Table Of Content
- Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
- The 30 Largest Cruise Ships in the World Ranked
- decks, 20,000 plants, 9,000 passengers: Inside the world’s largest cruise ship
- Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
- The World’s Largest Cruise Ship Is Nearly 1,200 Feet Long
- Most Frequently Searched Cruise Lines
- MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises

The groundbreaking vessel was built at the STX shipyard in Turku, Finland. Oasis of the Seas also boasts features like the Zip-line and the AquaTheater. Symphony of the Seas was built at the then-named STX France shipyard and was delivered to the cruise line on March 23, 2018. The vessel departed on its first one-time special preview sailing on March 31, 2018.
Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

The Canadian government has not yet changed its guidance, which continues to recommend against cruise ship travel outside of the country. And if those perks aren’t enough, the “Suite Neighbourhood” offers private lounges and VIP pool areas for those guests who upgrade to a larger room. For instance, Arvia features a unique Skydome area that is a pool area with retractable roof by day and an entertainment venue by night. It also features its own rum distillery onboard, meaning you can take home rum literally made on the ship.

The 30 Largest Cruise Ships in the World Ranked
Water parks, huge entertainment spaces, dizzying restaurant options, and a wider variety of cabins are all part of how the largest cruise ships are filling all that space. While American travelers looking to cruise the Caribbean may not encounter her, the AIDAnova is not only the largest cruise ship in the AIDA fleet, she’s also a revolutionary lady. The ship’s Four Elements adventure deck, with its three water slides and climbing garden under the dome of a retractable glass roof, drops jaws on every sailing.
decks, 20,000 plants, 9,000 passengers: Inside the world’s largest cruise ship
BBC Verify analyses Ukrainian military footage claiming to show sea drones striking Russian ship in the Black Sea.
Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
AIDA Cruises AIDAcosma, the second in the Excellence-class, was first released in December 2021. When Carnival Jubilee arrived in Galveston late in 2023, it became the largest and newest ship Carnival has ever cruised from that port. Attractions include the Bolt rollercoaster and a whopping 22 dining options, many of which are included in the cruise fare. With progress on Icon of the Seas moving along, Royal Caribbean has already started building another large “icon class” ship. The cruise line expects that unnamed vessel to launch in 2025, per a statement. MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean are currently the only cruise brands in the world with ships measuring more than 200,000 tons.
The World’s Largest Cruise Ship Is Nearly 1,200 Feet Long
Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas became the new world’s largest cruise ship when she was delivered to the cruise line in November 2023, at a massive 250,800 gross tons and a length of 1,198 feet. The LNG-powered vessel will also have a guest capacity of 5,610 at double occupancy, which can reach a maximum of 7,600. In 2019, The Royal Caribbean cruise ship underwent a massive $165 million upgrade, which did not just add new water slides, but also The Ultimate Abyss aft slide, new dining venues, and a refreshed look. The amplification increased the ship’s gross tonnage, and she now overtakes sister ship Allure of the Seas in the list of the world’s top 10 largest cruise ships. Costa Toscana is the second Excel class vessel built for Carnival-owned Costa Cruises. The LNG-powered cruise ship is the flagship of the fleet and was constructed at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland.
Measuring just under 185,000 gross tons, it offer a similar design to ships like Costa Smeralda and Carnival Celebration, but don’t think these ships are all the same. The biggest thing to ever hit cruising is coming in January 2024, when Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas—which will be the largest cruise ship in the world—will debut to passengers for the first time. Icon of the Seas has 20 total decks, 7 swimming pools and 8 “neighborhoods,” or distinct areas with entertainment and dining. Another noteworthy feature is Category 6, which will be the largest waterpark at sea when Icon of the Seas sets sail. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas holds the title for the largest cruise ship in the world and has just set sail.
The top 10 biggest cruise ships in the world - Ship Technology
The top 10 biggest cruise ships in the world.
Posted: Thu, 21 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Wonder of the Seas is the latest edition of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships (until Utopia of the Seas arrives in 2024), which were the largest class in the world until the new Icon class took the torch. Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas made its first voyage in 2016, which made it the third ship in the Quantum-class. MSC Meraviglia is the first ship in MSC's Meraviglia-class and received the "8 Golden Pearls" award, which recognizes sustainable and environmental stewardship. This meritable ship has 18 decks, 15 of which are accessible to guests, and 2,244 total staterooms.
Icon of the Seas: Sailing on the World's Largest Cruise Ship on a Budget - WSJ - The Wall Street Journal
Icon of the Seas: Sailing on the World's Largest Cruise Ship on a Budget - WSJ.
Posted: Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
MSC Grandiosa, MSC Cruises
It has 2,700 staterooms, 430,000 square feet of public space, 16 total decks and even an 11-foot dry slide called the Spiral, among the longest dry slide at sea. World Europa is the first of four total ships in MSC's World-class fleet, with the second ship World America set to launch in 2025. Harmony of the Seas overtakes its older Oasis-class ships just slightly, making her the fourth-largest cruise ship in the world. The vessel is the first of two new orders from STX France to expand the large class ships to four. One of the most important cruise tips for vacationing on one of these big boats is to accept that you won’t be able to do it all on your first visit.
Wonder of the Seas, the fifth Oasis-class vessel, took the world’s largest cruise ship title from her sister Symphony of the Seas in 2022. However, since the arrival of the much-anticipated new-class Icon of the Seas, the vessel has now lost that crown. The ship was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France, and delivered to the cruise line on January 27, 2022. After its maiden voyage in April 2018, Symphony was the biggest cruise ship in the world. But because of its ingenious neighborhood concept, guests rarely feel overcrowded.
A sister to the Smeralda, the Costa Toscana became the fleet’s largest cruise ship when it took to the water in March 2022. The ship uses LNG propulsion engines to make sea travel more sustainable, both while cruising and in ports of call around the world. An international crew of 1,678 works to deliver dream vacations for up to 6,600 passengers who will love to discover all there is to do, see and experience on board. It also features a carousel on a real boardwalk, a dry slide that twists down 10 decks, surfing simulators, a laser tag arena, an ice skating rink and a zip line that spans the interior width of the ship. It also has interior rooms with balconies that look out over the restaurant and a tree-lined neighborhood that looks like Central Park. Wonder of the Seas will soon lose its crown as the biggest cruise ship in the world, but it’ll never lose its ability to provide unique vacations thanks to affordable cruises for every kind of traveler.
It holds seven different neighborhoods, nearly 3,000 staterooms, three waterslides, and Ultimate Abyss — a 10-story dry slide. With capacity for nearly 10,000 passengers and crew, Icon of the Seas is billed as part all-inclusive resort, part theme park, and a massive destination unto itself. Clocking in at 250,380 gross tons and measuring nearly a quarter mile long (1,198 feet to be exact), the vast ship will sport a total of 20 decks, 18 of which will be accessible to guests. MSC Virtuosa, which is another member of the Meraviglia-Plus class, first set sail in May 2021.
Icon of the Seas will also be the first ship in the cruise line’s fleet to run on liquefied natural gas and fuel cells, which are similar to batteries but do not need to be recharged. Water is the main byproduct of fuel cells—which combine oxygen and hydrogen to produce energy—which should help the ship reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. The 365m-long (1,197 ft) Icon of the Seas has 20 decks and can house a maximum of 7,600 passengers. Icon will feature the largest waterpark at sea, with six record-breaking slides. This means that whether you’re taking a singles cruise or have children in tow—the Arvia is a family-friendly ship with age-specific kids clubs on board—serious rest and relaxation are definitely on the agenda.
The 2020-launched riverboat is China-built, owned by Victoria Cruises China and deployed year-round on Yangtze River. The vessel has the impressive volume of GT-tons, LOA length 150 m (492 ft), width 22 m (72 ft), 7 decks (5 with cabins), 270 staterooms, max capacity 690 passengers plus 195 crew/staff. Built in 2016, Harmony of the Seas features 18 decks, more than 225,000 gross tons (about 10% smaller than Icon of the Seas) and can carry nearly 6,700 passengers when completely full.