The rapid evolution of cruise ships over the past hundred plus years has been an incredible accomplishment of human engineering. It goes without saying that the natural progression of technology has made ships much more sophisticated than their predecessors, but what’s truly impressive is how they dwarf even the grandest ocean liners from the early days of cruise ships.
To put this into perspective, perhaps the most famous cruise ship, Titanic, was 882 feet long (268m) and had a passenger capacity of 2,453 people. While still impressive, especially for its day, Titanic’s size might not even be enough to crack the 100 largest list.
The cruise ships of today are essentially floating cities, complete with restaurants, water parks, casinos, night clubs, and much more. On this list, we present the six largest cruise ships currently sailing the world’s oceans. Each ship is ranked in order from 6 to 1, based on gross tonnage (the internal volume of the ship).
SIX
Harmony of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – May 29th, 2016
Length – 1,188ft (362m)
Gross Tonnage – 226,963 GT
Passenger Capacity – 6,687
Harmony, named after a module on the International Space Station, first set sail from Saint Nazaire, France in 2015. It features the first water slides to appear on any Royal Caribbean ship.
FIVE
Symphony of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – April 7th, 2018
Length – 1,188ft (362m)
Gross Tonnage – 228,081 GT
Passenger Capacity – 6,680
When it was first launched, Symphony of the Seas was the world’s largest cruise ship, and it maintained that title until 2022. One of the coolest features on Symphony is its onboard park featuring more than 20,000 tropical plants.
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FOUR
Wonder of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – March 4th, 2022
Length – 1,188ft (362m)
Gross Tonnage – 235,600 GT
Passenger Capacity – 6,988
Wonder of the Seas is the ship that surpassed its sister vessel when it was first launched in 2022. Similar to its other sister ships in the Oasis Class of cruise liners, it has a ton of cool features and amenities, including an outdoor aquatic theater.
THREE
Utopia of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – July 19th, 2024
Length – 1,188ft (362m)
Gross Tonnage – 236,473 GT
Passenger Capacity – 5,688 (Double Occupancy)
In 2024, Utopia of the Seas arrived on the scene and with its arrival, claimed the title of world’s largest cruise ship for a short period of time.
TWO
Star of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – August 31st, 2025
Length – 1,196ft (364m)
Gross Tonnage – 248,663 GT
Passenger Capacity – 7,600
The next two ships both share the crown for world’s largest cruise ship, at least for the time being.
First up is Star of the Seas, launched from Finland in August of 2025, it is the newest Oasis class vessel. Star has a mouth dropping volume of 248,663 gross tonnes, nearly 5.5 times larger than Titanic.
ONE
Icon of the Seas
Facts and Figures
Owner – Royal Caribbean
Maiden Voyage – January 27th, 2024
Length – 1,196ft (364m)
Gross Tonnage – 248,663 GT
Passenger Capacity – 7,600
Icon of the Seas is the identical twin sister of Star, and is the other largest cruise ship in the world. A trip onboard the Icon will provide you with an endless amount of entertainment activities, including an ice skating rink, and the largest cruise ship waterpark, Thrill Island.
Have you ever been aboard any of the world’s larges cruise ships?
