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EDITORIAL COORDINATOR
Mirkka Rytilahti
editorial
seatec 2/2008
BIG LOVE
The cruise industry is continuing its love affair with big ships. Carnival Cruise Lines, the world’s largest cruise operator, launched Carnival Splendor in July − making it the biggest passenger ship in the
history of the company. In the spring, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
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shocked the waves with Independence of the Seas − the biggest
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cruise ship on the planet. Or rather, the biggest for the moment: RCCL is set to launch the first of the new Genesis class ships, named
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Oasis of the Seas, already next year. Naturally, Oasis will be bigger
Sami J. Anteroinen
and better than anything the world has seen before.
The fascination with all things great in size is something that
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is often attributed to Americans. However, the driving force behind
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big ships is not fondness for huge things per se, but instead anoth-
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er very American characteristic: freedom of choice. Cruise ships have
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become so large in order to enable a wider range of activities for a
changing demographic. Instead of a homogenous group of old-tim-
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ers, there are also families with children now; instead of just senior
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citizens content on lounging on the sundeck, there are thrill-seek-
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ers who want to try their hand at rock climbing.
As one seeks to satisfy the demands of all the cruise-goers, the
ship needs to be very large indeed. Kai Levander, Aker Yards’ naval
architecture guru, has likened a cruise ship to a vessel that carries a
hotel on top. In this scenario, the main limitation from the design
perspective is maintaining stability − as more decks with balconies,
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for instance, are added into the equation, a bigger hull is a must.
Punamusta Oy, August 2008
Of course, the economy of scale upside is considerable when one
can take in, say, five thousand passengers. A bigger ship will also
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seatec 2/2008
give you a smoother ride with less motion.
While the size of these magnificent beasts has increased to near
legendary proportions, the cruise experience itself is not reserved
for those with the megabucks anymore. The people in the industry
are fond of saying that cruising is no longer a luxury: it is a necessity. This means that people from all walks of life flock to the ships −
so if it’s peace and quiet you are looking for, you probably need to
buy your own boat.
One cruise reporter even commented about the maiden voyage
of the Independence that undoubtedly those booked on the cruise
ship will enjoy it, but it’s worth bearing in mind that they’ll be sharing space with several thousand other people.
SAMI J. ANTEROINEN