The largest cruise ships in the world are more than simple ships, they’re floating comprehensive floating entertainment complexes. At a size that really has to be seen to be believed.
With room for thousands on board, these ships are hundreds of metres long with more than a dozen decks. They feature casino gambling, waterparks, cinemas, ice rinks, sports venues, theatres, and even, in one case, a planetarium. All sailing around the world to various iconic destinations. These, are the world’s biggest cruise ships.
Icon of the Seas is a New Level of Scale
Icon of the Seas – and her sister ship the Star of the Seas are a new class of cruise ship. Literally.
The Icon class was commissioned by Royal Caribbean in 2016, and the first two ships of the line set sail in early 2024.
Among other features, the Icon of the Seas has the largest on-ship casino in the world – outsizing some famous land based gambling venues even. A literal offshore casino if you will.
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Other amenities on board the Icon of the Seas include:
- Decks split into eight distinct neighborhoods with themed eateries, bars and attractions
- The biggest at sea waterpark with record breaking waterslides and diving boards
- A rock climbing wall, a zipline and a skywalk ropes attraction
- A swimming pool based theatre with nightly aquatic acrobatics shows
- An ice skating rink
- Over 30 restaurants and bars
The impressive floating construction has capacity for 7600 passengers and more than 2000 crew. As well as being the largest by dimensions it also the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, at a huge 248,663 tonnes of internal volume.
Icon of the Seas departs from Miami, Florida, and it on its maiden voyage it was officially opened by global soccer star Lionel Messi.
Wonder of the Seas Was the Short-Lived Record Holder
Wonder of the Seas – also operated by Royal Caribbean – was the biggest cruise ship in the world between 2022 and 2024, when it was surpassed by Icon of the Seas.
Wonder of the Seas is still highly-rated by travellers and cruise ship fans however, and it is still among one of the most impressive in the world.
As well as sharing many features with the Icon class, this behemoth of a ship also offers:
- A crazy central Oasis park through the middle of the ship that has 10,000 plants
- Two theatres
- A full size indoor basketball court
- A full service casino with table games and slots
- An arcade with modern and vintage gaming machines
- A bionic bar with drinks prepared and served by robots
The Wonder of the Seas departs from PortMiami Florida for cruises around the Caribbean. It was for a time homeported in Port Canaveral in Orlando.
The Queen Mary 2 Is the Largest True Ocean Liner
Speaking of US ports, The Queen Mary 2 may no longer be even in the top 10 of largest cruise ships. But it is, the largest true ocean liner still in service.
That is, ships built for travelling but also for the experience of the long voyage. In the lap of luxury of course.
Built in the early 2000s and launched in 2024, Queen Mary 2 still regularly sails between Southampton, England, and New York City, in an ocean-spanning voyage that takes a full seven days.
Although built for travel over leisure, no expense was spared in making the journey a pleasurable one. The ship features classic British elegance in design choices, compared to the maximalist luxury of the two mega cruise ships above, and it has the largest ship-borne ballroom in the world.
Other features include:
- 5000 works of art from 128 different artists
- The largest library of any cruise ship, with 8000 volumes and a reading area overlooking the ship’s bow
- A full service casino
- A theatre – sometimes known to host Shakespeare plays with famous actors
- 15 restaurants and bars
The Queen Mary 2 is notable for having the first and only planetarium at sea. During the day the glass-domed room is a lecture hall and cinema, but during the night-time it uses the dark night sky of the open Atlantic to full effect. Sometimes guest lectures are held by notable or famous astronomers too, so keep an eye out for that.
There you have it – three of the world’s biggest and most impressive cruise ships. From ultra modern floating entertainment palaces to classic British working elegance, any voyage on these ships will be among the greatest travel experiences in the world.
