Top 10 Ugly Cruise Ships
This is one of the toughest lists we have written as it is one that is completely subjective.
A ship that we find ugly may be the most beautiful one to you and whilst some find the modern mega ships stunning, some find them horrid, the same can be said for smaller and older ships, but hopefully the explanations that we give will at least let you know our thought process and just why we believe the ship to be ugly.
For the sake of this list, we are fully focussing on the outside of the ship, so whilst we may find them ugly on the outside, on the inside they could be beautiful, so without further ado, here are our top 10 ugliest cruise ships, that are still in service today.
Our Top 10 Ugliest Cruise Ships
Norwegian Epic
Norwegian have some great looking ships and whilst some aren’t a fan of their hull artwork, we tend to like it across the lines ships.
One thing that does seem to universally agreed upon by all cruisers is that it is one ugly ship and even NCL seem to agree as whist most on this list are part of class of similar ships, the Epic is a one off, with the line moving on after building it.
The mid-section of the ship is relatively usual, although you quickly notice that there is no promenade deck, a pet peeve of ours, but where the ship fails the beauty test is at the front and aft sections.
Not only does the back have no shape to it and no areas for passengers but the flat rows of balconies just add no style at all.
The main reason for so many to find it an ugly ship is the front of the ship where the ‘Haven’ section just looks to be an afterthought and stuck on the ship in a add some shipping containers to extend a building style.
Icon of the Seas, Royal Caribbean
The Icon of the Seas is the biggest ship in the world, and it is truly an impressive piece of engineering- just how can something so big float but what it isn’t is stylish.
In fact, it is just downright ugly in our opinion as not only do you have a bulky front to the ship, sides with nothing to them so they look like a block of apartments and a flat aft section, but you also have a stuck-on dome on the very top of the front that seemingly squishes all below it, including the bridge.
The top deck just looks to busy with too many things taking up space and as somebody who loves to sit out on deck and take in the views, that would be all but impossible.
With all of that said, would I love to sail on her, yes without doubt.
Carnival Elation (Fantasy Class), Carnival Cruise Line
The Fantasy class of ships for the Carnival Cruise Line started out with 8 ships in it but in 2024, there are only two ships left, the Elation and the Paradise.
There are just so many issues with this class of ship including the incredibly small bow, the placement of the lifeboats on the top deck, the overall flat nature of the ship and then there are the afterthoughts of the balconies.
These have simply been stuck on the ship, at the aft and mid-section and whilst our main issue with the ships are the lack of features, stuck on balconies don’t help.
MSC Lirica (Mistral Class), MSC Cruises
The MSC Lirica is representative of the Mistral Class of ships which in my option is one of the worlds looking classes of ships ever built.
She is identical to the MSC Opera and similar to the MSC Armonia and MSC Sinfonia and all have the same issues for me including the fact that despite been built in 2003, they look like they are from the 1990’s.
With a dated look from the off, 20 years alter they look even worse but for me, it is the round back end, the ‘cutout’ looking promenade deck and the completely flat top deck that just does nothing for me and makes the ship, and the class, worthy of their place on the list.
Azura (Ventura Class), P&O Cruises
The Azura is a Ventura class ship, which is part of the wider Grand class of ships, so sadly there are quite a few ships out there with many of the issues of the Azura.
The front of the ship isn’t too bad, nothing special but no standout issues aside perhaps from the top deck which is far too enclosed for us.
The sides of the ship are, to be honest, quite boring with no features to it and when you add in the busy promenade deck and the lack out outside space on the top deck and you just have a ship that seems more office block that stylish hotel.
Where the ship, and her class, really fall down is their aft section, which is very sheer and looks more like an apartment block and then you have the ducktail that just looks out of place and a bit of an afterthought.
Caribbean Princess, Princess Cruises
The Caribbean Princess is in the same extended family as the Azura and features many of the problems that we have mentioned for her.
The biggest difference is the addition of the Skywalkers nightclub/lounge to the aft of the top deck that whilst may offer incredible views once onboard, for those looking at the ship, it is an eyesore.
Ambience, Ambassador Cruise Line
The Ambience is a ship that has had a few different lives since starting out as the Regal Princess in 1991 and from a style point of view, we actually feel that this is the best iteration of the ship as we actually like the Ambassador theming.
Unfortunately, it cannot hide the big design issues for us including the bulbus front, the round top sections, the lack of any features down the sides of the ship and the small, crowded promenade deck.
The top decks of the aft section isn’t too bad, but again it is quite plain and featureless but the most hideous part of the ship as to be the pointed lower part of the back of the ship.
Disney Wonder, Disney Cruise Line
For some, Disney ships are some of the most stylish out there and whilst their art deco styling does play on the Disney style of nostalgia, for us, in the main their ship are just ships, not great looking but not bad looking.
That is not the case for the Disney Wonder, and its class sister the Disney Magic, where in our option the line just got it wrong with the ships.
The ship starts out with its worst angle as the front of the ship looks squished and void of any features including no defined bridge.
The sides aren’t too bad but as they are perfectly straight with no features, they are just bland and is so often the case on this list, the promenade deck is small and busy.
The back of the ship just doesn’t do it for me either with its mix of bulbous shape and ducktail just not been a great design mix.
Pride of America, Norwegian Cruise Line
The Pride of America is based in Hawaii all year around, which gives cruisers the chance to spend more time sailing the islands and less time sailing between Hawaii and the US mainland, but it does come at the cost of sailing on an ugly ship!
The first thing you notice about the ship is just how square and bulky it, in fact it reminds me more of a car transporter than a cruise ship.
The bow of the ship is squat and there are just no features at the front of the ship to make up for its square design.
Going back from there, you have a profile of the ship that also lacks any features, a crammed promenade deck and little outdoor space on the top deck, which makes it look crowded.
The back of the ship is more sweeping and takes away some of the bulkiness of it but there is a lot of wasted space there as well.
Coral Princess (Coral Class), Princess Cruises
For this one we could have picked either of the coral class of ships for Princess as both the Coral Princess and the Island Princess are sister ships with plenty of aesthetic issues.
The problems start right at the front of the ship, which instead of been sleek is blocky and looks much more like a bulk carrier than a modern cruise ship.
You then have a lot of wasted space going back from their before reaching the mid-section of the ship with a crowded and squat promenade deck and a many featureless top deck.
The aft section is dominated by the funnels, that look more like a hot rod and a back of the ship that is incredibly plain and again quite bulky, especially at the bottom.
