With so many Royal Caribbean cruise ships in the fleet, it can be confusing to figure out how big each ship is by size.
The biggest Royal Caribbean cruise ships can hold more than 6,000 passengers, making them massive resorts floating on the sea. Big ships are definitely Royal Caribbean's calling card.
Royal Caribbean still has some ships with about 3,000 passengers capacity, and these ships are more intimate and offer a classic cruise experience. While they lack the amount of onboard activities the big ships have, they can reach far-flung destinations around the world.
The smallest Royal Caribbean cruise ships are ideal for someone who wants a less crowded and relaxed atmosphere. They are also usually priced the lowest.
While the size of a cruise ship is not the end-all-be-all statistic that defines one ship from another, it is certainly a metric many people pay attention to, especially from a marketing perspective. In fact, some of the biggest cruise ships in the world are Royal Caribbean ships.
My advice is don't book a cruise purely because it's the biggest in the world. Rather, compare what the ship has to offer that actually interests you.
So whether you have a passing interest in knowing how big each ship is in Royal Caribbean's fleet, or want to prove your friend wrong that you know which ship is the biggest, here is a look at all the Royal Caribbean cruise ships ranked from biggest to smallest.
Royal Caribbean ships by size
1. Icon of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 250,800 GRT
Length: 1,198 feet long
Passengers: 5,610 (double occupancy)
2. Star of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 248,663 GRT
Length: 1,196 feet long
Passengers: 5,610 (double occupancy)
3. Utopia of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 236,860 GRT
Length: 1,188 feet long
Passengers: 5,668 (double occupancy)
4. Wonder of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 236,857 GRT
Length: 1,188 feet long
Beam: 210 feet wide
Passengers: 5,734 (double occupancy)
5. Symphony of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 228,081 GRT
Length: 1,188 feet long
Beam: 215.5 feet wide
Passengers: 5,518 (double occupancy)
6. Harmony of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 226,963 GRT
Length: 1,188 feet long
Beam: 215.5 feet wide
Passengers: 5,479 (double occupancy)
7. Oasis of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 226,838 GT
Length: 1,187 feet long
Beam: 215 feet wide
Passengers: 5,602 (double occupancy)
8. Allure of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 225,282 GRT
Length: 1,187 feet long
Beam: 215 feet wide
Passengers: 5,484 (double occupancy)
9. Spectrum of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 169,379 GRT
Length: 1,139 feet long
Beam: 135 feet wide
Passengers: 4,256 (double occupancy)
10. Odyssey of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 169,300 GT
Length: 1,138 feet long
Beam: 135 feet wide
Passengers: 4,284 (double occupancy)
11. Ovation of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 168,666 GRT
Length: 1,138 feet long
Beam: 136 feet wide
Passengers: 4,180 (double occupancy)
12. Anthem of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 168,666 GRT
Length: 1,141 feet long
Beam: 136 feet wide
Passengers: 4,180 (double occupancy)
13. Quantum of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 168,666 GRT
Length: 1,141 feet long
Beam: 136 feet wide
Passengers: 4,180 (double occupancy)
14. Freedom of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 156,271 GT
Length: 1,111 feet long
Beam: 185 feet wide
Passengers: 3,926 (double occupancy)
15. Liberty of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 154,407 GRT
Length: 1,112 feet long
Beam: 185 feet wide
Passengers: 3,798 (double occupancy)
16. Independence of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 154,407 GRT
Length: 1,112 feet long
Beam: 185 feet wide
Passengers: 3,858 (double occupancy)
17. Navigator of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 139,999 GT
Length: 1,020 feet long
Beam: 161 feet wide
Passengers: 3,388 (double occupancy)
18. Mariner of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 139,863 GRT
Length: 1,020 feet long
Beam: 127 feet wide
Passengers: 3,344 (double occupancy)
19. Explorer of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 137,308 GRT
Length: 1,020 feet long
Beam: 157.5 feet wide
Passengers: 3,286 (double occupancy)
20. Adventure of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 137,276 GRT
Length: 1,020 feet long
Beam: 157 feet wide
Passengers: 3,114 (double occupancy)
21. Voyager of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 137,276 GT
Length: 1,020 feet long
Beam: 157.5 feet wide
Passengers: 3,602 (double occupancy)
22. Radiance of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GRT
Length: 962 feet long
Beam: 106 feet wide
Passengers: 2,143 (double occupancy)
23. Brilliance of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GRT
Length: 962 feet long
Beam: 106 feet wide
Passengers: 2,142 (double occupancy)
24. Serenade of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GRT
Length: 965 feet long
Beam: 106 feet wide
Passengers: 2,143 (double occupancy)
25. Jewel of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 90,090 GRT
Length: 962 feet long
Beam: 106 feet wide
Passengers: 2,191 (double occupancy)
26. Enchantment of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 82,910 GRT
Length: 989 feet long
Beam: 105.6 feet wide
Passengers: 2,252 (double occupancy)
27. Rhapsody of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 78,491 GRT
Length: 915.35 feet long
Beam: 105.6 feet wide
Passengers: 1,998 (double occupancy)
28. Vision of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 78,340 GT
Length: 915 feet long
Beam: 105.6 feet wide
Passengers: 2,050 (double occupancy)
29. Grandeur of the Seas
Gross Tonnage: 73,817 GRT
Length: 916 feet long
Beam: 105.6 feet wide
Passengers: 1,992 (double occupancy)
How do you measure how big a cruise ship is?
Cruise ships are measured by their gross tonnage, which can be a confusing metric to understand.
Gross tonnage is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume.
What?
Basically, this is a way to measure passenger vessels by volume and not weight. This is the standard way to measure how cruise ships compare to each other because of how designs can vary greatly.
What is Royal Caribbean's biggest ship?
The biggest Royal Caribbean ship is Icon of the Seas, which is also the world's biggest cruise ship.
The maximum capacity for Icon of the Seas is 7,600, and the ship measures 248,663 gross tons. That means you'll find a giant ship with so much to do onboard. There are new types of cabins, a water park, new neighborhoods, and plenty of activities in-between.
Icon of the Seas will remain the biggest cruise ship in Royal Caribbean's fleet even when the second Icon Class ship launches in 2025, Star of the Seas.
What is the smallest Royal Caribbean ship?
The smallest Royal Caribbean cruise ship is Grandeur of the Seas, and she is also the oldest Royal Caribbean cruise ship.
Grandeur of the Seas is just 73,817 gross tons and has a passenger capacity of 2,446.
Launched in 1996, Grandeur was originally going to be sold off, but the cruise industry shutdown of 2020 meant she'd stick around a bit longer.
The top deck features one main pool and a few hot tubs. Nearby is the adults-only Solarium, which has another pool and hot tub. There is also a rock climbing wall on the aft of the ship. This is typical of a cruise ship built almost 30 years ago.