RCCL plans 250.000 ton ship

[Guest OBAYbee]

Sorry, I just really get bothered by naysayers and doommongers. There can be accidents anywhere at any time. 10 years ago the same people were worrying about the Voyager class ships with all the people on there.

 

People should embrace change and not be scared to death of it

 

I agree on all of the above.

[Dolphin-dan]

I agree on all of the above.

 

Werd.

[SunSkater]

Disney has just announced they too will build a mega-cruise ship, by joining the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic together creating the world's largest catameran. A platform will connect the two ship into one, and they will build a new Disney park on this platform, themed after the lost city of Atlantis.

 

Just Kidding! :D

 

YOU might be kidding but THEY might take it very seriously.

 

If Disney officials saw your post, they've probably already called a meeting to find out who spilled the beans. Just can't keep anything secret anymore!

 

;)

 

best,

 

John

[Ericknow32]

What I think they should do is put in sections. Not classes but sections. Divide up the ship into three sections with an equal number of suites, verandah, ocean view, cabins ect. in each section. Then give each section their own cruise director and staff, their own dinning room, and their own theater. Then a huge ship can still have a small ship feel.

 

If they put on more than one place to tender then it wouldn't be so bad getting on and of the ship. Have maybe four tendering stations.

 

Like I said I would try it at least once and hey if I don't like it at least I can still say that I have been on the current worlds largest cruise ship.

 

I should start charging for my ideas they're so good.

[SunSkater]

no sh!t? wow!

 

I seem to remember readin in Popular Science (or Mechanics) a couple years back about a mega ship that would be so big a 737 could land on it (really) It would be so big that it would cruise around the world, non-stop following the nice weather. They were going to sell condos/timeshares on it(!)

 

Actually, a smaller version of that already exists. The World of ResidenSea is its name and, incidentally, it will arrive at Port Canaveral for a couple of weeks just prior to Thanksgiving (and our Mariner sailing).

 

Although we have some friends who could easily manage it, travelling on that ship is, frankly, well beyond my means. It might be neat to have a look-see, though.

 

However, I do remember seeing mock-ups of the ship you're describing on the Travel Channel. It was supposed to have parks, a fleet of sailboats for tendering, airplane runway...all sorts of stuff.

 

best,

 

John

[TheParrotHeads]

It's not the size of the ship, it's the size of the wave!

 

-Norman

 

Thanks for the laugh :D

[Ericknow32]

I seem to remember readin in Popular Science (or Mechanics) a couple years back about a mega ship that would be so big a 737 could land on it (really) It would be so big that it would cruise around the world, non-stop following the nice weather. They were going to sell condos/timeshares on it(!)

 

Not a problem, just load them in the planes and fly them off.:)

 

http://www.gizmag.com/pictures/hero/2089_01.jpg

MGoBlue2 posted a picture of it.

[superjerryw]

A 250,000 ton ship. Great, now we can get rid of that ridiculous promenade on the Voyager class and replace it with something usefull such as a full size Wal-Mart....:rolleyes:

 

 

Hhhhmmmm, 6,000 passengers, I wonder how big the Johnny Rockets will be....:rolleyes:

[SLU Billikens]

Out of curiosity, how big is an aircraft carrier in comparison?

[Frequentfloater]

This is the floating city at sea you are referring to:

 

http://www.freedomship.com/

 

I would also like to add that anything a major cruiseline like RC, actually designs and builds, would be so carefully thought out, that all the concerns mentioned here would be the very least of their own.

 

The sheer number of structural engineers, ship planners, draftsmen, and many others involved in a ship design like this would be mind boggling. This is what they do for a living, and they do it very well (we love cruising on their ships now don't we??)

 

Unlike the Titanic days, we are 1000 times more technologically advanced, and therefore plan things much more carefully. Our buildings, ships, planes,... everything we build today, just dwarfs the giant creations of old. The Titanic weighed about the same as Empress Of The Seas does, which is by far RC smallest ship. Some people don't even consider a ship in that weight class to be a cruise ship these days. The average weight of an aircraft carrier is between 80,000 and 100,000 tons, which falls in the mid size cruise ship category right now.

 

I can understand some people not wanting to cruise with that many other people. I have no problem with with it, because I would expect the space to passenger ratio, to be comparable to a Voyager or Freedom class vessel.

 

Many things yet to come seem unthinkable, until they arrive. If this ship does, I would certainly be more than happy to take it for a ride. ;)

[2br~2b]

Is this next on the horizon after the 3 Freedom class ships are released in 2006, 2007, and 2008?

[nosnobunny]

A lot of you are concerned about how they'll tender 6,000 plus passengers to the port. I'm more interested in how the port will handle 6,000 passengers. They already are jammed when multiple mega-ships dock at the same time. The ship may be high-tech but the ports aren't. :confused:

 

Beth

[Frequentfloater]

Yeah...now that is something to worry about isn't it? Imagine the extra space for just luggage and parking! :eek:

[hermang]

You could probably drive your car aboard and not have to rent one in port.

I seriously doubt there are many ports in the Caribbean that could handle that many passengers from one ship at one time. Maybe St. Thomas or Barbados but 250,000 tons - ? The propulsion systems would guzzle fuel at an enormous rate making them either floating fuel tanks or they would have to refuel at almost every stop.

 

At that size you could park it in Aruba and walk to Curacao

[madforcruising]

You could probably drive your car aboard and not have to rent one in port.

 

You will need you car onboard. I´m sure there will be a highway, Just not sure how it is about parking space in front of your cabin.

[Frequentfloater]

You would be starting a whole new class envy thing... cabins with garages!

 

How sad would I feel in my lowly inside cabin, and my car parked "uncovered" in the hall. What a shame! :(

[flagger]

Well an A/C carrier at 80-100K tonnes does carry 6K people.

[eroller]

I am quite certain that Royal Caribbean is planning the next series of ships for both the RCI brand and Celebrity. It would not surprise me if RCI does end up with a 250,000 gt mega-ship. Celebrity's newbuilds will probably be more in the range of 100,000 gt and they are being code named "Challenger".

 

Royal Caribbean has always been the most innovative cruise line when it comes to ship design. Say what you will about the food, service, cleanliness, and entertainment ... but it's pretty much universal the ships look spectacular and work very well. I have no doubt the next series of ships for RCI will be extremely innovative, well thought out, and of course HUGE! Of course if RCI does build a 250,000 gt ship that carries 6000 passengers (double occupancy), the space ratio will be a very respectable 41.66. Carnival's Pinnacle Project is now projected at 200,000 gt and it is estimated to carry 5000 passengers. This would give it a space ratio of 40, slightly less. It will be even less if the actual gross tonnage doesn't reach 200,000 gt.

 

A few things need to happen before RCI's speculated 250,000 gt ship and even Carnival's Project Pinnacle move forward. First and foremost are restrictions imposed on ship evacuation. Currently a lifeboat can have a maximum capacity of 150 persons. With 5000-6000 passengers + crew this is just not feasible (even with increased use of rafts). There is only so much space along the side of the ship to house these boats. A much larger capacity lifeboat or an entirely new high capacity evac device (such as a pod) has to be approved. I think a few cruise lines are in the process of working on that now. I also think there will have to be changes to the current regulations regarding fire zones on ships. Right now they are quite restrictive and a space can only be so large (I can't remember the maximum dimensions). Main lounges and dining rooms have pretty much reached their maximum size limit under current regulations. There were several issues on QM2 with the showlounge, which is actually wider than it is long. This is because of fire zone restrictions and it made for a less than ideal space IMO. As ships get larger and carry more people, they are also going to need larger spaces to accommodate those people.

 

Finally, I think the cruise lines are going to have to get very innovative in regards to passenger flow, crowd control, and embarkation/debarkation. If the lines get too long, then the "hassle factor" becomes too high and people will avoid these mega-ships. Cruise lines have to ensure this doesn't happen. One thing I think we will see on Carnival and RCI's 200,000+ ships is a Freestyle concept like NCL and Princess use. This way they designers don't have to worry about spaces large enough to accommodate 1/2 the ships compliment at any one time. You are going see see more dining and entertainment options so you don't have 1/2 the ship trying to get to the same place at the same time. I would also imagine many more buffet choices (in different locations) during the afternoon, not to mention several pools in various different locations. It's the only way these mega-ships are going work, even though the concept is not currently employed on either RCI or Carnival. Embarkation and disembarkation (+ tendering) are also obstacles to overcome. We might see self serve check-in kiosks like airlines use for those that pre-registered. We also might see a staggered boarding process based on your cabin location. I'm sure RCI and Carnival are thinking up several ways right now to handle 5000-6000 passengers embarking at one time. Same goes for luggage and stores ... expedited processes have to be designed and tested. The cruise lines don't want the ships to spend any additional time in a turn-around port, so this means everything being done now with the smaller ships has to be accomplished in the same amount of time with the mega-giants.

 

All in all it's going to be interesting. I am anxious to see what Carnival and RCI come up with next, and the innovative ways they deal with the increased passengers and crew. I do think we will see some regulations changed in regards to fire zones and lifeboat capacity, and this will help the designers a great deal in meeting the new challenges.

 

Ernie

[Cruiser_Guy]

It's not just getting on and off in the ship's home port. How many ports could efficiently handle disembarking that many people? And add that load to Grand CAyman with 8 other ships.

 

 

Maybe they can just add an island to the ship or something!:eek:

 

 

One thing I think they would have is atleast a Water park of some sort and a Roller Coaster! I'm gonna keep my ground on that one. Some people may say I'm crazy but when the deck plans come out everyone is going to say oh my gosh! Joe was right! There is a roller coaster and water park!:D You guys wait!

[mbisson]

But they would probably make a rollercoast an extra pay item. Either that or it would really be wussy.

 

-Monte

[nosnobunny]

Same for the waterpark. :(

 

Beth

[waterrats]

Count me in on that super ship. You would always have something to keep you busy. As long as there is enough deck space and have 2 locations for embarking/disembarking, then things shouldn't be that bad.

[eroller]

We might see self serve check-in kiosks like airlines use for those that pre-registered. We also might see a staggered boarding process based on your cabin location.

 

 

Wow, this press release is just what I was talking about above. I just read this today!

 

Ernie

 

=====================

 

Royal Caribbean puts 'Set Sail' into beta-test (06/13/2005)

 

ORLANDO -- Royal Caribbean International started beta-testing an online check-in program, President Adam Goldstein told delegates at the Vacation.com conference in Orlando.

The program, called Set Sail, is available to passengers booked on the Navigator of the Seas.

 

In addition, Goldstein said, as of mid-September, agents will have the choice of e-tickets or paper documents for each booking.

[Cruising89143]

Part snipped

 

I am quite certain that Royal Caribbean is planning the next series of ships for both the RCI brand and Celebrity. It would not surprise me if RCI does end up with a 250,000 gt mega-ship. Celebrity's newbuilds will probably be more in the range of 100,000 gt and they are being code named "Challenger".

 

Ernie

 

All of this makes sense to me Ernie. It will be interesting to see the design but if I know Carnival and they hold true to form, they will pack as many people on that ship as possible(ala Conquest class). RCI on the other hand will design a ship that will not seem as crowded if thier past history holds. Should be interesting none the least.

[Cruising89143]

Wow, this press release is just what I was talking about above. I just read this today!

 

Ernie

 

=====================

 

Royal Caribbean puts 'Set Sail' into beta-test (06/13/2005)

 

ORLANDO -- Royal Caribbean International started beta-testing an online check-in program, President Adam Goldstein told delegates at the Vacation.com conference in Orlando.

The program, called Set Sail, is available to passengers booked on the Navigator of the Seas.

 

In addition, Goldstein said, as of mid-September, agents will have the choice of e-tickets or paper documents for each booking.

 

I may try this out in December on the Navigator.