Why the world’s biggest cruise ships are getting even bigger

Last year I reported on the rise of very small cruise ships, if you can call them that, since some are so compact they only carry a dozen guests. But at the opposite end of the scale, cruise ships are getting ever larger. In 2000, the world’s biggest ship was Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas at 137,276 gross tonnage (GT), a measure of a ship’s internal volume rather than weight.

The 10 largest ships have doubled on average in volume since that time. Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, launched in early 2024, is 248,663 GT. The megaship is 364.75 metres long with 20 decks and a maximum capacity of 5610 passengers and 2350 crew.

Icon was the world’s largest ship in 2024 but two more Icon-class ships, Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, have since sailed out, and two more Icon-class ships are on order.

They make Norwegian Cruise Line’s latest ship Norwegian Aqua seem small with a 3571-passenger capacity, but in the 2030s the line will be launching four new ships that carry 5000 passengers and are just shy of Icon at 225,000 GT.

Meanwhile, MSC threw down the gauntlet in 2022 with MSC World Europa, which, although somewhat smaller, carries 6762 passengers. It was followed by MSC World America last year. MSC World Asia arrives at the end of this year, and several more World-Class vessels are under construction or on order.

Then there’s Carnival Cruise Line, which takes delivery of the first of three mammoth ships in 2029 that will outdo all others with an 8000-passenger capacity, though at 230,000 GT they don’t beat Icon for size. The names and classes of these ships have yet to be revealed.

Beyond the biggest ships, others have been getting larger too. Viking ocean ships carry 930 guests but the most recent have been bumped up to 998. Silversea’s new Evolution-class ships have 728 passengers compared with the previous 596. And late this year, Regent Seven Seas will launch its biggest-ever ship, the 850-passenger Seven Seas Prestige.

There are economies of scale in making ships bigger, even for luxury lines, since they cost less per passenger to build and operate. The question is whether those who’ve paid a premium for a luxury experience are willing to share with too many others.

The challenge even for budget-end ships is filling them, which is why the world’s biggest vessels operate mainly in the Caribbean and, to a lesser extent, the Mediterranean, which have large nearby customer markets.

Will ships keep on supersizing? Maybe. Cruisers clearly like the size, sociability and abundant amenities and entertainments, but there are constraints.

No current shipyard can build or service a larger vessel than Icon. Some ports can’t accommodate them because of low bridges, tight corners or short quays. Public agitation has also seen some ports ban very large ships. Watch this space.

Brian Johnston seemed destined to become a travel writer: he is an Irishman born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland, who has lived in Britain and China and now calls Australia home.