Page 24 - Sphere No.23 (Dec 2008)

HEY ARE FLOATING HOTELS built on a scale and
size never seen before. Today’s cruise liners resemble
the extravagant buildings of the Las Vegas strip, luxu-
rious giants that can accommodate more than 3,000 people.
On board, the range of entertainment options is staggering,
with a choice of restaurants, offering increasingly adventur-
ous culinary choices, swimming pools, golf driving ranges, ci-
nemas, casinos, cabaret shows and special-interest lectures
from world-renowned authors, scientists and sportsmen.
The ever-larger size of cruise ships has brought with it par-
ticular challenges for port operators. For a start, they have to
find ways of berthing, or at least mooring, monster vessels such
as the Queen Mary 2, which is the length of 41 London double-
decker buses; the other challenge is to move thousands of guests
swiftly from ship to shore, ensuring that they spend as much
time – and money – as possible during their spell on dry land.
It is claimed the USD800 million (HKD6.24 billion) Queen
T Mary 2, or QM2, is the most luxurious and stable ocean liner
ever built, designed so a trip across the notoriously rough At-
lantic Ocean is no bumpier than rowing a boat across the local
lake. Cunard recently added another luxury ship to its portfo-
lio, the Queen Victoria, as it retired the grand old lady of the
seas, the Queen Elizabeth 2, or QE2, from active service.
In today’s cruising world, the decks are stacked higher and
higher to allow more features and, in turn, more passengers.
Royal Caribbean Cruises, which already has 2,000-passenger
ships such as Rhapsody of the Seas and Legend of the Seas, re-
cently debuted its Freedom class of cruise ships which can ac-
commodate more than 3,600 people; on-board attractions in-
clude an ice skating rink and a full-size boxing ring. And next
year will see the launch of the world’s largest cruise ship, Oasis
of the Seas, which will be able to carry 5,400 passengers!
Many of the new vessels – eight cruise ships were due to
launch in 2008 – are bound for Caribbean waters, their tar-
P O R T S
22 SPHERE
Bigger and better ships make a huge splash
By Mark Redvers
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LIFE’S A
CRUISE