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The Cruise Ship and Cruise Line Discussion Thread!


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On May 17th, the Norwegian national day, Viking Cruises newest ship "Viking Star" was christened in my hometown Bergen in a spectacular ceremony. The ship itself is not very big, with a length of 227,2 meters and a capacity of 930 passengers. But it's big news here as it's the first time in 10 years that a new cruiseship is registered under Norwegian flag.

 

Here is the official video from Viking Cruises.

 

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Never noticed there was a cruise ship thread here. Awaiting our 7 day cruise on October 11th on the Carnival Magic. Always have a good time on a cruise! (well, except for the one cruise we took on RC, but that's another story.)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Harmony of the Seas this morning :

 

SAM_3664.thumb.JPG.007ea90d9b33d2381034301cbaaa945b.JPG

 

SAM_3665.thumb.JPG.5ac9fb713ac970a1bc8d91825d4bdecc.JPG

 

SAM_3667.thumb.JPG.8af1a39b7984f68d50d0dcee8ada685f.JPG

 

The hull is almost over, it's missing the masts, the solarium and an half of viking crown.

The boat will leave the dry dock on june 19th to move in an other place of the harbor where they can put the funnels and finish the inside.

 

Also, RCCL confirm that two new 300 meters ships will be build at STX France for Celebrity Cruises.

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Alright, figured I'd ask this thread. The fiancée and I are looking to go on a Mediterranean Cruise for our Honeymoon (May 2016). We're looking at a NCL cruise on the Norwegian Epic. Has anyone been on that cruise?

 

Furthermore, we would have the option to leave out of Barcelona or Rome, is either better than the other? This includes flying in/out, small sightseeing before/after and the like. I'm leaning towards Rome, because I think we would both like it better, but we're both easily persuaded!

 

I know it's a lot, but I'll appreciate any advice!

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^Cool! Thanks for sharing.

 

with pleasure

I have no access to the shipyard so my pics are remote.

You have good recent pics here :

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Le-portique-des-Chantiers-Navals-dans-le-paysage-local-de-Saint-Nazaire/162427157281548?sk=photos_stream&ref=page_internal

 

Harmony just looks so massive!! Can't wait to cruise on it!!

 

I visit the shipyard two weeks ago (photo forbidden) and being at the bottom of the dry dock just near the boat is very, very impressive !

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Alright, figured I'd ask this thread. The fiancée and I are looking to go on a Mediterranean Cruise for our Honeymoon (May 2016). We're looking at a NCL cruise on the Norwegian Epic. Has anyone been on that cruise?

 

Furthermore, we would have the option to leave out of Barcelona or Rome, is either better than the other? This includes flying in/out, small sightseeing before/after and the like. I'm leaning towards Rome, because I think we would both like it better, but we're both easily persuaded!

 

I know it's a lot, but I'll appreciate any advice!

 

I've sailed out of Rome previously, and while I haven't sailed out of Barcelona, I'm pretty aware as to what the distances are like from boat to the center of the city and the comparative ease involved getting from point A to B. Rome is an amazing, amazing place worth multiple days (assuming you want something other than generic rides from your cities), but also happens to be about an hour's drive away from the center of Rome to the city itself. Barcelona, for a number of reasons, I think is more manageable as a port to visit when sailing. Just go on Google Maps, look at where the ships are, and then look at any of the major sights. It is much more convenient. If it was me and I'd never been before, I would sail out of Civitavecchia simply because I think the inconvenience of the distance is a negative for shore excursions and the like, and I think Rome is really worth the time and effort.

 

I can also shoot you the name of the car service we used to pick us up from the hotel and take us to the cruise port. It was a bargain compared to official transfers. You could take the train and transfer to a bus if you really wanted to save a lot, but the point A to B car service is, for this, I feel worth it.

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I'd echo what ^ said. Barcelona is easier logistically for many reasons but I could spend a few days in Rome and surrounding areas, I really couldn't in Barcelona unless I was also going to Port Aventura.

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Thanks! You've just reinforced our decision as to why we would want to cruise out of Civitavecchia. That's actually our plan, a couple days in Rome and surrounding area before the cruise, then get to Paris (by Train or Plane) and stay there for a few days after (with a day at DLP) before flying back to the states!

 

We will be working with a Travel Agency, but if I have any questions I'd be sure to ask you guys!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like Carnival is planning to build the most crowded cruise ships in the world. They signed a deal with Meyer Werft to build four ships, two for AIDA and two for another Carnival brand, that will be 180,000 gross tons and hold 6,600 people. By comparison, Oasis and Allure of the Seas are 225,000 gross tons and hold 6,300 people. Two of the ships will be built at Meyer Werft in Papenburg (where Quantum and Anthem of the Seas were built) and the other two will be built at Meyer Turku (which used to be STX Turku, where the Voyager-class, Freedom-class, and first two Oasis-class ships were built).

 

http://www.meyerwerft.de/en/meyerwerft_de/medien/presseticker/pressemitteilung_detail_20303.jsp

 

The cool thing about these ships is that they will be entirely powered by LNG instead of the bunker fuel that most ships use, which means that they won't be spewing plumes of black soot like other ships.

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I'd love to see an assessment of public space per passenger, but my guess is that they're comparable to what's already out there for their fleet. I doubt it'll matter for something like AIDA where the cruises are super port intensive and (I understand) people only eat at buffets.

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Is it not possible that they are also using new and lighter materials throughout the ship to reduce the gross weight? That 180,000 gross tons may equal a ship as large as the heavier ships in other fleets. It's kind of a quick assumption to claim they are planning on building "the most crowded cruise ships in the world" without knowing the guest space the ship will have.

 

Instead of making up an unfounded negatives, let's look at the positives here. These will be the first ships to be completely fueled by a the world's cleanest burning fossil fuel. The ships will be innovative in design and will make "much more efficient use of the ship's spaces, creating an enhanced onboard experience for guests." These ships will help the cruise industry advance in a positive way. Or we can just fall back on our bias and bash the new ships before they are even fully announced, I guess that works too.

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As was stated above, gross tonnage is a measure of the enclosed volume of the ship. I admit that it's possible that the LNG engines take up a lot less space, allowing for more passenger areas, but I doubt it. Either there is a lot less passenger space or there is a lot less space for the crew and behind the scenes operations.

 

AIDA, because they don't have as many waiters and because the crew is allowed to use the passenger recreation and dining facilities, needs less behind-the-scenes space, but it's not going to make up the ~50,000 gross tonne difference. AIDA ships also tend to have huge spa/fitness centers, which would take up a lot of space.

 

Also, don't forget that only two of the four ships are for AIDA.

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As was stated above, gross tonnage is a measure of the enclosed volume of the ship. I admit that it's possible that the LNG engines take up a lot less space, allowing for more passenger areas, but I doubt it. Either there is a lot less passenger space or there is a lot less space for the crew and behind the scenes operations.

 

AIDA, because they don't have as many waiters and because the crew is allowed to use the passenger recreation and dining facilities, needs less behind-the-scenes space, but it's not going to make up the ~50,000 gross tonne difference. AIDA ships also tend to have huge spa/fitness centers, which would take up a lot of space.

 

Also, don't forget that only two of the four ships are for AIDA.

 

I guess my question is "Would they be significantly more crowded than the Magic class ships?" I also want to clarify that I don't care that much.

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^Gross tonnage is actually a measure of capacity, based on volume, not mass/weight.

 

 

Ah, thank you for educating me and I apologize if I came off as snarky. I learn something new very day.

 

I'll still stick with my point that until these ship are fully announced and the plans are unveiled it is tough to claim they will be over crowded. The article states that innovative design creates a much more efficient use of space so it sounds like behind the scenes areas are being redesigned to allow a greater percentage of the ships space to be used for guests.

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I guess my question is "Would they be significantly more crowded than the Magic class ships?" I also want to clarify that I don't care that much.

 

The Carnival Magic is part of the Dream class, and is about 34 GT/passenger. The Disney Magic is 35 GT/passenger. These new ships are 27 GT/passenger.

 

Remember that there is a lot of dead space on the Oasis class of ship in the middle where the open promenade is. A ship can be a lot smaller with equal capacity without feeling crowded.

 

The open-air Boardwalk and Central park on the Oasis-class aren't included in the calculation of gross tonnage. Gross tonnage only includes areas not exposed to weather.

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The open-air Boardwalk and Central park on the Oasis-class aren't included in the calculation of gross tonnage. Gross tonnage only includes areas not exposed to weather.

 

Being able to have such a large open space in the middle of the ship requires a higher gross tonnage.

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The open-air Boardwalk and Central park on the Oasis-class aren't included in the calculation of gross tonnage. Gross tonnage only includes areas not exposed to weather.

 

Being able to have such a large open space in the middle of the ship requires a higher gross tonnage.

 

I'm not sure why you'd say that. Gross tonnage is essentially a measure of enclosed volume, not of displacement or anything like that. The open spaces of Oasis don't make it any heavier, so they don't increase the number of engines or support machinery. The only potential increase "required" would be for additional ballast tanks because the ship is taller, but I don't see that increasing the gross tonnage by 45,000 (which is roughly equivalent to 5,000,000 cubic feet).

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