Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class: The Biggest Ships at Sea

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is renowned for big, bold, entertainment-packed cruise ships, and with the launch of the new Icon Class ships in 2024, they’ve delivered a class of ships that’s bigger and bolder than ever before.

Here’s everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class, including an up-to-date list of ships, size comparisons (spoiler alert: it’s bigger than the Titanic), defining features and a direct comparison with the previous trophy-holder of biggest cruise ship: Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class.

Which ships are in the Icon Class series?

Three ships have been announced for Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class so far, with an unnamed fourth ship expected for 2027, and the option for two more to follow.

As of 2025, the Icon Class includes:

• Icon of the Seas: Icon of the Seas launched in 2024, becoming the biggest cruise ship ever to sail the seas.
• Star of the Seas: Scheduled to arrive in August 2025, Star of the Seas equals Icon in many ways, with some key differences, including even more family-friendly activities.
• Legend of the Seas: Scheduled to arrive in 2026, Legend of the Seas will continue to build on the Icon Class legacy, with a fresh selection of dining and entertainment options.

Each vessel in the Icon Class series was designed to push boundaries in scale, amenities and technologies.

Icon of the Seas: the biggest cruise ship in the world

By a measure of both gross tonnage and passenger capacity, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas is the biggest cruise ship in the world. In fact, it is the largest cruise ship ever built. Measuring about 365 meters long, with room for around 7,600 passengers and over 2,300 crew, Icon of the Seas might as well be a destination of its own.

In terms of size, cruise ships are typically measured by ‘gross tonnage’ (GT) which refers to the internal volume of the ship. Icon of the Seas has a gross tonnage of around 248,663. For comparison, what we would consider to be a large cruise ship today starts at about 140,000 GT, and until the mid-1990’s it was rare to see a cruise ship exceed 50,000 GT.

The previous biggest cruise ship in the world was Wonder of the Seas from Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class, with almost 237,000 GT.

How big is Icon of The Seas compared to other ships?

Comparing Icon of the Seas and its predecessor, Wonder of the Seas, to the Titanic can show us how far cruise ship engineering has come.

Aboard the Icon Series: what are the defining features?

Featuring some of the classic favourites from the Oasis Class, including familiar themed neighbourhoods, restaurants and entertainment, the Icon Class has expanded in both scale and design. There are six entirely new neighbourhoods on board, designed to prevent crowding and offer days of entertainment.

If you’re looking for a new experience on board, check out:

• The Aquadome: A huge glass-enclosure with a 50-foot waterfall and AquaTheatre.
• The Pearl: The world’s largest kinetic art sculpture, a feat of architecture and engineering.
• Thrill Island: A new adventure zone featuring record-breaking waterslides.
• Chill Island: Multi-tiered pool decks designed for relaxation.
• The Hideaway: An adults-only infinite pool suspended above the ocean.
• Nightlife and shows: Each ship in the Icon Series offers a different Broadway-style show, with ‘The Wizard of Oz’ currently running in Icon of the Seas’ Royal Theatre.

Icon Class vs. Oasis Class

Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class and Oasis Class ships are both renowned for redefining what’s possible at sea. While the Oasis Class ships transformed the cruise experience when they debuted Oasis of the Seas in 2009, the Icon Class represents a bold new evolution in cruise innovation, sustainability and design.