U.S. News & World Report released their 2023 Best Cruise Lines Rankings. The global authority in rankings and consumer advice evaluated 174 ships from 17 cruise lines across a variety of categories.
For the ninth consecutive year, Disney Cruise Line is the Best Cruise Line for Families. The family-oriented line offers ships with character meet-and-greets, themed dinners, nighttime fireworks, waterslides and more. Royal Caribbean International comes in at #2, thanks to its onboard amenities that cater to guests of all ages, while Carnival Cruise Line ranks #3, offering family-friendly perks like water parks, basketball courts and ropes courses on its ships.
Virgin Voyages takes the No. 1 spot in the Best Cruise Lines for the Money ranking, offering the best value among cruise lines. U.S. News considered the overall cruise line quality and average base fare per night, as well as extra benefits such as free gratuities, Wi-Fi access and all-inclusive package options. Carnival Cruise Line, known for its budget-friendly fares and frequent sales, and Celebrity Cruises, which offers a more upscale experience at reasonable rates, rank #2 and #3, respectively.
Overall, Disney Cruise Line’s ships maintained a respectable ranking. Out of the 174 ships ranked, the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream are in a tie for 10th place with 9 other ships. The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are tied with 11 other ships for the 21st spot. The brand new Disney Wish debuted on the rankings deep in the list tied for 116 tied with 23 other vessels.
Each ship is scored by experts, travelers, and given a health rating based on the survey’s methodology. Below are the scores for each of the Disney Cruise Line ships along with the cruise line’s overall score on a 5-point scale.
| Ship | Score | Expert | Traveler | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic | 4.40 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
| Wonder | 4.40 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Dream | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Fantasy | 4.50 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Wish | 3.9 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.34 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 4.6 |
Overall, U.S. News ranked the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy in a tie for #1 Best Disney Cruises. The Disney Wonder and Disney Magic are in a a tie at #3 and the Disney Wish finished the fleet ranking at 5.
2023 U.S. News Best Cruise Lines Rankings
The cruise lines are ranked in 6 categories: Best Cruise Lines for the Money, Best Cruise Lines for Families, Best Cruise Lines for Couples, Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean, Best Cruise Lines in the Mediterranean and Best Luxury Cruise Lines.
Best Cruise Lines for the Money
- Virgin Voyages
- Carnival Cruise Line
- Celebrity Cruises
Best Cruise Lines for Families
- Disney Cruise Line
- Royal Caribbean International
- Carnival Cruise Line
Best Cruise Lines for Couples
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Azamara
Best Cruise Lines in the Caribbean
- Disney Cruise Line
- Virgin Voyages
- Celebrity Cruises
Best Cruise Lines in the Mediterranean
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Azamara
Best Luxury Cruise Lines
- Viking Ocean Cruises
- Seabourn Cruise Line
- Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Below is a summary of the categories each of the Disney Cruise ships ranked.
Disney Dream tied at #1 out of 5 Disney Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings. I am not sure how the Dream ranks in the Europe category other than she will be taking over the Disney Magic’s summer deployment in 2023.
- #1 in Best Disney Cruise Line
- #2 in Best Cruises for Families
- #5 in Best Cruises to the Caribbean
- #5 in Best Cruises to the Mediterranean
- #7 in Best Cruises to Europe
Disney Fantasy tied at #1 out of 5 Disney Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings.
- #1 in Best Disney Cruise Line
- #2 in Best Cruises for Groups
- #2 in Best Cruises for Families
- #5 in Best Cruises to the Caribbean
Disney Wonder tied at #3 out of 5 Disney Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings.
- #2 in Best Cruises to Mexico
- #3 in Best Disney Cruise Line
- #3 in Best Cruises to Alaska
- #4 in Best Cruises to the Pacific
- #3 in Best Cruises for Families
Disney Magic tied at #3 out of 5 Disney Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings.
- #2 in Best Cruises to Mexico
- #3 in Best Disney Cruise Line
- #7 in Best Cruises for Families
- #15 in Best Cruises to the Caribbean
Disney Wish ranks #5 out of 5 Disney Cruise Line Cruise Ships based on an analysis of expert and user ratings, as well as health ratings.
- #5 in Best Disney Cruise Line
- #24 in Best Luxury Cruises
- #67 in Best Cruises to the Caribbean
Check out the complete rankings for Best Cruise Lines rankings on U.S. News & World Report’s dedicated Cruise ranking webpage and for more survey information here.
The methodology for the Best Cruise Lines rankings factors in expert evaluations of cruise ship quality, reputation among travelers, results from health assessments conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other factors such as price class and itinerary offerings.
Oh my, Wish’s Traveler score . . .