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The trend: Bigger boats, more bells and whistles
Less than two years from now, Royal Caribbean will beat its own record for the largest cruise ship by launching a $1.2-billion, 220,000-ton, 5,400-passenger giant. The “Genesis Project” ship — two are under construction in Finland — are a third bigger than Royal’s Freedom class ships, the current record holders at 160,000 tons and 3,634 passengers.
The move underscores an industry construction surge. Cruise industry analyst Tony Peisley forecasts worldwide capacity will increase by 75% by 2015. “The Genesis is really just the tip of it,” Peisley says.
Meanwhile, Miami-based Carnival has 18 ships coming through 2011, including its largest, the Carnival Dream and the Carnival Magic, at 130,000 tons. For its Cunard line, Carnival is putting the Queen Victoria into service this month, with a $702-million, 92,000-ton, 2,092-passenger vessel, the Queen Elizabeth, coming in 2010.
Why the building boom? Larger ships give the lines more flexibility....
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