cruise Line was voted Best Ocean Cruise Line, reported as its third consecutive year in that category.
Travel Weekly Readers Choice 2025
The 23rd awards were presented on December 10, 2025 in New York after two rounds of voting by travel professionals. Princess reported winning Best Cruise Line in Alaska for a 22nd consecutive year; National Geographic-Lindblad won for Antarctica, and Disney won for family cruising.
Compare these with the newest results on cruise awards 2026; a line that repeats across years and programs is a stronger signal than a single win.
Reading the 2025 Results Together
Put the 2025 best cruise line awards side by side and a few patterns stand out. Virgin Voyages appears near the top in more than one program, reader-voted and editorial alike. Viking dominates small-ship and river categories across programs. Family honors cluster around Disney Cruise Line and MSC Cruises, value honors around Carnival. None of that tells you which line to book, but it does tell you which lines are consistently pleasing the people who vote.
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