Royal Caribbean Ship Classes: Everything You Need to Know

Royal Caribbean has a massive fleet of ships, including the largest cruise ships in the world with more on the way, plus a new class coming soon.

Each class serves a different purpose, such as dominating the high seas or coursing through fjords and catering to different crowds. Although, most of their ships operate on a large scale with a heavy emphasis on the wow factor. 

Keeping up with Royal Caribbean ships and classes is slightly complicated because the newest class doesn’t necessarily contain all the most recent builds. For example, the Quantum class is the newest, but the newest ship in the fleet comes from the Oasis class, the second newest.

As a result, I have listed the ships by the newest class first instead of the latest ship. Ready? Let’s dive into everything about Royal Caribbean Ship Classes.

Quantum Class

• Quantum of the Seas – Launched in 2014
• Anthem of the Seas – Launched in 2015
• Ovation of the Seas – Launched in 2016
• The spectrum of the Seas – Launched in 2019
• Odyssey of the Seas – Launched in 2021

Size, Capacity, and General Information

The Quantum Class, while a bit smaller than Oasis Class ships, are some of the largest cruise ships in the world. While all the ships in a class look mostly the same, there are differences in size and features. The size of Quantum Class ships ranges from 168,666 to 169,379 tons.

Since Royal Caribbean will modify a design to fit a market or specific needs, this fleet holds 4,180 to 5,622 passengers on a ship depending on the design.

The class debuted in 2014 and sports some of the best innovations of any Royal Caribbean class to date. Only one ship and one class currently have a chance of rivaling the ingenuity. The newest addition to the Oasis Class—the Utopia of the Seas should arrive in 2024. A new class named Icon should launch its first vessel in 2023.

Nobody is sure what the new Icon class will deliver. One thing everybody can bet on, Royal Caribbean will up the ante, the luxury, and make sure to leave the competition further behind than they already are.

Things to Do

Quantum-class ships feature a range of fine-dining restaurants, showrooms, and bars. Most activities sit on the lower and upper levels, while the mid-decks are full of accommodation with a few activities sprinkled throughout, including a library.

The fun things to do are likely to capture most people’s interest. The open decks on top are where all the action is including the resort-style pools and the SeaPlex®, complete with bumper cars and laser tag.

Once you have maxed out that part of your fun, you can head over to the Sky Pad® and learn to fly skydiving style. The RipCord lets you feel the sensation of free-falling without leaving the deck. You can even remember what gaming used to be like in the arcade.

North Star®, a unique attraction, elevates you 300ft up in an observation capsule with a 360° view of everything. Be sure to check which attractions the ship available to you has on offer. Each ship differs slightly.

Be sure not to burn yourself out during the day. Every night there is live entertainment with music, theater, and music. Of course, if watching entertainment isn’t your idea of entertainment, you might like to hit the multitude of bars and nightlife available on board.

Nobody disembarks from a Quantum-class cruise and remarks, ‘how boring.’

Oasis Class

• Oasis of the Seas – Launched in 2009 
• The allure of the Seas – Launched in 2010
• Harmony of the Seas – Launched in 2016
• Symphony of the Seas – Launched in 2018
• The wonder of the Seas – Launched in 2022
• Utopia of the Seas – Coming in 2024

Size, Capacity, and General Information

When the Oasis class launched the Oasis of the Seas in 2009, the era of the largest cruise ships at sea began. Interestingly, Royal Caribbean didn’t stop making new fleets, but they did feel the need to fill subsequent fleets with smaller ships.

Like other classes, every ship is slightly different despite coming from the same design template. Oasis ships range from 226,838 to 236,857 tons and carry as many as 6,988 passengers. When you include the staff, a packed Oasis-class mega-ship can hold almost 10,000 people.

The Oasis line is beginning to age. The Wonder of the Seas came out in 2022, and the Utopia of the Seas is coming in 2024. There is a demand for Oasis-class ships, so they will build these enormous vessels as needed and keep the fleet alive for some time.

Passengers will never feel disappointed in the array of room choices. The newest ship in service, the Wonder of the Seas, takes accommodation to the next level with eight unique neighborhoods with room options to satisfy all types of passengers. The least luxurious rooms are better than most people enjoy at home.

Things to Do

When the time comes to leave the mid-decks and have some fun or satisfy a groaning stomach, the activities, restaurants, bars, and entertainment offer something for everybody, even large families.

Gamblers can enjoy the Casino Royale, the standard casino on Royal Caribbean ships. When you make your way to the upper decks, Wonder Playscape℠, a world within a world with an underwater theme, will blow you away. Enjoy the various slides, climbing walls, games, and puzzles.

If you enjoy mini-golf, but the daytime sun is too hot, go at night and enjoy Wonder Dunes under the stars in a story-based round you will never forget.

FlowRider® surf simulator is a beloved Royal Caribbean specialty you can find on many ships if you want to test your balance. Let’s not forget the Perfect Storm℠ trio of waterslides that snake around in the open-air spaces. 

The Oasis of the Sea has the longest slide on a ship in the world where you go through an exhilarating 10-story drop on the Ultimate Abyss℠ if you feel brave enough.

If a mega-ship designed to offer you everything on a city-like scale, in the company of thousands of other guests, sounds like what you need, look no further than the Oasis class.

Freedom Class 

• Freedom of the Seas – Launched in 2006
• Liberty of the Seas – Launched in 2007
• Independence of the Seas – Launched in 2008

Size, Capacity, and General Information

These ships range in size from 154,407 to 156,271 tons. They hold about 4,600 passengers maximum. The nice thing about building such massive ships out of steel is that the critical parts, like the hull, last a long time. 

When you read about how Royal Caribbean maintains its ships, you find evidence that they constantly redesign and rebuild its fleets to stay modern. The upgrades range from accommodation to fun activities and everything in between.

The only limitation is the ship’s size. Enter the Freedom class, still large cruise ships, the largest about thirteen years ago. They will never be big enough to have bumper cars and space for a few thousand people with other amenities that keep the operation flowing seamlessly. However, there is an ice rink on deck two.

Things to Do

Once onboard, the timeless Royal Caribbean classics such as the Lime & Coconut bar and Splashaway Bay greet you on the main top deck. You can find ample swimming pool space surrounded by many whirlpools.

If you have ever experienced an Oasis or Quantum-class ship, you will see some familiar activities like Flowrider surfing and laser tag. You will notice that the major attractions like a zip line don’t fit on ships of this size.

For me, this ship is approaching the size range I prefer. If I’m taking a cruise to Mexico, I want to enjoy the journey, but I want to see Mexico and the places in between. The United States is full of amusement parks where you can have maximum fun and excitement. 

If I get to enjoy stops in the Bahamas and Cozumel, Mexico, I’m most looking forward to those places. The ship only needs to be entertaining enough to keep me from getting bored at sea.

For the kids who are harder to keep entertained, there is still a Perfect Storm℠ network of slides that descends three stories. Most kids have never enjoyed three-story waterslides snaking along a ship. Afterward, they will be ready to upgrade to the ten-story slides, or similar, in the Oasis class.

Radiance Class

• Radiance of the Seas – Launched in 2001
• Brilliance of the Seas – Launched in 2002
• Serenade of the Seas – Launched in 2003
• Jewel of the Seas – Launched in 2004

Size, Capacity, and General Information

While the size of these ships drops to only 90,090 tons, make no mistake, Radiance class ships still have more in common with a floating city than a single resort. They hold a bit more than 2,100 passengers maxed out.

For me, the Radiance class gets everything right. The ships are large enough to have lots of activities to keep you occupied during travel days. These ships have a design that favors exploring and stops to go on land.

The Glacier voyage in Alaska stops for land treks several times during the seven-day excursion, so many that the trip becomes a way to travel and see Alaska on land and from coastal waters.

I want to enjoy the ship too, but I want to return with photos of amazing places, not just a huge, impressive ship and a location or two. I want to travel and disembark, camera in hand.

However, travel days often spend at least twenty-four hours on the water. The ship has to offer something entertaining during those times. Radiance ships have this critical section covered too.

As you’re going through crystal-white fjords, these ships have more glass than other cruise ships and constantly feed staggering views to diners.

Things to Do

Radiance class ships don’t have as much for kids to do, such as slides that snake through the interior or laser tag. These ships have a design that favors giving you enough to do to arrive at a location and get back on land to sightsee. Some sightseeing sections also utilize abundant viewing spots and constant windows onboard.

The upper decks have swimming pools and an adults-only solarium for tranquility. Every family is different, but for some, leaving the kids behind for a getaway cruise might work out perfectly on a Radiance class ship.

There is also a climbing wall and plenty of athletic areas for people to stay active. These ships are still kid-friendly with play areas and entertainment shows. The experience is less like an amusement park and more like a form of transportation to holiday locations.

Voyager Class

• Voyager of the Seas – Launched in 1999
• Explorer of the Seas – Launched in 2000
• Adventure of the Seas – Launched in 2001
• Navigator of the Seas – Launched in 2002
• Mariner of the Seas – Launched in 2003

Size, Capacity, and General Information

Before the smaller Radiance class came out, when Royal Caribbean needed to bring out the big guns, they relied on the Voyager class weighing in at 137,276 to 139,999 tons. While the Oasis class weighs about 100 tons more, for the price, you get a lot of activities and accommodation from this floating small city. Vessels in this class hold about 3,100 passengers.

If you look at photos and notice a striking resemblance between these boats and the larger Freedom class, you’re not wrong. The Freedom class is sort of like a stretched Voyager-class ship.

Things to Do

The Voyager class is another example of a fleet with excursions that are right up my alley. There’s plenty to do on board during a day at sea, and a port awaits to reconnect passengers with terra firma and enjoy new sights and things to do in exotic places. 

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I like the idea that a ship is a super-exaggerated, over-the-top taxi to a beautiful holiday location where I get to do some exploring and experience how other people live in faraway lands.

The Voyager class offers a top deck with multiple swimming pools and whirlpools. Kids and adults alike can take on the Perfect Storm℠ network of translucent high-speed waterslides with unforgettable views. 

The always popular surf simulator, a Royal Caribbean classic found on many ships, will not disappoint. If a slower pace is what you need, don’t overlook the rejuvenated Vitality℠ Spa and Fitness Center, a favorite with busy moms who need to unwind.

There is more to do than can fit into a brief description. There are multiple entertainment venues, restaurants, and bars along the Royal Promenade to Voyager Dunes, ice skating, rock climbing, Adventure Ocean for kids, a virtual reality gravity-defying Sky Pad®, and an Escape Room, the longest waterslide at sea named the Blaster and more.

Remember that while all the ships are similar, the same attractions aren’t on every ship. For example, the previously mentioned Blaster is on the Navigator of the Seas and nowhere else.

Vision Class

• The grandeur of the Seas – Launched in 1996
• Rhapsody of the Seas – Launched in 1997
• Enchantment of the Seas – Launched in 1997
• The vision of the Seas – Launched in 1998

Size, Capacity, and General Information

Royal Caribbean’s oldest and smallest fleet of ships at 73,817 to 82,910 tons, these ships are still big enough to pack in lots of fun activities and travel fast. The capacity is only 2,076 to 2,446 passengers.

I like the layout of this ship quite a bit. The lower and mid-to-upper decks are for accommodation, so you can have an intimate close-to-sea level view or a much higher view. The mid-decks are where the casino, restaurants, and shopping are, so people can pour in from above and below. 

Things to Do

For a smaller ship, there are still twelve levels to explore. The upper main deck has a dominant main pool and another smaller one with the ever-present Solarium so adults can enjoy privacy and tranquility.

For kids, the Vision class might be a bit of a letdown as poolside activities, entertainment shows, and a climbing wall are probably the most fun things to do. For adults, a poolside theater at sea with a soothing drink in hand might be just what the doctor ordered.

I know I would enjoy myself on this ship between destinations, but if I try to imagine the experience through 12-year-old eyes, I might wonder who canceled the party. These are not the zip line, massive waterslide-laden ships you find in other fleets.

Couples young and old can enjoy poolside parties and some pretty good dining that covers several cultural varieties to keep things interesting. I would be getting what I want. Travel on Vision class ships is about the destination. My camera would be ready to go. I could fill the memory card and my stomach with exotic tropical cuisines and drinks.

Final Thoughts

Royal Caribbean Ship Classes reveal a lot about the company. The sheer number of mega-ships in the fleet that can carry multiple thousands of passengers, plus staff, is incredible to behold.

The company thoroughly updates older vessels to fare well against newer ships. No wonder Royal Caribbean is everywhere in every meaningful market, continually building and developing new classes with a masterful touch.