Note: Total gross tonnage derived from the average gross tonnage per ship multiplied by the number of ships in class. The Quantum class is subdivided between Quantum ships with a capacity of 4,900 passengers and Quantum Ultra ships with a capacity of 5,500 passengers.
Cruise ships are frequently classified by size, associated with a particular commercial cruise line, and not a more general industry-wide characterization. Cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, continuously introduce successive cruise ship classes that improve the quality (more amenities) and quantity (more passengers) of the cruise experience. Each class forms a fleet of 3 to 6 ships that are deployed in cruise markets depending on the demand and novelty. When a new class is introduced with the ship that bears the class name, it is usually at a major turn port, such as Miami, where it commands a novelty premium. As the ship ages, it tends to be redeployed to more secondary markets and replaced by a new ship class. A core factor in introducing new ship classes is novelty and adaptation to market demands, including the time it takes for shipyards to build them.
The deployment of all the cruise ships of a new class usually takes about five years after 2 to 3 years of construction. The life span of a cruise ship is around 30 years, and, eventually, it will be retired (scrapped) or sold to another cruise line. Many are refurbished after around 10 years with new amenities, but they eventually lose their appeal in the cruise market since cruisers can compare with the availability of the amenities of new ship classes that have been deployed.
The Sovereign class, introduced between 1998 and 2003, has been entirely retired. While new ship classes carry more passengers, they tend to be staggered in their deployment, implying that a cruise line may deploy a smaller ship class to fit smaller markets and niche ports. The six Oasis-class ships have a capacity of 6,680 to 6,780 passengers and are among the world’s largest cruise ships. Each has more than 16 decks, standing as small towns with distinct “neighborhoods” and numerous amenities to fill the expectations of wider social and age groups. In service since 2009, this class, which will expand with a seventh ship in 2028, has included the largest cruise vessel in the world until 2023. The latest class of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the Icon of the Seas, was introduced in 2024. While only one ship has been deployed as of late 2024, five more are on order, with one to be delivered in 2025.