Record-Breaking Cruise Ships

Royal Caribbean

In retrospect, this decade may be known as a renaissance for cruise ship design. In an ongoing effort to lure more passengers to their hulls, cruise lines are racing into uncharted waters on a quest for bigger and better ships. In September 2009, Carnival unveiled its largest ship to date -- the 3,652-passenger Carnival Dream, and in the next two years cruise lines ranging from Norwegian to Disney will be debuting vessels, each more spectacular than the last.