The largest cruise ships. The largest passenger ship in the world: history and modernity What is the largest cruise ship
Harmony of the Seas
Length: 362 meters
Capacity: more than 6000 passengers
Routes: transatlantic cruise; On May 22, the liner will set off on its first cruise from Southampton (England); A week-long cruise from Barmelona is planned in June, and from Rome in July.
Cruise cost: from $650 for four nights
Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship of the American company Royal Caribbean International. There are 18 decks available for passengers on the ship, including decks with ocean views, and a variety of entertainment - three water slides, a Bionic Bar with robot bartenders, and high-speed Internet, not to mention the standard spa and casino for Royal Caribbean ships.
Quantum of the Seas
Length: 348 meters
Capacity: up to 4905 passengers
Routes: transatlantic cruise; Quantum of the seas will operate cruises from Asian ports throughout the summer.
Cruise cost: from $800 for five nights
Oasis of the Seas
Length: 362 meters
Capacity: up to 6296 passengers
Routes: cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas are on the schedule for the coming year
Cruise cost: from $1564 for 9 nights
Allure of the Seas
Length: 362 meters
Capacity: up to 6296 passengers
Routes: Caribbean Islands, Bahamas, Mexico
Cruise cost: from $558 for seven nights
Length: 330 meters
Capacity: up to 5183 passengers
Routes: Caribbean islands alternate with cruises to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands
Cruise cost: from $495 for four nights
According to a recent Italian study, Norwegian Epic is travelers' favorite and most luxurious cruise camp, with Allure of the Seas trailing by 21%. The main feature of this ship is that in addition to traditional cabins, Norwegian Epic offers studios for single tourists, with a special design, access to your own lounge and a special price. There is plenty of entertainment on the ship, with live music constantly playing and the performance group Blue Man Group performing regularly.
Independence of the Seas
Length: 339 meters
Capacity: up to 4375 passengers
Routes: main routes are from Fort Lauderdale in the Caribbean and from Southampton in Europe
Cruise cost: from $278 for three nights
Before the construction of Oasis of the Seas, the largest ships in the world were the Freedom class ships: Independence of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas (maiden voyage - June 4, 2006) and Liberty of the Seas (maiden voyage - May 19, 2007). All three ships, identical in tonnage, length and capacity, have a huge themed water park, ice skating rink, surf park and boxing ring. Independence of the Seas also has a heated swimming pool. In May of this year, the liner was arrested in the Norwegian port of Ålesund for non-payment of fees. However, Royal Caribbean paid the required 600,000 crowns (approximately €72,150) within an hour, and the ship continued on its way.
Length: 345 meters
Capacity: up to 3090 passengers
Routes: Transatlantic, cruises to European ports, Caribbean islands and more
Cruise cost: from $345 for two nights
Norwegian Breakaway
Length: 324 meters
Capacity: up to 3988 passengers
Routes: Bahamas and Caribbean Islands
Cruise cost: from $699 for seven nights
Length: 330 meters
Capacity: up to 4100 passengers
Routes: Caribbean, Europe, British Isles
Cruise cost: from $465 for five nights
Length: 333 meters
Capacity: up to 3959 passengers
Routes: Mediterranean and a little Transatlantic (November 8, the liner departs from Venice to Salvador, Brazil)
Cruise cost: from €560 for seven nights
The largest cruise ships in the world amaze not only with their overall dimensions, but also with the entertainment they provide for passengers. Such vessels are more like small cities that move on water. The largest passenger liners are equipped with gyms, cafes, many comfortable rooms and even shops. In addition, guests can enjoy luxurious cuisine from different chefs and see the beauty of the water world. Of course, traveling around the world in such cars is a pleasure. We invite you to familiarize yourself with the ten largest and best cruise ships in the world.
TOP 10 largest cruise ships in the world
2500 passengers
The weight of the vessel reaches 130 thousand tons. Moreover, its length is 340 meters. The distinctive features of the ship include its resemblance to Disneyland. It is practically a copy of this entertainment platform, only it works afloat. Needless to say, this ship attracts children from all over the world, which is understandable, due to the entertainment program. On the expanses of the ship there is a cinema, a water park, and many children's slides. About 600 cabins provide capacity to accommodate 2,500 passengers. The rooms are classified as luxury.
2640 passengers
Another large airliner that is designed for long passenger journeys. A total of 2,640 people can be accommodated. The weight of the ship is 151 thousand tons. Its length is 345 meters. If we compare the length of the car, we can say that the length is equal to 80 buses lined up in a row. A holiday on this ship offers the opportunity to relax while playing cricket, golf and even basketball. In addition to sports entertainment, there is a cinema and many swimming pools.
2670 passengers
Also included in the list of the largest cruise ships on the planet Princess Diamond. Its length is 294 meters. Moreover, the ship weighs over 116 thousand tons. In total, the ship includes 700 cabins. The vehicle area can accommodate 2,670 people, including service personnel and crew members. Each cabin is equipped with a minibar, luxury balcony and TV. There are excellent conditions for a pleasant stay even during long journeys. A large airliner undergoes maintenance every six months.
3114 passengers
Despite weighing 138 thousand tons, the ship includes fewer seats than the Carnival Dream. Voyager of the seas will accommodate 3,114 people. Moreover, its length is 311 meters. The ship is a huge entertainment complex. In its open spaces you can find an ice skating rink, a small golf course and even a television studio. There are 800 cabins, each of which is equipped with a separate shower, bar, and TV. All guest rooms are elegantly decorated and comfortable.
3274 passengers
Another huge passenger ship, which is considered one of the largest ships on the planet. It weighs 137 thousand tons. The length of the ship is 338 meters. In total, the deck can accommodate 3,274 people. According to experts, the volume of space of this object is equal to the Eiffel Tower. That is over 1.5 million square meters. The ship attracts with its beautiful design. Moreover, this applies not only to the deck, but also to the cabins. Each room offers excellent conditions for relaxation.
3634 passengers
The weight of the liner is 160 thousand tons. Its length reaches 339 meters. These dimensions are enough to accommodate 3634 people. The appearance of this ship is like a floating park. And it really lives up to the design, with plenty of water activities on board. A great place to travel with the whole family. At any time, guests of the passenger liner can swim in the pools, try out water slides, and have fun with wave simulators and Jacuzzis. There are salons and massage therapists. Each room has TV and air conditioning. A park and a children's skating rink also attract tourists.
3646 passengers
Second place on the list is occupied by Carnival Dream, which weighs 130 thousand tons. The ship provides accommodation for 3,646 people. Its length is 306 meters. We are talking about a lunar park that can move on water. I often celebrate weddings on the ship, and prominent celebrities vacation. The advantages of the ship include the presence of several cinemas and excellent service. Each room has air conditioning, TV, bar. In addition, all cabins offer excellent interior design and comfort.
3700 passengers
The largest cruise ships in the world also include the Celebrity Eclipse. Its weight is 122 thousand tons. The deck length is 315 meters. The ship consists of 19 decks. There is a croquet and bocce court. If four Boeing 747s were lined up in a row, their overall length would be shorter than that of the Celebrity Eclipse. In total, the ship has enough cabins to accommodate 3,700 people. Moreover, each room on the ship provides excellent conditions for travel. There is a bar, showers, and 24-hour service.
The largest cruise ships are larger than the usual nine-story building, but there are only a couple dozen such ships in the world. In our rating - the largest and most luxurious.
Harmony of the Seas
The American liner Harmony of the Seas runs cruises from Rome and Barcelona. A four-day trip on Harmony of the Seas costs $650. The ship has 18 decks with entertainment for passengers, and there is also an unusual bar where robots work as bartenders.
Cruise ship Quantum of the Seas
The 348-meter Quantum of the Seas can accommodate almost 5,000 passengers. The ship sails mainly around Asia. A five-day cruise costs $800. Travelers can admire the ocean from a special observation deck and from a 90-meter tower. The ship also has a racing track, a spa, a swimming pool with a cinema, and a casino.
Oasis of the Seas
The Oasis of the Seas can carry 6,000 passengers at a time. The ship has 150-meter two-story cabins, a golf course, climbing walls and other entertainment. A nine-day trip will cost a minimum of $1,500.
Allure of the Seas
The floating hotel Allure of the Seas also has a capacity of 6,000 passengers. The ship sails primarily between the Bahamas, the Caribbean and Mexico. For a week-long cruise you need to pay about $600.
Norwegian Epic
The Norwegian Epic can accommodate almost 5,200 people. According to traveler surveys, this is the most luxurious ship in the world. In addition to the usual entertainment such as swimming pools, sports grounds, restaurants and cafes, it has its own water park with steep slides.
Independence of the Seas
The Independence of the Seas sails around Europe and the Caribbean. A three-day trip costs about $300. The ship has a water park for surfers, a hot water pool and even an ice skating rink.
Queen Mary 2
The ocean liner Queen Mary 2 sails around Europe and exotic islands. A two-night trip in a regular cabin costs at least $345. During cruises, a planetarium, a 3D cinema, and a library are available for 3,000 passengers.
Norwegian Breakaway
The 324-meter Norwegian Breakaway carries 4,000 passengers between the Bahamas and the Caribbean. A week-long cruise will cost $700. Norwegian Breakaway features a Michelin-starred restaurant and musicals and magic shows.
Royal Princess
Kate Middleton attended the opening of the Royal Princess liner. The Duchess of Cambridge also gave the name to this luxurious ship. Passengers are entertained here in an outdoor cinema; there is even a dancing fountain show on the deck.
MSC Preziosa
MSC Preziosa sails in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The liner is designed for almost 4,000 passengers. On board, in addition to the usual entertainment, you can play Formula 1 and watch a movie in the 4D cinema.
Traveling on such luxury liners is a pleasure. An unusual atmosphere and a lot of entertainment on board, endless space around and an amazing atmosphere.
Since ancient times, for a person the ability to swim like a fish was no less desirable than the ability to fly like a bird. What the body given by nature cannot do, the machines we built helped to accomplish. From the fragile boats of antiquity, humanity has grown to create huge cities on the water. The largest of them amaze even modern people accustomed to the achievements of progress with their combination of power and beauty.
The largest ships in the world: selection criteria
To name the biggest ship, there are at least two criteria: dimensions (length and width) and displacement (essentially the volume of the underwater part of the ship).
In addition, to determine the winner in individual categories, his ability to fulfill his main task is decisive. For a passenger ship, this is the number of passengers it can take on board and the number of cabins; for a dry cargo ship or tanker, this is the weight of the cargo being transported; for a container ship, this is the number of containers.
Sailboats and steamships
Before moving on to modern record holders, let's remember their predecessors, those who plied the seas driven by the power of wind and steam.
The largest sailing ship ever launched is the French barque France II. The ship had a displacement of almost 11 tons and a length of 146 meters. For only ten years - from 1912 to 1922 - it carried out regular cargo transportation, until the sailing ship, which ran aground off the coast of New Caledonia, was abandoned by its owners. The ship was finally destroyed in 1944 during a bombing.
The greatest steamship in history is the Great Eastern, launched in 1857. Its length is 211 meters, and its displacement is 22.5 thousand tons. The ship was driven by two wheels and one propeller, but could also sail. The main purpose of the vessel is passenger transportation; the Great Eastern could take up to 4,000 people on board. Unfortunately, the age of coal and steam was not kind to such large-scale projects - the operation of Great Eastern turned out to be unprofitable and was discontinued for economic reasons.
Absolute record holder
For many years, the winner in the category “The largest ships in the world” was the tanker Knock Nevis. Built in 1976 in Japan, it has changed names many times and undergone major renovations. The champion acquired its final dimensions in 1981 (under the name Seawise Giant): 458.5 meters long, 68 meters wide with a displacement of 565 thousand tons.
A huge tanker is a piece of equipment that is not so easy to find a use for. Due to its size, the ship had a low speed, a huge stopping distance (more than 10 kilometers!), could not pass through strategic shipping straits and could only moor in a few ports around the world.
You can see a photo of the largest ship on any website dedicated to the history of shipbuilding, but this giant has recently belonged to the past, just like sailing ships and steamships. In 2010, the ship, which had not been used for six years, was cut into scrap metal.
Hard-working giants
Like the Seawise Giant, the other largest ships are also cargo ships: tankers, bulk carriers, container ships.
The longest ship currently in use (397 meters) is the container ship Emma Maersk. According to various sources, its side can be lifted from 11 to 14 thousand standard containers. Since the designers were tasked with ensuring the passage of Emma Maersk through the Suez and Panama Canals, the width and draft of the ship were designed to be quite moderate. Therefore, the displacement of such a giant is “only” 157 thousand tons.
And the largest ships in the world in terms of displacement are four Hellespont supertankers. Although the length of each of them is 17 meters less than that of the leader among container ships, the displacement is one and a half times greater - 234 thousand tons.
The ore carriers of the Brazilian company Vale are not too inferior to them. The largest of them - Vale Sohar - has a displacement of about 200 thousand tons and a length of 360 meters. The maximum cargo that this giant is able to transport is 400 thousand tons.
Cruise beauties
Although passenger ships are not as large as cargo ships, they make an indelible impression. A cruise ship is not a means of transportation, but a luxury vacation destination. The large size of the ship here serves not so much as an opportunity to accommodate as many passengers as possible on board, but rather to create all imaginable comfort that would satisfy the most demanding public.
The largest passenger ships are many times larger than the Titanic, which once seemed incredible. The pair of twin ships Allure of the Seas and Oasis in the Seas are unparalleled in size. 362 meters in length and 225 thousand tons of displacement - figures comparable to the largest cargo ships. Each of the liners can comfortably accommodate 6,400 passengers. In addition, 2,100 personnel serve on board (this is against several dozen sailors serving tankers and dry cargo ships).
Allure of the Seas or Oasis in the Seas offers shops, casinos, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, a sauna and swimming pools. There is even a park with real trees and grass.
Sea storm
You cannot ignore the largest warships. These are now aircraft carriers. And this is understandable: no matter how hard aviation engineers work to reduce the take-off mileage of aircraft, the “winged sailors” still need a rather large path to take off from.
In the period before World War II, the most powerful naval powers built especially large warships - battleships. The largest of them is the flagship of the Japanese fleet, Yamato. 263 meters long, 40 wide, with a crew of 2,500 sailors - the battleship seemed simply invulnerable. However, the ship, launched in 1940, was sunk shortly before Japan's surrender.
The development of anti-submarine weapons has made such ships too easy a target. The ships laid down in those years were still in service (for example, the American battleships of the Iowa project), but the main focus in the post-war period was on aircraft-carrying ships.
The largest naval ship of all time was the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Its length is 342 meters, width - 78 meters. The ship carried up to 90 aircraft (planes and helicopters), which served 1,800 people. The total crew size is 3,000 sailors. After serving for more than half a century, the Enterprise was retired from service with the United States Navy in 2012. Now its place has been taken by Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, slightly inferior in size to their predecessor - the length of the largest modern aircraft-carrying ships is 333 meters.
The largest ships in Russia
Although Russian-made ships do not occupy the top positions in the ratings of the largest ships in the world, some models have no equal in their categories.
Thus, the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet, the nuclear-powered missile cruiser "Peter the Great" is the world's largest non-aircraft-carrying combat strike ship. Dimensions of the cruiser: 251 meters - length, 28 meters - width, displacement - 28 thousand tons. Main task: countering enemy aircraft carrier formations.
There is also another record holder in service in the Russian Navy - the Akula submarine (project 941). The length of the boat is 173 meters, the underwater displacement is 48 thousand tons, the crew is 160 people. The submarine is equipped with a nuclear reactor and diesel power plants. The main weapons are intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.
Among civilian ships, we should mention the largest nuclear-powered icebreaker “50 Let Pobedy”, which left the slipway in 1993. Perhaps, knowing what the largest ships in the world are, its 160 meters in length will seem frivolous, but still in its class this ship has no equal.
Giant at the shipyard
In addition to the ships themselves, modern shipbuilders are busy developing other sea giants - floating platforms. The amazingly sized structures can be used for a variety of purposes, from mining to launching spacecraft.
Right now, at the shipyards of South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries, the Prelude floating platform is being completed, which the customer, Royal Dutch Shell, plans to use for the production, liquefaction and transportation of natural gas. In 2013, the Prelude hull was launched. Its dimensions are more impressive than the largest ships in the world can boast. A photo of the unfinished giant became available to everyone interested.
The length of the vessel is 488 meters, width - 78 meters, displacement - 600 thousand tons. It is assumed that the platform will be moved using tugs. Only the lack of its own chassis does not allow the Prelude to be called a champion among giant ships. A platform is still not a ship.
In this collection you will learn about the ten largest cruise ships in the world.
1. Princess Diamond. The weight of this vessel is 116 thousand tons, and its length is 294 meters. This cruise ship can accommodate 2,670 people. The area of this liner is tens of times larger than the area of Buckingham Palace. The ship has more than 700 high-class cabins with balconies.
2. Carnival Dream. This liner weighs 130 thousand tons, and its length is 306 meters. It can carry 3,646 passengers. This is a floating amusement park, which also has several cinemas on board.
3. Voyager of the seas. The weight of the vessel is 138 thousand tons, length - 311 meters. The liner has 3114 passenger seats. On board this ship you can find a television studio, an ice skating rink, a mini golf course and other entertainment.
4. Celebrity Eclipse. This cruise ship weighs 122 thousand tons, and its length is 315 meters, which is longer than the length of four Boeing 747s lined up in a row. The ship has 19 decks, plus a lawn deck for croquet and bocce.
5. Norwegian Epic. The ship weighs 156 thousand tons, and its length is 329 meters. The cruise ship can accommodate 4,100 passengers. On board there is 24-hour pizza delivery to your room.
6. Splendida. The weight of the liner is 137,936 tons, and its length is 338 meters. Its capacity is 3274 passengers. The space volume of the liner, which is one and a half million square meters, is larger than the space volume of the Eiffel Tower.
7. Freedom of the Seas. The liner weighs 160 thousand tons, length - 339 meters. The board can accommodate 3634 passengers. This vessel is like a floating water park, as it has all sorts of water activities on board: there are water slides, multiple pools, a jacuzzi, a wave simulator, a water park for children and an ice skating rink.
8. Disney Dream. The weight of this cruise ship is 130 thousand tons, and its length is 340 meters. Disney Dream seats 2,500 people and is almost an exact replica of Disneyland on water. On board there is a huge cinema and water park.
9. Queen Mary II. The weight of this cruise ship is 151,400 tons, its length is 345 meters. On board can accommodate 2640 passengers. The length of the vessel can be compared to the length of 80 tourist buses, placed bumper to bumper.
10. Royal Caribbean. Oasis of the Seas. The length of this giant ship is 361 meters and its weight is almost 223 thousand tons. In conditions of maximum comfort, 5.4 thousand passengers can be accommodated here. Due to its size, this ship is not able to pass through the Panama Canal. The ship's board resembles an amusement park, where various shows are held every day.