The global cruise industry is quietly reshaping the way travelers experience life at sea, as major brands squeeze more staterooms into existing ships and design new vessels that carry record numbers of guests.

From Royal Caribbean and Carnival to Norwegian and smaller premium lines, refits and newbuild orders are adding cabins, reconfiguring public spaces and nudging ship capacities higher, even as companies insist they are protecting comfort and amenities for passengers.

Modern mega cruise ship docked at a bustling terminal during golden hour.

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Cruise Lines Turn Drydocks Into Capacity Engines

Routine drydocks, once focused largely on maintenance and cosmetic refreshes, have become an important tool for adding berths without ordering entirely new ships. Across multiple fleets, underused conference centers, kids’ clubs and lounges are being ripped out and replaced with rows of new cabins that fall straight to the bottom line as added revenue.

According to recent industry reporting, several prominent vessels are set to emerge from refits with dozens of extra staterooms. Royal Caribbean’s 2016-built Ovation of the Seas will gain 40 cabins as part of a refurbishment scheduled ahead of its 2026 Alaska season, filling in space that had been used for a conference center, suite lounge and parts of a fitness area. On decks 5 and 9, former technical zones and the ship’s photo gallery are also being converted to guest accommodations.

Another Royal Caribbean giant, Harmony of the Seas, is being prepared for one of the most aggressive capacity-boosting refits in the sector. Industry estimates suggest the ship will resume service next year with more than 90 additional staterooms after a wide-ranging “Royal Amplified” overhaul. On lower decks, the ship’s meeting facilities are making way for inside cabins, while on upper decks, kids’ programming areas and part of the adults-only solarium are being traded for a mix of inside and balcony staterooms, ocean-view rooms and suites.

Beyond the marquee brands, smaller and premium operators are following a similar playbook. Silversea’s Silver Muse saw its capacity rise about seven percent after larger suites were redesigned into a larger number of smaller staterooms during a 2025 drydock. Other ships, from Celestyal Discovery to Carnival Miracle and Holland America’s Zuiderdam, have each added new cabins in recent refits, reflecting a broad-based shift toward extracting more guest space from existing hulls.

Norwegian Leads With Fleet-Wide Cabin Additions

Norwegian Cruise Line has emerged as one of the most active players in retrofitting existing vessels with extra rooms. The company has used consecutive drydock seasons to push through a multi-ship program that has already added close to 100 cabins across several popular vessels.

During 2025 alone, Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Epic and Pride of America together gained nearly 50 staterooms. On Norwegian Bliss, the line carved out 26 new cabins from portions of the observation lounge, including 24 balcony cabins, two club balcony rooms and upgraded three-bedroom suites in The Haven complex. Pride of America’s kids and teens areas were shifted to new locations onboard, freeing up deck 12 for three inside cabins and a dozen club balcony suites.

Norwegian Epic, a ship already known for its dense cabin configuration, added eight more staterooms as parts of its fitness center and youth facilities were downsized. A year earlier, similar projects added roughly 50 cabins in total to Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Encore, repurposing public spaces that the line judged to be underutilized compared to the revenue potential of additional berths.

At the same time, Norwegian is deploying newbuilds that are designed for high capacity but marketed as more spacious and “boutique-feeling” than their size might suggest. The Prima-class and new Prima Plus-class ships, including Norwegian Aqua, carry upwards of 4,400 guests at full capacity, with 20 decks of venues, waterslides and dining options. Reviews from early sailings highlight the ships’ modern styling and large outdoor areas, suggesting the line is trying to balance higher density with a perception of increased personal space.

Royal Caribbean Reworks Its Giants While Planning New Ones

Royal Caribbean, operator of the world’s largest cruise ships, is taking a two-track approach: stretching the capacity of existing vessels while laying the groundwork for a next generation of large ships with even more berths. The company’s Royal Amplified refit program is transforming older ships, aligning them more closely with its newer Icon and Oasis-class flagships.

Harmony of the Seas, one of the biggest ships in the world, is a case study in how much additional capacity can be extracted from a large platform. Its upcoming refit will introduce nearly 100 new cabins by converting the conference center, parts of the children’s Adventure Ocean complex, and sections of the solarium and specialty dining areas into revenue-generating staterooms. The ship will also debut the fleet’s largest casino and new bars and restaurants, highlighting how capacity expansion is being integrated with onboard spending initiatives.

Ovation of the Seas is undergoing a similar process, with dozens of cabins replacing lower-yield spaces and the casino enlarged by absorbing part of a live-music venue. Even as cabins are added, public areas are being reconfigured rather than simply removed, with new nightclubs and branded coffee outlets planned to maintain the entertainment mix that guests expect.

Looking ahead, Royal Caribbean has signaled its intention to continue adding capacity across its global brands. Strong booking trends and record pricing have prompted orders for a new Discovery-class series of ships set to be built in France. While detailed specifications are still emerging, the orders reinforce the company’s belief that demand will support both larger ships and denser use of interior space.

Carnival Bets On The Most Guests At Sea

While rivals tweak existing ships, Carnival Cruise Line is planning to leap ahead with a new class of record-breaking vessels that prioritize capacity on a scale never seen before. Parent company Carnival Corporation recently confirmed orders for three additional ships that will form a new series for the brand, billed as its largest ever.

The new “Fun” class, due for deliveries in 2029, 2031 and 2033, is expected to measure about 230,000 gross tons and carry more than 3,000 staterooms each. That cabin count surpasses even Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, currently the world’s largest cruise ship by tonnage but with fewer rooms. At full capacity, Carnival’s new vessels are expected to accommodate close to 8,000 passengers apiece, positioning them as the highest-capacity ships afloat.

For context, Icon of the Seas carries a maximum of around 7,600 guests from 2,800-plus cabins, while an Oasis-class ship such as Symphony of the Seas tops out below 6,700 guests with roughly 2,760 staterooms. Carnival’s new trio will reverse that equation, carrying more people on slightly smaller hulls, which underscores how aggressively the brand is pushing capacity per ship.

Carnival is not ignoring its current fleet while it waits for the new class. Targeted refits, such as the recent upgrade of the New Orleans-based Carnival Valor, are refreshing accommodations and public spaces to keep the line competitive in established markets. The company is also experimenting with new products, including adults-only voyages on existing ships, as it looks to segment demand and optimize revenue from every berth.

What Added Capacity Means For Travelers

For passengers, the steady addition of staterooms and higher-capacity newbuilds is reshaping the cruise experience in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. On one hand, more cabins mean more opportunities to sail, broader itineraries and often more competitive pricing as lines seek to fill thousands of extra beds each week. Popular ships are spending more time in regional homeports, offering expanded choices from North America and Europe to Asia and Australia.

On the other hand, the trend raises lingering questions about crowding and the balance between guests and public-space square footage. Turning conference centers, lounges, kids’ areas or portions of observation lounges into staterooms reduces the number of quiet corners and under-the-radar nooks that some cruisers value. Even when new bars, waterparks and entertainment venues are added, they are often designed as high-energy, high-traffic spaces, not havens of solitude.

Lines insist that they are managing density carefully, pointing to investments in larger open-deck areas, expanded dining options and crowd-flow engineering that spreads people more evenly across the ship. Norwegian’s Prima-class layout, for example, dedicates significant real estate to outdoor promenades and tiered pool decks, while Royal Caribbean continues to develop split-superstructure designs and multilevel neighborhoods that break up passenger flows.

Beyond the ship itself, ports of call and private destinations are also being scaled up to absorb larger shiploads of visitors. Royal Caribbean’s private island developments, for instance, are being expanded with bigger waterparks, more beaches and additional bars and restaurants to handle the headcounts arriving from today’s and tomorrow’s mega-ships. Other lines are strengthening partnerships with ports to extend terminals, add new berths and streamline embarkation and disembarkation procedures for ships carrying six, seven or even eight thousand guests.

Economic Tailwinds Encourage Bigger Ships

The pivot toward more staterooms is not happening in a vacuum; it is closely tied to the sector’s strong financial rebound. Major cruise companies have reported record booking volumes, higher ticket pricing and robust onboard spending as pent-up demand continues to drive sales across core markets. For executives and investors, using both newbuilds and refits to add capacity is a logical response.

New ship orders are being spaced out, with parent companies such as Carnival Corporation targeting average annual capacity growth of around one to two percent over the coming years. That relatively measured expansion is intended to preserve pricing power, while cabin-adding refurbishments offer a low-risk way to grow revenue on existing assets. Converting a lightly used conference center into 30 or 40 additional cabins, for example, requires a comparatively modest investment yet can generate significant incremental yield over the life of the ship.

In this environment, every square meter is under scrutiny. Public areas that do not drive strong onboard revenue or contribute clearly to the guest experience are vulnerable to being repurposed. Casinos, bars, specialty dining outlets and branded experiences are expanding, while flat, low-yield uses such as card rooms, large photo galleries and oversized meeting suites are being reduced or eliminated entirely.

At the same time, lines are sensitive to the risk of overreaching. Many of the latest refits blend capacity increases with visible guest-facing enhancements, from redesigned pool decks and new waterparks to updated suites and refreshed decor. The challenge for operators will be maintaining the perception of quality and space as they continue to test how far they can go in adding rooms without eroding satisfaction scores.

FAQ

Q1. Why are cruise lines adding more staterooms to existing ships?
They are using drydocks and refurbishments to increase revenue from ships they already own, turning underused spaces like conference centers, kids’ clubs and lounges into cabins that can be sold every sailing.

Q2. Will adding more cabins make ships feel more crowded?
It can, especially in peak seasons, but lines are trying to offset the impact by redesigning public areas, enlarging pool decks, adding more dining venues and improving crowd flow so guests are spread more evenly around the ship.

Q3. Which cruise brands are most active in expanding capacity right now?
Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian are leading the charge, with all three adding cabins through refits and ordering new high-capacity ships, while smaller and premium lines are making targeted changes of their own.

Q4. How many passengers will Carnival’s new mega-ships carry?
Carnival’s upcoming class of “Fun” ships is expected to carry nearly 8,000 guests at full capacity, making them some of the highest-capacity cruise vessels ever built.

Q5. Are any specific ships gaining a lot of new staterooms?
Yes, Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas is slated to gain more than 90 extra cabins, while Ovation of the Seas will add 40, and several Norwegian ships such as Bliss, Pride of America and Epic have each gained new staterooms in recent drydocks.

Q6. Does the increase in capacity mean cheaper cruise fares?
Not necessarily, but more cabins can create additional inventory on popular itineraries, which may help keep pricing competitive even as overall demand and base fares remain strong.

Q7. Are cruise lines still building new ships, or just modifying old ones?
They are doing both, using refits to add cabins and refresh older tonnage while continuing to invest in newbuilds that introduce larger ships and entirely new classes with more staterooms and amenities.

Q8. How are public spaces changing as cabins are added?
Low-yield areas are shrinking or disappearing, while higher-revenue spaces such as casinos, bars, waterparks and specialty restaurants are expanding, resulting in a more commercial and amenity-focused onboard layout.

Q9. What should travelers look for if they want more space and fewer crowds?
They might favor newer premium or luxury ships designed with higher space-per-guest ratios, book outside peak holidays and sailings, or choose itineraries on ships that have not been densified as aggressively.

Q10. Is this trend of adding more rooms and capacity likely to continue?
Yes, as long as bookings and onboard spending remain strong, cruise lines have clear incentives to keep adding staterooms through refits and to launch new ships that can carry more guests while promising more for them to do at sea.