5 Biggest Cruise Ships 2023
Harmony of the Seas Exterior. Image: Royal Caribbean International
5 Largest Cruise Ships in The World 2023
Which cruise ship is the biggest? Interestingly, all five of the largest ships in the world are owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. What’s more, the next ship set to take the lead in 2024 is Icon of the Seas which is also a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Each year cruise ships increase in size in order to keep up with the upwardly trending demand in the industry. However it isn’t just guest capacity that determines a ships size, but also the need for brands to deliver ever-more variety in innovative attractions on board.
At the risk of this post not aging well as newer and bigger ships are built, let’s take a look at five of the largest cruise ships currently in service in 2023.
Wonder of the Seas
Currently the World's Largest Cruise Ship (January 2023)
Class: Oasis Class
Gross Tonnage: 236,857 GT
Length: 362.04 m (1,187 ft 10 in)
Beam: 47.4 m (155 ft 6 in)
Height: 72 m (236 ft 3 in)
No. Of Decks: 17
No. Of Cabins: 2874
Capacity: 5734-6988 passengers
Crew: 2394 crew
Built: 2022
Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazareth, France
Entered Service: 27 January 2022
Maiden voyage: 4 March 2022
Cost: USD 1,35 billion
2. Symphony Of the Seas
Symphony of the Sea - The Biggest Cruise Ship in the World (as at Oct 2021) Image: Royal Caribbean International
Class: Oasis Class
Gross Tonnage: 228,081 GT
Length: 362.1 m (1,184 ft)
Beam: 47.4 m (156.8 ft)
Height: 72.5 m (238 ft)
No. Of Decks: 18
No. Of Cabins: 2,759
Capacity: 5,400 passengers
Crew: 2,200 crew
Built: 2018
Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazareth, France
Entered Service: 31 March 2018
Maiden voyage: 7 April 2018
Cost: US$1.35 billion
3. Harmony of the Seas
Harmony of the Sea ranked second largest cruise ship in the World (as at Oct 2021). Image: Royal Caribbean International
Class: Oasis Class
Gross Tonnage: 226,963 GT
Length: 362.12 m (1,188.1 ft)
Beam (at waterline): 47.42 m (155.6 ft)
Height: 70 m (238 ft) ?
No. Of Decks: 18
No. Of Cabins: 2,759
Capacity: 5,479 passengers
Crew: 2300 crew
Built: 2016
Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique
Entered Service: 15 May 2016
Maiden voyage: 29 May 2016
Cost: US$1.35 billion
4. Allure of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Allure of Sea is currently third largest cruise ship in the world. Image: Royal Caribbean International
Allure of the sea is just 50 mm (2.0 in) longer than Oasis of the Sea
Class: Oasis Class
Gross Tonnage: 225,282 GT
Length: 362 m (1,187 ft)
Beam (at waterline): 47 m (154 ft)
Height: 72 m (236 ft)
No. Of Decks: 18 (16 passenger decks)
No. Of Cabins: 2,540
Capacity: 5,484 passengers
Crew: 2,200 Crew
Built: 2010
Shipbuilder: STX Europe, Turku Shipyard, Finland
Entered Service: 28 November 2010
Maiden voyage: 1 December 2010
Cost: US$1.2 billion
5. Oasis of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas Exterior. Image Credit: Royal Caribbean International
If you compare the two you will see that there is very little between Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, apart from a marginal difference in gross tonnage/length.
Class: Oasis Class
Gross Tonnage: 226,838 GT
Length: 360 m (1,180 ft)
Beam (at waterline): 47 m (154 ft)
Height: 72 m (236 ft)
No. Of Decks: 18 (16 passenger decks)
No. Of Cabins: 2,540
Capacity: 5,606 passengers
Crew: 2,165 crew
Built: 2009
Shipbuilder: STX Europe, Turku Shipyard, Finland
Entered Service: 30 November 2009
Maiden voyage: 5 December 2009
Cost: US$1.4 billion