Timeline: The World’s Biggest Passenger Ships from 1831-Present

Breaking Records: The Biggest Passenger Ships since 1831

The Titanic lives large in our minds, but it’s probably not surprising that the world record for biggest passenger ship has been broken many times since its era. In fact, today’s largest passenger ship can now hold over 6,000 people—more than double the Titanic’s capacity.

This graphic by HMY Yachts looks at which vessels held the title of the world’s largest passenger ship over time, and how these vessels have evolved since the early 19th century.

Different Types of Passenger Ships

Before diving into the ranking, it’s worth explaining what constitutes a passenger ship.

Passenger ships are vessels whose main purpose is to transport people rather than goods. In modern times, there are three types of passenger ships:

• Cruise ships: Used for vacationing, with a priority on amenities and luxury
• Ferries: Typically used for shorter day trips, or overnight transport
• Ocean liners: The traditional mode of maritime transport, with a priority on speed

Traditional ocean liners are becoming obsolete, largely because of advancements in other modes of transportation such as rail, automobile, and air travel. In other words, the main priority for passenger ships has changed over the years, shifting from transportation to recreation.

Now, luxury is the central focus, meaning extravagance is part of the whole cruise ship experience. For example, the Navigator of the Seas (which was the largest passenger ship from 2002-2003) has $8.5 million worth of artwork displayed throughout the ship.

A Full Breakdown: Biggest Passenger Ships By Tonnage

Now that we’ve touched on the definition of a passenger ship and how they’ve evolved over the years, let’s take a look at some of the largest passenger ships in history.

The first vessel on the list is the SS Royal William. Built in Eastern Canada in the early 1800s, this ship was originally built for domestic travel within Canada.

In addition to being the largest passenger ship of its time, it’s often credited as being the first ship to travel across the Atlantic Ocean almost fully by steam engine. However, some sources claim the Dutch-owned vessel Curaçao completed a steam-powered journey in 1827—six years before the SS Royal William.

In 1837, The SS Royal William was dethroned by the SS Great Western, only to change hands dozens of times before 1912, when the Titanic entered the scene.

Ship	Title held	Tonnage	Capacity
SS Royal William	1831 – 1837	1,370 GRT	155 passengers
SS Great Western	1837 – 1839	1,340 GRT	128 passengers, 20 servants, 60 crew
SS British Queen	1839 – 1840	1,850 GRT	207 passengers
SS President	1840 – 1841	2,366 GRT	110 passengers, 44 servants
SS British Queen	1841 – 1843	1,850 GRT	207 passengers
SS Great Britain	1843 – 1853	3,270 GRT	360 passengers, 120 crew
SS Atrato	1853 – 1858	3,466 GRT	762+ passengers
SS Great Eastern	1858 – 1888	18,915 GRT	4,000 passengers, 418 crew
SS City of New York	1888 – 1893	10,499 GRT	1,740 passengers, 362 crew
RMS Campania and RMS Lucania	1893 – 1897	12,950 GRT	2,000 passengers, 424 crew
SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse	1897 – 1899	14,349 GRT	1,506 passengers, 488 crew
RMS Oceanic	1899 – 1901	17,272 GRT	1,710 passengers, 349 crew
RMS Celtic	1901 – 1903	20,904 GRT	2,857 passengers
RMS Cedric	1903 – 1904	21,035 GRT	1,223 passengers, 486 crew
RMS Baltic	1904 – 1906	23,876 GRT	2,875 passengers
SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria	1906 – 1907	24,581 GRT	2,466 passengers
RMS Lusitania	1907	31,550 GRT	2,198 passengers, 850 crew
RMS Mauretania	1907 – 1911	31,938 GRT	2,165 passengers, 802 crew
RMS Olympic	1911 – 1912	45,324 GRT	2,435 passengers, 950 crew
RMS Titanic	1912	46,328 GRT	2,435 passengers, 892 crew
SS Imperator	1913 – 1914	52,117 GRT	4,234 passengers, 1,180 crew
SS Vaterland	1914 – 1922	54,282 GRT	1,165 passengers
RMS Majestic	1922 – 1935	56,551 GRT	2,145 passengers
SS Normandie	1935 – 1936	79,280 GRT	1,972 passengers, 1,345 crew
RMS Queen Mary	1936	80,774 GRT	2,139 passengers, 1,101 crew
SS Normandie	1936 – 1946	83,404 GRT	1,972 passengers, 1,345 crew
RMS Queen Elizabeth	1946 – 1972	83,673 GRT	2,283 passengers, 1000+ crew
SS France and SS Norway (1962-1980)	1972 – 1987	66,343 GRT	2,044 passengers, 1,253 crew
MS Sovereign of the Seas	1987 – 1990	73,529 GT	2,850 passengers
SS Norway	1990 – 1995	76,049 GT	2,565 passengers, 875 crew
Sun Princess	1995 – 1996	77,499 GT	2,010 passengers, 924 crew
Carnival Destiny	1996 – 1998	101,353 GT	2,642 passengers, 1,150 crew
Grand Princess	1998 – 1999	109,000 GT	2,590 passengers, 1,110 crew
Voyager of the Seas	1999 – 2000	137,276 GT	3,138 passengers, 1,181 crew
Explorer of the Seas	2000 – 2002	137,308 GT	3,114 passengers, 1,180 crew
Navigator of the Seas	2002 – 2003	139,999 GT	4,000 passengers, 1,200 crew
RMS Queen Mary 2	2003 – 2006	148,528 GT	2,640 passengers, 1,256 crew
MS Freedom of the Seas	2006 – 2007	154,407 GT	4,515 passengers, 1,300 crew
Liberty of the Seas	2007 – 2009	155,889 GT	4,960 passengers, 1,300 crew
Oasis of the Seas	2009 – 2016	225,282 GT	6,780 passengers, 2,165 crew
Harmony of the Seas	2016 – 2018	226,963 GT	6,780 passengers, 2,300 crew
Symphony of the Seas	2018 – present	228,081 GT	6,680 passengers, 2,200 crew

The Titanic was one of three ships in the Olympic-class line. Of the three, two of them sank—the Titanic in 1912, and the HMHS Britannic in 1916, during World War I. Some historians believe these ships sank as a result of their faulty bulkhead design.

Fast forward to today, and the Symphony of the Seas is now the world’s largest passenger ship. While it boasts 228,081 in gross tonnage, it uses 25% less fuel than its sister ships (which are slightly smaller).

COVID-19’s Impact on Cruise Ships

2020 was a tough year for the cruise ship industry, as travel restrictions and onboard outbreaks halted the $150 billion industry. As a result, some operations were forced to downsize—for instance, the notable cruise operation Carnival removed 13 ships from its fleet in July 2020.

That being said, restrictions are slowly beginning to loosen, and industry experts remain hopeful that things will look different in 2021 as more people begin to come back on board.

“[There] is quite a bit of pent-up demand and we’re already seeing strong interest in 2021 and 2022 across the board, with Europe, the Mediterranean, and Alaska all seeing significant interest next year.”
-Josh Leibowitz, president of luxury cruise line Seabourn