Does Size Count ?

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. On RCCL’s Oasis of the Seas (220,000 gross tons), there are enormous two-story lofts. NCL’s upcoming mega ship Epic (152,000 gross tones) will have small studio staterooms targeted at the younger travel and those looking for a great economy rate room. These rooms will be around 100 sq feet, with a large window looking outwards into the hallway and an exclusive common “club” area with bar and gathering space.  Disney Cruise Lines’s upcoming ship the Disney Dream (128,000 gross tons), will have virtual portholes in all of their inside cabins that allow views of the ocean similar to standard outside cabins real views...the only difference is Arial or Sebastian from the Little Mermaid may wander by the virtual portholes from time to time.

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. Over the past five years newer, more innovative ships have debuted to rave reviews and many of the overcrowding issues have been resolved.

Recent reviews of RCCL’s monolithic Oasis of the Seas, which accommodates over 6,000 guests on each voyage, has gotten rave reviews for embarkation and disembarkation, the processes of getting on and off the ship. In the past this process has been the target of complaints on many larger ships. Over the past few years the Cruise Lines have focused great attention on remedying this problem and have come up with great solutions including “easy disembarkation” for those who are hand carrying their luggage off the ship.

Below you will be acquainted with the largest ships currently cruising the high seas. A ships size is measured by its Gross Registered Tonnage, or commonly known as GRT.

RCCL's Classes of Mega Ships