Younger travelers are booking more cruises than ever, and they are not looking for the shuffleboard-and-buffet experience their grandparents took. They want design-forward spaces, Instagram-worthy architecture, and the kind of experiential detail usually reserved for boutique hotels and theme parks. Cruise lines have responded by treating every new ship as a design statement, bringing in naval architects, hospitality designers, and industrial engineers to compete on scale and originality.
Cruise ships have become floating test beds for architecture and interior design. These projects combine structural engineering, urban planning at sea, and hotel design at an unmatched scale. The ten ships below represent the current high point of that discipline, spanning ultra-luxury yacht-style vessels to megaships built for over 7,000 people.
1. Icon of the Seas — Royal Caribbean International
Icon of the Seas is the flagship of Royal Caribbean’s new Icon Class and, at 248,663 gross tons, the largest cruise ship in the world. It was built by Meyer Turku in Finland and entered service in January 2024. Master planning was led by Boston-based Wilson Butler Architects (WBA). Skylab Architecture, 3Deluxe, and CallisonRTKL contributed to individual venues, working alongside Royal Caribbean’s internal architectural design team led by Anna Drescher.
The ship is organized into eight distinct neighborhoods, including AquaDome, Central Park, Chill Island, Surfside, and Thrill Island, a layout intended to distribute over 7,600 guests and crew without the congestion of earlier megaships. The most discussed architectural element is The Pearl, a 53-foot kinetic sculpture that also functions as a structural sphere, supporting the open glass superstructure below and carrying the weight of Central Park on Deck 8 above it.
The sphere is taller than the Hollywood sign and heavier than a Boeing 737. It won Best Onboard Experience at the 2024 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards. Other notable spaces include Absolute Zero, the largest ice arena in the fleet with a retractable cover, and the 1,220-seat Royal Theater.
Icon of the Seas sails 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami, with every sailing calling at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas.
2. Disney Treasure — Disney Cruise Line
Disney Treasure is the sister ship to Disney Wish. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, it entered service in December 2024. Interiors were developed by Walt Disney Imagineering, with concept artist Lina Barr contributing custom artwork throughout the ship’s signature venues.
Where Disney Wish drew on fairy tales, Disney Treasure is built around a theme of exploration and adventure. The Grand Hall, the ship’s central atrium, is themed to Aladdin and includes character sculptures of Aladdin, Princess Jasmine, and the Magic Carpet. The stern carries nine-foot sculptures of Peter Pan and Captain Hook, produced in California and installed at the shipyard. Jumbeaux’s Sweets, a dessert venue inspired by Zootopia, uses pink interiors and Victorian-style architectural detailing. The ship’s Concierge-level suites draw on The Lion King, and the two-story Treasure Tower Suite, set inside one of the funnels, takes its design cues from Indiana Jones.
Inside the 2,000-seat Walt Disney Theatre, the stage set for the musical “Disney: The Tale of Moana” was designed by Penn State theater design professor Milagros Ponce de León. Disney Treasure sails the Caribbean and Bahamas from Port Canaveral, Florida.
3. Explora I — Explora Journeys
Explora I is the first ship from Explora Journeys, the luxury brand MSC Group launched in 2023. Naval architecture came from veteran yacht designer Martin Francis, whose aquiline hull profile gives the ship a silhouette closer to a superyacht than a traditional liner. De Jorio Luxury & Yacht Projects of Genoa developed the interiors, working alongside Explora Journeys’ internal architecture team, with additional venues by SMC Design.
Every stateroom on Explora I is an ocean-front suite, a first for a ship of its size. The Ocean Terrace Suites measure 35 square meters, among the largest entry-level suites at sea, with floor-to-ceiling windows and private terraces fitted with daybeds. Interior finishes lean on Italian furniture brands, including Molteni&C pieces originally designed by Gio Ponti and Flexform beds dressed in Frette linens. The design earned the Best Cabin award at the 2022 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards for the Ocean Suite, and three Travel Weekly Magellan Awards in 2023 for the spa, the Anthology restaurant, and the Ocean Terrace Suites.
Explora I sails a rotating global itinerary that includes the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, and transatlantic crossings.
4. Silver Nova — Silversea Cruises
Silver Nova is the lead ship of Silversea’s Nova Class, built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg and delivered in 2023. It is the first Silversea vessel constructed since Royal Caribbean Group acquired a majority stake in the line. Wilson Butler Architects worked on the public space layout, while GEM Design of Genoa, led by Lorenzo Mortola, developed the suite concepts.
The ship’s defining feature is an asymmetrical layout, a first for Silversea. The funnel sits off-center to port, the main pool is shifted to starboard, and the arrangement removes most of the structural clutter typically found on upper decks. The result is over 40,000 square feet of exterior glass, roughly 40 percent more than earlier Silversea classes. The Otium Suites, positioned in the aft corners, span 1,324 square feet with wraparound balconies and whirlpool baths. Silver Nova also introduced hybrid propulsion, combining LNG engines, fuel cells, and batteries to allow emissions-free operation in port.
The ship sails a global rotation covering the Mediterranean, Asia, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, along with transoceanic repositioning voyages.
5. MSC World Europa — MSC Cruises
MSC World Europa is MSC Cruises’ first vessel powered by liquefied natural gas. It was built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique in Saint-Nazaire, France, and entered service in 2022. Interior work was distributed across several studios, including AD Associates, which designed venues such as the Champagne bar and the Broadcast Studio using organic forms inspired by soundwave patterns.
The ship’s exterior is defined by a plumb bow and a Y-shaped open stern that funnels into the 104-meter World Promenade, an outdoor boulevard lined with dining and retail. The promenade connects to the World Galleria, a 2,214-square-meter indoor walkway topped by a kinetic LED dome. The Spiral houses the Venom Drop, the longest dry slide at sea, dropping 11 decks in stainless steel. Balcony cabins overlooking the interior promenade, rather than the ocean, are a new cabin category introduced on this ship.
MSC World Europa is based in the Mediterranean for the summer season, sailing from ports including Valletta, Malta, and repositions to the Gulf, operating from destinations such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, during the winter months.
6. Harmony of the Seas — Royal Caribbean International
Harmony of the Seas is a ship in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis Class, built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and delivered in 2016. As with the rest of the class, Wilson Butler Architects led the master plan, refining the neighborhood concept introduced on the first two Oasis-class ships and adapting it to a new shipyard.
The ship introduced the Ultimate Abyss, a 10-story dry slide that was the tallest of its kind at sea when it launched, dropping from Deck 16 to Deck 6 through a mix of straight and spiral sections. The Attic, developed by Wilson Butler senior designer Rebecca Durante’s team, functions as a comedy club by evening and a nightclub after hours. Central Park, an open-air garden deck lined with restaurants and greenery, and the Boardwalk, home to a 750-seat AquaTheater with acrobatic diving shows, remain the ship’s signature outdoor neighborhoods. Wilson Butler’s design work across the Oasis Class has been recognized industry-wide, including honors from the Cruise Ship Interiors Awards for related venues on later Royal Caribbean ships.
Harmony of the Seas sails Caribbean itineraries, rotating seasonally between Gulf Coast and East Coast homeports.
7. Celebrity Ascent — Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Ascent is the fourth ship in Celebrity Cruises’ Edge Series, built by Chantiers de l’Atlantique and delivered in 2023 as a twin sister to Celebrity Beyond. The design team includes British interior designer Kelly Hoppen, who worked on staterooms, suites, and the spa; American designer Nate Berkus, who served as design ambassador and created the Sunset Bar; British architect Tom Wright of WKK, known for the Burj Al Arab, who designed the ship’s outward-facing public spaces; the Paris-based firm Jouin Manku; and chef Daniel Boulud, who developed the specialty dining concept.
The ship’s most distinctive architectural feature is the Magic Carpet, a cantilevered platform the size of a tennis court that travels vertically along the ship’s side, shifting between a tender platform, a bar, and a dining venue at different deck levels. Infinite Veranda staterooms remove the divide between cabin and balcony through a wall of glass that opens fully to the sea. The two-story Edge Villas include private plunge pools with direct access to The Retreat Sun Deck, the ship’s suite-only enclave.
Celebrity Ascent sails a mix of Caribbean and Mediterranean itineraries depending on season.
8. Sun Princess — Princess Cruises
Sun Princess is built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, and delivered in 2024. Interior design was led by Tillberg Design of Sweden, a firm with decades of experience in cruise ship architecture, working with Princess’s newbuild team under director Richard Parker.
The ship is built around two connected architectural gestures. The Dome, a glass-enclosed geodesic structure inspired by the terraces of Santorini, functions as an indoor-outdoor pool deck by day and converts into an entertainment venue with aerial performances at night. Below it, the three-deck Piazza has been rebuilt around a feature called The Sphere, a suspended glass volume with floor-to-ceiling panels on both sides of the ship that opens the traditional atrium to the horizon. A retractable stage rises from the Piazza floor for live shows and the Champagne Waterfall performance. Princess describes the layout as a full reworking of the traditional atrium concept used on its earlier ships.
Sun Princess sails the Mediterranean in summer and repositions to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in winter.
9. Queen Anne — Cunard Line
Queen Anne is Cunard’s first new liner in more than a decade. Built by Fincantieri in Italy with naval architecture by Martin Francis, the ship entered service in 2024 under the creative direction of hotel designer Adam D. Tihany, who assembled a team of hospitality specialists rather than the traditional cruise-industry design firms. London’s David Collins Studio designed 18 areas onboard, including the Grand Lobby, Britannia Restaurant, Golden Lion Pub, and Queen’s Grill Suites. Paris-based Sybille de Margerie designed the Princess Grill Suites, and Richmond International handled the theatre and outdoor deck spaces.
The Grand Lobby is the ship’s centerpiece: a triple-height atrium spanning decks 1 through 3, built around a sweeping staircase with a walnut handrail and brass studs referencing shipbuilding rivets, set beneath a bespoke woven plaster ceiling. A four-meter brass mural by Canadian artist Ian Kirkpatrick, titled “A Cunard Journey,” anchors the staircase landing. The Pavilion, a two-level poolside piazza, is covered by a retractable glass roof engineered by the same firm behind the Louvre’s glass pyramid. Queen Anne carries the largest curated art collection at sea, with more than 4,300 pieces from over 300 artists. The Grand Lobby was a submitted entry at the 2024 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards.
Queen Anne sails worldwide from Southampton, England, with itineraries covering the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Norway, and full world cruise segments.
10. Norwegian Prima — Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Prima is the lead ship of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Class, built by Fincantieri in Italy and delivered in 2022. Design work was split among several studios, with Miami-based Studio DADO responsible for the largest share of public space, including staterooms, six dining venues, and the ship’s signature atrium. Rockwell Group, Lissoni, SMC Design, Tillberg Design of Sweden, and YSA contributed additional venues.
The centerpiece is the Penrose Atrium, a three-deck, glass-walled space with an asymmetrical layout, curving balconies, and a central sculptural staircase. A custom chandelier by Czech lighting firm Lasvit, inspired by star formations, anchors the space from above. Studio DADO has described the project as one of the first attempts at an atrium of this structural complexity built into the center of a ship, requiring the removal of decks and support pillars in an area critical to the vessel’s rigidity. The Penrose Atrium won Best Public Space at the 2022 Cruise Ship Interiors Awards and received a 2024 Boutique Design Gold Key Award for Design at Sea.
Norwegian Prima sails seasonal itineraries across the Caribbean, Mediterranean, and Alaska, with departures from ports including Port Canaveral, Galveston, Reykjavik, and Southampton.
Cruise ships have become structural challenges solved with the same rigor as a public building on land. This trend will keep accelerating as cruise lines chase a passenger base that expects the same design standards at sea that it finds on land. For architects and designers, that makes the cruise industry one of the more interesting sectors to watch. Few other building types combine hospitality design, industrial engineering, and large-scale public space planning inside a single moving structure, and clients are willing to spend over a billion dollars testing new ideas on that scale.
