Cruise ships have often been called cities and sea and that’s a pretty accurate description of some of them. To get an idea how big some of these ships are, the Titanic, which was the biggest cruise ship in the world when it was built, wouldn’t even rank in the top 50 today.
Here are 10 of the biggest in the world and all of them were constructed after 2000. Many of them also have sister ships that are just as big.
(photo by steamboatsorg)
1. Royal Caribbean-Oasis of the Seas
This ship weighs 225,282 tons, is 1,187 feet long and has an official capacity of 5,400 people. Oasis of the Seas is so big that’s it can’t sail through the Panama Canal. Not only is it too long for the waterway, but it’s also too tall and wide. There’s plenty to do on board with rock climbing walls, Broadway shows, and zip lines. It carries a crew of about 2,400 members.
2. Cunard-RMS Queen Mary 2
This ship weighs 151,400 tons, is 1,132 feet long and has an official capacity of 2,620 people. TheQueen Mary 2 is longer than 40 double-decker buses that are lined bumper to bumper. You could place a football field on each end of the ship and still have room to lay Big Ben down on the deck. When it was christened back in 2004 it was the largest ship in the world. There are only 1,310 staterooms on board, meaning there’s plenty of room for guests.
3. Disney Dream
This ship weighs 130,000 tons, is 1,115 feet long and has an official capacity of 2,500 people. TheDisney Dream cruise ship is a miniature version of Disneyland, at sea. It comes with a 3-D movie cinema, visits from famous Walt Disney characters, and a 765-foot long water coaster known as Aqua Duck.
4. Royal Caribbean-Freedom of the Seas
This ship weighs 160,000 tons, is 1,112 feet long and has an official capacity of 3, 634 people. Miss Congeniality is sometimes compared to a floating water park. There are several swimming pools and hot tubs as well as a surf simulator. You’ll also find sculpture fountains, waterfalls and a children’s water park called the H2O Zone. There’s even an ice skating rink on board.
5. MSC-Splendida
This ship weighs 137, 936 tons, is 1,1094 feet long and has an official capacity of 3,274 people. The Splendida offers close to five million square feet of space on board. It’s bigger than Minnesota’s Mall of America and if it was stood on its end is taller than Paris’ Eiffel Tower.
6. Norwegian-Epic
This ship weighs 155,873 tons, is 1,081 feet long and has an official capacity of 4,100 people. The Epic was christened in July of 2010 and it had to take five lifeboats down just to fit into New York Harbor. There are 20 different options for dining on board including 24-hour pizza delivery to your cabin. The ship also features a bar made out of ice.
7. Celebrity-Eclipse
This ship weighs 122,000 tons, is 1,033 feet long and has an official capacity of 2,850 people. If you lined up four 747 jets they still wouldn’t be as long as the Eclipse. The ship comes with 19 decks and the top one comes with a grass lawn where travellers can play games such as croquet and bocce.
8. Royal Caribbean-Voyager of the Seas
This ship weighs 138,000 tons, is 1,020 feet long and has an official capacity of 3,114 people. The Voyager of the Seas was basically the first modern supersized cruise ship to be built. It comes with a television studio, concert theatre, and in-line skating track. It also has a miniature nine-hole golf course.
9. Carnival-Dream
This ship weighs 130,000 tons, is 1,004 feet long and has an official capacity of 3,646 people. The Dream is compared to a floating amusement park due to all the fun and games it offers. It also comes with a 12 by-22-foot LED-screen movie theatre.
10. Princess-Diamond
This ship weighs 116,000 tons, is 964 feet long and has an official capacity of 2,670 people. The diamond is less than 1,000 feet long, but it’s still two times bigger than Buckingham Place with almost double the Palace’s rooms. You could fit the Taj Mahal in it five times. The ship offers a host of restaurants, daily afternoon tea, martini bars and over 700 cabins that come with balconies.
