The largest Royal Caribbean cruise ships are more than three times the size of the smallest in the fleet.
So, when you’re choosing a ship for your next cruise, it can be helpful to compare all Royal Caribbean ships by size with a list of the biggest Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Below is a list of all Royal Caribbean ships by size, ordered from largest to smallest in terms of volume (in gross tonnage) and length (in feet).
What are the biggest Royal Caribbean ships?
| Ship Name | Class | Year | Total Guest Capacity | Gross Tonnage | Length (feet) |
| Icon of the Seas | Icon | 2024 | 7,600 | 250,800 | 1,198 |
| Wonder of the Seas | Oasis | 2022 | 6,988 | 236,857 | 1,188 |
| Utopia of the Seas | Oasis | 2024 | 6,788 | 236,857 | 1,188 |
| Symphony of the Seas | Oasis | 2018 | 6,680 | 228,081 | 1,184 |
| Harmony of the Seas | Oasis | 2016 | 6,687 | 226,963 | 1,188 |
| Allure of the Seas | Oasis | 2010 | 6,780 | 225,282 | 1,187 |
| Oasis of the Seas | Oasis | 2009 | 6,780 | 225,282 | 1,187 |
| Odyssey of the Seas | Quantum Ultra | 2021 | 4,819 | 169,379 | 1,142 |
| Spectrum of the Seas | Quantum Ultra | 2019 | 5,622 | 169,379 | 1,139 |
| Anthem of the Seas | Quantum | 2015 | 4,905 | 168,666 | 1,141 |
| Ovation of the Seas | Quantum | 2016 | 4,905 | 168,666 | 1,138 |
| Quantum of the Seas | Quantum | 2014 | 4,905 | 168,666 | 1141 |
| Freedom of the Seas | Freedom | 2006 | 4,515 | 154,407 | 1,112 |
| Independence of the Seas | Freedom | 2008 | 4,560 | 154,407 | 1,112 |
| Liberty of the Seas | Freedom | 2007 | 4,960 | 154,407 | 1,112 |
| Navigator of the Seas | Voyager | 2002 | 4,000 | 139,999 | 1,020 |
| Mariner of the Seas | Voyager | 2003 | 4,000 | 139,863 | 1,020 |
| Explorer of the Seas | Voyager | 2000 | 4,290 | 137,308 | 1,020 |
| Adventure of the Seas | Voyager | 2001 | 3,807 | 137,276 | 1,020 |
| Voyager of the Seas | Voyager | 1999 | 4,269 | 137,276 | 1,020 |
| Brilliance of the Seas | Radiance | 2002 | 2,543 | 90,090 | 962 |
| Jewel of the Seas | Radiance | 2004 | 2,702 | 90,090 | 962 |
| Radiance of the Seas | Radiance | 2001 | 2,466 | 90,090 | 962 |
| Serenade of the Seas | Radiance | 2003 | 2,476 | 90,090 | 965 |
| Enchantment of the Seas | Vision | 1997 | 2,730 | 82,910 | 989 |
| Rhapsody of the Seas | Vision | 1997 | 2,416 | 78,491 | 915 |
| Vision of the Seas | Vision | 1998 | 2,514 | 78,340 | 915 |
| Grandeur of the Seas | Vision | 1996 | 2,440 | 73,817 | 916 |
The Biggest Royal Caribbean Ships
Royal Caribbean makes the biggest cruise ships in the world and so many people want to know what is the largest Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Royal Caribbean’s largest ship is Icon of the Seas. This is the biggest cruise ship in the world, and the first of the Icon class of ships. It is 1,198 feet long, has 20 decks in total, and a capacity for 7,600 guests and 2,350 crew.
Icon of the Seas will be significantly larger than previous record-holder Wonder of the Seas, with over 13,000 more gross tonnes of space in comparison.
And it’s the longest ship in the world too, though only by around 10 feet.
The previous record holder wasn’t Wonder, but actually Harmony of the Seas – but only by mere inches. Icon’s extra 10 feet makes it comfortably the biggest cruise ship in the world. Though she already has sister ships on order which will likely break that record.
Suggested read: How big is a cruise ship?
Largest Royal Caribbean ships on order
Royal Caribbean has several new cruise ships on order. These are either under construction in the shipyards or have agreements to be built in place.
A sixth Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, is scheduled to launch in 2024 which is expected to be a similar size to Wonder of the Seas.
But it’s Icon of the Seas and her new class of ships that will remain the biggest – with two more Icon-class ships on order.
List of Royal Caribbean ships on order
| Ship Name | Class | Year | Gross Tonnage |
| Utopia of the Seas | Oasis | 2024 | 231,000 |
| Star of the Seas | Icon | 2025 | 200,000 |
| To be announced | Icon | 2026 | 200,000 |
Royal Caribbean Ship Classes By Size
Royal Caribbean International has eight classes of ships. Each class has between one and five sister ships.
Each of the sister ships are very similar in design, although they may have different amenities on board, which is why some ships are heavier than their sisters.
List of Royal Caribbean ship classes by size
| Class | Average Gross Tonnage |
| Icon | 250,800 |
| Oasis | 228,000 |
| Quantum Ultra | 169,000 |
| Quantum | 169,000 |
| Freedom | 154,000 |
| Voyager | 138,000 |
| Radiance | 90,000 |
| Vision | 78,000 |
Are the bigger ships better than the smaller ships?
Whether you prefer the larger ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet or the smaller ships is all a matter of personal preference. Some people love large ships because there is so much to do on board.
We cruised on Allure of the Seas for seven nights and didn’t get time to see or do everything on board. However, others might find the biggest ships a little too over-facing, preferring something a little more serene.
The biggest ships tend to be more expensive than the smaller, older ships. This means that in effect, you’re paying extra for the facilities that larger ships have. If you plan to spend most of your time relaxing by the pool or exploring ashore, then there’s no point paying more for a ship with facilities that you won’t use.
Even the small to medium size ships are still pretty big. We cruised on Mariner of the Seas for four nights and were never short of activities on board. For a short sailing like this, the mid-sized ships on the fleet are ideal.
But, who cares what I think? To find out which ships are actually the best, I collated all of the reviews from Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor and Cruiseline.com.
You can read which ships came out top, and bottom, here: Royal Caribbean Ships Ranked From Best To Worst.
I also made this video to demonstrate:
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Royal Caribbean ship size FAQs
The largest Royal Caribbean ship is Icon of the Seas. At 250,800 GT and with a length of 1,198 feet, this is the largest cruise ship in the world, accommodating up to 7,600 guests plus 2,350 crew.
The smallest Royal Caribbean ship currently operating, both in terms of gross tonnage and passenger capacity, is Grandeur of the Seas, which is also the oldest ship in the fleet. It can carry 2,440 passengers at max capacity and measures 73,817 tonnes.
Symphony of the Seas is physically larger than Oasis of the Seas. At 361m long, Symphony of the Seas is one metre longer, and also 1,200 tonnes larger in terms of volume. However, Oasis of the Seas can carry almost an additional 100 passengers at maximum capacity.
The largest cruise ship ever built is Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas. This ship is 1,198 feet long and has an internal volume of 250,800 gross tonnes. It has 20 decks, of which 18 are open to passengers.
So if Allure capacity is at 125%, then every bed is taken. 6740/5400 = 125%.
You list the dates the ships were launched. Knowing that some have been extensively renovated, can you provide the most recent year of the renovations?
Hi Jim. Thanks for the suggestion. I’m currently working on an article about Royal Caribbean’s amplification program. I will add a link to that here when it’s ready. Jenni
GREAT list of the ships by size / class. Is there a way to make it printable?
I tell everyone that to take a cruise is the best vacation.
Thanks for your offer to help but I was just curious to see all the new ships, as I started with Royal Caribbean on board the Song of Norway in 1978. Best years of my life. Thanks again.