Ocean Cruising · Contemporary

Royal Caribbean

The biggest ships in the world, by a wide margin.

Royal Caribbean logo

Overview

Sailing with Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean builds the largest cruise ships on the water. Icon of the Seas currently holds the record at over 250,000 gross tons, more like a small floating city with neighborhoods than a traditional ship.

Good to know

  • Family-friendly, all ages
  • Kids’ clubs on every ship
  • Home ports across the U.S.
RC

I hold a Royal Caribbean University credential with Royal Caribbean.

What Makes Them Different

What sets Royal Caribbean apart

The record-holding fleet

The record-holding fleet

Icon of the Seas carries around 7,600 guests at double occupancy. Royal Caribbean has held the title of largest cruise ship for most of the last two decades.

Perfect Day at CocoCay

Perfect Day at CocoCay

Their private Bahamian island has North America’s tallest waterslide and its largest freshwater wave pool.

Onboard activities most lines skip

Onboard activities most lines skip

Surf simulators, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, and zip lines are actually built into the ships.

The Fleet

Royal Caribbean ship classes

Icon Class

Icon Class

The newest and largest ships in the fleet. Icon of the Seas debuted in 2024, Star of the Seas followed in 2025, and Legend of the Seas joined in 2026. Split into distinct neighborhoods, LNG-powered, and built to carry well over 7,000 guests each.

  • Category 6 is the largest waterpark at sea, headlined by Frightening Bolt, a 46-foot near-vertical drop slide
  • The AquaDome caps the bow with the largest waterfall at sea and a live diving and aerial show most nights
  • The Hideaway is the first suspended infinity pool at sea, an adults-only perch over the water with its own swim-up bar
Oasis Class

Oasis Class

Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas, and Utopia of the Seas. Before Icon Class arrived, these were the largest cruise ships ever built, and they still hold their own with Central Park, the Boardwalk, and multi-story neighborhoods instead of one continuous deck.

  • Central Park is a real open-air garden neighborhood with over 10,000 living plants, found on no other ship class
  • The Boardwalk’s AquaTheater hosts a live diving and acrobatics show most ships could never fit onboard
  • The Rising Tide Bar is the world’s first bar that physically travels between decks, from the Royal Promenade up into Central Park
Quantum Class

Quantum Class

Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas, and Odyssey of the Seas. The tech-forward class, built around the North Star observation capsule, the RipCord skydiving simulator, and the Two70 entertainment venue.

  • North Star holds the Guinness World Record for tallest viewing capsule on a cruise ship, rising nearly 300 feet above the water
  • RipCord by iFLY is the only indoor skydiving simulator in the Royal Caribbean fleet
  • SeaPlex, the largest indoor active space at sea, turns into bumper cars, roller skating, or a trapeze school depending on the day
Freedom Class

Freedom Class

Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, and Independence of the Seas. Mid-2000s ships that built on the Voyager design and were the first in the fleet to add a FlowRider surf simulator.

  • Debuted Royal Caribbean’s FlowRider surf simulator, still one of the most popular decks on the ship
  • H2O Zone was the line’s first cruise ship water park, giving younger kids their own splash zone away from the big slides
  • Big-ship activity at a size that never feels like a maze finding your way around
Voyager Class

Voyager Class

Voyager of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, and Mariner of the Seas. Launched in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this class introduced the indoor Royal Promenade and an ice rink at sea, features that felt radical at the time and are now standard across the industry.

  • Studio B was the first ice-skating rink at sea, and it still hosts a live skating show most cruises
  • Home to Royal Caribbean’s first rock climbing wall, bolted straight onto the ship’s funnel
  • The Royal Promenade was the first indoor boulevard at sea, a full block of shops, bars, and parades running down the middle of the ship

Next Step

Curious if Royal Caribbean is the right fit?

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