Cruise ships are often called “marine cities” and this description matches them the best. It is a concentration of luxury and wealth, floating in the sea. Cruise ships feature a lot of entertainment facilities including casinos, restaurants, bars, aqua parks and mini-golf. So on that note, we have compiled a list of the world's largest cruise ships.

First in our list is Allure of the Seas, operated by Royal Caribbean International. This ship is 362m [1,187 ft] long, 225,282 tonnes and contains 2,706 staterooms. The ship has a two-deck dance hall, a theatre with 1,380 seats, and an ice skating rink. The ship’s interior is decorated by muralist Clarissa Parish.

Oasis of the Seas [http://www.cruise1st.co.uk/cruiseship/royal-caribbean-international/oasis-of-the-seas], sister ship of Allure of the Seas has a little difference in length - Allure of the Seas is 50 millimetres longer. The gross tonnage and displacement are equal to Allure of the Seas. The ship features the biggest casino in a global cruise fleet. Moreover, it has a park from 12.000 exotic live plants, shrubs and 56 trees.

The Norwegian Epic, from Norwegian Cruise Line, is 329.5m [1,081 ft] long and its gross tonnage is 155,873. This cruise ship has 4100 staterooms and an inbuilt aqua park. The Norwegian Epic sails for seven nights in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas, and Independence of the Seas are Freedom class cruise ships of Royal Caribbean International. These three cruise ships have the same gross tonnage: 154,407, same length: 338.9 m [1,111.9 feet] and the same staterooms number: 1,817.

Freedom of the Seas has an interior promenade with shops 136m long, three swimming areas: a water park, adult pool and the main pool. There are also two adults-only whirlpools, a boxing ring, coffee shop, pizzeria, a Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream shop, a winery, an Irish pub and many duty-free shops.

Liberty of the Seas has an 169m climbing wall, a mini-golf course, and also features an interactive water play area for children, volleyball and basketball courts, an ice skating rink, a boxing ring, and a big fitness centre  Moreover, Liberty of the Seas has an onboard wave generator for surfing, called FlowRider.

Independence of the Seas features a volleyball and basketball sports pool, a water park, cabaret lounge and the pool bar area. It also has the Promenade, an internal shopping "street", with a range of shops, pubs and wine bars.

Furthermore, Royal Caribbean line cruise ships hold the "DreamWorks Experience". This feature includes parades, meetings and other activities and events dedicated to DreamWorks characters. Cruisers can meet “Madagascar” characters such as Alex the Lion, Gloria the Hippo, and the Penguins, as well as Shrek, Fiona and Puss in Boots from “Shrek”, and Po from “Kung Fu Panda”. This feature makes family cruise exciting and unforgettable.

This concludes our list of the largest, and most feature-packed, cruise ships. We hope this has inspired you to sail the seas, in luxury and relaxation.

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The Author: Daniel Levell is a freelance writer and cruise specialist.