NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Travelers have named their favorite cruise lines for sailing aboard some of the biggest ships on the sea. Nearly 800,000 votes were cast in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, which ranked cruise lines across various ship sizes. The largest category covered “mega ships” carrying more than 4,000 passengers, with Princess Cruises taking the No. 1 spot with a score of 92.35. PRICES OF ITS POPULAR PACKAGES ON THE MOVE THAT COULD AFFECT VACATION BUDGETS Princess entered the megaship category with Sun Princess and Star Princess, which launched in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Each can carry up to 4,300 passengers, making them the largest ships in the Princess fleet, according to the publication. Royal Caribbean International came in second with a score of 86.45. Princess Cruises ranked first among megaship cruise lines in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards, earning a score of 92.35. (iStock) The cruise line operates the nine largest cruise ships in the world, according to Condé Nast Traveler. Its largest vessels can carry up to 7,600 passengers at full capacity and span nearly 1,200 feet, with onboard attractions ranging from water parks to live productions, the publication said. CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER MSC Cruises ranked third among megaships, followed by Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line. MSC’s megaships can carry between 5,300 and 6,700 passengers, according to Condé Nast Traveler. Carnival’s larger ships include attractions like an at-sea roller coaster, while Norwegian offers amenities including water parks, go-kart racing and virtual reality games. Nearly 800,000 votes were cast in the annual awards, which ranked cruise lines in several ship size categories. (iStock)Different cruise lines topped the rankings for slightly smaller vessels. The “large ship” category of the awards covered vessels carrying between 2,500 and 3,999 passengers. TRY OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ Virgin Voyages took first place in that category with a score of 91. Disney Cruise Line was close behind in second place, while Holland America Line took third place. The annual cruise ranking also included medium and small ships, along with river cruise lines, in addition to the two largest categories. (Jeff Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises rounded out the top five, placing Princess among the highest-rated lines in both the mega-ship and large-ship categories. Condé Nast Traveler also ranked medium and small ships, along with river cruise lines, as part of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards. — 92.35Royal Caribbean International — 86.45MSC Cruises — 85.23Carnival Cruise Line — 81.05Norwegian Cruise Line — 80.3CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP The top five large ship cruise lines were: Virgin Voyages — 91Disney Cruise Line — 90.75Holland America Line — 90.57Celebrity Cruises — 85.74Princess Cruises — 84.27 Kelly McGreal is a member of the Fox News Digital lifestyle team. She and the team cover travel, food and drink, health, relationships and more. He also produces the weekly American culture quiz show and handles other special projects.
