Luxurious cruises dominate Forbes Travel Guide’s 2026 Star Awards checklist

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Cruise ships from Celebrity, Silversea and extra strains gained massive on this 12 months’s Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards.

• More than a dozen cruise ships obtained accolades within the 2026 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards.
• The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma grew to become the primary cruise ship to earn a Five-Star award.
• Forbes Travel Guide’s rankings are primarily based on evaluations from nameless inspectors at lodges, spas, eating places, and cruise ships.

Cruise ships gained massive on this 12 months’s Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards.

More than a dozen ships – starting from these carrying hundreds of passengers to extra intimate, yacht-like vessels – earned accolades from the impartial ranking system, together with some first-time Five-Star designations.

Five-Star, Four-Star, and Recommended awards are given primarily based on evaluations from nameless inspectors. The checklist additionally contains lodges, spas and eating places (a number of cruise ship eating places obtained nods, too, after showing on the checklist for the primary time in 2025).

“Forbes Travel Guide’s newest Star Award winners showcase an exciting evolution in luxury,” Amanda Frasier, FTG’s President of Standards & Ratings, mentioned in a news release. “As guests navigate the increasingly complex travel landscape for the best places to stay, sail, dine and spa, we are proud to provide them with the trusted, integrity-based guidance they need. The 2026 list showcases properties deeply committed to delivering consistent and reliable world-class experiences.”

What do the classes imply?

Five-Star winners are properties that “deliver an outstanding experience and consistently offer a highly customized level of service,” in keeping with the Forbes Travel Guide website. The ranking system describes Four-Star winners, in the meantime, as “exceptional” with high-level services and repair.

Those deemed Recommended are “glorious properties with persistently good service and services.”

Which cruise ships earned 2026 Star Awards?

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Ilma, which launched in 2024, received a Five-Star award − a first for a cruise.

The following ships were designated as Four-Star:

• Celebrity Ascent
• Explora Journeys’ Explora II
• Seabourn Ovation
• Silversea Cruises’ Silver Endeavour
• Silver Nova
• Silver Origin
• Silver Shadow
• Regent Seven Seas Splendor
• The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima

The remaining ships received Recommended awards:

• Celebrity Apex
• Celebrity Flora
• Celebrity Xcel
• Explora I
• Oceania Insignia
• SeaDream II
• Viking Neptune
• Viking Sky
• Windstar Cruises’ Star Pride

Which cruise ship restaurants made the list?

Le Voyage by chef Daniel Boulud, an upscale dining venue on Celebrity Xcel, earned Forbes Travel Guide’s first Five-Star award for a cruise ship restaurant. The following eateries earned Four-Star ratings: 

• Anthology on Explora II
• The Dining Room on SeaDream II
• Fine Cut Steakhouse on Celebrity Apex
• Fine Cut Steakhouse on Celebrity Ascent
• Kaiseki on Silver Nova
• La Dame on Silver Endeavour
• Le Voyage on Celebrity Ascent
• S.E.A. on Evrima

These venues were awarded Recommended status:

• Anthology on Explora I
• Candles on Star Pride
• The Grill on Silver Origin
• La Dame on Silver Nova
• La Dame on Silver Shadow

Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.