What's the best cruise line to go on? A new set of rankings are out, and Royal Caribbean has largely been omitted.
The 11th annual U.S. News & World Report Best Cruise Lines rankings were released on Tuesday that cover the most popular cruise lines in six categories.
While Royal Caribbean did make it into the top 3 of one category, it was no where to be found in the other categories.
Meanwhile sister brand, Celebrity Cruises, came away with top honors as the Best Cruise Line For The Money.
The rankings also heavily favored Disney Cruise Line, giving that line the number one ranking for Best Cruise Line for Families and Best Cruise Line in the Caribbean.
Royal Caribbean's only placement was in second place for Best Cruise Lines for Families.
"The 2025 Best Cruise Lines rankings not only recognize the top cruise lines, but also provide a way for travelers to compare features, amenities and offerings to find the right cruise for an exciting experience at sea," said Nicola Wood, senior travel editor at U.S. News.
Here are the rankings:
Best Cruise Lines for the Money
1. Celebrity Cruises
2. Virgin Voyages
3. MSC Cruises
Best Cruise Lines for Families
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Royal Caribbean International
3. Norwegian Cruise Lines
Best Cruise Lines for Couples
1. Viking Ocean Cruises
2. Seabourn Cruise Line
3. Celebrity Cruises
Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean
1. Disney Cruise Line
2. Celebrity Cruises
3. Virgin Voyages
Best Cruise Lines in the Mediterranean
1. Viking Ocean Cruises
2. Seabourn Cruise Line
3. Celebrity Cruises
Best Luxury Cruise Lines
1. Viking Ocean Cruises
2. Seabourn Cruise Line
3. Regent Seven Seas Cruises
How did they come up with the rankings?
If you're curious how each cruise line is scored, it's based on a few criteria.
The Overall Rating for each line is based on three criteria:
Expert Rating (30% weight): Editors assign each ship an Expert Rating between 3 and 5 based on the ship's level of luxury, with 5 being the highest score. This score represents our editors' analysis of a ship's atmosphere, facilities, activities, cabins, cuisine and service.
Traveler Rating (50% weight): A ship's traveler rating is provided under license by Cruiseline.com. Reviewers assign a rating between 1 and 5 based on their level of satisfaction with their cruise experience.
Health Rating (20% weight): A ship's health rating is based on sanitation inspection scores published by the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Should these rankings change your mind?
There are many awards and rankings given each year to cruise lines, and you'll note quite a variety of conclusions.
Ultimately, rankings are a subjective view that usually try to incorporate some aspect of objectivity to the ratings.
As an example, The Points Guy rated Royal Caribbean has the Best Caribbean cruise for megaresort fans and Carnival Cruise Line Best budget Caribbean cruise.
The U.S. News & World Report rankings heavily weigh cruisers reviews on a popular review website, giving half the weight of the ranking.
It's important to note consumer opinions are far from objective, and certainly not a professional reviewer. Often they will let minor issues overwhelm the bulk of their experience and give an undeserved 1 star review.
Not all passengers on a sailing not interact with the exact same staff, do the same activities, or stay in the same kind of room.
Cruises are by their very design a "create your own adventure" experience.
When it comes to any rankings or reviews, you should use them as entertainment and one opinion on the matter. You can find reviews that conflict or confirm your own opinions on just about anything, including which cruise to go on.
It's my opinion to choose a cruise line based on the criteria that matter the most to you in a vacation experience.
