From record-setter to rubbish: World’s biggest cruise ship to be scrapped without sailing a single voyage

[CKN]

Thank for the advice, is there any specific cruise line you recommend like Viking? Cruising the Baltic would be interesting since it's not one of the more common Mediterranean or Caribbean cruises, maybe higher quality?

I think a lot of the anti-cruising sentiment has to do with poor news coverage making some lines look mismanaged and the recurring norovirus episodes are a real turn off.

We pretty much cruise Holland America Line. They cater to the "more mature" group. We did a Transatlantic cruise to Amsterdam, Denmark, etc. It stopped at the Bahamas and Azores. There were lectures, game activities, music, etc., plenty to keep one as little or as much occupied as one wanted. Viking cruise lines are known for quality-however expensive. The rule of thumb is the smaller the cruise ship the higher the costs will be. For some who wish to try it-I would suggest either an East Coast Cruise that goes in to Canada, or even a California coast one when they are available.

 

[mk378]

Thus a 9000 passenger ship is not something that the market demands. It was obsolete before it was even completely built.

 

[Rmay635703]

Thus a 9000 passenger ship is not something that the market demands. It was obsolete before it was even completely built.

Convert it to a transport ship, could be the world’s largest car ferry

 

[CKN]

Thus a 9000 passenger ship is not something that the market demands. It was obsolete before it was even completely built.

Carnival cruise Lines has ships that hold 6,500 guests. The cruse ship in question was for the European market-don't exactly know whats going on there.

 

[MotorFan]

Ships don't sink often????

That's actually true, most ships only sink once.

 

[MotorFan]

How's this for wasteful and stupid:

Cruiser USS Vicksburg Nearly Finished with Modernization Program, Set For Decommissioning​

Cruiser USS Vicksburg Nearly Finished with Modernization Program, Set For Decommissioning - USNI News

A Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser the Navy wants to decommission next year is nearly finished with a modernization overhaul that costs hundreds of millions of dollars, a service official told lawmakers today. USS Vicksburg (CG-69) is about 85 percent of the way through the cruiser...

news.usni.org

A Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser the Navy wants to decommission next year is nearly finished with a modernization overhaul that costs hundreds of millions of dollars, a service official told lawmakers today.

During a separate House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) criticized the Navy for how it has used taxpayer funds. Granger, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said the service in the last two years has spent almost $500 million to modernize Vicksburg.

 

[CKN]

That's actually true, most ships only sink once.

This was the last one to "sink" and it was partially "sunk". 100% Captain's error on this one. Cruise ships don't sink often. That's for sure.

Costa Concordia disaster - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[PandaBear]

Things like this happen all the time during boom time, people overbuild and build the wrong things.

 

[billt460]

That’s how the military feeds everyone.

True. But the military pays you to be there. You pay the cruise line.

 

[Wolf359]

Me neither. I was never attracted to the concept. Everyone raves about the unlimited food and drink. I have that at home. And I don't have to live out of a suitcase to enjoy it. The largest cruise vessels pack on almost 9,000 passengers and crew..... And they're all millionaires, just ask them after 4 drinks.

There's several stories of people who have retired and just live on cruise ships. If you get rid of the house and your monthly rent and food bill in a high cost state, it's probably the same or cheaper just to cruise all the time. But then you're living out of a suitcase for the rest of your life. The basically just go from one two or three week cruise to another and because they're frequent customers, they also get discounts.

 

[PandaBear]

I do not understand cruise ships. If I want to get away my idea is margaritas on a Mexican beach under a palapa.

I can understand it for some people who doesn't want to check in and check out all the time. It is basically a hotel on the sea. However I do not understand staying ON a ship for fun and not get off, the same as I do not understand all inclusive hotel vacation in Cabo or Cancun (I've been to both), other than the novelty and excitement.

Personally I also do not understand the excitement of getting an RV and drive it for vacation, but it sells well and people are happy, so good for them.

 

[Bill_W]

I can understand it for some people who doesn't want to check in and check out all the time. It is basically a hotel on the sea. However I do not understand staying ON a ship for fun and not get off, the same as I do not understand all inclusive hotel vacation in Cabo or Cancun (I've been to both), other than the novelty and excitement.

Personally I also do not understand the excitement of getting an RV and drive it for vacation, but it sells well and people are happy, so good for them.

I go on 14-16 day Long Range fishing trips on a 105 foot boat. Got all the entertainment I can stand. I bring a hammock for the cruise time down about 1000 miles down and up from the fishing location. Better food than anywhere I have been.

 

[PandaBear]

Thus a 9000 passenger ship is not something that the market demands. It was obsolete before it was even completely built.

I think it was originally targetted for the mainland Chinese tourists who have never been on a cruise ship before, and heard about it, got excited, and want to mark it off their bucket list. For the first-timers you don't need the best ship, the highest quality, or it being pretty. Just the biggest and newest with lots of advertisement, for a good price. That market collapsed due to covid, and a recession is coming, so maybe it will be back in a few years and this ship will be there. Afterall they have billions of people, even if 1/10000 went on one there'll be enough market for this ship if priced right.

My dad would be one of those who mark it off the bucket list. Went on a Princess cruise in Alaska, inner room, told me the room smell like poop, and had a bad experience.

Regarding to the anti-cruiser, personally, I have nothing against it, it serves a purpose, it is fun for certain kind of tourists (same as the guided tour on a bus), I just like to do my own thing instead of following a schedule, I skip a lot of popular things that "most" people like and stay a bit long in a place that I like, I hate dealing with other tourists and wait for them. I can read google map and pick up a few words the local use to order stuff, and my wife is super picky about hotel rooms (noise, sanitation mainly), so cruise and guided tour won't work for me.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Stuck on a ship with 10,000 others?
No thanks.

My idea of dying and going to Hell. Get away from it all with ten thousands others with the same goal. How utterly stupid can human beings be? Well, there's your answer.

 

[PF52]

Cruise ships are the cattle cars of the seas.

 

[doitmyself]

My idea of dying and going to Hell. Get away from it all with ten thousands others with the same goal. How utterly stupid can human beings be? Well, there's your answer.

It's kind of like going to a state campground in Michigan for an outdoor experience. People crammed a few feet apart from each other and hundreds of campfires at dusk smoking up the air. And then there are the amorous couples unaware that tent fabric is not a good sound barrier!

LOL, having said that, we enjoyed tent camping in state parks many times when our children were young. It's all about getting away from regular life for a short while.

I imagine some of the blame for this ship's demise was simply very poor timing.

 

[Wolf359]

My idea of dying and going to Hell. Get away from it all with ten thousands others with the same goal. How utterly stupid can human beings be? Well, there's your answer.

Well there's normally hundreds of thousands if not millions in the city. Went to DC not too long ago for the cherry blossoms, the place was totally packed. Couldn't walk more than a few feet without running into people trying to take pictures. Not everyone actually wants to get away from it all, some just want to do something different.

 

[billt460]

Stuck on a ship with 10,000 others?
No thanks.

But look at all of the "activities" you're missing out on. I'm told the clay target shooting is superb. One gun. $2 a shot. With 25 people standing in line.

 

[Jetronic]

Ships don't sink often????

usually only once.

 

[dlundblad]

My wife and I enjoy cruises. They’re cheap ways to see a lot of stuff. Last one was Feb 2020 with some friends. We had a blast. Not sure I’m in a hurry to go back though.

I will say I’m not usually a crowd person, but don’t typically struggle at cruises minus “at sea” days. When we’re at a destination we are sure to have an excursion or something for the whole day lined up. Many people stay on the ship or sleep in. Not us.