Condé Nast Traveller has revealed the best cruise lines in the world, as voted by thousands in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. As scored by guests, below are the best cruise lines across six categories: Mega Ships, Large Ships, Medium Ships, Small Ships, Expedition and River.

Seabourn took out two fields for top ‘Medium Ships’, and with the highest score across all cruises in all categories of 99.09, in the ‘Expedition’ segment, trailed by Ponant and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) respectively in each category. Seabourn was also second in the Medium-sized ship (500 to 2,500 passengers) sector.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises was number one on the rivers, with a score of 97.34, closing followed by Tauck (97.21).

Crystal was the frontrunner in the Medium sized ship field, followed by Hurtigruten and Explora Journeys.

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Crystal was the frontrunner in the Medium sized ship field, followed by Hurtigruten and Explora Journeys.

In the Large ship (2,500 to 4,000 passenger) category, Virgin Voyages triumphed with a score of 94.55, ahead of Cunard (90.14) and Disney Cruise Line (88.79). In the Mega Ships (more than 4,000 passengers) field, MSC Cruises dominated with a score of 90, nearly five points ahead of Norwegian Cruise Line.

The best cruise lines of 2024, in their respective fields were:

Mega ships (More than 4,000 passengers)

1. MSC Cruises – Score 90.00
2. Norwegian Cruise Line – Score 85.80
3. Carnival Cruise Line – Score 83.40
4. Royal Caribbean – Score 78.80

Large ships (2,500 to 4,000 passengers)

1. Virgin Voyages – Score 94.55
2. Cunard – Score 90.14
3. Disney Cruise Line – Score 88.79
4. Holland America Line – Score 88.79
5. Celebrity Cruises – Score 87.23

Medium ships (500 to 2,500 passengers)

1. Crystal – Score 94.34
2. Seabourn – Score 92.95
3. Hurtigruten – Score 92.21
4. Explora Journeys – Score 91.53
5. Silversea – Score 88.08

Small ships (Fewer than 500 passengers)

1. Seabourn – Score 95.15
2. Ponant – Score 94.55
3. Silversea – Score 91.21
4. Regent Seven Seas Cruises – Score 90.18
5. SeaDream Yacht Club – Score 90.07

Expedition ships

1. Seabourn – Score 99.09
2. HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions – Score 97.88
3. Silversea – Score 96.73
4. Viking – Score 95.98
5. Ponant – Score 92.66

River

1. Uniworld Boutique River Cruises – 97.34
2. Tauck – Score 97.21
3. Oberoi Hotels & Resorts – Score 95.78
4. Pandaw – Score 93.75
5. Viking – Score 92.99

(Note: some categories had more than five finalists)