Gross tonnage, or GT, is a measure of a ship's total enclosed volume, not its weight — see GT vs GRT for how the modern figure differs from the older gross register tonnage. The table below ranks the Phase 1 ships in this directory by GT, descending, so the largest enclosed volume sits at the top regardless of length, passenger count or launch year. That produces a list dominated by recent large classes, especially Royal Caribbean's Icon and Oasis ships, but it also shows how widely the biggest fleets now spread: MSC, Disney, Costa, P&O, Carnival, Princess and Norwegian all place ships in the top 50. Use the figures as a comparison of scale, not as a ranking of quality or experience.
The 50 largest cruise ships in this directory, by gross tonnage
| # | Ship | GT | Launched | Operator | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Icon of the Seas | 248,663 | 2024 | Royal Caribbean International | Icon class |
| 2 | Legend of the Seas | 248,663 | 2025 | Royal Caribbean International | Icon class |
| 3 | Star of the Seas | 248,663 | 2024 | Royal Caribbean International | Icon class |
| 4 | Utopia of the Seas | 236,473 | 2023 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 5 | Wonder of the Seas | 235,600 | 2022 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 6 | Symphony of the Seas | 228,081 | 2018 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 7 | Harmony of the Seas | 226,963 | 2015 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 8 | Oasis of the Seas | 226,838 | 2009 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 9 | Allure of the Seas | 225,282 | 2010 | Royal Caribbean International | Oasis class |
| 10 | MSC World America | 216,638 | 2024 | MSC Cruises | World class |
| 11 | MSC World Europa | 215,863 | 2022 | MSC Cruises | — |
| 12 | Disney Adventure | 208,108 | 2025 | Disney Cruise Line | Global class |
| 13 | Costa Toscana | 186,364 | 2021 | Costa Cruises | Excellence class |
| 14 | Arvia | 185,581 | 2022 | P&O Cruises | Excellence class |
| 15 | Costa Smeralda | 185,010 | 2019 | Costa Cruises | Excellence class |
| 16 | Iona | 184,089 | 2020 | P&O Cruises | Excellence class |
| 17 | MSC Euribia | 184,011 | 2022 | MSC Cruises | Meraviglia Plus class |
| 18 | AIDAnova | 183,858 | 2018 | AIDA Cruises | Excellence class |
| 19 | Carnival Jubilee | 183,521 | 2023 | Carnival Cruise Line | Excel class |
| 20 | MSC Grandiosa | 181,541 | 2019 | MSC Cruises | — |
| 21 | MSC Virtuosa | 181,541 | 2019 | MSC Cruises | Meraviglia Plus class |
| 22 | Star Princess | 177,882 | 2024 | Princess Cruises | Sphere class |
| 23 | Sun Princess | 177,882 | 2023 | Princess Cruises | Sphere class |
| 24 | MSC Bellissima | 171,598 | 2018 | MSC Cruises | Meraviglia class |
| 25 | MSC Meraviglia | 171,598 | 2016 | MSC Cruises | Meraviglia class |
| 26 | MSC Seascape | 170,412 | 2021 | MSC Cruises | Seaside EVO class |
| 27 | MSC Seashore | 170,412 | 2020 | MSC Cruises | Seaside EVO class |
| 28 | Odyssey of the Seas | 169,379 | 2020 | Royal Caribbean International | Quantum class |
| 29 | Spectrum of the Seas | 169,379 | 2019 | Royal Caribbean International | Quantum-Ultra class |
| 30 | Norwegian Encore | 169,116 | 2019 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Breakaway Plus class |
| 31 | Anthem of the Seas | 168,666 | 2015 | Royal Caribbean International | Quantum class |
| 32 | Ovation of the Seas | 168,666 | 2016 | Royal Caribbean International | Quantum class |
| 33 | Quantum of the Seas | 168,666 | 2014 | Royal Caribbean International | Quantum class |
| 34 | Norwegian Bliss | 168,028 | 2018 | Norwegian Cruise Line | — |
| 35 | Norwegian Joy | 167,725 | 2015 | Norwegian Cruise Line | — |
| 36 | Norwegian Escape | 164,600 | 2015 | Norwegian Cruise Line | — |
| 37 | Mein Schiff Relax | 160,000 | 2023 | TUI Cruises | InTUItion class |
| 38 | Mein Schiff Flow | 157,651 | 2025 | TUI Cruises | InTUItion class |
| 39 | Norwegian Aqua | 156,300 | 2024 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Prima class |
| 40 | Freedom of the Seas | 156,271 | 2006 | Royal Caribbean International | Freedom class |
| 41 | Independence of the Seas | 155,889 | 2008 | Royal Caribbean International | Freedom class |
| 42 | Norwegian Epic | 155,873 | 2009 | Norwegian Cruise Line | — |
| 43 | Liberty of the Seas | 154,407 | 2006 | Royal Caribbean International | Freedom class |
| 44 | Norwegian Luna | 154,140 | 2025 | Norwegian Cruise Line | Prima class |
| 45 | MSC Seaside | 154,000 | 2017 | MSC Cruises | — |
| 46 | MSC Seaview | 154,000 | 2018 | MSC Cruises | — |
| 47 | Genting Dream | 150,695 | 2016 | Dream Cruises | — |
| 48 | Aroya | 150,695 | 2017 | Aroya Cruises | Genting class |
| 49 | Queen Mary 2 | 148,528 | 2003 | Cunard Line | — |
| 50 | Norwegian Breakaway | 145,655 | 2013 | Norwegian Cruise Line | — |
How the size record has moved
Before the modern megaship era, one date matters as background. In 1988, Sovereign of the Seas first took a cruise ship past 70,000 GT, proving that a purpose-built leisure ship could be far larger than the liners and converted tonnage that came before her.
The recorded progression in this directory begins with Voyager of the Seas in 1999, at 137,276 GT in the directory's figures — the first ship past 130,000 GT. Her Voyager class made the promenade and activity-led megaship the new template, but the record did not stay with a conventional cruise ship for long.
Queen Mary 2, at 148,528 GT in 2004, took the lead as a true ocean liner built for speed and North Atlantic crossings as well as cruising. Freedom of the Seas then moved the mark to 156,271 GT in 2006, stretching the Voyager concept into the larger Freedom class.
The great leap came with Oasis of the Seas in 2009. At 226,838 GT she was roughly 45% larger than Freedom of the Seas, a jump so large that later Oasis-class records were refinements rather than revolutions. Harmony of the Seas edged the figure to 226,963 GT in 2016, followed by Symphony of the Seas at 228,081 GT in 2018 and Wonder of the Seas at 235,600 GT in 2022.
Icon of the Seas reset the record again in 2024 at 248,663 GT. The step from Oasis to Icon was smaller in percentage terms than the 2009 leap, but it confirmed a new ceiling — and, for now, the top of the table above.