When booking a cruise, picking a cruise line can be as important a decision as the destination.
U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best Cruise Lines rankings offer a solid place to start. The media company rounded up the top brands across 10 categories, including operators catering to families, solo travelers and more.
“U.S. News Travel’s offerings are continuously evolving to meet consumers where they are as they consider new destinations, adventures and experiences,” Nicola Wood, senior travel editor at U.S. News, said in a news release. “The 2026 Best Cruise Lines rankings recognize the top cruise lines in a variety of categories, allowing travelers to compare features, amenities and itineraries across multiple lines. Now, four brand-new ranking lists give even more comprehensive choices for cruisers to create their ideal experiences at sea.”
The list is based on U.S. News editors’ expert ratings, health ratings based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vessel Sanitation Program inspection scores and traveler ratings under license from Cruiseline.com and (with other criteria and cutoff points to identify qualifying lines and ships).
Here are the top three from each category.
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.

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