This is a floating city. A ship with a park, a zip line, a ten-story waterfall and 20 restaurants. She first went afloat in June 2017, but goes into service this year from its homeport of Miami, the Royal Caribbean MS Symphony of the Seas is the biggest cruise ship ever with 2,100 crew members. That is more crew than many small ships hold as passengers or as total passengers and crew. It can hold 6870 passengers and there are smaller shopping malls than the one it has inside. But Europe gets her first – she is being built in France (just as the Statue of Liberty was), will sail from Barcelona, Spain on 7 night Western Mediterranean cruises. Then on October 28, 2018, she will reposition to her home port, the Port of Miami in Florida, United States. In November 2018, she will begin Caribbean cruises.
This marks a growing trend in many generations of families cruising together. Whole groups of friends cruising together, societies and workgroups. These ships are for people who do things with others, but then want to get away from them and have privacy. These ships are huge and have space, private areas, and boutique restaurants. Who knows where the trend will end with thoughts even heading towards building fun cities out at sea on stilts like they do oil rigs. These new ships are not even built on old models, these are built for entertainment, they are built so generations of families live, party and holiday together yet apart doing their own thing. They are built to host complete West End and Broadway shows as ships entertainment. Hey, you have to live somewhere, it might as well be at sea, and some people do live permanently on a cruise ship. Maybe the older cruise ships will become tomorrow’s offshore prison ships, great fodder for film-makers….
Miami is having to build a super terminal because getting 6,800 passengers on and off is not easy. The movement of people is a science, a science in Disney Land, a science for town planners and now a science for small Caribbean Islands who are going to have to deal with it. None of us in the office have ever been on a Royal Caribbean ship, the films we have are films from guests. So, we invite those who have travelled on the RCI ships to share their knowledge here.
Furthermore, the marketing guys will have to fill these ships and supply them with excursions. 54 million people will cruise this year, and only 28% will be over 60.
Carnival has four ships on order that will hold 5,200 passengers each, one will go to P&O. P&O’s new ship due in 2020, yet unnamed, will hold 5200 guests. It will be the length of three football pitches at 345 meters, the width of three buses at 43 meters and have a top speed of 21.5 knots. It will have 4 x 15,440 kw electric engines and a theatre that sits 950. With 17 places to eat it will suit all appetites and occasions. There will be 17 speciality restaurants 12 places to drink and take in sea views. Four swimming pools, 16 whirlpools and it will have a version of Britannia’s very successful Limelight Club.
These are now small ships – Aurora Ship Tour Azura Ship Tour Britannia Ship Tour Arcadia Ship Tour
CRUISE MYSTERY NOVELS & GOOD READS
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