Discover the World's Largest Cruise Ships: Royal Caribbean's Icon Class Unveiled 2024!

Top 10 passenger ship
In the 1990s, cruise ships first started to overtake ocean liners in terms of size, and by the end of the last Millennium, ships had doubled from an average tonnage of 50,000 to around a hundred thousand. That doubled again in the next decade, and now Royal Caribbean are set to launch the massive Icon of the Seas ship with a weight of 250,000 gross tonnage in 2023. It is once again Royal Caribbean who dominated the market for the largest cruise ship, but even though 2022 saw a couple of other lines added to this list, it is expected that Icon of the Seas will set sail next year to break the record once again. There are many measurements that can be used to describe the largest cruise ship, with overall length and max passenger numbers, though fast and used, but they fail to consider ships with fewer cabins and more space, although some are much wider than others. So, for the purpose of this list, we have used our gross tonnage weight as a ranking factor. As ever, don't forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications, as not only does it help us produce more content for you, but to make sure you miss none of our cruise guides, top 10s, tips, and advice videos.
Piano's Arvia is a sister ship of Iona, and all of her molding was built and right in the wrongs of that ship. She was surely proved to be popular as she offers itineraries that include cruising the Caribbean in Winter and the Med in summer. The ship has 15 passenger decks, around 30 eating and drinking venues, and includes the popular Conservatory mini-suites that were launched on their owner's foreign.
Costa Tuscana, which translates as Tuscany, the beautiful Central Italian region which is home to Florence, is an excellent Clash cruise ship, which is the same as the Iona and Arvia and the class of ship that dominates the new ship market. The ship is operated by the Costa line, which is an Italian brand owned by the dominant Carnival Corporation. Thank you.
The Costa's Miralda, which translates as Emerald, is the sister ship of the Tuscana, but she was the first to enter service. She runs on LNG power and operates a lot of modern technologies to make a relatively environmentally friendly ship.
The World Europe is a world-class ship that has brought a new style of cruise ship to the market. Its Y-shaped hole design and G-shaped bow design make her both fuel-efficient and stable but also make her an elegant ship, as we have become accustomed to with MSC. The ship was launched in late 2022 and had an interesting start as she was docked in Doha port to house football fans as Qatari officials failed to build enough accommodation for fans during the World Cup.
The Odyssey of the Seas is the first Oasis-class ship to feature on this list, but not the last. All of these ships in the class have become bigger than any other class of ship upon their launch. The ship has been popular with cruisers since her launch, including being voted second in the best cruiser's overall category of the Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards in 2019.
The Oasis of the Seas, as you may expect, was the first of the Oasis class of ships to be launched. She instantly grabbed headlines around the world and became a must-cruise-on ship for many holidaymakers looking to cruise the Caribbean on the then-largest ship in the world. She brought about many industry firsts, including the neighborhood district layout that has proven to be hugely popular and used on all new Royal Caribbean ships since.
The Harmony of the Seas, another in the Oasis class of ships, was built slightly longer than the other ships in the class, so despite being overtaken as the biggest, she remains the longest. Launched in 2016, the ship is named after the Harmony module of the International Space Station. Thank you.
The Symphony of the Seas is a 2018-launched Oasis class ship that was the largest cruise ship in the world between 2018 and 2022. She features an incredible range of facilities, including an outdoor aquatic theater, an ice skating rink, and even a park containing over 20,000 tropical plants.
The Wonder of the Seas is the largest Oasis class ship, and it was also the last to be built. Upon being launched in 2022, she became the biggest ship in the world, truly a wonder of the seas. The ship features eight neighborhoods, including a new suite neighborhood, a zip slide that is 10 decks high, and all that cruisers expect from a Royal Caribbean ship, including the famed climbing wall and Surf Rider. Thank you.
The Icon of the Seas is the first of Royal Caribbean's new Icon class of ships and is said to become the new largest ships in the world. Set to float out in late 2023 and take on fee-paying guests in 2024, the ship will be able to take a maximum of 7,600 passengers. She has taken the neighborhood concept to a whole new level and has modernized popular features such as the Aquatic show to make her a must-try for fans of Royal Caribbean.