If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably found yourself staring up at a cruise ship and wondering, “Just how big is that thing?” With the average cruise ship coming in at over 1,000 feet in length and weighing roughly 120,000 gross tons, these gigantic floating cities will always make you feel tiny, no matter how many times you see them.
Let’s take a look at the size of an average–and the world’s largest–cruise ship, and see how they measure up to some familiar landmarks to help you grasp the magnitude of a modern cruise ship.
Defining Cruise Ship Size
When we talk about measuring the size of a cruise ship, we’re not just referring to its length or width. Proper maritime measurements also factor in the height and gross tonnage, which gives a much more accurate depiction of the actual size of a vessel.
Here is a quick breakdown of the main measurements that are used to define the overall size of a cruise ship:
Length Overall (LOA)
Length overall, or LOA, is the maximum distance from the bow (front) of the ship, all the way to the furthest reaching point of its stern (back). Your average cruise ship measures about 1,000 feet in length, but some larger ships measure almost 1,200 feet!
Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class ships are the world’s largest class of cruise ships. Icon of the Seas measures a staggering 1,196.7 feet, while Utopia of the Seas, an Oasis-class ship, measures 1,188 feet in length.
Width (Beam)
The vessel’s widest point is the part used to describe its width. When discussing a modern cruise ship’s size, the width usually comes between 122 and 213 feet, with 135 feet being the average for most vessels.
It is important to measure the absolute widest point of the ship, as this determines how capable the ship will be of navigating narrow ports and fitting through key canals like the Panama Canal. A cruise ship’s width is also important for its overall stability. A wider beam can help balance the ship and prevent it from tipping over.
Height
Height may sound pretty self-explanatory, but with ship measurements, you also include the portion of the ship that sits below the water. This means measuring the vertical depth from the ship’s highest point right down to the lowest point of the keel.
For ships that are 20+ decks tall, this can be over 240 feet high. Height is important for knowing a cruise ship’s bridge clearance, which can be critical for those traveling along river routes with overhanging bridges and other obstacles.
Gross Tonnage (GT)
Gross tonnage, usually listed as GT, is probably the most important measurement when defining a cruise ship’s actual size. Not only is it the most common figure quoted when assessing the size of these mega-ships, but it also provides a really accurate image of size by factoring in length, height, and width.
Often confused with weight, gross tonnage is a measure of a ship’s overall internal volume. This is why the gross tonnage of some ships can be a bit confusing, as two ships can have the same GT but different weights.
Read Also: Icon of the Seas vs Wonder of the Seas – A Giant Comparison
For instance, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas has a gross tonnage of approximately 248,663 GT, making it one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
Gross tonnage provides a full picture of a ship’s internal volume, encompassing everything inside, including cabins, entertainment venues, dining areas, and more. It is used to determine capacity restrictions, port fees, and more.
Measurements of the Current Biggest Cruise Ships
To give you an idea of how these measurements actually play out in the real world, here is a quick comparison of some of the current biggest cruise ships from the top cruise lines:
| Cruise Line | Large Cruise Ships | Gross Tonnage | Length | Maximum Passenger Capacity |
| Royal Caribbean | Icon of the Seas | 248,663 GT | 1,196.7 feet | 7,600 |
| Carnival Cruise Line | Carnival Jubilee | 183,521 GT | 1,130 feet | 6,631 |
| MSC Cruises | MSC World Europa | 215,863 GT | 1,094 feet | 6,762 |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Norwegian Encore | 169,116 GT | 1,094 feet | 4,004 |
| Costa Cruises | Costa Smeralda | 185,010 GT | 1,106 feet | 6,554 |
| P&O Cruises | P&O Arvia | 184,700 GT | 1,130 feet | 5,200 |
Keep in mind that the above chart only highlights each individual cruise line’s biggest ship right now. Some cruise lines, particularly Royal Caribbean, have multiple ships that would rank in the current top 10 list.
This list will also grow and change as cruise lines add new ships to their fleets. For example, we already know that Royal Caribbean International plans to launch at least three new Icon-class cruise ships that will also eclipse the Icon of the Seas in both length and gross tonnage.
How Big Is the World’s Largest Cruise Ship?
As of right now, the world’s largest cruise ship is Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the first in the Icon class. As of early 2025, they are not only the largest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, they stand as the largest cruise ships ever built.
Royal Caribbean International has already announced plans to have at least four Icon-class ships in their fleet, with Star of the Seas set to join her sister ship in August of 2025.
Worth Reading: Icon of the Seas vs. Carnival Jubilee – A Giant Comparison
Once she sets sail, she will eclipse the gross tonnage of the Icon of the Seas. Like her older sister, Star of the Seas will be outfitted with luxurious amenities, casinos, and other top-tier entertainment venues.
For now, Icon of the Seas retains the title of the world’s largest. This behemoth measures just shy of 1,200 feet in length and stands 20 passenger decks tall.
With a gross tonnage of 248,663, it can accommodate a maximum capacity of 7,600 passengers and 2,350 crew members, bringing its full onboard capacity to nearly 10,000 people.
It’s almost impossible to appreciate the scale of the Icon of the Seas until you explore her for yourself. The entire Icon-class are true modern engineering marvels that act almost like floating cities, resorts, and theme parks all wrapped into one!
Royal Caribbean’s Icon class represents a significant leap forward in cruise ship size, surpassing Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas, two Oasis-class ships that each previously held the title of the world’s largest.
How Many People Fit on a Cruise Ship?
As you have probably guessed, passenger capacity varies widely from one cruise ship to the next. Today, the average cruise ship has a passenger capacity of around 3,000 passengers, with about 1,200 crew members supporting each ship’s operations.
To give you an idea of how passenger capacities have changed over time, the Titanic, an ocean liner that was once considered to be the pinnacle of maritime engineering, had a passenger capacity of about 2,435 guests, which is less than half the size of today’s larger ships.
We’ve already established that Icon of the Seas is the largest ship, so it is no surprise it can also carry the highest number of passengers. With double occupancy, it can carry 5,610 passengers, but at maximum capacity, that number bumps up to 7,600 passengers, which is more than double the average capacity for a modern cruise ship.
The smallest ships in the cruise industry, usually operated by more niche cruise lines that offer intimate voyages to more remote areas, can carry as few as 200 guests. The current smallest cruise ship, Celebrity Xploration, now owned by Lindblad Expeditions, only carries 16 guests in just eight passenger cabins.
While this may make you wonder why it is even classed as a cruise ship, its tiny size and low passenger capacity allow it to visit remote areas that have strict visitor limitations and visa requirements, like the Galapagos Islands, which are entirely off-limits to larger cruise ships and their thousands of passengers.
How Big a Cruise Ship Is Compared to…
I personally find it easier to appreciate the scale of an average modern cruise ship when you compare it to the size of other ships and objects to put things into perspective. Here are just a few size comparisons I found that helped me wrap my head around the size of these gargantuan vessels.
Aircraft Carriers
The biggest modern cruise ships, like the Icon class ships, are even longer than aircraft carriers. With Nimitz-class aircraft carriers coming in at shy of 1,100 feet in length, they’re almost 100 feet shorter than the world’s largest cruise ships. Just think about that: ships designed with built-in runways are still shorter than the biggest cruise ships!
Famous Landmarks
A large cruise ship is comparable to a skyscraper, with the largest being comparable to the Chrysler Building if you laid the iconic New York City building on its side.
On the other hand, if you stood a ship like Icon of the Seas upright, it would be even taller than the height of the Eiffel Tower, which comes in at 1,083 feet.
If the idea of craning your neck upwards and picturing a skyscraper on its side is difficult, let’s imagine something a little easier. At just under 1,200 feet, the current longest cruise ships are equivalent to about three football fields if they were laid end to end.
Just think, we are only talking about the length here. Plenty of cruise ship giants have over 15 decks, so you’re talking about three football fields multiplied by 6 to 20 layers. No wonder cruise ship designers can pack in so many fun amenities and accommodations into these floating giants!
Animals and Human Beings
The blue whale is the world’s largest animal, but even they’re dwarfed by the size of your average cruise ship. At 110 feet, it would take almost 11 blue whales lined up nose to tail to equal the length of the largest cruise ships.
If you go even smaller, the world’s largest land animal, the African bush elephant, measures about 22 feet from head to tail. With the average cruise ship measuring about 1,000 feet, you’d need to line up more than 45 adult African bush elephants to eclipse that length. Talk about a circus!
Now, with the average adult male human measuring 5’7”, you would need to have 175 average adults lying head to toe to equal the length of an average cruise ship. Get the idea? These vessels are enormous!
How Large Can Cruise Ships Realistically Get?
One thing that nobody can deny about the cruise industry is the fact that it constantly pushes boundaries and reinvents itself. If you had a time machine and showed someone from 100 years ago a photograph of a modern cruise ship, they’d probably think you were a sorcerer. So, how big can these ships realistically get?
Norwegian Cruise Line has already placed orders with Fincantieri for next-generation LNG-powered vessels. MSC Cruises will expand its fleet in 2025 and 2027 with two larger ships, the MSC World Europa and MSC World America.
Plus, we’ve already talked about how the Icon of the Seas is about to be eclipsed by the next three ships in the Icon class by about 100 feet, so the title of the world’s largest is set to change hands soon.
With all that said, there are limitations on how big these ships can get. For starters, port infrastructure and harbor depth tend to limit the practical size of cruise ships.
PortMiami is currently the largest and busiest cruise ship port, but even the port’s biggest cruise ship berth at Terminal A was only designed to handle Icon-class ships or smaller.
If even the biggest ports in the world can’t accommodate a cruise ship, it limits the types of itineraries the ship can offer.
Then, there are also environmental concerns, as propelling an enormously heavy cruise ship through rough seas involves burning an incredible amount of fuel.
While modern giants like Icon of the Seas, Costa Smeralda, and MSC World America use liquefied natural gas (LNG), which helps reduce emissions, fuel consumption is still a consideration when drafting designs for even larger ships.
Beyond engineering limitations, there are also concerns about the overall passenger experience. Sure, breaking records is exciting, and plenty of people want to travel on the biggest ships with the greatest number and variety of amenities, but there are also a lot of passengers who prefer a more intimate experience with fewer crowds.
Read Also: How Many Doors on a Cruise Ship?
So, when designing new ships, cruise lines also have to consider market forces. After all, what is the point of spending over $2 billion to build record-breaking cruise ships that might not appeal to a significant section of the market?
With all of that said, the current biggest cruise ships have nearly doubled the size of the biggest ships from before the year 2000, so it is always difficult to predict what the cruise industry will cook up next.
If cruise ships continue to grow at the same rate that they have since the turn of the millennium, we could theoretically see cruise ships that measure 345,000 GT by the year 2050!
See You Onboard, If You Can Find Me!
From their mind-blowing physical scale to their ability to carry thousands of guests and crew, modern cruise ships are true engineering models. They are regularly compared to floating resorts, but even that comparison does not really communicate their scale.
After all, even the biggest and best resorts can’t accommodate up to 7,000 guests at a time while also providing those guests with water parks, movie theaters, ice rinks, 20 different restaurants, rock climbing walls, and more.
Read Also: Are Smaller or Bigger Cruise Ships Better?
While the scale of these ships can almost feel intimidating, they aren’t just enormous; they’re incredibly well thought out. Passenger safety, comfort, and enjoyment are always central to the design, making it easy for guests to navigate the interiors without getting lost or confused.
Whether sailing through the Caribbean and the Bahamas on one of the cruise industry’s mega-ships or enjoying a quiet voyage on a boutique vessel, exploring a cruise ship and getting the most out of the amenities they are outfitted with is one of the best parts of any cruise vacation.
As industry leaders like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and MSC Cruises continue to innovate, who knows just how enormous the next generation of cruise ships will become? I know I’m excited to find out what the cruise industry cooks up next!
