Viking Venus. Photo: Cavernia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
What Are the Best Cruise Lines in 2026? The Readers' Choice Winners by Ship Size, US and UK, Set Against the Published Facts
By Richard Jasinski·Updated 15 October 2026
Viking is the cruise line readers rate highest in 2026: first for river cruising in both the US and UK editions of the Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards, first for mid-size ocean ships in the US and first for expedition cruising in the UK. UK readers put Seabourn first for small and mid-size ships; US readers chose Regent Seven Seas for small ships, Virgin Voyages for large ships, Princess for megaships and andBeyond for expedition. These are satisfaction ratings from people who sailed, not tests of what a fare includes: on published facts, this site's river index puts Scenic first and Viking sixth, and its expedition comparison puts Lindblad first, a line absent from the UK's top six.
Which cruise lines won the 2026 Readers' Choice Awards?
Viking won river cruising in both editions; after that, US and UK readers chose different No. 1s in every category. Both editions split ocean cruising by ship size: under 500 passengers, 500 to 2,499, 2,500 to 4,000 and over 4,000. The US results drew 798,867 survey responses across all categories; the UK results come from the magazine's UK readers. UK scores are shown where they were published; the US edition's scores and its places below No. 1 were not in any report or press release we could read on 15 October 2026.
| Category | US edition No. 1 | UK edition No. 1 (score) |
|---|---|---|
| River | Viking, sixth year running | Viking (97.31) |
| Expedition | andBeyond, for its Galápagos yacht | Viking (98.34) |
| Small ships (under 500) | Regent Seven Seas Cruises | Seabourn (98.73) |
| Medium ships (500 to 2,499) | Viking | Seabourn (98.12) |
| Large ships (2,500 to 4,000) | Virgin Voyages | Cunard (93.69) |
| Mega ships (over 4,000) | Princess Cruises | Royal Caribbean (91.79) |
Sources: LATTE Luxury News, UK results, AOL/New York Post, US results, Viking, Princess Cruises, Virgin Voyages, Condé Nast Traveler, full results.
What are the best river cruise lines in 2026?
Viking is the best river cruise line in 2026 by readers' vote: first in the US edition for a sixth consecutive year, and first in the UK edition at 97.31. The UK list has six lines, and two of them do not sail in Europe: The Oberoi's Nile cruisers in Egypt and Aqua Expeditions on the Amazon and the Mekong.
| UK rank | River cruise line | Score | Where it sails |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viking | 97.31 | Europe, the Nile, the Mekong, the Mississippi |
| 2 | The Oberoi Luxury Nile Cruisers | 97.09 | The Nile, Egypt |
| 3 | Emerald Cruises | 96.83 | Europe and the Mekong |
| 4 | AmaWaterways | 96.11 | Europe, the Nile, the Mekong, Africa and Colombia |
| 5 | Aqua Expeditions | 95.52 | The Amazon and the Mekong |
| 6 | Uniworld | 95.05 | Europe, the Nile and Asia |
On published facts the order changes. This site's luxury river cruise index scores nine lines on six published criteria, including what the fare includes and the smallest cabin sold. It ranks Scenic first (83), then Uniworld (82), Tauck (76), Delfin Amazon Cruises (68), AmaWaterways (64) and Viking (62). Scenic includes excursions, drinks, gratuities and airport transfers in the fare. Viking's European longships carry 190 guests and its smallest cabin is 135 sq ft. Readers who sailed rate the experience highly; the index rewards what a fare buys before you sail. For the Nile, see the best luxury Nile cruise boats; for the Amazon, the best Amazon river cruise operators.
Sources: LATTE Luxury News, Viking press release, 5 October 2026, Travel Weekly Australia.
What are the best expedition cruise lines in 2026?
UK readers put Viking first for expedition cruising in 2026 (98.34), then Seabourn (98.18), HX (97.63), Holland America Line (97.19), Silversea (96.37) and Ponant (95.05); US readers chose andBeyond, whose Galápagos Explorer yacht sails the Galápagos Islands. Lindblad Expeditions and Quark Expeditions, the two lines this site's published-facts indexes rate highest for the expedition itself, are not in the UK top six.
| UK rank | Expedition line | Score | Guests on its polar ships* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Viking | 98.34 | 378 |
| 2 | Seabourn | 98.18 | 264 |
| 3 | HX Expeditions | 97.63 | Up to 490 |
| 4 | Holland America Line | 97.19 | Not an expedition fleet: ocean ships, including Alaska |
| 5 | Silversea | 96.37 | 200 |
| 6 | Ponant | 95.05 | 200 on Le Commandant Charcot |
* Antarctic guest counts as recorded in this site's expedition cruise operator index. Holland America Line is not scored there.
Why the published facts point elsewhere: in Antarctica, IAATO allows no more than 100 passengers ashore at one site at a time, so on every ship in the UK top six guests land in rotation. Viking's polar ships carry 378 guests and HX's up to 490. On the criteria in our four-way expedition comparison, Lindblad scores 88, Silversea 87, Seabourn 84, Scenic Eclipse 83, Quark 82, Viking 81 and HX 78. Readers reward the ship and the service; the published facts reward time ashore and the expedition team. For Antarctica specifically, see the Antarctica expedition operator index and fly-cruise or Drake crossing.
Sources: LATTE Luxury News, AOL/New York Post, IAATO.
What are the best small-ship cruise lines in 2026?
Seabourn is the best small-ship cruise line for UK readers in 2026 (98.73), with The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection second (98.26); US readers chose Regent Seven Seas Cruises. The UK list for ships under 500 passengers has six names, and only 4.04 points separate first from sixth.
| UK rank | Small-ship line | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seabourn | 98.73 |
| 2 | The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection | 98.26 |
| 3 | Silversea | 97.49 |
| 4 | SeaDream Yacht Club | 96.32 |
| 5 | Oceania Cruises | 95.12 |
| 6 | Star Clippers | 94.69 |
Sources: LATTE Luxury News, AOL/New York Post.
What are the best mid-size cruise lines in 2026?
For ships of 500 to 2,499 passengers, UK readers put Seabourn first (98.12), then Viking (97.68), Cunard (97.39), Explora Journeys (96.55) and Silversea (96.26); US readers put Viking first, its sixth straight year as No. 1 for ocean cruising. Holland America Line says US readers recognised it in both the mid-size and large-ship categories, without a published rank.
| UK rank | Mid-size line | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seabourn | 98.12 |
| 2 | Viking | 97.68 |
| 3 | Cunard | 97.39 |
| 4 | Explora Journeys | 96.55 |
| 5 | Silversea | 96.26 |
Sources: LATTE Luxury News (UK places 6 and below not published there), Viking, Holland America Line.
What are the best large-ship and megaship cruise lines in 2026?
For ships of 2,500 to 4,000 passengers, UK readers put Cunard first (93.69) and US readers Virgin Voyages, its third US No. 1; for ships over 4,000, UK readers put Royal Caribbean first (91.79) and US readers Princess Cruises, for Sun Princess and Star Princess. Scores fall as ships get bigger: the best large-ship score in the UK edition is lower than the sixth-placed small-ship line.
| UK rank | Large ships (2,500 to 4,000) | Score | Mega ships (over 4,000) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cunard | 93.69 | Royal Caribbean | 91.79 |
| 2 | Celebrity Cruises | 93.11 | Princess Cruises | 90.14 |
| 3 | Holland America Line | 92.50 | MSC Cruises | 88.47 |
| 4 | Virgin Voyages | 91.85 | Norwegian Cruise Line | 87.40 |
| 5 | Carnival Cruise Line | 90.23 | Not published | Not published |
In the US edition, Virgin Voyages' fellow large-ship nominees were Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Cunard and Norwegian, with Holland America also recognised; their US places were not published in the sources we read. Princess says Sun Princess was named No. 1 megaship for a third year and Star Princess in its first year of eligibility.
Sources: LATTE Luxury News, Virgin Voyages, via VV Insider, Princess Cruises, via PR Newswire.
Why readers and published facts disagree
- It is a rating, not a test. Readers rate lines they have sailed on a five-point scale, from excellent to poor; the ratings become a percentage and are averaged. Nothing is checked against a fare, a cabin plan or a cancellation policy.
- The scores are close. Six UK small-ship lines sit within 4.04 points of each other. A one-place gap often means less than one point.
- Two electorates. US readers (798,867 responses across all categories, 1 April to 30 June 2026) and UK readers vote separately, which is why only river cruising has the same winner.
- Big fleets are seen by more voters. A line has to be sailed by enough readers to be rated. Small specialists such as Lindblad, Quark or Aurora Expeditions carry far fewer passengers a year than Viking or HX.
Which list to use for which cruise
- A first river cruise in Europe: readers' favourites are Viking, Emerald, AmaWaterways and Uniworld. If you want drinks, excursions and gratuities in the fare, compare them with Scenic in our river cruise index.
- Antarctica or the Arctic: start with guest numbers and landings: expedition cruise operator index, best Arctic expedition cruise lines.
- The Galápagos: the US expedition winner is a Galápagos yacht; compare boats in the best Galápagos cruise ships.
- Travelling alone: supplements vary more than ratings; see the best cruise lines for solo travellers.
Best cruise lines 2026: the questions people ask
What are the best cruise lines in 2026?
In the 2026 Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards, Viking is the best river cruise line in both the US and UK editions. UK readers put Seabourn first for small and mid-size ships, Viking first for expedition, Cunard for large ships and Royal Caribbean for megaships. US readers chose Regent Seven Seas (small), Viking (mid-size), Virgin Voyages (large), Princess (megaship) and andBeyond (expedition).
Which cruise line won the Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards 2026?
Viking won the most: No. 1 for river cruising in both editions, No. 1 for mid-size ocean ships in the US edition (its sixth year running) and No. 1 for expedition cruising in the UK edition, at 98.34.
What are the best expedition cruise lines in 2026?
By UK readers' vote: Viking (98.34), Seabourn (98.18), HX (97.63), Holland America Line (97.19), Silversea (96.37) and Ponant (95.05). US readers chose andBeyond. On published facts this site rates Lindblad Expeditions highest, at 88 in its four-way expedition comparison.
What are the best luxury river cruises in Europe?
Of the UK readers' top six for 2026, the lines that sail Europe's rivers are Viking (97.31), Emerald Cruises (96.83), AmaWaterways (96.11) and Uniworld (95.05). On published fares and inclusions, this site's river index ranks Scenic (83) and Uniworld (82) first.
Viking vs AmaWaterways: which river cruise is better?
UK readers rate Viking higher in 2026, at 97.31 against 96.11 for AmaWaterways. On published facts the two are close: this site's river index scores AmaWaterways 64 and Viking 62. Viking has more ships and departure dates; AmaWaterways' standard cabins start larger, at 155 sq ft against 135.
What are the best luxury expedition cruise ships?
UK readers put Seabourn second for expedition cruising in 2026 and Silversea fifth; both build their ships to luxury standards. On this site's published-facts comparison, Silversea scores 87 for the most luxurious cabins in the ice, Seabourn 84 with two submarines on each expedition ship, and Scenic Eclipse 83 with helicopters and a submersible.
Is Viking the best river cruise line?
By readers' vote, yes: first in both editions of the 2026 Condé Nast Readers' Choice Awards, and first in the US edition for six years in a row. On what the fare includes it ranks sixth of six in this site's luxury river cruise index, behind Scenic, Uniworld, Tauck, Delfin and AmaWaterways.
How are the Readers' Choice cruise scores calculated?
Readers rate the lines they have sailed on a five-point scale from excellent to poor. Condé Nast converts the ratings to a percentage and averages them. The US survey ran from 1 April to 30 June 2026 and drew 798,867 responses across all categories.
Read next
The rankings on this page are Condé Nast's readers' votes, reported as published; this site adds no score of its own to them and links to its own published-facts indexes where they overlap. Condé Nast Traveler's site could not be read directly, so every place and score comes from the reports and press releases cited under each table, read 15 October 2026; where a place was not published there, the page says so. There are no affiliate links and no paid placements. How this site earns · How we work.