---
title: "Container ship vs cruise ship — size, weight and speed compare"
description: "Container ship is 1.9× cruise ship on weight. Compared on 4 measured properties, with the full range and a source for each."
url: https://atoneplace.net/vs/container-ship-vs-cruise-ship/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Container ship vs Cruise ship

**Container ship vs cruise ship: Container ship is larger on weight**

Container ship is 1.9× cruise ship on weight.

A container ship and a cruise ship can be compared on 4 measures. The figures below are typical adult or full-size values, with the larger of the two in bold.

## Side by side

*Larger value in bold. Ranges reflect genuine variation, not uncertainty.*

|  | Container ship | Cruise ship |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weight | 199,600 t | 90,000–120,000 t |
| Height | 33 m | 73 m |
| Length | 300–400 m | 250–364.8 m |
| Width | 61.5 m | 48.5 m |

## What the numbers say

- Container ship is 1.9× cruise ship on weight.
- Cruise ship is 2.2× container ship on height.
- Container ship is somewhat greater than cruise ship on length — about 1.1×.
- Container ship is somewhat greater than cruise ship on width — about 1.3×.

*Weight compared.*

- Container ship: 199,600 t
- Cruise ship: 90,000–120,000 t

## Container ship

An ultra-large container vessel in the class of Ever Given, carrying over 20,000 twenty-foot containers.

## Cruise ship

The largest class of cruise ship in service; figures are for Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, the biggest afloat.

> This is a comparison of published measurements, nothing more. It describes how two things differ on measures that have been recorded; it does not predict how they would fare against each other in any situation.

## Common questions

### Which is bigger, container ship or cruise ship?

Container ship is 1.9× cruise ship on weight. Both figures are typical values; the full range for each is in the table above.

### How do container ships and cruise ships compare on height?

Container ship: 33 m. Cruise ship: 73 m. Cruise ship is 2.2× container ship on height.

### How do container ships and cruise ships compare on length?

Container ship: 300–400 m. Cruise ship: 250–364.8 m. Container ship is somewhat greater than cruise ship on length — about 1.1×.

## Related pages

- [Aircraft carrier vs cruise ship](https://atoneplace.net/vs/aircraft-carrier-vs-cruise-ship/)
- [Aircraft carrier vs container ship](https://atoneplace.net/vs/aircraft-carrier-vs-container-ship/)
- [Cruise ship vs RMS Titanic](https://atoneplace.net/vs/cruise-ship-vs-titanic/)
- [Container ship vs RMS Titanic](https://atoneplace.net/vs/container-ship-vs-titanic/)

## Sources

- Wikidata — Wikimedia Foundation (https://www.wikidata.org/) [CC0 1.0]
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place (/about/)