Ship vs. Class vs. Line

These three filters describe the same vessel at three different zoom levels. It's easy to mix them up, so here's how they nest.

An ocean cruise ship sailing past snow-capped mountains

CRUISE LINE e.g. Royal Caribbean

SHIP CLASS e.g. Oasis Class

SHIP e.g. Wonder of the Seas

WIDEST VIEWAll ships operated by the same company.

MID VIEWAll sister ships that share the same design and layout.

MOST SPECIFICOne individual vessel you can book.

Ship

The individual vessel.

Pick this when you already know exactly which ship you want to sail — each name is shown alongside its cruise line, since ship names alone aren't always unique across the industry.

EXAMPLE
Wonder of the Seas
(Royal Caribbean)

Ship Class

The design a group of sister ships shares.

Ships in the same class have similar size, layout, and features, with small differences. See the full breakdown on the Ship Class page.

EXAMPLE
Oasis Class
(Includes Wonder of the Seas, Symphony of the Seas, etc.)

Cruise Line

The company operating the ship.

Logos of Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, Disney, and MSC

Use this to browse all brands, compare experiences, and find the line that's right for you. See Cruise Line for how the major lines compare.

EXAMPLE
Royal Caribbean

Quick tip: Start broad with a Cruise Line, narrow down to a Ship Class that fits what you want, then choose the exact Ship you're excited to sail!