Consumer Reports’ Best Cruise Lines and Other Real Surveys
The published cruise ratings that matter, with their methods and their limits.
Get Free Cruise QuotesConsumer Reports’ Best Cruise Lines, 2026
The most-searched cruise ranking right now is Consumer Reports’ best cruise lines list, published in January 2026. It is worth understanding because it is based on what paying passengers said, not on what a writer liked.
| What Consumer Reports did | Detail (as published) |
|---|---|
| Who was surveyed | 18,850 Consumer Reports members (“nearly 19,000”) |
| About which trip | Their most recent ocean cruise taken in the previous 36 months |
| Lines rated | 19 ocean cruise lines |
| Scored for the Overall Satisfaction Score | Value for the price paid, food quality and variety, customer service, shore excursions run by the line, onboard activities and entertainment |
| Also asked, not scored | Cleanliness, cabin comfort, price transparency, app usefulness, embarkation and disembarkation, accessibility, family programs |
| Result | Three lines rated high enough for CR’s Recommended status |
Source: Consumer Reports’ cruise line ratings. Television coverage of the results, such as WPVI-TV’s report on the ratings, named National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions at the top, followed by Windstar Cruises and Viking as the recommended three. All three are small- or mid-size-ship lines with a premium price, which tells you something about the kind of trip that produces delighted passengers.
How to Read the Consumer Reports Results
- It is a member survey. CR members are a particular group of careful, research-minded shoppers, and they reported on cruises they chose and paid for.
- Value is one of the scores. A line can rank well on value without being cheap, and vice versa.
- Big-ship lines serve broader audiences. A lower overall score does not mean you will have a bad time; it may mean a wider spread of opinions.
- Your priorities are the tie-breaker. If family programs or price transparency matter most to you, look for how lines did on those questions specifically.
Other Published Cruise Surveys Worth Knowing
CLIA State of the Cruise Industry, 2026
Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s trade body, publishes an annual outlook that includes traveller research. Its April 2026 edition, as summarised by Travel Market Report’s summary of CLIA’s 2026 report, reported that 90% of past cruisers intend to cruise again, that 75.6% of people who have never cruised are open to trying it, and that 63% of people who cruised in the previous 12 months booked through a travel advisor. Bear in mind that this is the industry describing itself; it is useful for trends, less so for choosing between lines.
J.D. Power Cruise Line Satisfaction Report, 2013
J.D. Power ran a cruise line satisfaction study in 2013, surveying 3,003 people who had cruised in the previous year. Service was the biggest factor in satisfaction, ahead of the stateroom, food, embarkation and disembarkation, entertainment, cost and excursions, and Disney Cruise Line scored highest (Marine Log’s report on the 2013 study). We mention it because its finding about service still rings true, but the ships and scores are more than a decade old.
Reader-vote awards
Many cruise awards are, in effect, large polls of readers. They are a different thing from a scientific survey; Cruise Awards explains how each program chooses its winners.
Published Cruise Ratings: FAQ
Which lines did Consumer Reports recommend in 2026?
Consumer Reports gave three of the 19 lines it rated its Recommended status. As reported by WPVI-TV, they were National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, Windstar Cruises and Viking. The full ratings are for Consumer Reports members.
Is there a current J.D. Power cruise ranking?
We could find only J.D. Power’s 2013 Cruise Line Satisfaction Report, which is now history. We cite it for its method, not as advice about today’s ships.
Do these surveys include river cruise lines?
The Consumer Reports study covered ocean cruise lines. River cruising has its own research; our sister site rivercruisesurveys.com covers it.
Why might a big line score lower than a small one?
Small-ship and expedition lines often carry fewer, more experienced travellers who chose a specific type of trip and paid more for it. Big ships serve a far wider mix of guests and expectations.
Want the Lines That Rate Well, at the Right Price?
Our cruise advisors at Mister Cruise can price highly rated small-ship lines and the big-ship favourites side by side.
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