New giant cruise ship to sail from Barcelona

A record size cruise ship on the way for Royal Caribbean will sail in the Mediterranean after its debut in 2016.

Royal Caribbean today announced the 16-deck-high Harmony of the Seas will home port in Barcelona for its inaugural season and operate seven-night, round-trip voyages to the western Mediterranean that include a stop in Civitavecchia, Italy -- the gateway to Rome.

Scheduled to debut in May 2016, Harmony will be the third vessel in Royal Caribbean record-setting Oasis class series. It'll be slightly bigger than its two sisters at 227,000 tons, according to initial projections (click through the carousel above for the first drawings of what the ship will look like and construction photos).

The first two Oasis class ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, each measure 225,282 tons.

Harmony of the Seas will hold a record 5,479 passengers at double occupancy, nearly 100 more than the two earlier Oasis class ships.

Oasis and Allure made waves in the cruise industry when they debuted in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and are by far the largest cruise ships currently afloat. Like Oasis and Allure, Harmony will be built around seven distinct neighborhoods and be chock full of dozens of eateries, bars, showrooms and deck-top fun zones.

For a deck-by-deck look at the original Oasis class vessel, Oasis of the Seas, click through the carousel below.