The following is a list of the largest passenger vehicles with consumer availability in history.
The following is a list of the largest passenger vehicles with consumer availability in history.
| Model | Type | Length | Passengers | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon of the Seas | Cruise ship | 364.75 m (1,196.7 ft) [1] | 5610 double occupancy, [2] 7600 max. | 2023 | |
| Wonder of the Seas | Cruise ship | 362.1 m (1,188 ft 0 in) [3] | 5734 double occupancy, [3] 6988 max. | 2022 | |
| RMS Queen Mary 2 | Ocean liner | 345 m (1,131 ft 11 in) [4] | 2620 | 2003 | |
| MS Freedom of the Seas | Cruise ship | 338.77 m (1,111 ft 5 in) [5] | 4515 [6] | 2006 |
| Model | Type | Length | Passengers | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LZ 129 Hindenburg | Airship | 244.96 m (803 ft 8 in) [7] | 70 [7] | 1936 | 1937 |
| Model | Type | Length | Passengers | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A380 | Wide-body aircraft | 72.72 m (238 ft 7 in) [8] | 853 [8] | 2007 | 2021 |
| Model | Type | Length | Passengers | Year introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier MultiLevel Coach | Bilevel rail car | 25.91 m (85.01 ft) [9] | 142 [9] | 2002 |
| Bombardier BiLevel Coach | Bilevel rail car | 276 | ||
| Bombardier Double-deck Coach | Bilevel rail car | 150 |
A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freighters once common on the seas in which the transport of passengers is secondary to the carriage of freight. The type does however include many classes of ships designed to transport substantial numbers of passengers as well as freight. Indeed, until recently virtually all ocean liners were able to transport mail, package freight and express, and other cargo in addition to passenger luggage, and were equipped with cargo holds and derricks, kingposts, or other cargo-handling gear for that purpose. Only in more recent ocean liners and in virtually all cruise ships has this cargo capacity been eliminated.
Adventure of the Seas is a Voyager-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. The vessel was launched and entered service in 2001. Registered in the Bahamas, Adventure of the Seas has cruised from ports in the United States and Europe to sites in the Caribbean Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Canada and Europe. The ship has a 138,193 GT and is 311.1 meters long with capacity for 3,807 guests.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), formerly Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997.
Mariner of the Seas is one of five Voyager-class cruise ships of Royal Caribbean International and can accommodate 4,252 passengers.
Navigator of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is a second generation Voyager-class cruise ship.
MS Freedom of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the namesake of Royal Caribbean's Freedom class, and can accommodate 3,634 passengers and 1,300 crew on fifteen passenger decks. The vessel also has 4 crew decks below the waterline. Freedom of the Seas was the largest passenger ship ever built from 2006 until construction of her sister ship, Liberty of the Seas in 2007.
The Oasis class is a class of seven Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered respectively in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. A third Oasis-class vessel, Harmony of the Seas, was delivered in 2016 built by STX France. A fourth vessel, Symphony of the Seas, was completed in March 2018. As of March 2022, the fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, was the largest cruise ship in the world. A sixth ship, Utopia of the Seas, slightly larger than the previous one, followed in July 2024, with a seventh to follow in 2028.
The Voyager class refers to a design of post-Panamax cruise ships owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. The Voyager-class ships were built at Kværner Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland.
Liberty of the Seas is a Royal Caribbean International Freedom-class cruise ship which entered regular service in May 2007. It was initially announced that she would be called Endeavour of the Seas; however, this name was later changed. The 15-deck ship accommodates 3,634 passengers served by 1,360 crew. She was built in 18 months at the Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland, where her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, was also built. Initially built at 154,407 gross tonnage (GT), she joined her sister ship, Freedom of the Seas, as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels then ever built. She is 1,111.9 ft (338.91 m) long, 184 ft (56.08 m) wide, and cruises at 21.6 knots (40 km/h).
The Freedom class is a group of three cruise ships for Royal Caribbean International. The first ship of the class, Freedom of the Seas, was the largest passenger ship in the world, and the largest ever built in terms of passenger capacity and gross tonnage, when it was built in 2006. These two records were then shared by all three ships until the construction of Oasis of the Seas was completed in November 2009.
Independence of the Seas is a Freedom-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. The 15-deck ship was built in the Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard, Finland. At 154,407 GT, she joined Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels when built. She is 1,112 feet (339 m) long, and typically cruises at 21.6 knots.
Oasis of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the first of her class, the Oasis class, whose ships were the largest passenger ships in the world, until surpassed in 2023 by the Icon class. Her hull was laid down in November 2007 and she was completed and delivered to Royal Caribbean in October 2009. At the time of construction, Oasis of the Seas set a new capacity record of carrying over 6,000 passengers. The first of her class, she was joined by sister ships Allure of the Seas in December 2010, Harmony of the Seas in May 2016, Symphony of the Seas in April 2018, and Wonder of the Seas in March 2022, as well as Utopia of the Seas in July 2024. As of November 2024, Oasis of the Seas conducts cruises in the Caribbean from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
This is a timeline of the world's largest passenger ships based upon internal volume, initially measured by gross register tonnage and later by gross tonnage. This timeline reflects the largest extant passenger ship in the world at any given time. If a given ship was superseded by another, scrapped, or lost at sea, it is then succeeded. Some records for tonnage outlived the ships that set them - notably the SS Great Eastern, and RMS Queen Elizabeth. The term "largest passenger ship" has evolved over time to also include ships by length as supertankers built by the 1970s were over 400 metres (1,300 ft) long. In the modern era the term has gradually fallen out of use in favor of "largest cruise ship" as the industry has shifted to cruising rather than transatlantic ocean travel. While some of these modern cruise ships were later expanded, they did not regain their "largest" titles.
The Quantum class is a class of cruise ships from Royal Caribbean International, previously known by the code name Project Sunshine.
Ovation of the Seas is a Quantum-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and the third ship of her class. The Quantum class is the fourth largest class of cruise ships behind MSC Cruises's Meraviglia class, Royal Caribbean International's Oasis class, and Royal Caribbean International's Icon Class by gross tonnage.
Anthem of the Seas is a Quantum-class cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean International (RCI) and the second ship of her class. The Quantum class is the fourth largest class of cruise ships behind MSC Cruises's Meraviglia class and Royal Caribbean International's Icon class and Oasis class by gross tonnage.
The Icon class is a class of cruise ships ordered by Royal Caribbean International to be built by Meyer Turku in Turku, Finland. As of 2024 this class is the largest cruise ship class ever constructed. Royal Caribbean plans to have at least four Icon-class ships, which will include Icon of the Seas, Star of the Seas, and unnamed third and fourth ships. It also has an option for two additional ships.
Icon of the Seas is the lead ship of the Icon class. She entered service on 27 January 2024 out of the Port of Miami in the United States. At 248,663 gross tonnage (GT), Icon of the Seas is the largest cruise ship in the world.