It’s easy to appreciate the enormity of a skyscraper as it’s being built in plain sight, each floor constructed atop the one below — but what about a cruise ship? The newest megaships are just as massive lengthwise as skyscrapers are tall, and they’re equally complex. But you never see cruise ships being built on-site at a cruise port.
Where, exactly, are cruise ships built? We’re glad you asked.
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Where are cruise ships built?
The cruise ships that millions of travelers sail on annually were all built in a cruise shipyard — where engineers, steelworkers, architects, electricians, designers and other tradespeople spend up to 18 months on a vessel’s construction.
The process at the major cruise ship shipyards, all located in Europe, starts with the steel cutting, which can take place months before actual construction begins. That event is followed by the keel laying, the placing of the center structure, or spine, of the ship. It hits a milestone at the floatout when the hull is completed, the dry dock is flooded and the ship first touches water. The process culminates with sea trials, when a ship’s stability, speed and maneuverability are tested.
Once the ship is deemed seaworthy, the cruise line takes possession of the ship ahead of its inaugural cruise — though the finishing touches are usually still being put on the ship.
The construction of a vessel at a cruise ship shipyard is actually the endgame in a process that typically begins six or seven years prior to its launch with the cruise line’s ship development team. Before the keel has been laid on any vessel at the leading cruise ship shipyards, teams have already worked for years on engineering details and developed models of cabins, pool decks, theaters, restaurants and bars. It’s up to the shipyard to turn the designers’ and engineers’ vision into reality.
The actual building process happens at one of the major shipyards in France, Italy, Germany or Finland. Here are the names to know.
Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France
Located in Saint-Nazaire on France’s Atlantic coast, Chantiers de l’Atlantique operates on a site where ships have been built since 1835. Modern cruise ship construction was re-established in the 1980s.
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Vessels built there include Celebrity Cruises‘ Edge Class ships, MSC Cruises‘ Meraviglia and World Class ships, and four Royal Caribbean vessels (Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas).
The shipyard has been known as Chantiers de l’Atlantique since 1955 but was called Aker Yards and then STX France before reclaiming the Chantiers name in 2018. It is now majority-owned by the French government.
Fincantieri in Italy
Fincantieri is the world’s largest builder of cruise ships, with ship-building roots stretching back to the early 20th century. It operates multiple shipyards in Italy and has constructed more than 100 cruise ships since 1990.
Currently, one-third of the world’s cruise ships — operated by 18 cruise lines — were built in Fincantieri’s shipyards, which are located in Marghera (near Venice), Genoa, Ancona and Monfalcone (near Trieste). Both large-ship brands, such as Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Virgin Voyages, and luxury cruise lines like Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea, Seabourn and Viking contract with this shipyard to build their new vessels.
Meyer Werft in Germany and Meyer Turku in Finland
Meyer Werft, which has been in the ship-building business since 1795, is known for constructing some of the world’s largest megaships at its shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Together with Meyer Turku, its sister shipyard located in Turku, Finland, the company has built more than 55 cruise ships over the past four decades.
Newer ships include Carnival Cruise Line‘s Excel Class ships (Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee), Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas (with 2025’s Star of the Seas currently under construction) and Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Class and first two Oasis Class ships. The shipyard also built the newest luxury ships for Silversea Cruises, 2023’s Silver Nova and 2024’s Silver Ray.
Where are Carnival cruise ships built?
From 1996 to 2019, a total of 15 Carnival ships — from Carnival Destiny (renamed Carnival Sunshine) to Carnival Panorama — were built by Fincantieri in its Italian shipyards.
Carnival’s newer Excel Class of ships, which include Carnival Mardi Gras, Carnival Celebration and Carnival Jubilee, were built by Meyer Werft and Meyer Turku in Germany and Finland.
Related: The 8 classes of Carnival Cruise Line ships, explained
Where are Disney cruise ships built?
Disney Cruise Line‘s two newest Wish Class ships, Disney Wish (debuted in 2022) and Disney Treasure (debuting in December 2024), were built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany.
The cruise line’s third and fourth cruise ships, 2011’s Disney Dream and 2012’s Disney Fantasy, were also constructed by Meyer Werft, while its first two vessels, 1998’s Disney Magic and 1999’s Disney Wonder, were built by Fincantieri in Italy.
Disney also has two more ships on order: Disney Adventure, a vessel it purchased while it was already under construction at the MV Werften shipyard in Wismar, Germany, which is now called Meyer Wismar, set for a 2025 debut out of Singapore; and Disney Destiny, the third Wish Class ship, currently under construction at Meyer Werft in Germany and set to launch in December 2025.
Disney recently announced a cruise partnership with Oriental Land Co. Ltd., which owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort, to build and operate a cruise ship that will sail from Japan year-round. The vessel will be built at Meyer Werft in Germany as a sister ship to Disney Wish and is expected to debut in 2029.
Where are Norwegian cruise ships built?
Norwegian Cruise Line‘s two newest ships, 2023’s Norwegian Viva and 2022’s Norwegian Prima, were built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Norwegian Aqua, scheduled to debut in spring 2025, is also being built there.
The company’s Breakaway Class ships (Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway and Norwegian Escape) and Breakaway Plus Class ships (Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Joy and Norwegian Encore) were all built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany and launched between 2013 and 2019.
The one-off Norwegian Epic, which debuted in 2010, was built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.
Norwegian’s early 2000s Jewel Class ships (Norwegian Jewel, Norwegian Pearl, Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Gem) were all built by Meyer Werft in Germany, as were its Dawn Class ships (2002’s Norwegian Dawn and 2001’s Norwegian Star) and 1998’s Norwegian Spirit.
The cruise line’s Sun Class ships (2001’s Norwegian Sun and 1999’s Norwegian Sky) were constructed by the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany.
Hawaii-based Pride of America, launched in 2005, was initially set to be built in the U.S. but ended up being completed by Lloyd Werft.
Related: The 9 classes of Norwegian Cruise ships, explained
Where are Viking cruise ships built?
Since the 2015 launch of Viking‘s first ocean ship, Viking Star, all of Viking’s ocean and expedition ships — 16 in total — have been built or are being built by Fincantieri or its subsidiary, Vard. While Viking Star was constructed in Fincantieri’s Marghera facility, all subsequent ocean vessels were built or are being built in the Ancona shipyard, including the line’s newest ocean ship, Viking Vela, set to debut in December 2024.
Viking’s two expedition vessels, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, were built by Fincantieri’s Vard subsidiary at shipyards in Romania and Norway, respectively.
Viking’s European river ships, namely its 60-plus signature Viking Longships, were built in Germany by Meyer Werft’s sister company Neptun Werft.
Where are Princess cruise ships built?
The majority of ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, including 2024’s Sun Princess and all six ships in its Royal Class — from 2013’s Royal Princess to 2022’s Discovery Princess — were built by Fincantieri in Italy, as were the late-1990s and early 2000s vessels Grand Princess, Ruby Princess, Emerald Princess, Crown Princess and Caribbean Princess.
Star Princess, set to debut in 2025, is also under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard near Trieste.
Coral Princess and Island Princess were constructed in the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France in 2003, while Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess were built in 2004 by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at a Japanese shipyard.
Where are Royal Caribbean cruise ships built?
Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, 2024’s Icon of the Seas, was built at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland; 2025’s Star of the Seas is also currently under construction there.
The cruise line’s five Quantum Class vessels — Quantum of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Spectrum of the Seas and Odyssey of the Seas — were all built by Meyer Werft in Germany and launched between 2014 and 2020.
Royal Caribbean’s first two Oasis Class ships, 2009’s Oasis of the Seas and 2010’s Allure of the Seas, were both built at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany, while the other four — Harmony of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, Wonder of the Seas and Utopia of the Seas — were constructed in France at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique facility and had their inaugural sailings between 2016 and 2024.
The cruise line’s three Freedom Class vessels (Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas) were built by Meyer Werft and delivered between 2006 and 2009. The five Voyager Class ships (Voyager of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas), four Radiance Class ships (Jewel of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas and Brilliance of the Seas) and two Vision Class ships (Grandeur of the Seas and Enchantment of the Seas) were built by Meyer Werft or Meyer Turku and delivered in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Related: The 7 classes of Royal Caribbean cruise ships, explained
Where are Celebrity cruise ships built?
Chantiers de l’Atlantique in France built Celebrity’s four newest Edge Series ships: 2018’s Celebrity Edge, 2020’s Celebrity Apex, 2022’s Celebrity Beyond and 2023’s Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Xcel, also being built by the shipyard, will debut in late 2025.
Celebrity’s five Solstice Class ships — Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Silhouette — were launched between 2008 and 2012 after being built by Meyer Werft in Germany.
Celebrity’s four oldest ships — Celebrity Summit, Celebrity Infinity, Celebrity Constellation and Celebrity Millennium — were launched from 2000 to 2003 after being constructed by Chantiers de l’Atlantique.
Where are Holland America cruise ships built?
Holland America‘s three newest Pinnacle Class ships — 2021’s Rotterdam, 2018’s Nieuw Statendam and 2016’s Koningsdam — were all built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Marghera, Italy, as were the cruise line’s two Signature Class vessels, 2008’s Eurodam and 2010’s Nieuw Amsterdam.
The four Vista Class ships — Noordam, Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam — were also constructed by Fincantieri and were launched between 2002 and 2006. Fincantieri also built Holland America’s two oldest ships, 2000’s Volendam and 1999’s Zaandam.
Where are Virgin Voyages cruise ships built?
Virgin Voyages‘ first three ships — 2020’s Scarlet Lady, 2022’s Valiant Lady and 2023’s Resilient Lady — were all built by Fincantieri at its Genoa, Italy, shipyard. A fourth ship, Brilliant Lady, is currently under construction there and scheduled for a September 2025 debut.
Where was the largest cruise ship built?
The world’s largest cruise ship, currently Royal Caribbean’s 5,610-passenger Icon of the Seas, was built by Meyer Turku in Finland and set sail in January 2024. Its sister ship, Star of the Seas, is also being constructed there, and when it launches in August 2025, it will take over the title of world’s largest cruise ship.
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