When I did the original posts entitled RBS 101 (Really Big Ships 101) it was really a look at these huge ships that seem to dominate our harbours.
RBS 101 (2) was about cruise ships, and when I originally wrote it I had not seen two of the ships. The following is still true though:
My reference for this information is the a list of the worlds largest cruise ships, as well as the company websites. Bear in mind that I am only dealing with ships that I have physically seen and I have also deliberately stayed with ships over 1000 ft long. In terms of the biggest ships, I have seen 13 out of the 57 in the Wikipedia list. This list however is n longer correct, but was really a look at the ships as at 2015
As we were saying in RBS101 (1), Passenger/Cruise ships are even more complicated when it comes to size. There are many possible options that could make one ship bigger than another in one aspect, but smaller than that same ship in another aspect.
The important criteria in my opinion are as follows: Length overall (LOA), GRT, and capacity. That makes things a little bit easier. Of course capacity can be measured by “double occupancy”, or “full board”, but generally double occupancy should suffice.
The contenders are:
Oasis Of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean Lines. GRT 225282 LOA 1187ft (362m) Passenger capacity: 5412 double occupancy.
Quantum of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Lines. GRT 168666 LOA 1139ft (347,1m) Passenger capacity: 4180 double occupancy.
Queen Mary 2
Carnival Corp. GRT 148528 LOA: 1132ft (345m) Passenger capacity: 2592 double occupancy.
Royal Caribbean Lines. GRT: 154407, LOA: 1112 ft (339m) Passenger capacity 3634 double occupancy
Adventure of the Seas
Royal Caribbean Lines. GRT: 137276 LOA: 1020 ft, (310m) Passenger capacity: 3114 double occupancy 3807
Norwegian Breakaway
Norwegian Cruise Lines. GRT 144017 LOA: 1062 ft (324m) Passenger capacity: 4000 double occupancy
Norwegian Getaway
Norwegian Cruise Lines. GRT 145655 LOA: 1068ft (326) Passenger capacity: 3910 double occupancy
Royal Princess
Princess Cruises. GRT 142714 LOA: 1083 ft (330m) Passenger capacity: 3600 double occupancy
Celebrity Eclipse
Celebrity Cruises. GRT 122000 LOA: 1041 ft (315m) Passenger Capacity 2850 Double Occupancy
Oasis of the Seas and her sister Allure of the Seas really break all records, and dominate in all categories, although Allure is a smidgen larger than Oasis. Newcomer Quantum of the Seas comes in as number 3 in size, although that is only true until her sisters make an appearance.
Interestingly enough our biggest box boat in service is 1305 ft (398m) long. Allure is probably one of the biggest ships out there, although she is to be upstaged by an even bigger ship one of these days. The most important thing about big ships is that while they may be huge, it does not mean that they are good looking. Size and bulk can ruin the ships lines, and given the propensity for strange sterns and a lack of sheer many modern cruise ships are not good lookers.
So, there you have it in a nutshell, a slightly updated version of an old topic. You can only really appreciate the size of some of these vessels when seen against something else, or when they come past you. Personally I prefer small ships, there is something about being on a ship with 3999 other people that puts me right off.
© DRW 2014-2018. Images recreated 20/04/2016
