The biggest cruise ships aren’t necessarily the best. Stop confusing size with quality.

A bigger ship gives a cruise line more room to build things. It does not automatically give each passenger a better holiday.

The big-ship comparison

Icon of the Seas is listed at 248,663 gross tons and scores 4.2 overall. MSC World Europa, at 215,863 gross tons, scores 3.5. Both score 5 for entertainment.

The difference appears elsewhere. Icon scores 4 for service and pools and decks; World Europa scores 3 and 2 respectively. Both have a dining score of 3. Size alone explains none of those differences.

The smaller alternative

Seven Seas Explorer is listed at 55,254 gross tons and 746 passengers. Its six-category average is 4.7, including 5s for cabins, dining, service, and pools and decks.

That does not make Explorer an equivalent substitute for a family choosing a large entertainment-focused ship. It shows that a smaller ship can have a stronger editorial profile in categories a particular traveler values.

The verdict

Shop by the experience you want before shopping by the size of the vessel. These examples do not establish that small ships are better as a group, and this comparison does not control for fare or itinerary. They do establish that “bigger” and “better rated” are different claims.

More attractions can mean a different holiday

A large ship may be the right choice for a group whose members want different things at the same time. The important question is whether the attractions offered are the ones your group will use. A feature you never visit has little value to your own booking decision.

The same logic works in the other direction. A smaller vessel may have a stronger service score, but it can still be the wrong choice if your favorite part of a cruise is a broad entertainment program. Explorer's entertainment score is 4 in this snapshot; Icon and World Europa both earn 5. The smaller ship does not win every category.

Do not compare the wrong numbers

Gross tonnage measures ship volume. It is not the ship's weight, a measure of open deck area, or a count of activities. Passenger capacity is a separate figure. Putting the two side by side is helpful, but neither tells you the layout of a specific venue.

The overall rating is another separate number. In this comparison, all three ships have six rated categories, so one ship is not winning because its average is based on fewer scores. The differences come from the category marks themselves.

Before paying a deposit, make a short list of places you expect to spend your time. Check where those places are on the deck plan and what is included in your fare. Then use the relevant scores as one part of the choice.

The biggest vessel can be the best fit. It just has to earn that description through the experience you want, rather than through the tonnage printed next to its name.

How to read these scores

These are a snapshot of the site's editorial ratings checked on October 12, 2026, not verified passenger-review averages or a new onboard inspection. Overall scores average the rated categories and are rounded to one decimal place. They do not establish current prices, measured queue times or the experience on every departure. Check the linked profiles for the current scores.

Related reading

See how Lounge Frog ratings work, then compare the linked profiles and the Cruise Frog ship directory.

Photo: Corey Seeman / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Image cropped for display; the adapted photo retains its source license.