Key Aspects:
- MSC World America has been named the best overall cruise ship of 2025.
- The 2025-launched vessel is known for both innovative dining and thrills at sea.
- Star of the Seas and Norwegian Aqua land in second and third place, respectively.
There is no shortage of great cruise ships out there, but only one can be the best.
MSC Cruises’ MSC World America, which only officially launched earlier this year in Miami on April 12, 2025, has won Best Overall Cruise Ship of 2025 in the Cruise Hive Awards. This category is extremely competitive, making this win extra impressive.
Ultimately, the World-class cruise ship came out ahead, garnering 4.8% of the vote. And while this may not sound like a lot at first, the mega-ship surpassed hundreds of other cruise ships to land at the top.
Instead of choosing from a limited list of pre-selected vessels, readers were asked to write in their vote while taking the public survey – and readers named more than 100 different ships that they felt were worthy of this title.
The results in the chart above only show the top scoring ships in the running for this award, meaning these vessels were mentioned the most by cruise fans.
After the 6,774-guest MSC World America, Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas and Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Aqua landed in second and third place, respectively.
This year, voting ran from October 14 until December 19, 2025, and responses were screened to ensure their legitimacy.
MSC Joins Impressive Group of Winners
The Cruise Hive Awards started as an annual feature in 2014, though the Best Overall Cruise Ship category didn’t become a staple until 2021.
Since then, Carnival Cruise Line’s Margi Gras won twice (2021 and 2022), Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas took home the title in 2023, and Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Beyond won most recently in 2024.
This is the first time MSC Cruises has won this title for any of its ships, and the second Cruise Hive Award ever to be presented to the Switzerland-based brand.
MSC last won in 2017, when MSC Seaside tied with Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Joy for “Best New Cruise Ship” of 2017. You can see more results from 2025 and revisit results from past years here.
What to Know About MSC World America
MSC World America is currently the largest ship in the MSC fleet, coming in at 216,638-gross tons.
She has 16 passenger decks filled with fun and luxurious entertainment and amenities, and features 19 different stateroom categories across 2,626 passenger cabins.
While we could go on for quite a while about what makes MSC World America special, one of the highlights include that the ship is divided into seven districts that each feature a different atmosphere with complementary activities and/or dining.
It also introduced new specialty dining options, such as the first Eataly at Sea on Deck 8, which is a popular Italian restaurant known for hand-made pastas and an open kitchen concept.
In total, the ship features 19 dining venues, including four elegant main restaurants, two relaxed buffets, two exclusive venues for guests in the MSC Yacht Club, and five fast casual concepts.
The LNG-powered ship also has the largest MSC Yacht Club ever – at least until MSC World Asia enters the scene at the end of 2026 – which is the cruise line’s ship within a ship concept for suite guests.
Read Also: Here’s What I Thought After Three Days on MSC World America
Last but not least, it’s worth touching on the new thrills that MSC World America debuted this year.
Cliffhanger is a first-of-its-kind thrill attraction, in which cruisers ride on swings that go back and forth 160 feet above the ocean.
The Jaw Drop dry slide, in which guests enter through the mouth of a shark, rapidly descends 11 decks (or approximately 360 feet) from the Harbour area to the heart of the World Promenade.
New Ships Prove Most Desirable
Interestingly, the data also shows a clear preference among cruisers for newer ships over older vessels.
Star of the Seas, which comes in second, also debuted in 2025, as did Norwegian Aqua (in third place).
Princess Cruises’ new Star Princess, which just debuted in November, also ranks as eighth out of hundreds.
Icon of the Seas, which is Star of the Seas’ older sister, launched in 2024 and ranks fourth. It was named the second-best overall cruise ship last year in 2024.
Ultimately, it makes sense to see newer ships rise to the top, as they feature the best and most innovative amenities and entertainment that the cruise industry has to offer.
