For decades, Carnival and Royal Caribbean have pushed the size of cruise ships ever bigger. That has, in some ways, made the cruise ship, not the ports it sails to, the destination.
It's a battle that has been ever-escalating with Carnival (CCL) adding three ships in its Excel-class line while Royal Caribbean will soon take delivery of its sixth Oasis-class ship, Utopia of the Seas, which will be followed by its second Icon-class ship, Star of the Seas.
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Icon of the Seas has claimed the title of "world's largest cruise ship." It will retain it for a while as Utopia will be slightly smaller. The ship is nearly 1,200-feet long and has a maximum passenger capacity of 7,600,
Carnival's largest ship for now is the Carnival Jubilee, 1,066-feet long with a maximum capacity of 6,631. (The fabled Titanic's length was just 883 feet.)
These ships, both Royal Caribbean (RCL) and Carnival's biggest aren't just big for the sake of being big.
They offer experiences that previously were never found at sea. Icon of the Seas has a number of firsts including the indoor Aquadome which hosts its Aqua Theater as well as restaurants and bars. Carnival's Excel-class ships offer their own first-of-a-kind attractions including the Bolt Roller coaster.
Bigger ships offer more room for special experiences, but they also have limitations. Huge ships can only visit a limited number of ports because they're simply too big to dock in many destinations.
In addition, the sheer size of the biggest ships makes it hard to make deep connections with crew members, simply because you don't see them as often. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival passengers have asked the cruise lines to consider building smaller ships.
That's something Royal Caribbean executives have spoken about, and now, Carnival brand ambassador John Heald has made a comment that suggests his cruise line has the same aspirations.
Image source:Carnival Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean has plans for smaller ships
Royal Caribbean has not shared a formal plan to build smaller ships, but has hinted at what's internally known as "Project Discovery."
“It is something that's certainly deeply in our consideration and our planning at the moment that we have a lot of conceptual work going on," Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley shared during a 2023 sailing on Allure of the Seas, the Royal Caribbean Blog reported. "I think when we're ready we can we can announce steps that will take to to do just that.”
Bayley further confirmed the project in response to a Facebook question earlier in 2024.
"The Royal team is working on a new class. If all the needed hurdles are tackled, we can announce something this year. It is a journey," he posted.
Carnival hints at smaller ship plans
Carnival executives have not commented directly on new smaller ships, but Heald's recent Facebook post suggests the cruise line is aware that passengers want them.
"Do you one day hope that Carnival Cruise Line will build a smaller ship, a brand new ship say a new Spirit-class-sized ship?" he posted on his popular page.
Carnival's existing Spirit-class ships are the Miracle, Legend, Pride, Spirit, and Luminosa.. The line began with Spirit in 2001 and has not had a new ship since Luminosa in 2009.
These are not the smallest ships in the fleet, Fantasy class is a little smaller, but the two ships remaining from that line, Paradise and Elation were built in 1998.
Over 3,400 people responded to Heald's post, most of them positively. Many just answered "yes" but some shared their thoughts.
"Yes, I think the Spirit size seems to be easier for the older crowd to navigate," wrote Tina Byrd.
Some posters noted that the cruise line could use new smaller ships for ports that have size restrictions.
"Yes and please make it small enough to fit under the Skyway Bridge and make its home port the Port of Tampa, that would be awesome," wrote Marlene Bielawski.
Many posters made it clear the smaller ships simply have a different feel.
"Yes! Personally, the smaller ships have a more comfortable and intimate feel. It’s easier to get to know some of the crew as well. I would love a new smaller ship with some of the updated features," Will Monroe posted.
