Top 10 Greatest Cruise Ships

No ocean liners (Titanic, Queen Mary, United States, etc. ) Hybrid ocean liners/cruise ships like QE2 and Rotterdam may be included. Try to focus on accomplishments, historical significance, and ship design, and not the activities on board.
The Top Ten
Disney Fantasy

The best Disney cruise ship. It should be up there with the Magic.

I've been on the Disney Dream, the Fantasy's sister ship!

Disney Dream

My life has been altered for the better thanks to the people on this ship.

Queen Elizabeth 2

This should be in first place! It's one of the most well-known cruise ships. It has a rich history, from starting off as an ocean liner to transporting troops to the Falklands during the war in 1982, and finally becoming a floating hotel in Dubai!

The trendsetter of modern cruise ships, it's ironic that this ship was built as an ocean liner. The QE2 sailed from 1969 to 2008, served as a troopship in war, and later sailed off to an uncertain future in Dubai.

Disney Magic

When you wish upon a star, Disney enters the cruise market.

Disney Wonder
Pacific Princess

Princess Cruises' Pacific Princess became famous as the ship used in the Love Boat TV series. This show popularized cruising in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ruby of the Seas

This is a real cruise ship being constructed in Turku, Finland. After a conference meeting in Miami on September 25, 2019, the CEO, Head of Development, Head of Retail and Finance, and Head of Marketing decided on a more attractive name and renamed it Wonder of the Seas. I am a Royal Caribbean journalist and biographer in the cruising market.

Mardi Gras

The Empress of Canada was bought by the newly formed Carnival Cruise Lines and became the Mardi Gras. This former liner catapulted Carnival to number-one status. Sadly, the ship was scrapped at Alang, India, in 2003-2004 as the Apollo.

Queen Mary 2

The QE2 was believed to be the last liner/cruise ship ever built until the QM2 came along. The largest and most expensive ocean liner ever, she, like the QE2, makes this list because she also cruises for half the year. With the QE2 gone, she is the last ocean liner making regular crossings.

Sovereign of the Seas

This ship, alongside Norway, triggered a boom in large passenger ship construction as the 20th century drew to a close. This was Royal Caribbean's first mega ship.

The Newcomers

? Carnival Mardi Gras II/2020

Not the one that was scrapped in 2003 - this is the new one.

? M/S Stena Flavia
The Contenders
Oasis of the Seas

The first passenger ship to surpass 200,000 tons. Like Destiny, her profile isn't exactly pleasing to the eye.

MS Rotterdam

The quintessential cruise ship! SS Rotterdam was built in 1959 as an ocean liner for Holland America Line. She sailed as a cruise ship after 1971 and continued sailing until 2000. She is a Dutch masterpiece, now preserved as a hotel and museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

MS Nieuw Amsterdam

Absolutely gorgeous ship, inside and out.

Azura
Norway

Bought by NCL, France, alongside Cunard's QE2, this ship proved that large passenger ships could still be profitable. France was rebuilt as Norway until a deadly boiler explosion humiliated NCL and exposed machinery that hadn't been maintained for years. She was quietly withdrawn and sold to the scrappers at Alang, India. She was finished off by 2009.

Allure of the Seas
Harmony of The Seas
Norwegian Breakaway

I went on a cruise on this ship once. Great service, entertainment, dining, activities, itineraries - you name it!

MS Symphony of the Seas
Carnival Destiny

The first passenger ship to surpass 100,000 gross register tons, she was renamed Carnival Sunshine in 2013. However, her profile is less than pleasing.

MS Freedom of the Seas
Quantum of the Seas
Brilliance of the Seas
Anthem of the Seas

My dad and I went to Bermuda and Boston on this ship, and it was cool. They have adult entertainment, food, internet access, and a casino.

Diamond Princess
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