Designs for future cruise ships all seem to have a common theme – designs are bigger, better, and more elaborate than the latest newly released cruise ship. Cruise lines are no longer content with simply delivering an impressive vessel. The plan is to always deliver the vessel to top all vessels. Such is the case with Royal Caribbean International.
Royal Caribbean design for its future cruise ship will be the toughest of them all to top. The popular cruise line will introduce the world’s first $1.24 billion cruise ship in 2009. The $1.24 billion ship will belong to the new Genesis Class and it is currently called “Project Genesis.” This massive cruise ship of the future will weigh in at a whopping 220,000 tons and it will accommodate 5,400 passengers. The only other ships on the planet that currently fall into the billion-dollar category, and with this kind of tonnage, are military vessels and submarines.
Besides Project Genesis, other ultra mega ships that all designs for future cruise ships will have to compete with include Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2, Carnival Cruise Lines $500 million Glory, Carnival Cruise Lines $500 million Valor, and any other ship that falls into the “Voyager Class” category. Voyager Class ships typically start at a cool $520 Million.
Queen Mary 2 is still considered the most magnificent and luxurious Ocean Liner ever built. With a price tag of $800 million, it is second only to Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas in price as well. 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.
Many designs for future cruise ships may look like cruise ships, but a closer look just might reveal something different. These designs for future cruise ships may actually be residencies at sea, like The World. The World, managed by ResidenSea Ltd., is a luxurious private community at sea featuring residential options and rentals, meaning ocean residencies that can be purchased for a hefty price or rented. Rentals range from $1,300-$4,500 per night with a six night minimum stay. The World has 106 spacious private apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios for a total of 165 residencies. The World residencies range in price from $825,000 up to $6.3 million. Besides being the first and only ship of its kind, The World is also the first ship of its size burning marine diesel rather than bunker fuel.
The World amenities include a grocery store and deli, five restaurants, several lounges, bars and swimming pools, a boutique, complete athletic facilities that include a golf simulator, a putting green, a casino, as well as a full-sized tennis court, jogging track, a fully equipped gym, a movie theatre, a library and a variety of music performances, to name a few.
The World travels, well, around the world, with itineraries most can only dream of. Full-time residents of The World and short-term guests alike will find themselves in places such as Greece, Ghana, Namibia, Sao Tome, Cape Town, Dubai, Turkey (Bodrum), Istanbul, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Monte Carlo, Aruba, or Portugal, to name a few.