Is a Cruise Ship Bigger Than a Blue Whale?

By Alice Nichols

The size of a blue whale and a cruise ship can be quite difficult to compare. Both are incredibly large, but one is an animal, while the other is a man-made vessel.

To begin with, it’s important to understand that blue whales are the largest known animal ever to have lived on Earth. They measure up to 30 meters (98 feet) in length, and weigh up to 180 metric tons (nearly 200 US tons). This makes them more than three times as long as a typical cruise ship and more than four times as heavy.

However, cruise ships can be much longer than blue whales. The world’s largest cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, measures 362 meters (1,187 feet) and can weigh up to 228 metric tons (over 251 US tons). That makes it around 20 percent longer and nearly 25 percent heavier than the biggest blue whale.

The two types of vessels also differ in terms of volume. Blue whales have an estimated volume of 1,320 cubic meters (46,553 cubic feet), while Symphony of the Seas has an internal volume of 2,520 cubic meters (88,951 cubic feet). That means that even though the cruise ship isn’t significantly longer or heavier than a blue whale, it still has almost double the internal space.

In short, when it comes to size and weight a typical blue whale is larger than most cruise ships — although not by much in terms of length or weight. However, when it comes to internal volume a cruise ship is much bigger than any known species of whale — even Symphony of the Seas which is only around 20 percent longer and 25 percent heavier than the biggest blue whale.

In conclusion, it can be said that while cruise ships may not be significantly bigger in terms of length and weight compared to blue whales — they are still much bigger when it comes to internal volume. Therefore we can say that yes – a cruise ship is bigger than a blue whale!