"Harmony of the Seas left Southampton Harbor to the amazement of many decorated eyes. At 361 meters long and with a capacity of 6,780 passengers, it is currently the largest floating cruise ship in the world.

In this blog, we ask the question, to what extent is Harmony of the Seas the first of its kind? Does the size of the ship and the amenities available exceed those that have come before it, or is it just a small step on the ladder of growing capabilities of the modern cruise ship?

Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian-founded cruise line based in Miami, responsible for the design and production of Harmony of the Seas. Over the past 30 to 40 years, they have gained increasing public recognition and media attention for creating bigger and better cruise ships from model to model.

In 1978, they launched the American Song, which was more than twice the size of the previous model, the Sun Viking. In fact, 8 of the 10 largest cruise ships in the world belong to Royal Caribbean International, which shows their ability and desire to get things done on a large scale.

So how big is the world's largest cruise ship?

1. Harmony of the Seas

At 361 meters long and 70 meters high, she is the largest cruise ship in length and height. She is also the largest in gross tonnage, beating her closest competitor by another 1,700 gross tons.

She has a maximum capacity of 6,360 passengers and her equivalent length is the length of 4 soccer (soccer) fields. She has 20 restaurants, 23 swimming pools and 11,252 works of art.

2. The Charm of the Sea

Also a Royal Caribbean International creation, she is only 1.1 feet shorter than the newly launched Harmony of the Seas. At 225,282 gross tons, she is slightly shorter than Harmony of the Seas at 226,963 gross tons.

Her 6,296 passengers have access to luxury amenities including an aquarium, zip line, champagne bar, casino and Central Park.

3. Song of the Sea

Royal Caribbean International continues to dominate the list of the largest cruise ships with the next entry being the Anthem of the Seas. At 1,139 feet long, this ship is taller than the Eiffel Tower. She can carry up to 4,905 passengers, which is a far cry from the Oceania. Her decks have a range of luxury amenities, including Jamie Oliver's restaurant! She has two sister ships, Quantum of the Seas and Celebrity of the Seas, both from Royal Caribbean.

4. Escape from Norway

The next ship in the countdown breaks the chain of domination of Royal Caribbean International. Another Norwegian company called Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings builds such ships. As you note at this point in the article, Norwegian's reputation in the maritime industry is anything but mythical. At 1,098 feet long, this spectacular ship is only 44 feet shorter than the smallest ship in the Anthem/Quantum/Ovation line mentioned above. Life on board offers 24-hour room service, a French bistro cafe and a steakhouse.

5. Freedom of the seas

Royal Caribbean International's brief hiatus in control of the top 5 largest cruise ships ended quickly as their 2013 model, Freedom of the Seas, came in fifth. At 1,112 feet, she's actually longer than the Norwegian Escape, but weighs more than 10,000 tons less overall, which is the measure we use to determine the largest. The ship is just as grand as the ones listed above, featuring a champagne bar and spa.

Royal Caribbean International has been responsible for creating some of the largest cruise ships in the world. Soon, MSC Cruises will change that with the release of their newest ship, the MSC Meraviglia. It will be 315 meters long, shorter than the RCI fleet. However, with a gross tonnage of 167,000, it is larger than RCI's Anthem/Quantum/Ovation series. This puts it at number 3 on our list, which is a huge leap for MSC. We're happy to see it.

Have you been on any of the ships on our list? We'd love to hear your cruise stories in the comments section below.

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