Have Cruise Ships peaked in size or can they get bigger

[DAVE(Darkcabbie)]

Ships seem to get bigger all the time but when is it time to stop. Personally I love big ships but will there come a time when they are too big. When you consider that one of the biggest ships in the world is the Oasis at 220000 tons and it must take all your cruise to get around her perhaps we have got there now.

 

Will it now be as seems to be happening that the ships will fight it out for the best attractions on board. You only have to look at Quantum , she has got some amazing new features or do you think we may see the ships get smaller and more intimate with much more luxury. In my opinion bigger is best but what do you all think.

[Matt]

I doubt Oasis/Allure is the largest we will ever see. I do think value proposition may be at slightly smaller but soon enough the envelope will be pushed again.  Especially with ports upgrading to accommodate much larger ships around the world.

[Bryce G.]

I doubt Oasis/Allure is the largest we will ever see. I do think value proposition may be at slightly smaller but soon enough the envelope will be pushed again.  Especially with ports upgrading to accommodate much larger ships around the world.

I think you hit the nail on the head there, Matt. With ports getting bigger, that will be the green light for other cruise lines to look into larger ships.

 

That being said, there's still a market (some people like smaller ships) and even a NEED for the industry (ie- Panama Canal) for smaller ships to continue being built.

[Bryce G.]

One thing I will add, though, is that because of size, the waves are no longer a huge issue--not as much as the WIND is. Because there's so much more surface area, the wind, even if the seas are calm, will cause the ships to rock pretty heavily.

 

Fortunately, they've figured this out a bit. They built the Oasis-class ships in pieces, and lefts "gaps," if you will. This allows the ship to expand, contract, and even "twist," in essence, to accommodate wind and waves. It's fascinating because, in certain areas, you can actually hear the ship creaking, but not feel ANY roll. Brilliant if you ask me.

[Matt]

Sort of related to the original question, I do have my doubts Royal Caribbean would build cruise ships that are the size of Radiance class (2,000 passengers).  I think these days, small is Voyager class when it comes to Royal Caribbean.

[Racer734]

I think Matt is right about Voyager being "small".  Because Freedom, Quantum and Oasis are all so much bigger, Voyager is the new Radiance

[Tylor]

I doubt Oasis/Allure is the largest we will ever see. I do think value proposition may be at slightly smaller but soon enough the envelope will be pushed again.  Especially with ports upgrading to accommodate much larger ships around the world.

I agree. There ARE larger ships afloat besides Oasis/Allure. It is obvious that the larger ships make the company more money. So it seems that the company will be building larger ships from here on out. Also I think the larger ships provide more value and options to the customer, which is what people want. I look forward to all the great things Royal Caribbean is doing for cruising. I constantly think, why would anyone sail with anyone else?