The 30 Largest Cruise Ships in the World

Table Of Content

• Is a Mega-Cruise Ship Experience in Alaska for You? Just Back From Quantum of the Seas
• Carnival Cracks Down on High Stakes Activity on Pool Deck
• OnlyFans Star Reno Gold on His New Boyfriend and Travel Show
• The 30 Largest Cruise Ships in the World Ranked
• Travel + Leisure Readers' 5 Favorite Mega-ship Ocean Cruise Lines of 2023

Read on for what made Virgin Voyages the top line for mega-ship ocean cruises in 2023. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines.

Is a Mega-Cruise Ship Experience in Alaska for You? Just Back From Quantum of the Seas

This means that the cruise line takes over responsibility for the giant ship, and the vessel officially becomes a part of the fleet. It now means that Icon of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, overtaking Wonder of the Seas, which is also operated by the same cruise line. Besides taking on the mantle of largest cruise ship in the world, Icon of the Seas is yet another game changer for Royal Caribbean. Its launch in January 2024 heralds a new ship class loaded with new attractions and iconic spaces. It features 20 decks (18 guest-accessible decks), a record-setting six water slides and the largest swimming pool at sea.

Carnival closes in on $5bn order for mega cruise ship quartet at Fincantieri - TradeWinds

Carnival closes in on $5bn order for mega cruise ship quartet at Fincantieri.

Posted: Wed, 17 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Carnival Cracks Down on High Stakes Activity on Pool Deck

It was the first ship to be awarded the "Blauer Engel," which is a German environmental label given to green-friendly products and services. It made its maiden voyage in 2009, offering 18 total decks (16 guest decks) along with 2,801 staterooms, almost 2,000 of which have balconies. Desirable destinations such as French Polynesia and Venice, Italy, have limited visiting cruises, including size restrictions, to curb pollution and overcrowding. But, as Schneider said, small-vessel-enabled specialized itineraries are also important to travelers. MSC Cruises has yet to announce many details about this new ship including specific itineraries. We do know that the vessel will homeport in Miami and sail cruises to the Bahamas and Caribbean starting in the summer of 2025.

OnlyFans Star Reno Gold on His New Boyfriend and Travel Show

The ships, at least initially, sailed with limited capacity, but the cruise fans on those voyages were no less enthusiastic about being on the giants of the seas. Over the past few years, cruise lines have built larger cruise terminals in Miami to accommodate more mega ships. Right now, MSC Cruises is building the largest cruise terminal in the country that will be able process up to 36,000 passengers per day. PortMiami is the Cruise Capital of the World where more passengers have embarked/disembarked on cruise ships over the past decade than any other port in the world. Over the next few years, two more mega ships are headed to Miami where they will homeport and sail cruises to the Caribbean. Go big on bold when you sail aboard the three largest cruise ships in the world.

See Royal Caribbean's newest giant cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas - Business Insider

See Royal Caribbean's newest giant cruise ship, Utopia of the Seas.

Posted: Tue, 13 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Symphony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)

Symphony of the Seas is the fourth Oasis-class and 25th cruise ship from Royal Caribbean. It is slightly larger than her sister ships that were built earlier, making her the third largest cruise ship. We look at the top 10 biggest cruise ships in the world by gross tonnage. Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas, now the fifth-largest cruise ship in the world, was actually the largest cruise ship from 2016 to 2018. Onboard, passengers can find 16 guest decks, 2,747 staterooms and suites and 23 pools and whirlpools. Keep in mind that this list of biggest cruise ships in the world changes annually, as cruise lines update their fleets.

NEWEST, BIGGEST

She’s also the largest vessel ever constructed for the Italian-based cruise operator. 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. Royal Caribbean Spectrum of the Seas is the first ship in the Quantum Ultra-class, which is a subset of Royal's Quantum-class. Spectrum of the Seas has 16 total decks (14 guest decks) and 2,137 staterooms. MSC Meraviglia is the first ship in MSC's Meraviglia-class and received the "8 Golden Pearls" award, which recognizes sustainable and environmental stewardship.

The 30 Largest Cruise Ships in the World Ranked

The most immersive AquaTheater ever, with a game-changing surround-stage that makes you feel part of the action. The ship was finally delivered from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland after a delay on December 5, 2019. Her first regular voyage departed Savona on December 31, 2019; however, there was a special voyage for travel agents that departed Barcelona, Spain on December 18, 2019. Harmony of the Seas was the first in the class to feature the 10-Story Ultimate Abyss slide, which is located aft of the ship above the AquaTheater.

The World’s 10 Biggest Cruise Ships

The biggest ships certainly offer more dining options than their smaller cousins, and Quantum is a shining example of that. There are enough distinctly different eateries that on a typical 7-night sailing, you probably won’t have time to sample all the choices. The current “world’s largest cruise ship” title holder is another vessel in the Royal Caribbean fleet, Wonder of the Seas, which made its inaugural voyage in 2022. Slightly smaller than Icon of the Seas, it stretches 1,188 feet in length and has 18 decks to explore. The world's largest cruise ships were back in business last summer following the COVID-19 shutdowns.

This spot at the very front of the ship will be a tranquil oasis by day where guests can take in wraparound ocean views and an awe-inspiring waterfall as they enjoy a bite or drink. By night, it will transform into a vibrant hot spot, complete with restaurants, bars and the cruise line’s marquee aqua shows at the next-level AquaTheater. The best large-ship cruise lines, according to Travel + Leisure readers, prove that, when it comes to entertainment on the high seas, bigger is definitely better.

"Food is excellent, crew is friendly and attentive; and cabins are large compared to other cruise lines," one voter wrote. Royal Caribbean International, with its smaller 1990s ships such as Enchantment of the Seas and Vision of the Seas, comes in at No. 5. Many of the world's best-known and most-loved brands maintained their positions in T+L's annual ranking of the top cruise lines. Two favorites of readers, No. 2 Cunard and No. 3 Holland America Line, remained near the top of rankings this year. Also high on the list for readers were No. 4 Celebrity Cruises, No. 5 Princess Cruises, and No. 6 Royal Caribbean International, all of which held steady in their rankings year over year. Still, as good as those mega-ship stalwarts were, this year’s winner surged ahead thanks to its innovative new take on cruise vacations.

This year’s list demonstrates a steady-as-she-goes approach from voters, who tended to give the highest marks to the same lines they favored in 2019. “The Koningsdam was a great ship for the cabins, the speciality dining (especially Club Orange), and the live music venues,” said another. The ranking is slated for major changes in the next few years, with large cruise ships entering service for several brands. British-based P&O Cruises took delivery of its largest-ever cruise ship and first to be powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in October 2020. This came after delays due to the global pandemic and the impact on the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papengburg, Germany, which is where the vessel was constructed. Costa Smeralda is the cruise line’s first-ever cruise ship powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG).

Deck-defying attractions aren’t the only things to look forward to when you sail onboard the newest cruise ships addition to the Oasis Class. MSC World Europa is the second largest cruise ship powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and takes the cruise line into a new era of sustainability, which it’s taking very seriously. The 7th world’s biggest cruise ship features more than 30 different dining venues and a new thrilling 250-foot Drop slide located aft of the ship.

The LNG-powered cruise ship is the flagship of the fleet and was constructed at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland. She’s almost identical to the Costa Smeralda, including gross tonnage and size. The only reason she is lower than her sister ship in the largest cruise ships in the world is that she entered service in 2021. The crown of the world’s biggest cruise ship previously went to 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. There isn’t a holiday in the world that packs more adventure into one week than Oasis Class ships – Harmony®, Allure®, Symphony®, Oasis®, Wonder® and Utopia of the Seas℠. Discover why the largest cruise ships sailing to Caribbean and Europe vacation destinations are consistently awarded Best Ship year after year by Travel Weekly readers.

The country’s leaders are concerned that larger ships would not only tax local infrastructure, but also impact the experience for non-cruise visitors. Local officials on Bora Bora had requested the limits as early as 2019 to “preserve the beauty of its lagoon as well as the quality of service which has made it famous,” according to a government release. See all of our readers' favorite hotels, cities, airlines, cruise lines, and more in the World's Best Awards for 2021. This year's World's Best Awards survey was open for voting January 11 through May 10, 2021, as destinations around the world were lifting COVID-19 restrictions. Survey rules have always allowed readers to reflect on their travel experiences over a three-year period.