CruiseStar
Cruise ship comparator
Compare two or three cruise ships side by side. See CruiseStar scores, hearts, sailings logged, gross tonnage, passenger capacity, space ratio, length, and beam.
- Pick Ship 1 and Ship 2 from the popularity-ranked catalog search.
- Optionally add a third ship.
- Scan the table for highlighted winners on each metric.
Try Icon of the Seas vs Wonder of the Seas, read the ship comparator journal guide, or browse all CruiseStar tools.
How the ship comparator fits together
A practical breakdown of the live tool, complementary to the longer cruise ship comparator guide.
What this page is doing
The top of this page is the working comparator: pick two or three ships, then scan the table for CruiseStar scores and catalog specs. Everything below is the field guide: how the numbers are built, what space ratio means, and how to use a shareable compare URL.
If you want the longer narrative on why ship-vs-ship searches dominate cruise planning, read the journal guide. This section stays closer to the product itself.
Picking ships that matter
The picker lists ocean ships by CruiseStar popularity first, so the ships people actually rate and sail show up before obscure ferries. Search by name or line when you already know the pair. Use Load more to keep scrolling the popularity list fifteen ships at a time.
Presets like Icon vs Wonder are shortcuts for the comparisons people ask about most. You can still swap either slot afterward.
Reading the comparison table
Sailor scores sit at the top: overall CruiseStar score, then food, the ship, staff, entertainment, and value. Those are the same category ratings sailors leave in the app, so they answer the decisions people actually argue about.
Below that, size and feel: space ratio (gross tonnage ÷ passengers), year built, passenger count, tonnage, and length. Space ratio is a rough roominess signal, not a cabin-size promise. Highlighted cells win that row; dashes mean that score or spec is not available yet.
Saving and sharing a compare
The URL updates as you pick ships, so you can bookmark or send a link like /tools/ship-compare?ships=icon-of-the-seas,wonder-of-the-seas. Friends open the same comparison without re-picking.
Open any ship page from a slot when you want reviews, category ratings, or the sailing chat after the table decides the shortlist.
Ship comparator FAQ
What is the CruiseStar ship comparator?
A free tool that compares two or three cruise ships side by side using live CruiseStar scores plus catalog specs like tonnage, capacity, space ratio, length, and beam.
Is the ship comparator free?
Yes. It is free on the web and in the CruiseStar app, with no account required to compare ships.
Where do the scores come from?
Overall score and the Food, Ship, Staff, Entertainment, and Value rows are live averages from CruiseStar sailor ratings. Size and feel rows (space ratio, year, passengers, tonnage, length) come from the catalog.
What is space ratio?
Space ratio is gross tonnage divided by passenger capacity. Higher usually means more ship per guest on paper. It is a planning signal, not a promise about your cabin size.
Why are some cells blank?
Category scores appear once sailors have rated those categories. Spec fields stay blank until the catalog has that Wikidata value.
Can I compare more than two ships?
Yes. Add a third ship after you have two selected. The table grows a column for each ship.
Can I share my comparison?
Yes. Use Share compare or copy the page URL after picking ships. The ships query parameter reloads the same comparison for anyone with the link.
How is this different from the journal ship-vs-ship posts?
Journal posts are long-form narrative comparisons. This tool is interactive and live: pick any ocean ships and see current CruiseStar numbers plus specs in one table.
Do I need an account to compare ships?
No. Comparing and sharing a compare URL works without signing in.
Which ships appear in the picker?
Ocean ships from the CruiseStar catalog, ordered by popularity first. Search by name or line when you already know the pair.
What do highlighted cells mean?
Highlighted cells win that row among the ships currently selected.
Can I open a ship page from the compare tool?
Yes. Each filled slot links to the full ship page for reviews, chats, and deeper ratings.