Are you looking for the most venue-packed Celebrity Cruises ships at sea? If so, you'll want to get on one of the biggest Celebrity Cruises ships.
The biggest Celebrity cruise ships are, as you might expect, the Celebrity ships with the most onboard restaurants, bars, showrooms and decktop pool zones. They also have the biggest casinos and spas among ships in the Celebrity cruise fleet and the most cabins and suites — as well as the most variation in cabin and suite types.
With room for 3,000 passengers or more, the biggest Celebrity ships are like floating versions of the big resorts you find on land in places like Orlando or Las Vegas, although they're not quite as large as the very biggest resorts on land or sea (for the latter, you'd probably want to try a Royal Caribbean or MSC Cruises vessel). If you're in the "bigger is better" camp when it comes to a resort experience, the biggest Celebrity Cruises ships are the Celebrity ships for you.
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Still, Celebrity doesn't just operate large vessels. The Miami-based cruise brand also markets several relatively small cruise ships that carry just 2,000 or so people and have a much more intimate feel. In some cases, these vessels are 35% smaller than the biggest Celebrity cruise ships. They are ships that, notably, have fewer decktop activities and interior venues than the biggest Celebrity cruise ships.
These smaller Celebrity cruise ships are best for vacationers who like a more intimate, less crowded resort experience.
Related: The 4 types of Celebrity Cruises ships, explained
Celebrity also operates three even smaller vessels — much smaller; they carry just 16 to 100 people — in the Galapagos year-round. These three vessels make up what is essentially an entirely different business for Celebrity than the mainstream, big-ship cruising that is at the core of the company.
Celebrity is essentially two cruise lines in one: a big-ship brand with 12 vessels that carry 2,000 to 3,000 passengers and sail around the world, and a Galapagos cruisetour operator with three very tiny vessels. We include all of the vessels in this guide.
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To make sure you end up on the right Celebrity ship for you, it pays to study which Celebrity cruise ships are the biggest and which are the smallest before booking.
Here, every Celebrity ship currently in operation is ranked from biggest to smallest.
1. Celebrity Beyond
Maiden voyage: 2022
Size: 141,420 tons
Passenger capacity: 3,260
2 (tied). Celebrity Apex
Maiden voyage: 2020
Size: 130,818 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,910
2 (tied). Celebrity Edge
Maiden voyage: 2018
Size: 130,818 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,908
4. Celebrity Reflection
Maiden voyage: 2012
Size: 125,366 tons
Passenger capacity: 3,046
5. Celebrity Silhouette
Maiden voyage: 2011
Size: 122,210 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,886
6 (tied). Celebrity Eclipse
Maiden voyage: 2010
Size: 121,878 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,850
6 (tied). Celebrity Equinox
Maiden voyage: 2009
Size: 121,878 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,850
6 (tied). Celebrity Solstice
Maiden voyage: 2008
Size: 121,878 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,850
9 (tied). Celebrity Constellation
Maiden voyage: 2002
Size: 91,000 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,170
9 (tied). Celebrity Summit
Maiden voyage: 2001
Size: 91,000 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,158
9 (tied). Celebrity Infinity
Maiden voyage: 2001
Size: 91,000 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,170
9 (tied). Celebrity Millennium
Maiden voyage: 2000
Size: 91,000 tons
Passenger capacity: 2,137
13. Celebrity Flora
Maiden voyage: 2019
Size: 5,739 tons
Passenger capacity: 100
14. Celebrity Xpedition
Maiden voyage: 2001
Size: 2,842 tons
Passenger capacity: 48
15. Celebrity Xploration
Maiden voyage: 2007
Size: 320 tons
Passenger capacity: 16
What is the biggest Celebrity Cruises ship?
The biggest Celebrity cruise ship is Celebrity Beyond, which measures 141,420 gross tons. It's also the newest Celebrity cruise ship. It debuted less than two years ago, in April 2022.
What is the smallest Celebrity Cruises ship?
The smallest Celebrity cruise ship is the super-tiny Celebrity Xploration. Based in the Galapagos, it measures 320 tons, just a tiny fraction of the size of Celebrity Beyond, and it holds just 16 passengers.
Or, to put it another way, Celebrity Xploration holds fewer passengers than a lifeboat on Celebrity Beyond.
Are bigger Celebrity Cruises ships coming?
Not right now. Celebrity Cruises currently has two new cruise ships on order. However, each of the vessels is projected to be roughly the same size as the recently unveiled Celebrity Beyond — about 141,000 tons.
That size estimate can change, of course, as construction on the ships draws closer to completion. Celebrity might add elements to the ships that increase their size.
The first of the two ships on order, Celebrity Ascent, is due to start sailing in December 2023. It will be followed by an as-yet-unnamed vessel in 2025.
The two Celebrity Cruises ships on order will be the fourth and fifth ships in Celebrity's Edge-class series of vessels that began debuting in 2018. The first three ships in the series are Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond.
The Edge-class vessels are being built at the giant Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France.
Related: 5 things to love about Celebrity Beyond
What's the difference between bigger and smaller Celebrity Cruises ships?
The biggest Celebrity cruise ships have room for more onboard venues and attractions than smaller Celebrity ships. That makes them more alluring for vacationers who prefer a big resort experience with lots of options as compared to a stay at a smaller resort.
On Celebrity's biggest vessel, Celebrity Beyond, for instance, you'll find an expanded "resort-within-a-resort" area for suite passengers called The Retreat that isn't on the smaller vessels in the same Edge-class series or on other smaller ships in the Celebrity fleet. It offers a new two-story sun deck with hot tubs, lounge chairs and private cabanas that are open exclusively to passengers staying in suites.
Celebrity Beyond also has 179 more cabins than its smaller sister vessels, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Edge, which each have 1,467 cabins. As a result, it holds 3,260 passengers at double occupancy. That's up from a 2,910-passenger capacity at double occupancy for Celebrity Apex and a 2,908-passenger capacity at double occupancy for Celebrity Edge.
Related: The 5 best destinations you can visit on a Celebrity ship
Celebrity's smaller Millennium-class ships, by contrast, only carry about 2,100 passengers at double occupancy. As a result, they have a more intimate feel, at least in the pantheon of relatively big, mass-market ships.
That makes the latter vessels a good choice for someone who wants to try Celebrity but isn't eager to travel with big crowds. The smaller ships in the Celebrity fleet thus appeal to a subset of Celebrity fans who prefer more intimacy in a cruise vessel and don't mind giving up some onboard amenities to get it. They are also often less expensive to sail on, on a per-day basis.
Related: Don't miss out on these Celebrity loyalty perks
Celebrity's three very small Galapagos-based vessels have the most intimate feel of all. They are like tiny little boutique hotels that float.
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Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
