Queen Mary 2

As far as working ships on the Hudson go, I feel this is undoubtedly one of the largest ever. While technically not the biggest cruise ship in the world, it is the biggest ocean liner. It has a capacity of 2,620 passengers and 1, 254 crew members, and cost an approximate 900 million dollars to construct. It boasts the distinction of having the only planetarium at sea, and is complete with 14 decks, 5 pools, dining rooms, theatres, and other spaces befitting a luxury cruise liner. It runs regular passage between New York and Southampton, England. It is 1131 feet long, making it just 117 feet shorter that the height of the Empire State Building. The ship was designed to bear likeness with previous Cunard ships of the "Gilded Age" of sea travel, however the QM2's funnel had to stray from the older style's height due to the lack of clearance under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at high tide. It is the flagship of the Cunard line, which began transatlantic crossings in 1840 with its first ship Brittania. The concept of transatlantic travel became an arena for competition amongst shipbuilders from the US, UK, France, Italy, and other nations to make the journey to New York in the fastest time with the grandest passenger vessels.