Million dollar cruise ships are a thing of the past. No longer is a million dollar cruise ship something to get excited about. In this day and age, the vast majority of luxury cruise ships have million dollar art collections onboard, million dollar fixtures and furniture, and many think nothing of dropping $200 million or more on a makeover or an exciting new program. Instead of million dollar cruise ships, what you will find today are mega cruise chips that are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and coming soon you’ll witness the unveiling of the world’s first $1 billion dollar cruise ship! More on this later. First, let’s discuss some of the world’s top multi-million dollar cruise ships and what each has to offer.
With a gross tonnage of 160,000, a length of 1,112 feet, and room for 3,634 passengers, Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seasis the largest cruise ship ever built. The price tag? $870 million. Liberty of the Seas is the first ship to feature a surf park, a full-sized Everlast boxing ring, and an interactive water park for kids the H2O Zone waterpark, complete with interactive sculpture fountains, ground geysers and a cascading waterfalls. Liberty of the Seas even has a barbershop when most ships simply have a beauty salon. Other features of this massive city at sea include a 9-hole golf course, an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall with eleven routes and a central spire, a full-size sports court, cantilevered whirlpools that extend 12 feet beyond the sides of the ship, Casino RoyaleSM, and numerous bars, lounges, restaurants, and oversized suites.
Royal Caribbean’s $870 million dollar cruise ship offers travel to Alaska, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada/New England, the Caribbean , Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, the Panama Canal, South America and repositioning cruises and Transatlantic cruises.
Royal Caribbean plans to introduce the world’s first $1.24 billion cruise ship in 2009 – the Genesis Class, currently called “Project Genesis.” The ship will weigh in at a whopping 220,000 tons and it will accommodate 5,400 passengers. The only other ships on the planet that fall into the billion-dollar category are military vessels and submarines.
Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2 is the most magnificent and luxurious Ocean Liner ever built. At a price tag of $800 million, it is second only to Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. The Queen Mary 2 is 1,132 feet in length and it is 151,400 gross tons. Queen Mary 2 can accommodate 2,592 passengers (lower berths) and a maximum of 3,056, including the third and fourth berths. The ship features ballrooms, theaters, casinos, lounges, discos, grand dining rooms, 13 spacious decks, a basketball court and the world’s only planetarium at sea.
Queen Mary 2 also features apartment-style accommodations and nearly three quarters of the apartments here have private balconies. The Queen Mary 2 travels the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Northern Europe, Canada/New England, and the Canary and Atlantic Islands, as well as Transatlantic cruises. Cunard Lines million dollar cruise ship Queen Mary 2 is not only popular for her size, she also travels around the globe on world cruise voyages for 84 days, 90 days, 99 days, and even 105 days. Lucky passengers can expect to visit exotic ports of call such as Cape Town, Da Nang, Dubai, Fuerte Amador, Hong Kong, Kobe, Mumbai, Penang, Puerto Montt, and Rio de Janeiro, to name a few.
Other multi-million dollar cruise ships include Carnival Cruise Lines’ Glory at $500 million, Carnival Cruise Lines’ Valor at $500 Million, and anything that says “Voyager Class,” starting at a cool $520 Million.