Princess Cruises Tops Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Megaship Rankings
Condé Nast Traveller’s U.K. edition ranked Royal Caribbean first among megaship lines, while nearly 800,000 votes were cast across the awards’ travel categories.
Princess Cruises took first place among megaship cruise lines in Condé Nast Traveler's 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, scoring 92.35. Virgin Voyages led the separate large-ship category with a score of 91.
The megaship ranking covers vessels carrying more than 4,000 passengers, a category Princess entered with Sun Princess and Star Princess. The two Sphere-class vessels are the largest ships in the line's fleet.
Royal Caribbean International finished second with 86.45, followed by MSC Cruises with 85.23. Carnival Cruise Line placed fourth at 81.05, while Norwegian Cruise Line completed the top five with 80.3.
Nearly 800,000 votes were cast across the awards' travel categories, which included hotels and cities as well as cruises. Readers assessed candidates against several criteria, and their responses were averaged to determine the results.
The results also differed by edition. Condé Nast Traveller, the publication's U.K. edition, placed Royal Caribbean first in its megaship ranking.
“Our Sphere-Class ships were designed to bring together everything guests love about Princess while introducing beautiful new spaces, experiences and innovations,” said Marie Lee, chief marketing officer of Princess Cruises.
The ships behind Princess' result
Sun Princess debuted in 2024, followed by Star Princess in October 2025. Each measures approximately 177,000 gross tons and accommodates 4,300 guests at lower-berth capacity. Built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, the ships use dual-fuel LNG propulsion.
In its October 6 announcement, Princess described the award as Sun Princess' third consecutive category win. Star Princess was eligible for the Readers' Choice Awards for the first time and had already appeared on the publication's 2026 Hot List.
The class introduced The Dome, a multilevel glass-enclosed venue, alongside the Princess Arena entertainment space and an ocean-facing Piazza. Each ship has approximately 1,500 balcony cabins. Dining venues include Makoto Ocean, Love by Britto and The Butcher's Block by Dario.
The ships also offer the Sanctuary Collection, combining premium accommodations with access to the Sanctuary Club, Sanctuary Restaurant and Suite Lounge. Star Princess sails in Alaska and Sun Princess in the Mediterranean, with Caribbean itineraries also on the class schedule.
Virgin leads the large-ship field
The large-ship category covers vessels accommodating between 2,500 and 3,999 passengers. Disney Cruise Line finished second with 90.75, narrowly ahead of Holland America Line at 90.57. Celebrity Cruises placed fourth with 85.74, and Princess ranked fifth with 84.27.
Virgin's four adults-only sister ships generally accommodate about 2,700 passengers each. Its newest vessel, Brilliant Lady, debuted from New York in September 2025, joining Scarlet Lady, Valiant Lady and Resilient Lady.
Princess' six Royal-class vessels generally carry approximately 3,560 to 3,660 guests, within the large-ship category's capacity range.
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