The biggest ship ever built was the supertanker Seawise Giant (also known as Knock Nevis, Jahre Viking, etc.), an oil tanker measuring over 458 meters (1,504 feet) long with the largest deadweight tonnage (657,019 tonnes) and carrying capacity (over 4 million barrels of oil) for any ship, though its immense size prevented it from using canals.
Originally smaller, jumboisation made Seawise Giant the largest ship ever by length, displacement (657,019 tonnes), and deadweight tonnage. The largest and longest ships ever to be laid down per original plans.
A 10,000-passenger cruise ship refers to the maximum capacity (passengers + crew) of Royal Caribbean's massive Icon of the Seas and its sister ship, Star of the Seas, which are the largest cruise ships in the world, holding nearly 10,000 people at full occupancy (around 7,600 guests + crew). These floating resorts offer vast amenities like water parks, themed neighborhoods, multiple pools, entertainment, and numerous dining options, redefining large-scale cruising with city-like experiences.
The Great Eastern, launched in 1858, was almost 700 feet long. The Titanic, launched 53 years later, was almost 900 feet long.
No, Captain Edward Smith's body was never recovered after the Titanic sank, and his final moments remain a mystery, with numerous conflicting eyewitness accounts describing heroic acts, him going down with the ship, or even swimming away. While he perished with over 1500 others, his body was lost in the North Atlantic, with many believing he was not wearing a life jacket and sank quickly, preventing recovery.
The Suez Canal, which opened in 1869, was a setback for the ship, as at the time the channel was too shallow for Great Eastern to navigate. Going around Africa it would not be able to compete with ships that could use the canal.
How much does a Cruise Captain make? As of Jan 8, 2026, the average annual pay for a Cruise Captain in the United States is $77,625 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $37.32 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,492/week or $6,468/month.
A cruise ship with 9,000 passengers refers to massive vessels, like Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas (max ~9,000 total people) or the planned but scrapped Global Dream, highlighting the industry's trend toward "mega-ships" featuring extensive amenities, but also complexities like the Global Dream II's unfinished fate. These floating cities offer multiple neighborhoods, waterparks, and entertainment, but a 9,000-passenger capacity (including crew) pushes the boundaries of current large ships, with vessels like Icon of the Seas approaching that number (around 10,000 total people).
Cruise ships often omit a 13th deck due to triskaidekaphobia, the widespread superstition that the number 13 is unlucky, mirroring practices in land-based hotels and buildings to avoid upsetting superstitious passengers who might refuse to book rooms on that level. While some ships skip deck 13 entirely, others might have it but reserve it for non-passenger areas like crew spaces or sports facilities (like a sports deck) instead of cabins, ensuring revenue-generating rooms are on numbered decks.
As soon as a passenger falling overboard is reported, cruise ships are required to stop and engage in search and rescue operations. The ship's crew will deploy its rescue boat and coordinate with the Coast Guard and other vessels to locate and retrieve the missing passenger.
The "top 3" cruise lines vary by traveler preference (family, luxury, adults-only), but consistently highly-rated options include Royal Caribbean (best for family-friendly attractions), Celebrity Cruises (top premium line known for service), and Virgin Voyages (popular for adults-only, modern experiences). Other strong contenders often cited are Viking Ocean Cruises (premium, enrichment-focused) and luxury lines like Regent Seven Seas and Seabourn for upscale travel.
Here is the world cruise I was talking about which will be 274 days on Serenade of the Seas. It is an Ultimate World Cruise that begins December 10, 2023 through September 10, 2024. Pricing will start at $60-112k/person.
In May 2025, the container ship MSC Elsa 3 sank off the Kerala coast, carrying around 600 containers. The accident caused significant environmental damage, including proven oil discharge into the sea, and impacted the livelihoods of local fishermen, prompting the Kerala government to seek compensation.
The answer is yes, most cruise ships do have some form of detention facility on board, commonly known as a “brig”. These facilities are typically small rooms located in the lower decks of the ship and are used to detain passengers or crew members who have broken the law or violated the ship's rules and regulations.
USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat.
Disney Cruise Line is a cruise line operation that is a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. The company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited, through its first vessel Disney Magic, and is domiciled in London, England with its operational headquarters located in Celebration, Florida.
According to SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations, a cargo ship must carry at least 8 lifebuoys, but larger ships often carry 12 to 20 or more, depending on their size. Here's how they're usually distributed: 1.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $59,000 and as low as $12,500, the majority of Waiter Cruise Ship salaries currently range between $24,000 (25th percentile) to $35,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $44,000 annually across the United States.
High Paying Ship Captain Jobs
Famous Shipwreck #1: RMS Titanic
RMS Titanic set sail on April 10, 1912, and hit an iceberg just before midnight on April 14. It sank in fewer than three hours and split in two as it traveled to the bottom of the sea. A total of 1,514 passengers lost their lives.
The Lusitania was British, not American, operated by Cunard, commanded by Captain William Turner RNR. Inbound from New York, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-20 eleven miles off the Old Head of Kinsale, Ireland. She experienced two explosions, the second catastrophic, and sank in only eighteen minutes.
The SS Great Britain often carried more than 600 passengers and crew between Liverpool and Melbourne, Australia. The ship made this journey 32 times between 1852 and 1875. Each journey lasted around 60 days, with the ship often battling rough seas and storms on the way.