The biggest cruise ship in the world today is nothing short of a floating city. The Icon of the Seas weighs in at 248,663 tonnes and stretches 365 metres from bow to stern.

At three times the weight of the QE2, the Icon is a world of destinations in itself. Inside, you’ll find an ice skating rink, a water park, a swim-up bar, and even a suspended infinity pool. But this giant ship is set to be joined by an even heavier sistership in 2025.

Cruise Industry News lists 17 cruise ships projected to enter service in 2025. These range from American cruise line’s Patriot and Pioneer ships, with the capacity for 125 guests, to giant mega ships accommodating 5,000 or more.

Eight of these ships weigh in at over 100,000 tonnes. Three of them are more than 200,000 tonnes in weight – that’s the same as around 500 fully laden Boeing 747 jumbo jets. These are the five biggest cruise ships ready to float in 2025.

1. Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas

Joining Icon of the Seas this year will be the second of the Icon class ships from Royal Caribbean. Star of the Seas is expected to be just like her sistership, although on paper, she weighs in slightly higher at 250,800 tonnes.

Construction began in February 2023, and just last October, the ship was floated out for the first time.

While the Icon of the Seas sails from Miami, the Star of the Seas will cruise from Port Canaveral. Itineraries will be seven nights and will touch Eastern and Western Caribbean destinations, including Royal Caribbean’s own private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Onboard are eight different neighbourhoods, 40 dining and drinking outlets, multiple swimming pools, and dozens of waterslides. Cabins are stunning, with options to upgrade to panoramic sea or sunset views, and even a three-story Family Townhouse complete with an in-suite slide.

Full operation of the ship will begin on 31 August, but ahead of that, Royal Caribbean is running a handful of ‘showcase sailings’. These shorter three-night trips are a great opportunity for cruise lovers to check out the giant ship at a lower cost.

2. Disney Cruise Line’s Adventure

Adventure will be the eighth cruise ship owned and operated by Disney Cruise Line, and its biggest yet. Coming in more than 50,000 tonnes heavier than its Wish class vessels at 208,000 tonnes, the ship is 342 metres in length and will accommodate around 6,000 guests.

As well as being Disney’s largest cruise ship, Adventure will be the first to be based in Asia. Operating out of Singapore, the ship will undertake short three to five-night cruises with no ports of call, just a Disney party in the ocean.

Onboard is the first-ever Disney Cruise Line rollercoaster at sea, seven themed lands, and a Marvel ‘style studio’ where you can get a heroic makeover (and yes, adults are allowed too). Stage shows are plentiful, and choices of staterooms and suites – some that even have private hot tubs.

Adventure is still under construction and hasn’t been floated out yet. It’s expected to do so in May. Its maiden voyage is set to take place on 15 December, when it will head out for its first three-night trip.

3. MSC Cruises World America

At 205,700 tonnes and 333 metres in length, World America isn’t much smaller than the Icon class giants of Royal Caribbean. It’s the second World-class ship built for MSC Cruises following World Europa, which entered service in December 2022. But while Europa sails from ports in the Mediterranean, America is destined for, well, America.

From Miami, World America will sail seven-night Caribbean cruises, alternating East and West Caribbean itineraries. Included in the ports of call will be Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Honduras.

Within the 22 decks, there’s a choice of 19 different restaurants plus 20 bars and lounges. There’s a waterpark, shows, copious shopping opportunities and the Family Aventura theme park, featuring the industry’s first over-water swings.

The ship is complete and ready to sail. It’s due to have its official naming in Miami on 9 April, for which its Godmother, Drew Barrymore, is set to be in attendance. World America left the French port of Saint Nazaire on 27 March and should arrive in Miami on 6 April. It is planned to depart on its maiden voyage on 12 April.

4. Princess Cruises Star Princess

The Star Princess is the second Sphere-class cruise ship for Princess Cruises, following Sun Princess, which took its first trip in February 2024. The pair are the largest ships ever built in Italy, with a length of 345 metres, accommodation for 4,300 and a weight of 175,000 tonnes.

Many features of the Star will be similar to its sistership, although it does have some new additions. The new ship will have pickleball and basketball courts, as well as a jogging track, and expanded areas in the most popular outlets, including O’Malley’s Irish Pub.

The vessel is still under construction and is expected to be delivered in September 2025. Its planned maiden voyage will be on 4 October, with its initial trips focused around the Mediterranean Sea. By late October, the ship will redeploy to the Caribbean, and in early 2026, it will head to Alaska.

5. TUI Cruises Mein Schiff Relax

This 160,000-tonne megaship is one you don’t need to wait for. TUI’s Mein Schiff Relax was officially delivered on 7 February and entered service on 2 March. It’s been operating a series of Mediterranean cruises out of Palma de Mallorca since then.

Onboard, the ship has a strong focus on wellness and relaxation. Its spa offers massages and other treatments, while a jogging track and soft-floored yoga deck let guests stretch their legs. There’s a kids club, pool and sauna, and more than 30 bars and restaurants to choose from.

At present, Mein Schiff Relax is running seven or eight-night cruises from Mallorca, touching points in Spain, France and Italy. Later in the year, it will switch to the south, operating eight- and nine-night cruises down to the Canary Islands.

Can cruise ships get any bigger?

While critics may brandish these gargantuan ships as monuments to excess, the feat of engineering and ingenuity they represent cannot be ignored.

Royal Caribbean’s Icon class ships have raised the bar for cruising, but the question remains – can ships get any bigger?

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, which constructs cruise vessels for the likes of Princess Cruises, MSC Cruises and others, told the Telegraph there is no specific ceiling for the maximum size of the craft.

The spokesperson said there’s no engineering reason cruise ships can’t continue to increase in size, as changes in maneuverability can be compensated for with more powerful propulsion.

However, challenges will arise when it comes to docking and maintaining anything bigger – some of the largest ships in service today already struggle to find ports to accommodate their size, often mooring offshore and ferrying passengers in by water taxi.

And the people who live in ports where these massive ships dock also feel the impact. Several European tourist hotspots are restricting cruises from docking, including the Greek island of Santorini, where tens of thousands of passengers disembark on peak days.

Then, of course, there’s the environmental impact to consider. All these new ships are LNG-powered, which the cruise lines like to tout as being ‘green.’ However, while LNG is lower in CO2 emissions, it releases other, more harmful gases, and is considered by the World Economic Forum to be a ‘bridge fuel,’ not a sustainable long-term solution.

But the biggest challenge to an even larger ship is market demand. In the past there was a trend of ‘bigger is better,’ and not just in cruising. Aircraft like the A380 and Boeing 747 were once the epitome of modern travel, but times are changing.

Post-COVID, more people are concerned about being in close quarters with strangers and prioritise comfort over size. In aviation, this has seen the widespread retirement of double-decker planes; whether the cruise market ends up going in the same direction remains to be seen.

Interrail and Eurail passholders rejoice, as you can now skip the queues and reserve your seats on long- and medium-distance RENFE trains online.

Rail Europe, a European train booking platform, has expanded its offering to include trains operated by Spain’s state-owned railway, eliminating a major hurdle that has dogged rail passholders for years.

“The addition of RENFE’s passholder fares to our platform is a game-changer for travellers eager to explore Spain with ease,” says Jürgen Witte, Chief Product and Technology Officer of Rail Europe. “This enhancement ensures Interrail and Eurail Global Pass holders can navigate its world-class rail system seamlessly.”

With the new service, passholders can easily see if a seat reservation is required for their journey and what the associated costs will be.

From there, they can make their reservation online, eliminating the need for time-consuming in-person bookings where a lack of Spanish language skills is sometimes an issue.

What’s the problem with booking RENFE seats with a rail pass?

While many Interrail and Eurail trains don’t require seat reservations, Spanish high-speed trains – the Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) – do.

Although Interrail purports to allow bookings on some AVE trains via its self-service system, users report extensive issues in getting the platform to work. Some trains available on Interrail/Eurail are not bookable via the self-service system at all.

Previously, the only option to secure a seat reservation without buying a ticket on a RENFE high-speed train was to call the company. The traveller would then have to go to a RENFE station to pick up and pay for the reservation within 72 hours of booking, which is often not convenient.

“In Spain, almost all trains, apart from purely suburban ones, require a reservation, and RENFE’s own website doesn’t offer passholder reservations,” explains train travel expert Mark Smith, who runs the website The Man in Seat 61.

“Furthermore, Spanish trains can leave fully booked, so you ideally need to book ahead. This was a major issue for using an Interrail or Eurail pass in Spain.”

Smith warns that, particularly on peak travel days, such as Fridays and Saturdays in the summer months, queues can be atrocious. At major stations in Madrid and Barcelona, passengers can wait as long as one or two hours to be served.

The complexity has caused confusion and frustration among travellers. On the Eurail forum, one user said, “Not gonna jump through hoops to go to Spain. I’ll cancel the Spain leg and stay in France.”

How to book seat reservations with RENFE

To reserve a seat on a RENFE high-speed AVE train, simply head to the Rail Europe website.

Click ‘add rail pass’ below the journey planner and select the type and class of pass you hold. Then, you can search for a journey as normal, but you should only see the passholder reservation costs rather than the normal ticket costs.

Smith notes that the Rail Europe system defaults to a second-class reservation in the search results. Holders of first-class passes need to manually change the price drop-down if they want to reserve a first-class seat.

There are other options for booking seats on RENFE with a pass. These include using Dutch agency HappyRail, which has proven to be successful at booking seats on AVE trains, but charges a 3.5 per cent fee.

Interrail and Eurail reservation services have been available since 2023, but success is patchy. Smith notes that, when the systems do work, they allow booking in first or second class, but not in the ‘premium’ class that gets passholders Sala Club lounge access and a meal with wine included on AVE and Euromed trains.

Smith has long recommended Rail Europe as a booking service for Interrail and Eurail passholders, as it has more seat choices, more benefits for first-class passholders, and no booking fees.

“This is a big step forward,” says Smith, “and if one system won’t get you the reservation you want, try the other.”

Where can you travel with RENFE?

RENFE operates a comprehensive route network across Spain, with both its AVE (high-speed) and Larga Distancia (long-distance) trains. On the map below, the purple lines are AVE trains, and the grey lines are the slower long-distance routes.

As well as travelling within Spain, RENFE connects to several international destinations. These include Oporto in Portugal and several destinations in France.

From 23 April, RENFE will launch a new direct Seville-Barcelona train service, cutting out the transfer in Madrid and making it easier to get between the two popular cities.

Along the way, it stops in Córdoba, Puertollano, Ciudad Real, Madrid, Zaragoza, Lleida, Tarragona, and Girona, which are all attractive destinations to visit, too. The high-speed service takes around six hours and is set to make travel between the south and northeast of Spain a much more convenient option.

Brits planning travel to Europe are being warned by an industry body not to fall for scams amid confusion over entry and exit rules.

With the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)coming into force this week, scammers are busy taking advantage of the uncertainty. The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has warned of fake websites offering a similar pass to British travellers heading into mainland Europe.

From 2 April, Europeans who don’t have a British passport are required to obtain an ETA to visit the UK. The Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is a similar system that will affect UK travellers heading to Europe.

However, ETIAS is not due to launch for another 18 months, and there is presently no requirement for Brits to obtain any additional documentation to travel.

What authorisations are currently required for travel between the UK and the EU?

The UK’s ETA came into force for Europeans on 2 April, and means any EU passport holders will need to apply for and secure an ETA before visiting the UK.

The scheme has been live for visitors from non-European visa-free nationalities since January. However, its rollout has come with plenty of hiccups and confusion.

“If you have friends, family, or business associates visiting from abroad, they’ll need to check if they need to get an ETA,” says ABTA. “This is one of three changes coming up for travelling across borders between the EU and UK, but the only one to have gone live, meaning there is scope for confusion.”

There is an equivalent rule coming in for Brits traveling to Europe – the ETIAS. However, the ETIAS won’t be introduced until the new EU Entry/Exit system (EES) goes live.

The EES has been pushed back several times already, but is presently anticipated to launch in October 2025. It will be rolled out in stages, so not all changes will take effect immediately.

The ETIAS is expected to be introduced in 2026, and ABTA says likely not before the end of 2026. Even then, ETIAS is expected to be optional for at least six months. Right now, there is no additional documentation required for Brits to holiday in Europe.

“With three new changes coming in over the next couple of years, we’re keen that people understand what it means for them,” says Graeme Buck, director of communications at ABTA. “In short, the only thing to act on now is for European visitors to the UK to apply for an ETA. Nothing will be changing for UK travellers going to Europe this summer.”

How to apply for ETIAS when it comes into effect

ETIAS will be similar to the US ESTA scheme, where a simple online application grants permission to travel within the relevant area for a period of time.

For the EU scheme, the cost of an ETIAS is expected to be around €7 and will be valid for up to three years (or until the passport reaches three months to expiry). It will allow British visitors to stay in any EU country (or countries) for up to 90 days in any 180 day period.

According to the EU, third-country nationals, including the UK, will be granted a ‘grace period’ of six months on a one-time basis if they forget their ETIAS.

“Those coming to Europe for the first time since the end of the transitional period will be allowed to enter without an ETIAS provided they fulfil all remaining entry conditions,” the EU says.

ABTA warns that “people who try to apply for an ETIAS now may be at risk of fraud, with a loss of money and possibly personal data too.”

When the time does come, the only place to apply for an ETIAS will be on the official website. Any apps, websites, or social media posts suggesting there is an alternative route are impostors.

Travellers will need to submit personal information and passport data, as well as disclose any serious convictions in the past 20 years. They must state the reason for their travel and where they will be staying, as well as the Schengen Area country they will first be visiting.

The fee is payable for all applicants aged between 18 and 70. Those under 18 or over 70 will still need to apply for the document, but won’t be charged.

“With two further changes planned, the situation may not seem simple,” adds Buck. “As the changes affecting UK travellers start to come in towards the end of the year, ABTA and our members will be on hand to support travellers.”