Brandwave

Norwegian Cruise Line vs Royal Caribbean:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Royal Caribbean had more branded searches than Norwegian Cruise Line among cruise lines worldwide. Royal Caribbean had about 2.7 million branded searches, while Norwegian Cruise Line had 823,000. Royal Caribbean made up 32.1% of all cruise line searches we track, and Norwegian Cruise Line accounted for 9.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cruise lines, Royal Caribbean appeared in all five answers and Norwegian Cruise Line in three. Royal Caribbean was mentioned before Norwegian Cruise Line in every answer.

Among cruise lines worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Royal Caribbean, about 3 searches for every 1 for Norwegian Cruise Line

Royal Caribbean 2.7M searchesNorwegian Cruise Line 823K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Royal Caribbean, mentioned in every answer we collected

Royal Caribbean in 5 of 5Norwegian Cruise Line in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Royal Caribbean, named ahead of Norwegian Cruise Line in every answer

Royal Caribbean first in 5Norwegian Cruise Line never first

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Top cruise lines in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Royal Caribbean appeared in all five answers. Norwegian Cruise Line was mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Royal Caribbean was listed before Norwegian Cruise Line in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Royal Caribbean1st
  2. Disney Cruise Line2nd
  3. Carnival Cruise Line3rd
  4. Celebrity Cruises4th
  5. Princess Cruises5th
  6. Norwegian Cruise Line6th
  7. Viking7th
  8. MSC Cruises8th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Royal Caribbean5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Disney Cruise Line5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Princess Cruises5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Carnival Cruise Line5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Celebrity Cruises3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Norwegian Cruise Line3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Viking2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • MSC Cruises1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cruise lines

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Norwegian Cruise Line or Royal Caribbean more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cruise lines we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean among cruise lines worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRoyal CaribbeanDisney Cruise LineMSC CruisesCelebrity CruisesNorwegian Cruise LinePrincess CruisesCarnival Cruise LineViking
Oct 202526.8%12.8%14.6%9.8%9.8%12%9.8%4.4%
Nov 202531.5%12.3%14%11.5%11.5%11.5%4.2%3.5%
Dec 202533.5%13.1%14.9%10.1%10.1%10.1%4.5%3.7%
Jan 202629.2%13.3%16%10.6%10.6%10.6%4.8%4.8%
Feb 202629.5%14%16.2%10.8%10.8%10.8%4%4%
Mar 202628.5%15.8%15.6%8.6%10.4%10.4%7%3.8%
Apr 202634.8%13.5%15.6%8.6%8.6%10.4%4.7%3.8%
May 202630%16.7%13.4%9%9%11%6%4.9%
Jun 202625.6%13.6%13.9%9.4%9.4%11.4%11.4%5.1%
Jul 202627.7%14.6%12.3%10.1%8.3%10.1%12.3%4.5%
Aug 202629.7%16.8%13.2%10.8%8.9%10.8%4.9%4.9%
Sep 202632.1%15.2%14.3%9.6%9.6%9.6%5.3%4.3%

How has the Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for cruise lines worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Norwegian Cruise Line overtook Princess Cruises to rank 5th among cruise lines worldwide, with 9.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Royal Caribbean gained share of searches among cruise lines worldwide, from 29.7% to 32.1%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Norwegian Cruise Line’s and Royal Caribbean’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Norwegian Cruise Line

1 branded search term

  • norwegian cruise line

Royal Caribbean

1 branded search term

  • royal caribbean

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among cruise lines

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