US Trends

largest cruise ship how many decks

The current largest cruise ships in the world have around 20 decks , and the very biggest ones right now top out at 20 passenger decks.

Quick Scoop: “Largest cruise ship how many decks?”

  • Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas – widely recognized as the world’s largest cruise ship in service – has 20 decks.
  • Another Royal Caribbean mega‑ship counted among the largest, Star of the Seas (same class/size category), is also listed with 20 decks.
  • A newer “world’s heaviest” mega‑ship, Legend of the Seas (Royal Caribbean, debuting 2026), is reported with 18 decks while still being described as the world’s heaviest cruise ship.

So if you’re asking “largest cruise ship how many decks,” the practical answer is:

For today’s biggest mega‑ships, expect 18–20 decks , with the top spot currently held by ships with 20 decks.

Extra context

  • A 20‑deck ship like Icon of the Seas can carry close to 10,000 people including passengers and crew , which is why it’s often compared to a floating city.
  • Recent rankings of the Top 5 biggest cruise ships (2025) list multiple Royal Caribbean giants with 20 decks at the top, followed by slightly smaller ships in the 18‑deck range.

TL;DR: The largest cruise ships today are built with about 20 decks , and anything in the 18–20 deck range is in the absolute mega‑ship category.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.