The best cruise lines — as chosen by you

Times

3 days ago

It's that time again: the chance to cast your vote for your favourite cruise lines. Voting is open for the annual Times and Sunday Times Travel Awards, which celebrate the very finest travel companies and destinations. In the world of cruise, there are awards for the best ocean, luxury ocean, river and expedition cruise operators — and they're all hotly contested.
I've worked for the Times and Sunday Times since 2014 and have been writing about cruising for 26 years. I helped to hone a brilliant shortlist based on years of experience (mostly wonderful, some less so), choosing the operators who make waves, and those who go above and beyond with a great product.
What's so important about these awards is that you, our readers, are the judges. You choose the winners — and you can win prizes, worth up to £118,000 in total, in the process.
Last year 470,000 votes were cast for more than 100 destinations and travel companies. For 2025 the four cruise awards could be anybody's, given the speed at which this exciting sector changes. But first, a look back at past winners.
Last year was a triumphant one for Viking Cruises, which scooped best luxury ocean cruise operator and best river cruise operator. HX Hurtigruten Expeditions won best adventure cruise operator, while Hurtigruten, known and loved for its voyages up and down the Norwegian coast, was voted best ocean cruise operator.
The cruise industry is constantly changing, with new operators entering the business all the time. Last year you voted Hurtigruten best ocean cruise operator; the year before P&O Cruises won the top gong; in 2022 you chose Royal Caribbean.
Over the past 12 months snazzy new ships have been launched by MSC Cruises, NCL, Disney Cruise Line and Princess. Could one of those take the crown this year? Or maybe it'll be Celebrity Cruises, about to launch Celebrity Xcel, which promises to be its most innovative ship yet? Or perhaps it could be Virgin Voyages, which continues to push boundaries with its edgy, adults-only cruises.
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The luxury cruise sector is just as fast-paced. Last year we expanded the categories for cruise to separate luxury from mainstream ocean cruises, simply because there are so many cruise lines and we wanted to create a fairer playing field. Viking was our first luxury winner, with Silversea and Saga Cruises taking second and third.
Ultra-luxury is one of the fastest growing sectors in cruise. In 2023 the much-loved Crystal made a comeback under the ownership of Abercrombie & Kent. Explora Journeys, the luxury division of MSC Cruises, is also making waves — this opulent brand launched in 2023 but will inaugurate its third ship in 2026. Then there's Oceania Cruises, once a mid-market line with older vessels that is giving the poshest lines a run for their money with its glossy new ships, the latest of which, Allura, launched in July 2025.
• Discover our full guide to cruise holidays
Expedition cruising is growing at a rate of knots too. It seems that we can't get enough of exploring the polar regions and, increasingly, tropical destinations from the Seychelles and the Galapagos to the remote islands of West Papua in Indonesia. The competition is hot, from Viking's sleek pair of expedition vessels to the ultra-luxury experience offered by lines such as Silversea, Seabourn and Scenic.
Experience clearly counts. HX Hurtigruten Expeditions — the 2024 winner — stems from a company that has been in business since 1893, and the line's MS Roald Amundsen was the first hybrid battery-supported ship to sail to Antarctica.
The river-cruising award could, arguably, be seen as more of a given, with Viking having won the category for the past three years. But Riviera Travel came second each time — can the British-owned line reach the top spot this year? With three brand-new ships on European rivers (two this year and one in 2026), Riviera is certainly one to watch. Then there are Tui's new, affordable Nile cruises.
Or will all of these lines be eclipsed by luxurious AmaWaterways, which — ambitiously — has just launched river cruises in Colombia? Or will it be the over-50s specialist Saga, which takes care of details right down to a chauffeured car to the airport?
It's your choice, so vote now.
• Vote in the 2025 awards here — and be in with a chance of winning a great prize
What makes the perfect cruise is highly subjective, but Viking certainly seems to have captured your imagination with its ocean and river cruises. Its 16 oceangoing ships are the ideal size, carrying either 930 or 998 passengers in light-filled balcony cabins. They're small enough not to feel overwhelming and big enough to offer a decent choice of restaurants, classy entertainment and a gorgeous spa.
And the decor . . . what's not to love about soothing Scandi-chic? There are thoughtful touches everywhere, from reindeer skins draped artfully over the back of sofas to a moss garden in the atrium reflecting the colours of the Nordic landscape. Having just disembarked from Viking Neptune, I'm convinced that Viking should open a furniture emporium, as just about everything was covetable.
Viking's river cruises also have exploration down to a fine art. Daily excursions are included in the price and there's an impressive onboard programme of lectures, immersive activities and local entertainment. The company has access to some of the best docking spaces on European rivers too, so you won't have a long trek to get into whatever enchanting riverside town you're visiting. Perhaps Viking's global reach also helped it to win your hearts; by 2026 the line will have ten ships in Egypt, not to mention a strong presence on the Mekong and the Mississippi.
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Scandi style is clearly close to your hearts as Hurtigruten and HX Hurtigruten Expeditions — two more Norwegian-founded brands — won the ocean and expedition awards, respectively, in 2024. Hurtigruten epitomises slow travel at its best with its dreamy, year-round voyages along the fjord-indented Norwegian coast, stopping at 34 ports. If you want to see the northern lights — and I say this from experience — the Coastal Express (which is really anything but express) is one of the best ways to do so, as the full journey takes you deep into the Arctic. I snowmobiled over the mountains in the far north from one port to the next and will never forget the rippling colours in the sky that night. I love Hurtigruten's Coastal Kitchen menus, packed with locally sourced ingredients, too; you can even visit the goat farm in Lofoten that supplies cheese and other items to the ships.
Although HX Hurtigruten Expeditions is a separate company from Hurtigruten, its values are the same — which might explain its success in our expedition category. The support of scientific research on its polar expedition ships, the ethical supply chain and its two newest polar expedition ships being run partly on battery power make HX a champion of sustainability.
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What are your good or bad cruise experiences? Share them with us and cast your votes for the 2025 awards. There are four cruise categories again this year, so don't miss your chance to show your appreciation for your favourite cruise lines.
• Have your say here — and be in with a chance of winning a great prize