Top Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Lines Ranked by iBestTravel Readers

Ask cruise-ship employees or executives, and they’ll tell you the industry is booming — and looking at this year’s list of the best large-ship ocean cruise lines, it’s easy to see the growth in action.

Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, iBestTravel asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more. Readers rated individual cruise ships on their cabins/facilities, food, service, itineraries/destinations, excursions/activities, and value. Those assessments were combined to generate results for the cruise lines in five categories; large-ship ocean cruise lines have vessels that can carry 600 to 2,199 passengers.

The companies in this year’s Top 10 have dozens of ships in the works — and, undoubtedly, more on the horizon. Azamara, the No. 7 line, unveiled Azamara Pursuit last year; Regent Seven Seas Cruises, No. 4, is gearing up for Seven Seas Splendor early next year. Princess Cruises, which came in at No. 9, has an impressive five ships in the pipeline, most imminently Sky Princess, launching this October.

Furthermore, many of these lines are also branching out into the expedition cruising space. Silversea, which placed eighth this year, debuts its first destination-specific ship, Silver Origin, in the Galápagos next year, while Hurtigruten, No. 10, just announced a fleet of electric explorer catamarans for the Arctic Circle. Seabourn, a luxury line that came in at No. 3 this year, is working on two purpose-built expedition ships, Venture and a second that is yet to be named, launching in 2021 and 2022. Its pair of larger 600-passenger ships, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation, debuted over the past few years, propelling the line to the top three; one respondent noted the “fabulous, large, thoughtfully laid out staterooms” on Ovation, while another called Encore “the best cruise ship I have been on.”

The reason to choose these ships lies in their unique offerings. Although they are not mega-ships filled with racetracks, ziplines, and tons of families, they also aren’t exactly intimate or expedition-ready. A recurring theme in our reader responses centered on space. A ship of this size may carry more passengers — but not too many — and often provides more legroom. As one respondent stated, “Sailing on Silversea is like coming home: your cabin is roomy and immaculately kept, with a big walk-in closet, a good-size bathroom, and an ample balcony.” (Needless to say, walk-in closets on river cruises or sailboats are few and far between.)

This year’s top pick for the best large-ship ocean cruise line has launched six ocean ships in the past four years, with plans for a whopping 10 more ships to be delivered between 2021 and 2027.

Read on to find out which large-ship ocean cruises made the list of readers’ favorites.

10. Hurtigruten

Score: 81.74

9. Princess Cruises

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 83.11

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8. Silversea Cruises

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 84.01

7. Azamara

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 84.48

6. Cunard

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 85.99

5. Oceania Cruises

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 86.45

4. Regent Seven Seas Cruises

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 91.53

3. Seabourn

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 92.36

2. Crystal Cruises

WBA Hall of Fame honoree. Score: 92.75

1. Viking Cruises

Score: 94.31

Viking Cruises has topped this list since it became eligible in 2016 — it started out as a river-only line — and the addition of two new ships since last summer, Orion and Jupiter, helped it maintain its No. 1 position. Customers loved the layout of the ships and the balanced number of passengers (“we never felt crowded”) as well as the staterooms, which one reader enthused were “the most spacious, best laid out, and had the most storage” of any ship in 35-plus cruises. Viking is aimed at an adult clientele, so you won’t find laser tag or screaming kids. One reader admitted, “We will be hard-pressed to cruise on a line other than Viking.”