- Cruise ships remained at the center of the Covid-19 pandemic news when it started to spread globally.
- Cruise ships were among the first to suspend their operations after most governments advised people to not travel on them which affected business greatly.
- Some of the biggest cruise ship companies include Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Disney Cruise Line
In this article, we will be taking a look at the 16 largest cruise ships in the world in 2022. To skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to see the 5 Largest Cruise Ships in the World in 2022, reported by Yahoo Finance.
Covid-19 impact
Cruise ships remained at the center of the Covid-19 pandemic news when it started to spread globally.
Ships with cases of coronavirus were refused entry at ports by several countries. The first cruise ship to have a major outbreak was the Diamond Princess, where over 700 people out of 3,700 people ended up being infected, with 9 dying.
Cruise ships were among the first to suspend their operations after most governments advised people to not travel on them, which has greatly affected the industry, but with things mostly returning to normal in 2022, smooth sailing for the industry may be ahead.
Largest cruise ships
The cruise ship industry is dominated by a few top companies which own many of the biggest cruise ships in the world.
Some of the biggest cruise ship companies include Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Disney Cruise Line, operated by one of the biggest media companies in the world, The Walt Disney Company.
In this article we list some of the largest cruise ships in the world. We took three metrics into account during our selection: total size in gross tonnes, total length in meters and maximum capacity in terms of number of passengers.
16. MSC Meraviglia
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 171,598
Total length of the ship (in meters): 316
Maximum capacity of the ship: 5,655 people
MSC Meraviglia’s port of registry is in Malta, and is owned by MSC Cruises. Delivered in 2017, the ship’s ranking used to be much higher but has been displaced over the years with newer, bigger cruise ships.
15. MSC Virtuosa
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 181,541
Total length of the ship (in meters): 331
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,334 people
Owned by MSC Cruises, MSC Virtuosa was launched in 2019. The ship’s construction was delayed due to the pandemic and instead of 2020, it entered service in 2021.
14. Carnival Celebration
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 180,000
Total length of the ship (in meters): 344
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,500 people
Owned by one of the biggest cruise ship companies in the world, Carnival Corporation & plc, it is the second of the company’s Excel class of cruise ships.
13. Mardi Gras
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 180,000
Total length of the ship (in meters): 344
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,500 people
Often referred incorrectly as the Carnival Mardi Gras, due to being owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, Mardi Gras faced several delays in its construction and launch due to the Covid-19 pandemic, beginning its weekly sailings in July 2021.
12. MSC Grandiosa
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 181,541
Total length of the ship (in meters): 331
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,761 people
Indirectly owned by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, one of the biggest shipping companies in the world, MSC Grandiosa is directly owned by MSC Cruises and was built in France.
Launched in 2019, it is easily one of the largest cruise ships in the world. The cruise ship currently has a crew of more than 1,700 people.
11. AIDAcosma
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 183,200
Total length of the ship (in meters): 337
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,600 people
AIDA cosma is the second biggest cruise ship owned by AIDA Cruises, which was launched in 2021.
The giant floating building has 20 decks and a crew of more than 1,500. It is part of the Helios Class production series and among the facilities offered are a running track for morning joggers and a bouldering wall, in addition to the usual facilities such as swimming pools, theaters and several bars and restaurants.
10. AIDAnova
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 183,858
Total length of the ship (in meters): 337
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,654 people
Built in 2018 in Germany, AIDAnova is owned by AIDA Cruises, which is a listed Germany cruise line and which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. While AIDA Cruises operates 14 ships, the AIDAnova is the biggest cruise ship in its lineup.
9. Costa Toscana
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 185,010
Total length of the ship (in meters): 337
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,554 people
Costa Toscana was built in 2021 after a delay as it was originally supposed to launch in 2020. It is run by Costa Cruises.
8. Costa Smerelda
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 185,010
Total length of the ship (in meters): 337
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,554 people
The Costa Smerelda is one of the largest cruise ships in the world in 2022 and is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL). It is also one of the biggest cruise ships to be powered purely by liquefied natural gas. The first cruise of the ship took place in 2019.
7. Iona
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 184,089
Total length of the ship (in meters): 345
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,600 people
Owned by Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL) and operated by P&O Cruises, a British cruise line, MS Iona was built in Germany and was delivered in 2020, with its construction costing over £730 million.
It is the biggest cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and has one of the biggest entertainment venues of any cruise ship. Its maiden voyage took place in 2021.
6. MSC World Europa
Total size of the ship (in gross tonnes): 215,863
Total length of the ship (in meters): 333
Maximum capacity of the ship: 6,762 people
Owned by the privately held MSC Cruises, an Italian company, MSC World Europa is the biggest cruise ship in Europe.
It is one of the most recent cruise ships in our list and is set to begin operations from the 20th of December in 2022, after initially serving as a hotel ship during the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Doha, Qatar. MSC World Europa is set to be joined by multiple sister ships through the 2020s.
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Source: Yahoo finance
