Cruise ships are getting bigger and bigger, and by the time a new world’s 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.
1. Icon of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
On November 27, 2023, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was officially delivered from the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland to Royal Caribbean. 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.
2. Wonder of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
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.
3. 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. The first official maiden voyage departed on April 7, 2018, on a 7-night Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona, Spain. Symphony of the Seas has been based in PortMiami, Florida since November 10, 2018.
4. Harmony of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
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.
5. Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
This is the ship that helped push the cruise industry to new heights. Oasis of the Seas was the first of its kind when she arrived at the end of 2009. 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.
6. Allure of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
This ship is huge and the second in the record-breaking Oasis class for Royal Caribbean. Allure of the Seas has seven distinct neighborhoods and too many dining spaces to count! The vessel is different from other large ships in the cruise industry and boasts features like the Zipline and the AquaTheater.
7. MSC World Europa (MSC Cruises)
This is the first world-class vessel from the fast-growing MSC Cruises and was built at the popular Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France. Since her delivery in October 2022, she has been the largest MSC cruise ship ever. That will be until the sister ship MSC World America arrives in 2025.
8. Arvia (P&O Cruises)
Arvia is the second Excel class cruise ship for British-based P&O Cruises. The vessel is slightly larger than its sister ship Iona and was constructed at the popular Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. She is currently the largest in the P&O fleet and is the largest ever constructed vessel purposely for the British market.
9. Costa Smeralda (Costa Cruises)
Costa Smeralda is the cruise line’s first-ever cruise ship powered by Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). She’s also the largest vessel ever constructed for the Italian-based cruise operator.
10. Costa Toscana (Costa Cruises)
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. 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.
