# The Future Of Cruise ships?



## Andy_Cardith

Major changes have been made to the Marine industry since the dawn of the 21st Century, these changes have been applied to 

Outfits
Machinery
Capacity

and design.....

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Can we talk about the designs?


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## herky

since the days of balconies while the ships might great on technical issues must look like floating appartment blocks,saw program last night on regal princess and sorry but she looks ugly


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## Pompeyfan

The future of cruising is very good with someting like 7 new cruise ships last year and 9 this year of various sizes. Last year saw two giants built for RCI, Quautum class Ovation of the Seas, currently cruising from Sydney, Australia, and Oasis class Harmony of the Seas.


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## Erimus

...and a new giant fron RCL specifically for Chinese market with one gambling area minimum $300 a pop!

Geoff


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## john g

Well yes the ships get bigger but look at the ports of call .....same places 
( check P&O and others ) there is a market out there for small interesting ports....maybe Fred has cornered that along with a few others .


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## Barrie Youde

In practical terms, there are limits in almost every respect.

Remember Concorde? It certainly wasn't the physical size of the aircraft which terminated the project.

As to cruise ships, there will surely be other factors to consider?

Surely there are limits to incarceration (and particularly to voluntary incarceration) in a floating city?

Of the 16,000 afloat in the Queen Mary in WWII, it is probably right to point out that not one was truly a volunteer. For sure, none was there for pleasure.

The limits for pleasure remain to be determined but, as sure as eggs are eggs, it would seem that they exist.


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## herky

watched a doco on azamara journey.market for these smaller ships also that can up rivers to inland ports


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## YM-Mundrabilla

My concern on the future of huge cruise ships relates to the number of instances of mass illness on board which it seems impossible to eliminate. I am surprised that there are not more cases of mass illnesses on aircraft carrying 400+ people. Perhaps we don't hear of them as the people have dispersed long before the sickness hits the fan.


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## slick

All,
Mythology?,I heard or read somewhere that the Captain of one cruise ship was forbidden from shaking hands with the boarding passengers, for fear of passing on norovirus et al, he was found to be the one "link".

Yours aye,

slick


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## Pompeyfan

Viral gastroentertis is not new, we were treating it when I worked for P&O back in the 1970s. The only difference is that it was not called Norovirus then, but the same thing. There are new strains emerging all the time. Cruise ships seem to be targeted by the media, but it is far worse shore side, cruise ships in a minority compared to the anount affected ashore, which rarely seems to be reported. 

As I said, we had it years ago, but were possibly better at containing it certainly on P&O ships because we isolated crew and passengers in my Crew & Isolation Hospital, so they could not go walk about as they can today when confined to cabins. Also, although very contagious, I never caught it despite coming into direct contact with my patients. We had no fancy gels in those days, just good old fashioned soap and water, basic hygiene that worked. When I left the sea I handled far worse infections in pathology, but never caught any again thanks to basic hygiene.

Today, these gels are possibly responsible for the spread of the virus. Alcohol gels do not kill norovirus, so give a false sense of security. The only way to get rid of it on your hands is washing with soap and water, rinsing well. If only using gels, the virus is still there.

Cruise ships are possibly cleaner than ever before, but the virus is so contagious that it only needs one passenger or crew member to be affected before it spraeds like wildfire. Passengers may also not be truthful when filling in the health form before boarding.


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## Mad Landsman

Slick,
Nowadays it would be physically impossible for the Captain to do a meet and greet. 
However, there is some truth in what you heard. At Receptions, Cocktail parties and the like, everyone is required to scrub-up and apply the anti-bacterial before meeting the boss. The Officers on most cruise ships prefer not to shake hands with the 'livestock' nowadays so as to reduce the risk to themselves. 

The systems of control and monitoring which have been introduced in recent years are quite comprehensive and while not eliminating mass gastrointestinal disorders they have been proven to reduce it quite considerably. 

I think that there may be a good point about aircraft - people are held in closed environment with recirculated air for several hours. They then get off and take their bugs onto the cruise ship. The ship gets the blame....


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## tom roberts

My daughter and son in law have been on a few cruises and the missus keeps hinting she would like us to go on one not in a month of Sundays will I ever go on one,as I was on a few cruise ships as an a.b.in the 50s and 60s there is no comparison with them and today's Monsters we have watched the latest t.v. Cruise programe the front desk wow the flashing teeth of the gentleman?the crowds rushing to get ashore ,imagine two or three of these monsters docking at the same time in a small island paradise,not for me the missus will have to wait till I've popped me clogs or go with the kids the dog and I will bugger of to the caravan her with a bone and me with my bottle of Mount Gay rum ,watch the show on t.v. Bloody frightening.


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## bobharrison2002

The cruise lines get it in the neck for outbreaks of norovirus but very few of the crew ever are affected - probably 98% of the sick are pax.


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## Dartskipper

Regarding the general standards of hygiene among members of the public at large, the next time you use the conveniences in your local supermarket/pub/restaurant (or even hospital), just see how many users walk straight out again without washing their hands. The most contaminated surfaces are the door handles.


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## YM-Mundrabilla

tom roberts said:


> My daughter and son in law have been on a few cruises and the missus keeps hinting she would like us to go on one not in a month of Sundays will I ever go on one,as I was on a few cruise ships as an a.b.in the 50s and 60s there is no comparison with them and today's Monsters we have watched the latest t.v. Cruise programe the front desk wow the flashing teeth of the gentleman?the crowds rushing to get ashore ,imagine two or three of these monsters docking at the same time in a small island paradise,not for me the missus will have to wait till I've popped me clogs or go with the kids the dog and I will bugger of to the caravan her with a bone and me with my bottle of Mount Gay rum ,watch the show on t.v. Bloody frightening.


Agree with you Tom.

The YMs wants to do a cruise from here in Oz to somewhere or other or, preferably, a River Cruise in Europe. Being an unsociable and miserable coot I am avoiding both like the plague (possibly catching the plague is but one of my excuses).(Cloud)

You mention being in a small place with two or three cruise ships arriving at the same time. I have been there and done that on a couple of occasions in Geiranger, Norway. They turn the place into an absolute shambles with 1,000s of passengers cramming the place buying everything and anything - it is utter chaos.(Ouch)

Thankfully, we were land based and there for a couple of days but hell it was a relief when they all boarded their lifeboats to return to their ships and sail away.

Peace, perfect peace.............

Geoff (YM) (Wave)


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## KEITHMAR

Hi Geoff , Just found this thread, so hope You are still about! .We were in Budapest last Sept. (Lovely city.) and met an American couple , on one of these half day tours , They had just finished the river trip by Viking Tours , from AMsterdam, to Budapest OR reverse , Elderly retired couple , and They loved it! great accomadation , and fine dining, 100 passengers, great views , lovely stops ,"And no more than 100 yards from land!", She said....... Might be worth looking at . Regards to You KeithMar.


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## YM-Mundrabilla

KEITHMAR said:


> Hi Geoff , Just found this thread, so hope You are still about! .We were in Budapest last Sept. (Lovely city.) and met an American couple , on one of these half day tours , They had just finished the river trip by Viking Tours , from AMsterdam, to Budapest OR reverse , Elderly retired couple , and They loved it! great accomadation , and fine dining, 100 passengers, great views , lovely stops ,"And no more than 100 yards from land!", She said....... Might be worth looking at . Regards to You KeithMar.


Thanks Keith.
Yes we love Budapest and the YMs has been at me for years to do a river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. Absolutely everyone that we have spoken to raves about how good the river cruises are.
Hopefully going to Europe again mid 2017 so the possibility is back on the drawing board.
Trouble is it is so far from Oz to Europe and there is just so much to see and do when you get there. We love the old capitals of Vienna, Budapest. Prague and Warsaw especially as well as sailing around Lake Lucerne on the steam paddlers.
When we win the lottery we will spend months there (haha). (Jester)
Regards and thanks again.
Geoff (YM)


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## KEITHMAR

No problem ,Geoff, I live near the foothills of the Andes, 60 miles from the the valley of the Calchaquis(. Mind You Tu***an does have a population of 1·5 million!) so Budapest is someway from Us as well!BUT keep buying the lottery.... You sure as sh*t WON·T win if You DON·T have a ticket!!Enjoy Your trip . KEITHMAR:


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## slick

All,
A bit unsure of where to post my observations on a programme about cruising.
I watched the Third Mate anchoring the ship from the Focsle, I was shocked to see how superficially the whole evolution was treated, no how she leading, no how much cable out, or when she was brought up......
Then back to the Hotel Manager/
Yours aye,
slick


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## Les Gibson

Watched a do***entary recently about one of these dreadful things. It obviously had no engines as the whole programme was about the waiters and the deckies in the wheelhouse. And no it wasn't the one about the sailing ship/cruise liner.


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## spongebob

Les Gibson said:


> Watched a do***entary recently about one of these dreadful things. It obviously had no engines as the whole programme was about the waiters and the deckies in the wheelhouse. And no it wasn't the one about the sailing ship/cruise liner.


Les, they do have those "engineless ships" . I have read of the swank super yachts that are moored in a Californian marina that are hired out for midnight cruises. They have all the trappings of a millionaires lifestyle above the waterline but are sited on a flat bottomed barge or pontoon that is permanently alongside a marina.
Hire one for the night and once the booze takes effect the patrons know or care not where they are.
A maritime experience in waist deep water perhap

Bob


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## Barrie Youde

#21 

Now, that sounds quite pleasant - with a gangway permanently rigged and without, therefore, any incarceration involved!


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## GWB

The Ovation of the Seas has docked in Hobart with nearly 200 Passengers treated for Gastro.
Ship is being treated by crew and again when it arrives in Sydney


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## Les Gibson

Bob (post 21)
No, I meant the real honest to goodness big things run by P and O, Carnival cruises etc. The one I saw had Italian mates and most of the catering staff were Filipino. No idea of the nationality of the ginger beers because in the hour long programme there was no mention of an engine room. Maybe it has tugs pulling it around on the cruises?


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## Samsette

Les Gibson said:


> Watched a do***entary recently about one of these dreadful things. It obviously had no engines as the whole programme was about the waiters and the deckies in the wheelhouse. And no it wasn't the one about the sailing ship/cruise liner.


Deckies in the wheelhouse? I did not know they had wheels anymore; just knobs or buttons or, maybe remotes.(Whaaa)


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## john nichols

Ten years ago when the world suffered its financial crash, I predicted the passenger ship industry would be a major casualty. I assumed many cruise ship operators would have massive @[email protected] and such companies would be early losers. I assumed many people would see their savings evaporate and would no longer be able to afford a luxury cruise resulting in the ships being forced to lay-up. I assumed all new building would quickly stop.
So what happened and how did my predictions pan out? Cruise ships are evermore popular and fleets have expanded, new bigger ships are being built all the time, passenger numbers increased instead of the opposite! The last thing people give up is their annual holiday.
Financial crash? What crash? I guess I got my assumptions totally wrong.
P.S. For a few quid I'll give you my prediction for next years Grand National. Any takers? 

Cheers


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## John Rogers

I have completed a few cruises on the rivers of Europe, they are excellent, Now doing the rivers of the USA on American Cruise Line, they have some fine little ships and the staterooms are very large, free happy hour plus the food is 1st class. I am on my 8th cruise with them and number 11 is free which will be Alaska's Inside Passage.


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## Stephen J. Card

bobharrison2002 said:


> The cruise lines get it in the neck for outbreaks of norovirus but very few of the crew ever are affected - probably 98% of the sick are pax.




Rarely do you even see crew being sick. They follow the rules! It is careless passengers that catch nasty stuff.


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## Stephen J. Card

John Rogers said:


> number 11 is free which will be Alaska's Inside Passage.


I have bad news for you. The FREE cruise comes with an INSIDE cabin. Enjoy the view! (*))(Cloud)


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## John Rogers

Not so Stephen, the ship has no inside cabins, I have already sailed on her sister ship on her maiden voyage last July. Check out the deck plan and state rooms. Link below.


https://www.americancruiselines.com/small-riverboat-cruise-ships/american-constitution


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## Stephen J. Card

John Rogers said:


> Not so Stephen, the ship has no inside cabins, I have already sailed on her sister ship on her maiden voyage last July. Check out the deck plan and state rooms. Link below.
> 
> 
> https://www.americancruiselines.com/small-riverboat-cruise-ships/american-constitution


I just did. NICE! Perfect for coasting and I would definitely like to make a run up the Mississippi. 

If you go on one of these ships, you would never sail in another NCL or RCI or anything big again!


I like the Make 10, get one free. Perfect marketing.


Stephen


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## John Rogers

Stephen! I did the upper portion St. Louis to St Paul on the Queen of the Mississippi,she was on her 2d trip,nice cruise. Did the New Orleans and return also I didn’t like it as well, water was muddy,lots of rain and a very busy waterway. The best cruise I have so far is the Columbia and Snake river, I rate that one very highly.


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## Stephen J. Card

Are any of these ships doing the St Lawrence Seaway and up to the Lakes? That would be a perfect cruise. I did two trips from sea up to the Lakes. Mind, making the run as 2nd Mate would get a better view than most passengers would get. 

Well, you will enjoy the Alaska run too!

I'm not doing anything until next February. 54 days Southampton all way down and around S. Africa as far as Mapauto and back. Small ship too, just 500. 


Stephen


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## bobharrison2002

John Rogers said:


> I have completed a few cruises on the rivers of Europe, they are excellent, Now doing the rivers of the USA on American Cruise Line, they have some fine little ships and the staterooms are very large, free happy hour plus the food is 1st class. I am on my 8th cruise with them and number 11 is free which will be Alaska's Inside Passage.


I wouldn't want to do the bit between Port Hardy and the Queen Charlottes in those small coastal cruise ships - it can get very interesting when there's a bit of a blow.


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## John Rogers

Yes they do the lakes,the St Lawrence and Saguenay, I even done Cuba last November. I have gotten to know many of the crew member and it sure helps getting the goodies and drinks all free. I have done three trips to Alaska on HA however the inside passage on the smaller ship will make it nice.
I also lived in Alaska for three years as a guest with the Army 1961 thru 1964.
I don’t think I will ever go back to cruising the big ships, I am on my 34th cruise,if and when I need a wheel chair that’s when I give it up.


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## sternchallis

Dartskipper said:


> Regarding the general standards of hygiene among members of the public at large, the next time you use the conveniences in your local supermarket/pub/restaurant (or even hospital), just see how many users walk straight out again without washing their hands. The most contaminated surfaces are the door handles.


Ah, you have noticed that also. The other one is how many doors open inwards from the main toilet block. So you wash your hands but have to open the door, no paper towels, just those unhealthy hand dryers and put your hands on somebodies fresh germs.
In the motorway service areas they don't have doors except to outside of the building, some are electric, some aren't.


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## Stephen J. Card

sternchallis said:


> Ah, you have noticed that also. The other one is how many doors open inwards from the main toilet block. So you wash your hands but have to open the door, no paper towels, just those unhealthy hand dryers and put your hands on somebodies fresh germs.
> .



The Saga ship have special handles on the public WC doors. They do indeed open inwards but the handle gives a special gentle spray or something that makes certain that your hands remain sanitized when you are 'finished'. I prefer to use foot! ;-)


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