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Is Bigger Really Better?

When I first stepped aboard my first cruise ship she looked huge. Carnival’s Mardi Gras was one of a few ships cruising year round in 1975. My parents booked a 7-night Caribbean cruise on her and I explored every public space that I could on that 23,000 gross ton vessel. Times have changed and a 23,000-ton ship seems infinitely small by today’s cruising standards.

Bigger is better to many. I personally love big ships. Their sheer size and majesty amaze me. When it comes to cruise ships bigger definitely has its advantages. By sheer volume, the larger a cruise ship the greater the opportunity for more options when it comes to activities, public spaces, dining options and overall variety. Larger ships are often more stable in high seas and have better stabilizing systems than some of the smaller ships. Because of their size they also offer a larger variety of staterooms and suites, some enormous two-story apartments at sea.

The most often voiced drawbacks to a large ships include overcrowding, too many passengers to foster an intimate “club like” environment, the ships are too big to transit the Panama Canal so they are often positioned exclusively in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, and they tend to feel like they have been cut with a cookie-cutter.

Below you will be acquainted with the largest ships currently cruising the high seas. The ships marked with an asterix will launch by 2009. A ships size is measured by it's Gross Registered Tonnage, or commonly known as GRT.

Ship Comparison
Royal Caribbean's Mighty Size Queens

25 Largest Cruise Ships

* Genesis of the Seas - Royal Caribbean
   222,000 GRT   Will Launch 2009    Guests 5400
* Independence of the Seas - Royal Caribbean
   160,000 GRT   Will Launch 2008    Guests 3634
1) Liberty of the Seas  - Royal Caribbean
    160,000 GRT   Launched 2007   Guests 3634
2) Freedom of the Seas - Royal Caribbean
    160,000 GRT   Launched 2006   Guests 3634
3) Queen Mary 2 (QM2) – Cunard
    150,000 GRT   Launched 2004   Guests 2620
4) Adventure of the Sea- Royal Caribbean
    142,000 GRT   Launched 2001   Guests 3114
5) Explorer of the Seas - Royal Caribbean
    142,000 GRT   Launched 2000   Guests 3114
6) Navigator of the Seas- Royal Caribbean
    142,000 GRT   Launched 2002   Guests 3114
7) Voyager of the Seas - Royal Caribbean
    142,000 GRT   Launched 1999   Guests 3114
8) Mariner of the Seas – Royal Caribbean
    138,000 GRT   Launched 2003   Guests 3114
9) Caribbean Princess - Princess
    116,000 GRT   Launched 2004   Guests 3110
10) Crown Princess - Princess
    116,000 GRT   Launched 2006   Guests 3110
11) Emerald Princess - Princess
    116,000 GRT   Launched 2007   Guests 3110
12) Diamond Princess - Princess
    113,000 GRT   Launched 2003   Guests 2600
13) Sapphire Princess - Princess
    113,000 GRT   Launched 2004   Guests 2600
14) Costa Concordia – Costa
     112,000 GRT   Launched 2006 Guests 3000
15) Costa Serena - Costa
     112,000 GRT   Launched 2007 Guests 3000
16) Carnival Conquest – Carnival
     110,000 GRT   Launched 2002 Guests 2974
17) Carnival Freedom – Carnival
     110,000 GRT   Launched 2007 Guests 2974
18) Carnival Glory – Carnival
     110,000 GRT   Launched 2004 Guests 2974
19) Carnival Liberty – Carnival
     110,000 GRT   Launched 2005 Guests 2974
20) Carnival Valor - Carnival
     110,000 GRT   Launched 2004 Guests 2974
21) Golden Princess – Princess
     109,000 GRT   Launched 2001 Guests 2600
22) Grand Princess– Princess
     109,000 GRT   Launched 1998 Guests 2600
23) Star Princess– Princess
     109,000 GRT   Launched 2002 Guests 2600
24) Costa Fortuna – Costa
     105,000 GRT   Launched 2003 Guests 2720
25) Costa Magica– Costa
     105,000 GRT   Launched 2004 Guests 2720