How cruise ships got so big

Summary

The script explores the evolution of cruise ships from ocean liners, highlighting the transformation in design and purpose. Once built for speed and luxury travel, ocean liners became obsolete with the rise of air transport. The script narrates the birth of modern cruise ships, emphasizing the shift from transportation to vacation, and the subsequent race to build larger vessels with diverse amenities. It details the story of SS France's conversion to SS Norway, setting a precedent for today's massive cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas, which are three times the size of historical ocean liners.

Takeaways

• 🛳 The MSC Meraviglia is a massive cruise ship, the largest ever to dock in New York City, with a wide range of amenities for passengers and crew.
• 🏝 Cruise ships are the largest passenger vessels ever built, designed to accommodate a small town's population in a single vessel.
• 🚢 Ocean liners, the precursors to cruise ships, were built for speed and to transport people across oceans before the advent of air travel.
• 🏨 Ocean liners aimed to replicate the comforts of land-based life, with luxurious amenities to make long sea voyages more bearable.
• 🌐 The rise of air travel led to the decline of ocean liners, shifting the focus from transportation to leisure and the birth of the cruise industry.
• 📺 The TV show 'The Love Boat' popularized cruising, making it a mainstream vacation option for a broader audience.
• 🛳 Ocean liners were not well-suited for the leisurely pace of cruising, with their design focused on speed and limited amenities for all passengers.
• 🛳 The SS France was converted into a full-time cruise ship, the SS Norway, marking a significant shift in the industry towards larger, more leisure-focused vessels.
• 🏞 The SS Norway's success demonstrated that size was advantageous for cruise ships, leading to a trend of building increasingly larger vessels.
• 🏗️ Modern cruise ships have evolved to have taller and wider superstructures, hiding smokestacks and shortening the bow to maximize space for amenities.
• 🚢 The Icon of the Seas, set to launch in 2024, will be a massive 250,000 gross tons, dwarfing earlier ships and reflecting the ongoing trend towards larger cruise vessels.
• 🏛️ There is a sense of nostalgia for the elegance of older ship designs, with the Queen Mary 2 being the last remaining ocean liner in regular service.

Q & A

What is the MSC Meraviglia known for in the context of New York City?

The MSC Meraviglia is known for being the biggest cruise ship to have ever docked in New York City.

Who christened the MSC Meraviglia?

The MSC Meraviglia was christened by Sophia Loren.

What kind of amenities can be found on the MSC Meraviglia?

The MSC Meraviglia features a water park, a rope course, a spa, a mall, an arcade, a bowling alley, a casino, a gym, two theaters, five pools, nine restaurants, 23 bars, and is designed to accommodate 5,655 passengers and 1,536 crew members.

What is the historical significance of ocean liners before the advent of airplanes?

Ocean liners were the primary mode of transportation for crossing oceans before the advent of airplanes, providing a luxurious and comfortable travel experience despite the challenging conditions of sea travel.

How did the design of ocean liners in the early 20th century aim to improve passenger experience?

Early 20th-century ocean liners were designed to resemble palatial hotels or palaces, offering amenities like restaurants, smoking rooms, gardens, and massive lounges with painted ceilings to replicate the comforts of life on land.

What was the shift in the marketing strategy of ocean liner companies in the 1960s?

In the 1960s, ocean liner companies shifted their marketing strategy from selling transportation to selling a vacation, which marked the birth of the cruise ship concept.

How did the rise of air travel impact the design and purpose of ocean liners?

The rise of air travel made ocean liners obsolete for transportation purposes, leading to a redesign focused on luxury and leisure, with a shift towards offering vacation experiences rather than fast travel.

What was the significant transformation of the SS France into a full-time cruise ship?

The SS France was transformed into a full-time cruise ship by Norwegian Caribbean Lines, which included shutting down one engine room, removing propellers, installing tenders for accessing shallow ports, removing class barriers, and loading the ship with a variety of entertainment options.

How did the SS Norway change the approach to cruise ship design?

The SS Norway demonstrated that size was advantageous for cruise ships, leading to a trend of building larger ships with taller superstructures, wider bodies, and rounded bows to accommodate more cabins and amenities.

What is the current status of ocean liners in the cruise industry?

As of the script's knowledge cutoff, there is only one active ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2, which is still in regular service between Southampton and New York City.

What is the projected volume of the Icon of the Seas when it launches in 2024?

The Icon of the Seas, set to launch in 2024, is projected to have a volume of over 250,000 gross tons, making it significantly larger than previous record-holders.

Outlines

00:00

🛳 Evolution of Cruise Ships

The script introduces the evolution of cruise ships, starting with the comparison between small boats and the massive MSC Meraviglia, a cruise ship christened by Sophia Loren and noted for being the largest to dock in New York City. It highlights the ship's amenities, capacity, and the historical transition from ocean liners designed for speed and luxury to modern cruise ships designed for leisure and entertainment. The shift from ocean liners, which were the largest passenger vessels of their time, to cruise ships is discussed, along with the impact of air travel on sea travel and the transformation of ocean liners into cruise ships for vacation purposes.

05:00

🌊 The Transformation of Ocean Liners to Cruise Ships

This paragraph delves into the transformation of ocean liners into cruise ships, focusing on the SS France's conversion into the SS Norway by Norwegian Caribbean Lines. It discusses the changes made to accommodate a leisurely cruising experience, such as reducing engine power, installing tenders for accessing shallow ports, and removing class barriers to provide amenities to all passengers. The paragraph also explores how the SS Norway's success influenced the design of future cruise ships, leading to taller superstructures, wider bodies, and rounded bows to maximize space for amenities. It concludes with a reflection on the current state of cruise ships, their massive sizes compared to historical ocean liners, and a nod to the Queen Mary 2 as the last remaining ocean liner in service.

Keywords

💡Cruise Ship

A cruise ship is a large passenger vessel used for pleasure voyages, as opposed to regular transport between ports. In the context of the video, the cruise ship is the central theme, with the MSC Meraviglia being highlighted as the biggest cruise ship to have ever docked in New York City. The video discusses the evolution of cruise ships from ocean liners, emphasizing how they have become floating resorts with amenities like water parks, shopping malls, and theaters, catering to a wide range of passengers.

💡Ocean Liners

Ocean liners are large ships designed to transport passengers and cargo on long-distance, regularly scheduled routes between ports. The video contrasts ocean liners with modern cruise ships, noting that they were built for speed and to provide a luxurious experience during the golden era of ocean travel before the advent of air travel. Ocean liners like the RMS Aquitania are mentioned as examples of this era, where they aimed to replicate the comforts of land-based life at sea.

💡MSC Meraviglia

The MSC Meraviglia is a specific cruise ship mentioned in the video as an example of the largest class of cruise ships. It is noted for its size, amenities, and the fact that it was christened by Sophia Loren. The ship's features, such as a water park, a mall, and multiple dining options, illustrate the transformation of cruise ships into floating cities that offer a wide array of activities and services to passengers.

💡Golden Era of Ocean Travel

The 'golden era of ocean travel' refers to the period before the dominance of air travel when ocean liners were the primary mode of long-distance transportation across oceans. The video describes how ocean liners during this time were advertised for their speed and luxury, aiming to provide a comfortable journey despite the harsh conditions of the open ocean.

💡RMS Aquitania

The RMS Aquitania is an example of an ocean liner from the early 20th century, mentioned in the video to illustrate the grandeur and scale of these vessels. It was designed to replicate the amenities of life on land, including restaurants and gardens, to provide first-class passengers with a city-like experience at sea.

💡Air Travel

Air travel is a mode of transportation that has significantly impacted the ocean liner industry by offering a faster alternative for long-distance travel. The video discusses how the rise of air travel led to the decline of ocean liners as the primary means of crossing oceans, which in turn led to the evolution of ocean liners into cruise ships that focus on leisure and vacation experiences.

💡The Love Boat

The Love Boat is a television show mentioned in the video as a cultural phenomenon that popularized cruising among the mainstream. The show helped to change the perception of cruises from being an activity for the wealthy to a vacation option accessible to a broader audience.

💡SS France

The SS France, once the largest ocean liner in the world, is highlighted in the video as a significant vessel that was eventually converted into a full-time cruise ship by Norwegian Caribbean Lines. This conversion marked a pivotal moment in the industry, demonstrating that large ocean liners could be repurposed to serve the leisure market by altering their design and amenities to suit the needs of vacationing passengers.

💡SS Norway

The SS Norway, formerly the SS France, is noted in the video as a pioneer in the cruise industry. After its conversion, it introduced a new model for cruise ships, focusing on the ship itself as the destination with a wide array of onboard activities and amenities, rather than the ports of call.

💡Gross Tons

Gross tons is a unit of measurement used to express the internal volume of a ship, which is a key indicator of its size. The video uses the term to compare the sizes of different ships, from the RMS Aquitania to modern cruise ships like the Icon of the Seas, illustrating the significant growth in ship size over time.

💡Queen Mary 2

The Queen Mary 2 is the last remaining ocean liner in regular service, as mentioned in the video. It represents a link to the past, maintaining a tradition of transatlantic travel that has largely been replaced by air travel and cruise vacations. The ship's continued operation underscores the enduring appeal of ocean liners for certain travelers.

Highlights

The MSC Meraviglia is the largest cruise ship to have ever docked in New York City.

MSC Meraviglia was christened by Sophia Loren and features a vast array of amenities including a water park, spa, mall, and multiple entertainment venues.

Cruise ships are the largest passenger vessels ever built, capable of accommodating thousands of passengers and crew.

Ocean liners, the precursors to cruise ships, were designed for speed and luxury during the golden era of ocean travel.

Ocean liners like RMS Aquitania aimed to replicate the comforts of land-based life, including restaurants and gardens, for first-class passengers.

The rise of air travel led to the decline of ocean liners as the primary mode of long-distance transportation.

Ocean liner companies transitioned to offering leisure trips and rebranded ocean travel as a vacation experience.

The TV show 'The Love Boat' popularized cruising and made it a mainstream vacation option.

Ocean liners were not well-suited for the slow pace of cruising due to their design for speed and fuel consumption.

SS France was converted into a full-time cruise ship, the SS Norway, marking a significant shift in the cruise industry.

The conversion of SS France included removing barriers between class sections and adding a variety of entertainment options.

The SS Norway's success demonstrated that larger size was viable for cruise ships, leading to a trend of ever-larger vessels.

Modern cruise ships have evolved to have taller superstructures and wider bodies to accommodate more cabins and amenities.

The design of contemporary cruise ships has shifted focus from elegance to maximizing space for amenities and passenger comfort.

The Icon of the Seas, set to launch in 2024, will be over 250,000 gross tons, exemplifying the growth in cruise ship size.

There is a nostalgia for the design and elegance of past ships, with the expectation that future generations will look back fondly on today's vessels.

The Queen Mary 2 is the last remaining ocean liner in regular service, maintaining a connection to the era of ocean travel.

Transcripts

In the world of boats

there are little boats and bigger boats.

And then there are the really big boats.

This is a cruise ship.

The MSC Meraviglia

built in Saint-Nazaire, France, in service since 2017...

and christened by Sophia Loren.

It is the— [ship honks]

Sorry, she is the biggest cruise ship

to have ever docked in New York City.

There's a water park, a rope course, a spa...

a mall, an arcade, a bowling alley, a casino

a gym, two theaters

five pools, nine restaurants, 23 bars, 19 floors

and enough room for 5,655 passengers.

and 1,536 crew members.

Cruise ships are the biggest passenger vessels

that humans have ever built.

They can fit a small town's worth of people into a single vehicle...

but they have a certain look to them.

Far from the look of the big transatlantic ships

of 100 years ago.

So how did the biggest ships we build wind up looking like this?

Before cruise ships, the biggest ships on earth

were ocean liners.

Built for one purpose:

To take you somewhere.

In the golden days of ocean travel

before the airplane, people had no choice.

They had to use ships.

That's Peter Knego.

He's a cruise journalist and ocean liner historian.

Advertisements from this golden era of ocean liners

boasted their speed across the Atlantic...

and their luxurious comfort...

which, given the conditions on the open ocean...

wasn't always easy to achieve.

If it's February and you're crossing the Atlantic

you're going to be absolutely miserable.

And the last thing you want to do is realize

that you're on a ship.

What they used to do at the turn of the 20th century...

they would design at least the first class...

part of ships to look like great palatial hotels

or even palaces themselves.

Ocean liners like this one, the RMS Aquitania...

tried to replicate all the amenities of life on land.

There were restaurants, smoking rooms, gardens

and a massive lounge with painted ceilings.

For the first class passengers at least,

all of the comforts of a city...

but at sea.

There was a picture of the Aquitania lined up against

what was then the world's tallest building:

The Woolworth Building.

And the Aquitania was longer and taller than the Woolworth Building.

And that was their way of saying this is like

literally a floating city at sea.

Just to inspire the confidence of passengers.

But the rise of air travel meant that ships stopped being

being the only way to cross oceans.

And by the 1960s

ocean liners were slowly becoming obsolete.

As ocean liner companies struggled to sell tickets...

they tried something different.

“No longer do liners even attempt to compete with air speed.”

“Now the word is luxury.”

“A vacation at sea.”

They continued transatlantic service

in the northern Hemisphere’s summer months.

But in the winter months, more companies started offering

leisure trips to warmer regions...

and they started advertising ocean travel differently.

From selling transportation to selling a vacation.

The cruise ship was born.

But they got off to a slow start.

They didn't really take off until the TV show The Love Boat.

which exploded the idea of cruising.

It wasn't just something that your rich grandmother did

and made cruising something for the mainstream.

But as cruises started to become mainstream

ocean liners had a problem.

They were designed to go fast and consumed a lot of fuel.

They sat low in the water, which kept them stable in rough seas...

but meant they could only access ports with deep harbors.

They had separate sections for first, second, and third class...

but that left a lot of passengers without access to amenities.

and limited everyone's freedom of movement throughout the ship.

And compared to the full time cruise ships of the time

ocean liners were huge.

So they'd have to attract a lot of vacationers to be profitable.

Everything that had made ocean liners optimally designed

for commuting quickly through rough waters...

made them poorly fit for vacationing slowly through calm ones.

As sea travel continued to dwindle

even the largest ocean liner in the world, the SS France

couldn't generate enough revenue to operate.

And it sat idle for years until 1979

when Norwegian Caribbean Lines purchased it

and made an announcement that shocked the industry.

They were going to convert the France

into a full time cruise ship.

Since speed was no longer a concern

they shut down one engine room

and removed two of the four propellers.

To get passengers to islands without deep ports

they installed tenders.

These are smaller ships that ferry passengers to shore.

To open up amenities to all passengers

they took out the barriers between class sections

and to attract enough vacationers

they loaded the ship with a massive roster

of entertainment options.

There are sporting facilities and shopping centers, cinema...

bars, a multi-confession church, saunas

kindergarten, party games, educational courses, library, charades.

The ship began service in 1980, renamed the SS Norway.

Where other ships made 3 to 4 stops

in a weeklong cruise

The Norway only made two.

They weren't advertising a cruise to a destination.

The ship was the destination itself.

The Norway proved that size worked for cruise ships

and it kicked off a race to build bigger and bigger ships...

that changed the look of cruise ships forever.

To fit more cabins and amenities, those superstructures

that's all of this that rises above the deck, became taller...

which hid the once prominent smokestacks.

The smokestacks, because the ships are so tall

the funnels are these tiny little afterthoughts.

To fit even more cabins and amenities

superstructures became wider, which shortened the bow.

That's this forward part of the ship.

There is no space where there's just an open deck

where Jack and Rose can go stand

and say they're king of the world or whatever.

That's all gone.

The bow didn't need to be long and pointed to cut through

intense waves like on transatlantic liners.

So builders rounded them out...

giving even more square footage for amenities.

When the Norway began service in 1980

it was the biggest operating passenger ship in the world.

With an internal volume of over 70,000 gross tons.

But the ships built over the following decades

make the Norway look tiny.

And even make once legendary ocean liners look small.

The ship that held the record for

so many years was the Queen Elizabeth of 1940.

She was 83,000 tons.

People said they will never build a ship that big again.

Well, now the new Royal Caribbean ships

are literally three times the size.

When this ship, the Icon of the Seas, launches in 2024...

it'll be all the way up here

with a volume of over 250,000 gross tons.

That elegance of design is missing

I think, on a lot of the big new ships.

It's just the way things go.

And, you know, we all miss what came before and pine on.

And I'm sure people in 50 or 100 years from now

will pine on about how great-looking

the ships were back in the 2020s.

There are over 320

cruise ships sailing around the world right now...

but there's only one ocean liner left.

The Queen Mary 2, also built in Saint-Nazaire, France

in service since 2004 and christened by Elizabeth II.

Still in regular service from Southampton to New York City.