Top 5 Biggest Cruise Ships July 2025 Update

5 Largest Cruise Ships in The World 2025

Updated 18 July 2025

Did you know that as of July 2025, there are 62 passenger ships with over 140,000 GT in service?

Here are the 5 biggest cruise ships

Are you wondering which is currently the biggest/largest cruise ship in the world? Often when people think of cruise ships, particularly if they have never cruised, they have a romantic idea of the elegant Ocean Liners of the past. However, most liners were much smaller even than today’s mid-sized cruise ships at less than 50,000 gt.

One of the few true liners in service today is Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, and at 149,215 GT she is the exception to the rule.

When we took our first cruise it was on P&O Cruises Aurora, which at just over 76,000 GT seemed absolutely huge to us. Things have moved on significantly and each class of ship seems to get much larger than the previous one.

With that in mind, 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. Interestingly, all five are operated by Royal Caribbean International - and that doesn’t seem to be about to change anytime soon.

1.NEW Star of the Seas & Icon of the Seas

Icon of the Seas - the largest ship in the world 2024. Image: Royal Caribbean

Currently jointly the World's Largest Cruise Ships

Icon of the Seas was the first ship of Royal Caribbean's new Icon Class of cruise ships. Royal Caribbean have now taken delivery of her near identical twin sister, Star of the Seas which will debut in August 2025. Star of the Seas just pips I on to the post (marginally to take the title of “Largest Cruise Ship at Sea” (although not yet in service at time of writing)

NEW! Star of the Seas

Class: Icon Class

Gross Tonnage: 248,663 GT
Length: 
364.83 m (1,196.9 ft)
Beam: 
66 m (219 ft)

Height: Approx 196 ft above waterline

No. Of Decks: 20

No. Of Cabins: 2,805

Capacity: 5,610 passengers 

Crew: 2,350 crew

Built: 2025

Shipbuilder: MEYER TURKU, TURKU, FINLAND

Entered Service: August 2025 (delivered 10 July 2025)

Maiden voyage: 30 August 2025

Cost: EUR 1.74 billion (USD 2 billion)

Icon of the Seas

Class: Icon Class

Gross Tonnage: 248,663 GT
Length: 
364.75 m (1,196.7 ft)
Beam: 
48.47 m (159.0 ft)

Height: Approx 196 ft above waterline

No. Of Decks: 20

No. Of Cabins: 2,805

Capacity: 5,610 passengers 

Crew: 2,350 crew

Built: 2024

Shipbuilder: MEYER TURKU, TURKU, FINLAND

Entered Service: 27 January 2024

Maiden voyage: January 2024

Cost: EUR 1,9 billion (USD 2 billion)

2. Utopia of the Seas

Utopia of the Seas Exterior. Image: Royal Caribbean

Class: Oasis Class

Gross Tonnage: 236,473GT
Length: 
361.12  m (1,184.8 ft)
Beam: 
64 m (210 ft)

Height:  73 m (240 feet)

No. Of Decks: 18

No. Of Cabins: 2,834

Capacity: 5,668 passengers 

Crew: 2,200 crew

Built: 2018

Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazareth, France

Entered Service: July 2024

Maiden voyage: July 19, 2024

Cost: >£1billion ($1.3billion)

3.Wonder of the Seas

Wonder of the Seas Exterior. Image: Royal Caribbean

Class: Oasis Class

Gross Tonnage: 235,600[GT
Length: 
362.04 m (1,187.8 ft)
Beam: 
64 m (210 ft)

Height: 72.5 m (238 ft)

No. Of Decks: 18

No. Of Cabins: 2,867

Capacity: 6,988 passengers 

Crew: 2,300 crew

Built: 2022

Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazareth, France

Entered Service: January 27, 2022

Maiden voyage: March 4, 2024

Cost: EUR 1,2 billion (USD 1,35 billion)

4. Symphony Of the Seas

The Previous Crown-Holder, Symphony of the Seas has moved to second place in World’s Biggest Cruise Ships. Image: RCI

Class: Oasis Class

Gross Tonnage: 228,081 GT
Length: 
362.1 m (1,184 ft)
Beam: 
65.7 m (215.5 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

5. Harmony of the Seas

Harmony of the Sea ranked second largest cruise ship in the World (as at Oct 2021). Image: Royal Caribbean International

Harmony of the Sea ranked third largest cruise ship in the World (as at June 2024). Image: Royal Caribbean International

Class: Oasis Class

Gross Tonnage: 226,963 GT
Length: 
362.12 m (1,188.1 ft)
Beam: 
65.7 m (215.5 ft)

Height: 70 meters (238 ft)

No. Of Decks: 18

No. Of Cabins: 2,747

Capacity: 5,494 passengers 

Crew: 2,100 crew

Built: 2016

Shipbuilder: Chantiers de l’Atlantique, Saint-Nazareth, France

Entered Service: May 15, 2016

Maiden voyage: May 29, 2016

Cost:  $1.35 billion (£695 million)