Disney Cruise Line has once again sailed in front of its competitors, earning the Condé Nast Traveler award for Best Large Ship Cruise Line. Disney took the top spot after 757,109 votes were cast in the magazine’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards survey.
Disney beat out Holland America and Virgin Voyages for the top spot. Cunard and Celebrity Cruises rounded out the rest of the top five. The Large Ship category consisted of ships that carry between 2,500 and 4,000 passengers. The magazine recognized several of Disney’s cruise ships (Dream, Fantasy, Wish, Treasure, and Destiny) for their activities and entertainment for guests of all ages.
Unfortunately, Disney’s older cruise ships (Magic and Wonder) didn’t perform as well in the survey. The two original Disney cruise ships placed 16th in the category of Medium Ship Cruise Line. This category was for ships with capacities between 500 to 2,499 passengers. Viking claimed first place in this group. Disney was sandwiched between Holland America and MSC Cruises in this very competitive category.
If this article feels familiar, it’s because Disney Cruise Line routinely wins awards. They were named the Best Cruise Line for Families repeatedly, Best Cruise Line in the Caribbean, and Disney’s river cruises through Adventures by Disney have also been recognized just to name a few.
We have loved our trips on Disney Cruise Line. The Disney Fantasy is a personal favorite. Our first voyage was in a verandah room on the Disney Dream several years ago, and we’ve sung Disney Cruise Line’s praises ever since. We firmly believe the service and quality found on Disney’s cruises are like the theme parks of old, which is a huge compliment.
This won’t be the last time we’ll talk about Disney Cruise Line winning awards. Despite some strange decisions on its newest ships (like the weird layout on the Wish-class of ships), Disney still knocks it out of the park. We highly recommend trying a cruise (start with a 3-day or 4-day trip) and see what all the fuss is about.
