Over roughly the past decade cruise ships have gotten big… real big.
As one line makes a ship that’s larger, carries more passengers, and offers eye-catching
activities, others then play catch-up in the “arms race” to build ships that everyone
is talking about.
And I'll cover all the biggest ships from each major line in just a moment.
But have you ever wondered exactly why ships continue to get larger?
What you might not know is that large ships offer several advantages over smaller ones.
For one, larger ships carrying more passengers mean that each trip can generate more revenue
for the cruise line.
That's pretty obvious.
But it's not just cruise fare.
With larger ships also packing more onboard, there is an opportunity to increase the spending
of those passengers on the ships with more restaurants and for-pay activities.
Today’s mega ships also can increase the economies of scale, creating more efficiency
for the cruise line.
Last but not least, rolling out a ground-breaking new ship also serves as a marketing device
as the vessels get major coverage, which can lead to increased buzz and bookings.
Case in point is this video.
So it’s no surprise that in recent years ships have only gotten bigger.
With that in mind, here are the current largest ships in each fleet as of right now in order
from smallest to largest.
Celebrity is known for being a mix of luxury combined with still offering up a mega-ship
with lots to experience.
Case in point — its largest ship, Celebrity Beyond, ranks as one of the top 50 largest
cruise ships on the planet.
This vessel, part of the cruise line’s Edge class, measures 140,600 gross tons according
to the cruise line.
It also boasts a length of 1,073 feet.
Onboard, Beyond can hold 3,260 guests at double occupancy in its 1,646 cabins.
To give some sense of just how large cruise ships are today, Celebrity Beyond would have
to increase in tonnage by about 67% to match Wonder of the Seas — the largest cruise
ship in the world... but more on that ship in a moment.
Princess is well-known for offering a more luxurious experience than mass-market lines,
and that typically means smaller ships.
In fact, the largest ships in the fleet are smaller than what you see from other major
cruise lines but are still substantial.
In this case, Discovery Princess comes in at 145,000 gross tons, which is actually a
tie with sister-ship Enchanted Princess.
Discovery is 1,083 feet long and boasts 1,830 cabins.
At double occupancy, the ship carries 3,660 passengers, although that figure would rise
when three or more are put in a cabin.
Perhaps surprisingly, the size of Princess ships hasn’t increased as drastically as
seen with other lines.
While Discovery and Enchanted take the crown, they aren’t that much longer as other ships
in the cruise line’s Royal class.
This class of ships debuted in 2013 with Royal Princess, which is just slightly smaller at
142,229 gross tons.
That said, the cruise line will welcome a new class of ship when Sun Princess debuts
in 2024.
This ship will measure nearly 180,000 gross tons and carry 4,300 passengers at double
occupancy.
Norwegian Cruise Line is an outlier of the major cruise lines in that its newest ships
are actually going smaller.
The current newest ship is Norwegian Prima, which first started sailing in 2022.
But the largest ship in the fleet is Norwegian Encore, which debuted in 2019.
Encore is part of the cruise line’s Breakaway-Plus class.
The ship measures 167,800 gross tons, or about 20,000 gross tons more than Discovery Princess.
Encore measures 1,094 feet and carries 3,998 at double occupancy.
(Note that NCL provides a double occupancy figure, which is typically smaller than a
full capacity figure.)
While the ship may not be the biggest in the world, it does stand out when it comes to
amenities onboard.
For one, it’s built with an outdoor focus, including The Waterfront — a quarter-mile
outdoor promenade that brings you closer to the ocean.
Then there is Ocean Loops, an intense waterslide that takes you out over the edge of the ship
(complete with clear tubes) before bringing you back in.
Perhaps the most eye-catching feature is the Encore Speedway, an actual go-karting track
at the top of the ship.
Officially listed by Carnival Cruise Line at 183,521 gross tons, Carnival Celebration
— built in 2022 — takes the crown as the largest ship in the fleet.
It is just slightly larger than sister-ship Mardi Gras, which comes in at 180,800 gross
tons.
So what do you get for that sort of size?
Carnival Celebration measures 1,130 feet long -- about 50 feet longer than the Eiffel Tower
is tall -- and carries 2,687 staterooms.
That gives a capacity of 6,631 passengers when at full occupancy.
Across the 15 passenger decks there are nearly 20 different places to grab a bite to eat.
Activities include a complete waterpark with three slides, sport court, and even an 800′
long roller coaster -- Bolt -- that goes up to 40 mph.
There are also live versions of game show classics like Deal or No Deal and Family Feud
held on the ship.
Stateside, MSC is still making inroads, but it’s a major brand globally.
And it also takes a special position in having the largest cruise ship in the world outside
of Royal Caribbean.
The title of MSC’s largest ship goes to MSC World Europa.
This massive vessel comes in at a staggering 215,863 gross tons and was launched in late
2022.
It features 2,626 staterooms onboard across its 1,093 feet of length.
At full occupancy, World Europa can carry 6,762 passengers, putting it just shy of the
7,000 guest mark.
Of course, on a ship that large there can be no shortage of things to do.
Surprisingly, the ship has “only” 13 dining venues but has a 340-foot promenade indoors,
an 11-deck slide that takes passengers spinning down on a thrilling ride, bumper cars, and
seven different swimming pools.
When it comes to the largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean takes the crown.
Their Oasis-class ships are currently the biggest on the planet, with all five of the
largest cruise ships in the world being part of that group.
While these ships are similar, the largest of the class (and therefore the world) is
Wonder of the Seas, which first began sailing in 2022.
Coming in at 235,600 gross tons and measuring 1,188 feet, the ship is about 28% larger than
Carnival Celebration.
As for passengers, Wonder of the Seas can carry a staggering 7,084 when completely full
in all of its 2,867 cabins.
And those passengers have no shortage of things to see, do, and eat.
Wonder of the Seas has more than 20 places to eat, features activities like the Flowrider
standing wave, multiple pools, an AquaTheater for performances utilizing high-divers, and
even a zipline across the back of the ship.
One thing to note, when Royal Caribbean debuts Icon of the Seas in late 2023, it will take
the title of world’s largest cruise ship.
It's slated to top 250,000 gross tons.
Now before I go, you might be wondering about not just the largest cruise ships for every
line... but the largest cruise ships in the world.
In that case, I have you covered... although I do have to warn you that the list gets a
little boring.
That's because on the list of the largest ships it's Royal Caribbean and then everyone
else.
As mentioned, the Oasis-class vessels dominated here and take prize as all five of the largest
cruise ships on the planet.
First of course is Wonder of the Seas... although it will be eclipsed soon by Icon of the Seas
when it debuts.
Coming in second is Symphony of the Seas, which was built in 2018.
It's roughly the same size of Wonder, but comes in about 4% smaller based on gross tonnage.
Third is Harmony of the Seas, built in 2016 that's just barely smaller than Symphony followed
by the fourth largest cruise ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas, which was actually built
in 2009.
Fifth place in this class of ships is Allure of the Seas, which made its maiden voyage
in 2010.
If you're wondering how big of a difference there is between the largest and smallest
in this class, Wonder of the Seas is about 235,000 gross tons according to Royal Caribbean
while Allure of the Seas is about 225,000.
So that's a difference of only about 4%.
And as mentioned, the next ship on the largest list is MSC World Europa at nearly 216,000
gross tons -- or about 8% smaller than Wonder of
the Seas.