Porthole Cruise and Travel has announced the winners of its 2026 Readers' Choice Awards, and there's a new name at the top of the ocean-cruise tree. Viking Vesta has won Best Ocean Ship — a first for Viking, better known until now as a river-cruise powerhouse. On the rivers, though, Viking lost its own patch: Riverside Luxury Cruises' Riverside Mozart took Best River Ship for the second year in a row.
Some dynasties refuse to budge. Windstar Cruises has held the Most Romantic Cruise Line title every year since at least 2009, Norwegian Cruise Line has owned Best Casino since 2010, and Disney Cruise Line remains the default family pick. Elsewhere, Explora II (Explora Journeys) won Best Luxury Ship, Ponant's Le Commandant Charcot took Best Expedition Ship, Royal Caribbean scooped both the teen and multigenerational family categories, Carnival won value-for-money, and Norwegian was again the favourite for solo travellers. Cunard took Best World Cruise and Atlas Ocean Voyages Best Antarctic Cruise.
The onboard categories reward anyone picking a ship for what happens between ports. MSC Cruises had a strong showing — eco-friendly line, shore excursions, shopping, and its private Bahamian island Ocean Cay — with its Yacht Club winning Best Service. Royal Caribbean won activities, spa facilities and entertainment, Oceania Cruises swept dining including its specialty restaurant Red Ginger, and Celebrity won both accommodations and fitness facilities. Princess Cruises' Crooners bar won Best Bar/Lounge, and the line also took onboard technology, while Virgin Voyages' app was rated the best in the business. A new category this year, Best Social Media Star, went to onboard personality Christine Kesteloo, beating Captain Kate McCue and Carnival's John Heald among others — though Porthole notes some traditional readers would rather see ship reviews than influencer content.
For destination inspiration, the Mediterranean again beat the Caribbean and Alaska as the most popular cruise region. Barcelona led the way, with voters citing La Sagrada Familia, the Montserrat monastery and food-and-wine excursions; Istanbul, Rome, Athens and the Greek Islands followed. Ushuaia in Argentina won South America — a sign of Antarctica's rising profile, since it's the main departure port for White Continent sailings. Other winners worth plotting around: Budapest on the Danube, Luxor on the Nile, Ho Chi Minh City on the Mekong, Juneau for Alaska, Québec City for Canada/New England, Grand Cayman for beaches, St Maarten for shopping, Bergen for the Baltic, Singapore for Asia, Moorea for the South Pacific and Cape Town for Africa/Indian Ocean.
If you're choosing a 2026 or 2027 sailing, these results are a handy shortcut: they're voted by thousands of actual cruisers, so they reflect real onboard experience rather than marketing. Luxury seekers should look at Explora, expedition fans at Ponant and Atlas, families at Royal Caribbean and Disney, and romantics at Windstar. One voter even won a diamond bracelet from Monarch Jewels of Alaska in the prize draw — Kandi Hurley, a 100-cruise-day Holland America medalist who ticked off her seventh continent in July 2025 and ranks Antarctica and French Polynesia joint-first.
