How old are the ships anyway???

[bearswife]

Just curious. For example, if someone says the ship is 5 yrs old. Do they date it back to when the ship started to be built? Or when the ship is completely built or its first sail date? Still don't understand why a ship of only 5 yrs old is considered old also:confused:

[Keith1010]

It is based on the month and year of the ships first (inaugural) sailing.

 

Keith

[lukes]

Usually the date is christening/ launching or first sailing. When the ship was first starting to be built is it considered a ship then? I think it is just a hunk of steel at that point.

 

Today ships are being cranked out due to the current popularity of cruising. In some circles the thinking is if a ship doesn't offer the most modern things, ice rinks, bowling, rock climbing etc then it is considered old. Rightly or wrongly compare it to your computer. Would you consider a computer built 5 years ago to be old. But a car built in the fourties, fifties or sixties would be considered a classic. Some people want to sail on a classic, others the most modern. To each his/hers own.

[DanJ]

A 5 year old ship is considered very young by shipping standards. It may be considered old if it's in a fleet that has added many ships in those 5 years that have all sorts of new amenities.

 

Use Carnival's fleet as an example. They debuted the Destiny in 1996. It was the first 100,000 ton cruise ship, and had tons of balconies, bars, restaurants, huge show lounges. That same year, the Inspiration debuted. Even though it was a few months old, it was already dated, but it was part of an older class of ship that had debuted in 1990. So, not old, by age, but maybe old by style. Although with that said, they did build 2 more of them that debuted in 1998 and they have been and continue to be popular ships.

[bearswife]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm booked on the Sun and everyone is saying its an old NCL ship built in 2001. To me, I didnt think that was old.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for the info guys. I'm booked on the Sun and everyone is saying its an old NCL ship built in 2001. To me, I didnt think that was old.

 

The Norwegian Sun entered service November, 2001.

 

Keith

[Sundagger]

On the HAL board, the majority of cruisers (who are traditionalists) prefer the S & R class ships - which were mostly built in the 1990's (a few slightly more recent). The condition of a ship depends on how well it has been maintained, not necessarily how new it is.

 

On NCL, the oldest ships weren't designed with free style dining in mind - they have been modified, whereas the newer ships were designed for it and it probably works better on them.

[dkjretired]

It would only be old in comparison to other ships that are out there now. In the past five years there have been vast changes in the amenities on certain ships and cruiselines.

[songanddance]

The most formal/elegant experience at sea comes with a 40 year old ship called the QE2. Nothing else compares if one is looking for traditional ship board grace of a time soon to be forgotten. If on the other hand you are seeking a shore based style amusement park on water, then the newer the better.

[firefly333]

The Sovereign of the Seas is one of the oldest ships in service out of the US, it was built 1987? 20 years old. They have already announced late next year the ship will be moved, I think to Spain.

[cruiserbryce]

since the ships really begin accumulating wear and aging at the first sailing, thats when the age starts

[Philip217]

Older ships are very much like older autos. As they age, they tend to break down more often.

Older ships have their charm. But when traveling on one, you should be mentally prepared for more incidences of water leaks, non flushing toilets, faulty air conditioning, and engine problems that can cause missed ports or cancelled cruises.

 

I generally recommend that unless you are the more adventurous type, you avoid any ship that is younger than one year or older than ten years.