Did you know that Southampton is home to the UK’s biggest cruise ships?

 Here is the list of the biggest that regularly dock in the city.

P&O cruises - which is based in Southampton - claims that Iona and Arvia are the biggest cruise ships ever built for the UK market, with 5,200 passengers each.

But these are surpassed by the current biggest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas, which carries 5610 passengers.

Unlike Iona and Arvia, which spend a lot of time docked in Southampton, Icon of the Seas is based in Miami, Florida.

Here are the largest cruise ships that visit Southampton regularly:

  1. Arvia and Iona– P&O Cruises - 5200 passengers
  2. MSC Virtuosa – MSC Cruises - 4,842 passengers
  3. Sun Princess – Princess Cruises - 4,320 passengers
  4. Anthem of the Seas - Royal Caribbean - 4,180 passengers
  5. Sky Princess – Princess Cruises - 3,660 passengers
  6. Discovery Princess – Princess Cruises - 3,660 passengers
  7. Britannia – P&O Cruises - 3,647 passengers
  8. Royal Princess – Princess Cruises - 3,560 passengers
  9. Regal Princess – Princess Cruises - 3,560 passengers
  10. Norwegian Prima - Norwegian Cruise Line - 3,099 passengers