Cruise ships: biggest, newest, tracked live

Q: Is gross tonnage the weight of a cruise ship?

No. Gross tonnage is a measure of a ship's enclosed volume, calculated with an international formula, not its weight. It is the standard way to compare cruise ship size because it stays the same unless the ship is structurally rebuilt.

Every ship below has a live tracker, the next sailings with prices and a price-history chart. Filter by line or sort by size and age.

What is the biggest cruise ship in the world?

By gross tonnage, the biggest cruise ship in the world is Icon of the Seas: 248,663 GT, 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, 2,350 crew and about 365 m long. It shares the top spot with its Icon-class sisters Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, built to the same 248,663 GT.

Next come the six Oasis-class ships, also Royal Caribbean: Utopia of the Seas (236,473 GT), Wonder of the Seas (235,600 GT), then Symphony, Harmony, Oasis and Allure of the Seas, all between 226,000 and 229,000 GT. That gives Royal Caribbean nine of the ten largest cruise ships. The tenth is MSC World Europa at 215,863 GT, with Disney Adventure (208,108 GT) just outside.

How is cruise ship size measured?

Gross tonnage measures volume, not weight. It is calculated from the total enclosed space of hull and superstructure, so more decks, atriums and cabins mean a higher number. Because it only changes if a ship is structurally rebuilt, it is the most stable way to rank ships.

Passenger figures are less consistent. Most lines quote lower-berth capacity, two guests per cabin; fill the bunks and sofa beds and the maximum rises sharply. Icon of the Seas lists 5,610 but can carry around 7,600. Some lines publish the maximum instead, which is why MSC World Europa shows 6,762 passengers despite being smaller. Compare on tonnage first.

As a guide from our data: Oasis and Icon class ships run 226,000–249,000 GT, Carnival's Excellence class about 183,000, Celebrity's Edge class about 137,000 and Holland America's Pinnacle class just under 100,000.

How to use this cruise ship catalogue

Use the line filter above to narrow the tiles to one fleet, then open any ship. Each ship page shows its latest AIS position, upcoming sailings with the cheapest cabin fare per person in each booking market, a price history chart and the ports of call. Set a price alert there and we email you when a fare drops. For every ship at sea right now, open the live tracker; to search by date and region, use find a cruise.

Cruise ships by cruise line

Royal Caribbean: 31 ships, the biggest fleet we track, from Grandeur of the Seas to the Icon class.

Carnival: 30 ships, led by the Excellence trio Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee.

MSC Cruises: 24 ships, topped by MSC World Europa.

Norwegian Cruise Line: 21 ships; the largest is Norwegian Encore at 169,116 GT.

Princess: 17 ships, with Sphere-class Sun Princess and Star Princess at the top.

Celebrity: 16 ships, from the 100-guest Celebrity Flora to the Edge class.

Holland America: 11 mid-size ships, none above 100,000 GT.

Disney: 8 ships, from Disney Magic to Disney Adventure.

Cunard: 4 ships, including the ocean liner Queen Mary 2.

Virgin Voyages: 4 adults-only ships of 110,000 GT each.

Frequently asked questions

›What is the biggest cruise ship in the world?

Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, at 248,663 gross tonnes. Its Icon-class sisters Star of the Seas and Legend of the Seas have the same tonnage, so the three share the title, well ahead of the Oasis-class ships behind them.

›How many passengers does the largest cruise ship carry?

Icon of the Seas is listed at 5,610 passengers at double occupancy, with 2,350 crew. With every upper berth and sofa bed filled, its maximum is around 7,600 guests.

›What is the newest cruise ship?

The newest ships in our catalogue by build year are Legend of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) and Norwegian Luna (Norwegian Cruise Line), both built 2026. The ranking card at the top of this page lists the most recent builds in order.

›Which cruise line has the most ships?

Of the ten lines we track, Royal Caribbean has the largest fleet with 31 ships, just ahead of Carnival with 30. MSC follows with 24 and Norwegian with 21.

›What is the longest cruise ship?

The Icon class is the longest, at about 365 m (just under 1,200 ft). The six Oasis-class ships are only slightly shorter at about 362 m, so length barely separates the biggest ships; gross tonnage is the better measure.

›Is gross tonnage the weight of a cruise ship?

Cruise ships: biggest, newest, tracked live

Cruise ships: biggest, newest, tracked live

Icon of the Seas

Legend of the Seas

Star of the Seas

Utopia of the Seas

Wonder of the Seas

Symphony of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas

Oasis of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

MSC World Europa

Disney Adventure

MSC Euribia

Carnival Celebration

Carnival Jubilee

Mardi Gras

MSC Grandiosa

MSC Virtuosa

Star Princess

Sun Princess

MSC Bellissima

MSC Meraviglia

MSC Seascape

MSC Seashore

Spectrum of the Seas

Norwegian Encore

Anthem of the Seas

Ovation of the Seas

Quantum of the Seas

Norwegian Bliss

Norwegian Joy

Norwegian Escape

Norwegian Aqua

Norwegian Luna

Freedom of the Seas

Independence of the Seas

Liberty of the Seas

Norwegian Epic

MSC Seaside

MSC Seaview

Queen Mary 2

Norwegian Breakaway

Norwegian Getaway

Enchanted Princess

Sky Princess

Discovery Princess

Disney Treasure

Majestic Princess

Disney Destiny

Disney Wish

Norwegian Prima

Regal Princess

Royal Princess

Celebrity Ascent

Celebrity Beyond

Celebrity Xcel

Navigator of the Seas

Mariner of the Seas

MSC Divina

MSC Preziosa

Explorer of the Seas

Adventure of the Seas

MSC Fantasia

MSC Splendida

Voyager of the Seas

Carnival Venezia

Carnival Firenze

Carnival Panorama

Carnival Horizon

Carnival Vista

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Edge

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Magic

Disney Dream

Disney Fantasy

Carnival Dream

Celebrity Reflection

Celebrity Silhouette