Everyone knows the Titanic but not everyone knows the importance it had in the world of cruises.
It was a revolutionary ship, incredibly big for that era and with many features that had not been seen before.
But what if we compare the Titanic with a cruise ship of our time? In this article, we are going to see a full comparison with data, graphs, and pictures.
Get ready to be shocked!
Are modern cruise ships bigger than the Titanic?
Yes, modern cruise ships are (on average) larger than the Titanic. Nevertheless, there are still significantly smaller cruises.
Although the Titanic began its voyage in 1912, it would still be considered a large ship today.
It was 852.5 feet (269 m) long, had an average tonnage of about 46,000 tons, and was 10 decks high.
In contrast, today’s cruise ships are about 1,000 feet (300 m) long, have a gross tonnage of about 120,000 tons, and are 17/18 decks high.
Let’s compare the Titanic
We are now going to compare the Titanic with modern cruise ships.
For this comparison, I have decided to consider two of the largest cruise ships in the world: Royal Caribbean’s flagship, the Icon of the Seas, and Carnival’s flagship, the Carnival Jubilee.
Titanic vs. Cruise: the Lenght
Let’s start by comparing the lengths right away.
By averaging the lengths of cruise ships from the major cruise lines, we can say that modern ships are about 20% longer than the Titanic.
The total length of the Titanic was 882 feet (269 meters), whereas Royal Caribbean’s longest ship reaches 1,196 feet (365 meters).
The difference is somewhat smaller when we compare the Titanic with Carnival Cruise Line’s largest ship, the Carnival Jubilee, which reaches 1,130 feet (344 meters) compared to the Titanic’s 882 feet (269 meters).
Titanic vs. Cruise: the Gross Tonnage
If we compare gross tonnage, the difference becomes incredibly wide!
Firstly, it’s important to clarify that gross tonnage does not reflect the weight of the ship.
Instead, it measures the volume of all the ship’s enclosed spaces (from keel to funnel), making it the most reliable metric for gauging a ship’s overall size.
The Titanic had a gross tonnage of 46,328 tons, while the gross tonnage of the Icon of the Seas is 248,663 tons. This is essentially more than five times greater!
Such a comparison clearly illustrates how much larger modern ships are compared to the Titanic.
The chart below compares the gross tonnage of the Titanic with that of the Carnival Jubilee.
It highlights that even though Carnival’s ships are generally smaller than Royal Caribbean’s, the disparity in gross tonnage with the Titanic is still remarkably large.
Titanic vs. Cruise: the Height
Let’s now turn our attention to the last variable: height.
Sometimes, the measurements available online can make the Titanic appear quite tall. However, it’s important to consider that her smokestacks are exceptionally high, which can significantly distort the perceived height.
With this in mind, I suggest we focus on comparing the number of decks instead. The Titanic had a total of 10 decks, whereas modern ships often boast as many as 20 decks.
Even here, the difference is stark, with modern ships having more than double the number of decks!
To conclude
The Titanic was considered a large ship in its time and would still be viewed as sizable by today’s standards, more than 100 years later.
However, when compared to modern cruise ships, there’s simply no contest!
Modern cruise ships are often two, three, four, or even five times larger than the Titanic in most respects. You don’t believe it? Then take a look at the list of Carnival cruise ships by size.
