How Much Does a Cruise Ship Cost? Ultimate Breakdown Guide

Table Of Content

• #9 - Ovation of the Seas Cost to Build
• Most expensive cruise ships worldwide by building cost 2022
• How Much Does a Cruise Ship Cost To Operate?
• Sea trials
• #23 - Spectrum of the Seas Cost to Build
• How much does the average cruise ship cost? You may be surprised
• Why aren’t cruise ships built in the United States?

A long time before the first piece of steel is laid, the work starts. A deluxe cruise ship, however, has a higher cost per berth. Size, amenities, and decor are just a few of the many variables that affect cruise ship prices.

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#9 - Ovation of the Seas Cost to Build

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For example, at the low end is the Carnival Celebration at a mere $130 million. Conversely, the most expensive Carnival ship is Carnival Mardi Gras, clocking in at $950 million. Cruises can be relaxing, wonderful experiences, but offering them to passengers requires building the cruise ships themselves first. Over a nearly two-year process, shipwrights build boats that stand as remarkable feats of structural engineering.

Most expensive cruise ships worldwide by building cost 2022

The intricate construction process can take anywhere from 12 to 18 months and requires thousands of construction crew members. This blog helps over a million people to plan their cruises each month. The numbers will only get bigger again, especially now that capacity is getting back to maximum levels and new, feature-packed ships are launching. The final category of expenses covers ‘everything else’, such as general repairs and maintenance, and the cost of insuring the ship as a whole. While the ship has now launched, we still don’t know the final build costs yet, though that figure may be confirmed soon.

How Much Does a Cruise Ship Cost To Operate?

However, the exact price depends on the size of the ship. For example, the Oasis Class from Royal Caribbean, the largest on a global scale, cost $1.3 to $1.4 billion. Construction costs of a luxury cruise ship can rival that of larger ships, leading to much higher cruise fares. A cruise on the Seven Seas Splendor—an all-suite ship—can start at over $1,000 per person, per day.

In addition to paying crew and paying for fuel to help power the ship, the cruise line has to buy food supplies, pay travel agents their commission, and more. They also have to stock their onboard amenities -- think of places like the spa and gift shop -- with products. It begins with the steel cutting ceremony and is followed by the laying down of the kneel, which is the lowest part of the ship. Cruise ships are built in segments and later welded together. Icon of the Seas' staterooms, for instance, are being built at a factory about thirty minutes away from the shipyard in Finland.

#23 - Spectrum of the Seas Cost to Build

While the cost of building a new cruise ship varies, there’s no denying that they are costly construction projects. The cost of a cruise ship depends on many factors, including size, amenities, and decor. The construction of Seven Seas Splendor cost $478 million.

Some quick math shows that Celebrity paid roughly $682k per cabin for this ship. It's also interesting to look at the Celebration cost per cabin. Some quick math shows that Carnival paid roughly $379k per cabin for this ship. It's also interesting to look at the Ovation of the Seas cost per cabin. Some quick math shows that Royal Caribbean paid roughly $574k per cabin for this ship. It's also interesting to look at the MSC Seashore cost per cabin.

Below, you'll find a deep dive into cruise ships by cost. From the most expensive cruise ship in the world, to the cheapest. Since the construction costs of new ships are high in today’s market, companies are upgrading and refurbishing their existing fleets. The cost depends on how much the price is for a complete refit.

Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays. In years since the global shutdown of 2020, many cruise lines have lost money rather than being profitable, but year-on-year things are improving again. In one of the largest ever single-ship refurbishments, NCL spent $100 million to upgrade the Norwegian Spirit in 2020, carrying out a number of major enhancements. This means there are ongoing costs to keep on top of smaller issues, and then larger refurbishments when features start to get tired and need an update. Cruise ships are pretty impressive – even the smaller ones are stunning, epic works of engineering genius.

By taking months to to announce ship details, it gives less time for other cruise lines to match. Plus, taking longer to announce information generates more interest among the public over time. Before any steel can be cut to build a new cruise ship, an order has to be placed. Royal Caribbean is close to launching Icon of the Seas in January 2024, which will be the first Icon Class cruise ship to be constructed.

When finished, she will come in around $2 billion and steal the title of world's largest cruise ship. Building a cruise ship is a sizable investment, with just about every cruise ship with a capacity of 3,000 passengers costing over $750 million to build. Chantiers de l’Antique is a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, which is located on the west coast of France. They built 16 cruise ships between 2010 and 2022, with some of the most notable being Norwegian's only Epic Class ship, Wonder of the Seas, Celebrity Beyond, and MSC World Europa. Standard dry docks are not going to be as expensive as when a ship receives a major renovation. Refurbishing ships and adding some of the latest venues and activities keeps the ships in high demand, without the cost of building a brand-new vessel.

The biggest cruise ships can cost up to a billion dollars to build. This exorbitant cost requires every step of construction to be executed flawlessly and consistently, as the slightest mistake can incur mind-boggling costs. The process takes specialized (and expensive) tools and materials, so they order a cruise ship from a shipwright. The three shipwright companies building these enormous ships are based in Europe and construct nearly every cruise ship worldwide.

Today’s cruise ships are like floating resorts, with features such as water parks, ice skating rinks, and even indoor skydiving simulators. By the 1980s, the cost to build a cruise ship had increased to around $200 million. Today, the cost to build a cruise ship can range from $500 million to over $2 billion, depending on the size and amenities of the ship. The exact cost can vary depending on a range of factors, including the ship’s size, the number of amenities and features, and the materials used in construction.