Disney Cruise Line Wins Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line for Second Straight Year in Travel + Leisure’s 2026 World’s Best Awards
Disney Cruise Line has once again claimed the top spot as the Best Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Line in Travel + Leisure’s prestigious World’s Best Awards 2026. This marks the second consecutive year the cruise line has earned the honor based on votes from travelers worldwide.
Why Disney Cruise Line Stands Out
With a rapidly expanding fleet of innovative ships, world-class entertainment, exceptional dining, and experiences tailored for families and multigenerational travelers, Disney Cruise Line continues to set the standard in cruising. The line earned an impressive score of 86.79, outperforming strong competitors in the large-ship category (ships with 800–1,399 cabins).
Travel + Leisure’s Top 5 Large-Ship Ocean Cruise Lines – 2026
Disney Cruise Line – 86.79
Holland America Line – 84.79
Celebrity Cruises – 83.58
Cunard – 83.41
MSC Cruises – 80.42
For context, here are the top performers in the mega-ship category (1,400+ cabins):
Virgin Voyages – 94.01
Celebrity Cruises – 84.26
Princess Cruises – 81.93
Royal Caribbean – 80.13
Costa Cruises – 78.60
How the Rankings Work
Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards are determined by reader votes — more than 207,000 travelers cast approximately 661,000 votes across thousands of properties. Readers rate individual ships on key factors including:
Cabins & facilities
Food
Service
Itineraries & destinations
Excursions & activities
Overall value
Scores are then averaged to create overall cruise line rankings. The publication divides cruise lines into six size-based categories, allowing some lines to appear in multiple categories depending on their fleet.
A Winning Formula for Families
Travelers praised Disney Cruise Line for its ability to delight families and multigenerational groups with magical entertainment, high-quality dining, and thoughtfully designed ships. As the line continues to add new vessels and global itineraries, its momentum shows no signs of slowing.
The full results appear in the August 2026 issue of Travel + Leisure (on newsstands July 17) and online at travelandleisure.com.
