The Largest Cruise Ships You Can Sail Right Now

As the cruise industry experiences surging demand in a post-COVID world, the newest ships are getting larger and larger.

Royal Caribbean International is setting the bar, boasting the six largest passenger vessels on the planet but other brands are determined to leave their mark when it comes to overall size.

Here's a look at the 10 largest cruise ships in the world that are currently in operation as of May 2024.

Royal Caribbean International's Icon of the Seas became the world's largest cruise ship in operation when it debuted earlier this year. With a mind-blowing gross tonnage (GT) of 248,663, Icon of the Seas is seemingly the pinnacle of Royal Caribbean's ambitious Oasis Class. Nonetheless, records were made to be broken.

Debuting in 2022, Wonder of the Seas wowed travelers with a length of more than 1,187 feet. Its 2,867 staterooms are still the most of any ship currently sailing. Families looking to experience the ship can sail a variety of Caribbean itineraries from Florida's Space Coast.

Royal Caribbean International currently operates the world's six largest cruise ships, including Symphony of the Seas, which debuted in 2018. For perspective, Symphony of the Seas is nearly 100 feet longer than U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers.

In terms of total length, only Icon of the Seas is longer than Harmony of the Seas at 1,188.1 feet. Completing her maiden voyage in 2016, Harmony of the Seas boasts seven different neighborhoods and an array of amenities, including water slides, surf simulators, a theater and much more.

Oasis of the Seas, the first of Royal Caribbean International's Oasis-class ships, became the largest cruise ship in the world more than a decade ago before being surpassed by her sister ships. Oasis of the Seas was 225,282 GT at launch but was expanded to 226,838 GT after additional cabins were added in 2019.

A pioneer of Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class, Allure of the Seas arrived in 2010 at a whopping 225,282 GT and a mind-bending 1,180 feet. This ship is set to undergo an ambitious modernization project.

MSC Cruises' massive MSC World Europa famously served as a floating hotel during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. MSC World Europa is the line's first World-class ship but will be joined by a trio of sister ships in the coming years.

Italian cruise line Costa Cruises' Costa Toscana checks in at 186,364 GT and a length of just over 1,100 feet. It arrived in 2021, surpassing its sister ship Costa Smeralda by just over 1,000 GT.

P&O Cruises' MS Arvia is the largest ship to be commissioned for the British cruise market at a gross tonnage of 185,581. The ship's maximum passenger capacity comes in at a whopping 6,685.

Arriving just before the onset of the pandemic in 2019, Costa Cruises' Costa Smeralda clocks in at an astonishing 185,010 GT. This magnificent vessel also boasts the distinction of being only the second cruise ship in the world to be fully powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).