While no longer the biggest, they are still quite large and offer a lot. Freedom class ships were the largest in the world when they debuted, but have been dwarfed by newer ships in the last ten years. The Freedom class ships are known for their size and offering a good mix of activities. Being the newest class of ships, Quantum class ships offer the latest designs onboard and their integration of tech is unparalleled. Quantum class ships also feature a Royal Esplanade district, which offers dining, shopping and bars.

Quantum class ships have two main features that stand out, the North Star observation pod and Two70 theater. The newest class of cruise ships, the Quantum class ships are slightly smaller than the Oasis class, but have made their mark on the cruise industry by combining a large ship size with impressive tech. Because of the ship's enormous size, it offers pretty much everything Royal Caribbean is known for. Oasis-class ships are known for the Central Park and Boardwalk neighborhoods, as well as the Aqua Theater and zip-line on the ship. Oasis of the Seas launched in 2009, and was a revolutionary ship because of its overall size and offerings. These are the largest cruise ships in the world, with seven distinct neighborhoods that help differentiate each area of the ship for easier navigation. Today, Royal Caribbean has eight classes of ships in the fleet. Royal Caribbean continuously works on and upgrades their ships, with regularly scheduled drydock sessions and these can result in new offerings onboard. As an example, Liberty of the Seas offers water slides, whereas her sister ships of Freedom of the Seas and Independence of the Seas do not. The key concept to understand is that while each class of ships are a grouping, within that grouping there can be more subtle differences between the ships. Within each class of ships, there can be varying degrees of differences between 'sister ships.' These differences vary, with some classes of ship having barely any noticeable differences to other ship classes having more noticeable features among the vessels. The ship classes are an easy way to group Royal Caribbean ships, and quickly know the basic differences. Each class of ships has a similar size, structure and signature offerings that separate themselves from the other classes of ships. Think of this like the model of a car, where many ships have a common base among them, and that common base is the distinguishing factor from other classes of ships. Royal Caribbean defines its fleet of ships by the classes. Here is a guide to understanding the similarities and differences among Royal Caribbean's cruise ships and what each class of ship offers. Understanding what each ship offers makes the decision of which ship to sail on an easier process.

Royal Caribbean has a fairly large fleet of ships, with 26 different elegant vessels that offer cruises around the world, and often those new to Royal Caribbean may be wondering what the differences are between them.

The royal order of splendor