The best cruise lines in the world: 2025 Readers' Choice Awards
Passengers sailing on one of Cunard’s early liners in the 1840s may well have brushed shoulders with Charles Dickens. Since then, guest speakers have been enriching voyages, from songwriter Jimmy Webb on Seabourn to writer Margaret Atwood on Cunard and the Cornell Lab’s ornithology team on Viking – three lines that got A grades for onboard experts. Cuisine, too, is increasingly something to write home about, with Nobu’s presence on Crystal helping it win a rosette for that criterion. Elsewhere, Silversea knows the ropes on its excursions, and in the small ship category, top marks for Ritz-Carlton’s superyacht-style design and service took it scudding into first place.
These are the best cruise lines in the world, according to the 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.
Mega ships (More than 4,000 passengers)
4. Norwegian Cruise Line. Score: 71.36
3. Royal Caribbean. Score: 83.22
2. Princess Cruises. Score: 89.09
1. MSC Cruises. Score: 90.91
Large (2,500 to 4,000 passengers)
10. Norwegian Cruise Line. Score: 76.67
9. MSC Cruises. Score: 82.06
8. Princess Cruises. Score: 85.79
7. Royal Caribbean. Score: 86.36
6. Carnival Cruise Line. Score: 86.91
5. Celebrity Cruises. Score: 89.09
4. Disney Cruise Line. Score: 89.70
3. Virgin Voyages. Score: 90.99
2. Holland America Line. Score: 91.24
1. Cunard. Score: 94.29
Medium ships (500 to 2,499 passengers)
10. Hurtigruten. Score: 85.23
9. Seabourn. Score: 87.88
8. Explora Journeys. Score: 89.75
7. Silversea. Score: 89.76
6. Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Score: 89.82
5. Crystal. Score: 90.08
4. MSC Cruises. Score: 92.05
3. Cunard. Score: 93.29
2. Holland America Line. Score: 94.25
1. Viking. Score: 96.74
Small ships (Fewer than 500 passengers)
6. Star Clippers. Score: 94.55
5. SeaDream Yacht Club. Score: 95.45
4. Silversea. Score: 96.97
3. Viking. Score: 98.17
2. Seabourn. Score: 98.18
1. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Score: 99.09
River cruises
5. Aqua Expeditions. Score: 94.69
4. The Oberoi Luxury Nile Cruisers. Score: 95.00
3. AmaWaterways. Score: 95.36
2. Emerald Cruises. Score: 95.95
1. Viking. Score: 96.36
Expedition Cruises
5. Silversea. Score: 95.66
4. HX Hurtigruten Expeditions. Score: 97.34
3. Holland America Line. Score: 97.58
2. Viking. Score: 98.11
1. Seabourn. Score: 98.18