What is the largest pool at sea?

Royal Bay? Pool This sprawling oasis on Chill Island? is the largest pool at sea, with over 40,000 gallons of water.



In 2026, the record for the largest pool at sea is held by the Royal Bay on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas and its sister ship, Star of the Seas. This massive pool contains over 40,000 gallons of water and is so large that it features "islands" and a massive sun-drenched lounge area. It is the center of the "Chill Island" neighborhood. However, the crown for the "widest variety of water" goes to the newer Legend of the Seas (debuting July 2026), which features seven sparkling pools and a record-breaking waterpark called Category 6. While Royal Bay is the largest single pool, these modern "Mega-Ships" are designed to distribute thousands of gallons across multiple decks to ensure that even with 7,000+ passengers, the "floating city" doesn't feel overly crowded at any one swim spot.

The largest swimming pool at sea is currently the “AquaDome” pool on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas (launched in 2024).

However, the answer depends a bit on how you define “largest” and “pool at sea.”

Here’s a breakdown:

1. Largest by Water Volume: AquaDome (Icon of the Seas)

  • Ship: Icon of the Seas (Royal Caribbean)
  • Pool: The AquaDome is a massive indoor transformative space with a giant waterfall and a 41,300-gallon (156,000-liter) pool. It’s not just a pool but a multi-use venue with acrobatic shows and relaxation areas. By pure water volume, this is currently the largest single pool at sea.

2. Largest by Physical Size & “Wow” Factor: Beach Pool (Oasis-Class Ships)

  • Ship: Oasis of the Seas, Allure of the Seas, etc.
  • Pool: The Beach Pool is a 682,000-gallon (2.58-million-liter) pool complex that creates a gradual, sloped entry like a real beach. It’s often cited as the largest because it’s a vast, contiguous water area. However, it’s technically a pool zone rather than a single traditional pool.

3. Other Notable “Largest” Contenders:

  • Carnival Excel Class (Mardi Gras, Celebration, Jubilee): These ships feature the “Grand Central” atrium zone with a transforming pool floor, but it’s not the largest by volume.
  • MSC World Europa: Has a long, prominent “AquaPark” with slides and pools, but not record-breaking in single-pool size.
  • The Haven (NCL Prima

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Royal Bay? Pool There's always a seat open for you at Royal Bay. This sprawling oasis on Chill Island? is the largest pool at sea, with over 40,000 gallons of water. Here, you'll find plenty of space to soak up the sun or make a splash. Like in-water loungers and raised whirlpools offering elevated views.

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It can hold about 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew members. Icon, which will debut out of South Florida in January 2024, will offer vacationers the world's largest waterpark at sea, dubbed Category 6 and featuring six water slides.

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Royal Caribbean – Oasis of the Seas.

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Private Pools The Amenity: Luxury suites with pools are almost de rigueur on land but a rarity at sea. The duplex Edge Villas on Celebrity's three newest ships (Beyond, Apex, and Edge) come with private, three-foot-deep plunge pools, giving land resorts a rum for their money.

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Shipboard potable water (drinking, bathing, whirlpools, etc.) either comes from a shoreside water treatment plant or is generated on board from seawater via Reverse Osmosis systems or Evaporators. Swimming pool water is typically seawater.

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A cruise line will usually close their swimming pools, then a little later on, will drain out the water. A net will usually be placed over the top of the swimming pool at this point.

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Cruise lines drain their swimming pools at night to discourage guests from trying to enter the pool when it is closed. Draining the swimming pools each night also allows the cruise lines to replace the water with clean water and a drained swimming pool is safer if the weather is rough.

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In general, you'll find at least one pool, flanked by one or more hot tubs, plus showers for rinsing off and rows of lounge chairs for sunbathing. Pools are typically small and no deeper than 5 or 6 feet.

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One of the world's largest cruise lines unveiled a new $13,200 116-day around the world cruise in 2025— see what it'll be like. MSC Cruises, one of the world's largest cruise lines, unveiled its 2025 world cruise starting at $13,200 per person.

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Now, unless administrators can find a buyer to pay the ship's $1.5 billion price tag, Global Dream II is set to be scrapped. The ship has so far cost around $2 billion to build – and it still needs $340 million to be spent on it to complete construction.

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