Top 10 Biggest Cruise Ships In The World
We look at the top 10 biggest cruise ships in the world by gross tonnage. This ever-changing list includes the Oasis-class and new LNG ships.
Cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger and by the time a new worlds largest cruise ship is built an even bigger ship is already being planned. Cruise Hive looks at the top ten biggest cruise ships in the world by gross tons.
Which Royal Caribbean Ship Is The Most Fun
The most fun Royal Caribbean ship really depends on personal preference. However, the Wonder of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas are known as some of the most fun cruise ships in the world.
When it comes to Royal Caribbean cruises, the newer ships tend to be the most fun, since they offer such cool activities. Royal Caribbean just keeps innovating and pushing the limits by adding new and exciting attractions to their cruises.
Msc Seashore Msc Cruises
Passengers 5,632Measuring 1,112ft from bow to stern, MSC Cruises flagship MSC Seashore has plenty of bragging rights. Its the longest ship in the fleet and the largest cruise ship built in Italy. Its got the biggest childrens club and MSC Yacht Club, the lines exclusive ship-within-a-ship enclave. Topping the interior decor is a Statue of Liberty and four-deck high LED wall with images of the New York skyline. Sails the Caribbean.
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Is Royal Caribbean Considered Luxury
Royal Caribbean is an affordable, quality cruise, but not a luxury cruise line. The target demographic for Royal Caribbean is families and the atmosphere is relaxed and fun.
However, there are suites and accommodations for those who want a more luxurious experience.
The great thing about Royal Caribbean is that it can be an affordable vacation if you want it to be. However if you have bigger budget or want some extras, you can enhance your cruise experience.
What Do Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships Do With All That Space

So why exactly is an Oasis-class ship so big? What is all that Wonder of the Seas space for? On a normal fishing boat or cruising vessel you might be happy to have space for things like a live well, maybe a berth below deck, room to stow fishing rods and things like that. Obviously a cruise ship offers a lot more and the biggest cruise ship in the world offers things you probably would never expect.
- The Wonder of the Seas has 2,867 cabins for passenger use
- There are 25 different restaurants including a Starbucks on board.
- There are also 11 different bars and lounges available for passengers.
- There are four different swimming pools on board plus 10 whirlpools.
- A zip line that is 10 decks high is available to travel almost completely across the length of the vessel.
- There is an ice-skating rink on board
- There is a waterpark on board
- Passengers can use a full-sized basketball court
- There are two rock-climbing walls that measure 43-feet
- There is a theater with a 1,400 person capacity
- The ship has been built with what they call eight distinct neighborhoods that include:
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Cruise Ship Size Increase Over Time
The trend is clear. The largest cruise ships in the world today measure roughly 8x the size of vessels 40 years ago! Cruise lines proudly boast their biggest and newest ships. Each is guaranteed headlines when breaking the previous record for “biggest ship.”
Look at the chart below. We’ve analyzed nearly 300 ships over the past 50 years. The graph represents average ship size for the included periods.
It’s interesting to look at the average ship length versus tonnage. While new vessels today are nearly 5x the gross tonnage as decades ago, ship length has increased roughly 2x. What does that mean? Ships are getting significantly “beefier.” These massive gains are found in both height and width. Some of the largest ships in the world have 20 total decks and span 167 feet from side to side .
Top 10 Largest Cruise Ships In The World
Heres a top 10 lists of largest cruise ship in the world. Nowadays, cruise liners have populated the ocean with beautiful and largest cruise ships and some are so large so that titanic looks insignificant. In the post, I am going to share the largest cruise ship owned by biggest cruise line companies. Those largest cruise ships are not only big but also well designed, completed with luxuries facilities, and premium price tickets.
10. MS Explorer Of the Seas
MS Explorer of the Seas
STX Finland Cruise Oy built this 10th largest cruise ship, MS Explorer of the Seas, in august 1st, 1999. The cruise ship is belonged to Royal Caribbean International and it is capable to depart 3,114 passengers and crews at a time. It is 1,020 feet long, the beam is 38 m long and the weight is 137,308 Gross tonnages. This ship is also the 8th largest cruise ship belong to Royal Caribbean International.
9. Mariner of the seas
8. Navigator of the Sea
Navigator of the Seas
Navigator of the Sea is 4th voyager-class cruise of Royal Caribbean and that means the cruise line came out from STX Finland Cruise Oy. The length, beam, full capacity, even the gross tonnage is same as Mariner of the sea so We can consider this as the 8th largest cruise ship. Navigator has voyaged since 2002 and that is what makes Navigator and Mariner of the sea different.
7. Queen Mary 2
6.MS Independence Of the seas
MS Independence of the Seas
5. MS liberty of the seas
MS Liberty of the Seas
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What Makes The Worlds Largest Cruise Ship
The Wonder of the Seas clocks in with a gross tonnage of 236,857. This is significantly higher than a former title holder Allure of the Seas which had a gross tonnage of 225,282. That also includes 18 decks making this essentially a condominium on the seas. That said, the number of features that are available on Wonder of the Seas are remarkable. By the numbers, heres what goes into making the largest cruise ship in the world.
How Much Does A Cruise Ship Cost To Build
How much does a cruise ship cost to build?What is the most expensive cruise ship ever built?What cruise line has the most expensive cruise ships?What cruise line has the cheapest ships?How much have cruise ship costs increased over time?How much are Carnival Cruise Ships worth?How much are Royal Caribbean Cruise Ships worth?How much are Norwegian Cruise Ships worth?What is the biggest cruise line company?Largest Cruise Ships in the Worlduse the Share buttons below
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What Is The Biggest Carnival Ship
Coming in at 133,868 gross tons, Carnival Panorama is the largest ship in the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. It is followed closely by Carnival Vista and Carnival Horizon, which both measure 133,500 tons and 1,055 feet in length. Carnival Panorama also holds more cruisers, with a capacity of 4,008. Carnival Horizon holds 3,960 and Vista 3,936. All three ships boast an abundance of entertainment options like IMAX movie theaters on Vista and Horizon, a trampoline jump park on Panorama, ropes courses and onboard breweries.
What Is Thelargest Cruise Ship In The World
By grosstonnage, the largest cruise ship in the world is Royal Caribbeans Symphonyof the Seas. The megaship has a gross tonnage of 228,081, is 1,184 feet long, and has a maximum passenger capacity of 6,680 people.Interestingly, its predecessor, Harmony of the Seas, retains the largestcruise ship capacity title, with the ability to hold 6,687 people at maximum,seven more than Symphony. Royal Caribbeans Freedom-class and Oasis-classships have held the title of largest passenger ship continuously since 2006.In 2021, Royal Caribbean is projected to retain the title with the launchof Wonder of the Seas, which will become the new largest cruise ship inthe world once construction is completed.
The biggest Carnival ship, Carnival Panorama, palesin comparison at a mere 1,055 feet in length, a gross tonnage of135,225, and maximum passenger capacity of 5,146 people.
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Largest Cruise Industry Organizations
CLIA since December 17, 2012, this is a Global Trade Association for 9 of the largest cruise industry associations:
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In the cruise world, bigger means more: more amenities, more days at sea, and of course, more people. Now, MSC Cruises just said its going all-in on more by placing an order for its biggest cruise ship everand itll fit the most passengers of any cruise ship on Earth.
Called MSCs World Class, the new fleet of ships, built by STX France, will host 2,750 cabins, for a total maximum occupancy of 6,850 guests. The worlds current largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbeans Harmony of the Seas, fits 6,780 at its maximum occupancy. For perspective: a little over 100 years ago, the worlds largest ship, the ill-fated Titanic, fit only 2,344 passengersabout a third of the size of MSCs new World Class.
Currently, MSC has orders with STX France for two ships, to be inaugurated in 2022 and 2024, with options for two more ships in 2025 and 2026. The boats dimensions are quite staggering, measuring 1,082 feet by 154 feet. For comparison, an American football field is 360 feet by 160 feet, so each ship is nearly the size of three football fields. Theyll also contain a massive 200,000 GRTthats gross register tons, or the total volume permanently enclosed inside the ship. In other words, thats a lotbut just slightly behind Harmony of the Seas 226,963 GRT.
Aida Cruises Biggest Passenger Cruise Ships

AIDS is a German brand that sit under the Carnival umbrella, the biggest ships are Aida Nova at 183,858 Gross Ton and Aida Cosma at 183,200GT.
How Many Passengers Do The Largest AIDA Cruise Ships Hold?
The largest AIDA cruise ships hold Aida Nova holds 6,654 passengers and 1646 crew. And Aida Cosma Holds 6,600 passengers and 1646 crew.
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The Ships Arrival In Doha
As the largest ship in MSC Cruises fleet, the 6,762-passenger MSC World Europa is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world and the largest LNG-powered cruise ship worldwide.
The World Class ship is now in Doha, where it will serve as a floating hotel to assist in housing guests during the upcoming FIFA Soccer World Cup in Qatar beginning on Sunday, November 20.
As part of MSCs deal with the Qatari government in 2019 to provide two, now three, ships as floating hotels, the new cruise ship will host fans during the World Cup tournament, alongside MSC Poesia and 65,591 gross ton MSC Opera.
Following its time housing football fans, MSC World Europa will sail her maiden voyage on Dember 20 to the Persian Gulf stopping in Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sir Bani Yas Island, and Dammam, and will remain in the Persian Gulf through its winter season before repositioning to the Mediterranean in March 2023.
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On March 25, 2023, the innovative ship will head to the Mediterranean Sea for summer 2023, offering seven-night cruises that visit the Italian ports of Genoa, Naples, and Messina, as well as Valletta, Barcelona, and Marseille.
Are Cruise Ships Bigger Than Aircraft Carriers
But which is bigger, an aircraft carrier, or a cruise ship? In fact, they are roughly the same size. The largest aircraft carrier at sea in 2020 is the Gerald R Ford Class aircraft carrier which has a length of 1,106 feet. Therefore, the worlds largest cruise ship is 82 feet longer than the largest aircraft carrier.
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Mardi Gras Carnival Cruise Line
Passengers 6,500 Named after the first Carnival ship launched in 1972, which carried just over 1,000 passengers, the latest incarnation has joined the list of the worlds largest cruise ships and is the biggest in the Carnival fleet. The headline feature is Bolt, the first rollercoaster at sea. Mardi Gras is also the first Carnival ship to be divided into themed zones, such as the New Orleans French Quarter and Italian-inspired La Piazza. Sails the Caribbean.
Top 20 Biggest Cruise Ships In The World
Ships today, mega ships as they are known, are as big as some aircraft carriers. But how big are they and how do we measure them?
Cruise ships are evaluated based on their gross tonnage , which despite its name is a volume calculation, basically how much inside space on a ship.
Royal Caribbean continues to dominate the top spots for the biggest ships, coming in around 228 thousand gt in size. For context, the Titanic was a mere 46,329 gt, which means you could fit almost 5 Titanics in todays biggest ship.
Here’s a look at the 20 biggest cruise ships currently sailing throughout the world.
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Popular Small Ship Cruise Destinations
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Whats The Largest Cruise Ship In The World
The list is constantly changing as new mega-ships enter service from different cruise lines. So, whats the largest cruise ship in the world right now?
The largest cruise ship currently in service is Wonder of the Seas, an Oasis-class vessel operated by Royal Caribbean. The ship is similar in design to her sister ships but adds some additional features and evolves the class. Wonder of the Seas is a massive 236,857 gross tons with a guest capacity of 5,734 at double occupancy. You can check the full top biggest cruise ships in the list below.
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Worlds Largest Cruise Companies
The biggest cruise companies they all are very big, some are bigger big, one is the biggest. They all are very very very much rich!
Carnival Corporation & plc is the worlds largest cruise shipowner, with 1/2 share of the market. The company is dual-listed , Southampton-headquartered, has a combined fleet of 100+ ships, 160,000+ berths, 10,000+ employees, ~75,000 crew, USD 38,9 billion in assets, USD 16,4B revenue . Carnival owns the following brands AIDA , CCL-Carnival , Costa , Cunard , HAL-Holland America , Ibero , P& O UK and P& O Australia , Princess , Seabourn . Carnivals major stock-holder is the company founders Arison family .
Royal Caribbean Group 1997-founded as an American-Norwegian cruise company. RCG is the 2nd largest cruise shipowner in the world, controls over 1/4 of the cruise market, with 58,000 employees, nearly USD 20 billion in assets, and almost USD 7B in revenue . The combined fleet includes the brands Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity, Pullmantur , CDF Croisieres de France . RCG also fully owns Air Pullmantur, and 50% of TUI Cruises .
Mediterranean Shipping Company SA the 2nd largest shipping line in the world , with more than 555 vessels of almost 2,2 million TEU . The MSC shipping line serves 270 ports worldwide, with over 29,000 employees.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd ownership is 43,4% Genting Group, 32,5% Apollo Management and 10,8% TPG Capital . NCL controls ~8% of the global cruising market.
Final Thoughts On Is Royal Caribbean Worth It

Well there it is, 10 reasons why Royal Caribbean is worth it!
As someone who has cruised with Royal Caribbean my whole life, I think that cruising with Royal Caribbean is super worth it. When it comes to activities and entertainment on a cruise, its hard to beat Royal Caribbean.
When it comes to booking the right cruise, it often depends on each persons wants and needs. If youre someone who likes to have fun on vacation, then you will love cruising with Royal Caribbean!
Are you thinking about booking a Royal Caribbean cruise? Please let me know in the comments below.
Happy Cruising!
Ethan
Ethan Schattauer writes about fashion, travel and college advice on the website WhatToWearMen.com. As a frequent cruiser, Ethan shares his unique perspective on what cruising is like for teens and young adults.
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Norwegian Cruise Lines Biggest Ships
Norwegian Encore is Norwegian Cruise Line Biggest Cruise Ship as of 2019 at a whopping 169,116 tons. This is closely followed by her sister Norwegian Bliss at 168,028 tons. The newer ships Prima and Viva are smaller and hold less guests, this was a conscious effort by NCL to maintain an intimate service on their ships, Prima holds 3215 guests with 1388 crew and a passenger to crew ratio 2.3.
Royal Caribbeans Biggest Ships
As of 2022 Wonder Of The Seas is the biggest of the Royal Caribbean Ships being a whopping 236,857 tons and and 1,188 feet long and hold 6,988 at full capacity. She also has 2300 crew members, which is a ratio of 3 passenger to each crew member. Wonder of the Seas has been designed with the Asian market in mind, however has been re deployed to the Caribbean and then Europe for the 2022 season. This is closely followed by Symphony of the Seas at 228,081, 1,188 feet long.
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