Interesting article about building a cruise ship

[mdpa]

Although the WSJ article is behind a paywall (interesting), there is a corresponding video that is accessible.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-trick-to-making-a-180-000-ton-carnival-cruise-ship-feel-cozy-11576665000?mod=hp_lead_pos12

 

With ships, like planes, bigger size not only allows more features but also brings more restrictions. The size of large rooms or cabin layout on a ship is limited by requirements for fire doors, for example. More weight means it takes more fuel to move, and fuel represents one of the biggest costs. A big ship still has to be fast enough to complete voyages on time.

In addition, a vessel that’s too large can’t sail under some bridges or use certain ports. The Mardi Gras, for example, will be too big for its namesake port, New Orleans.

“You cannot put a ship in a copy machine and press size two,” Mr. Clement says. “If you double the size of the ship, you cannot double the size of the entertainment, of the dining room.”

Figuring out how to make a bigger area feel small and small spaces feel big are the challenge of many travel companies. Carnival let me explore Mardi Gras in the shipyard where, unfinished, she reveals some of the secrets of putting 6,000 customers on a single boat and not making it feel crowded.