Jump to content

Cunard's Fleet: Larger in 2024 than in 1958?!


Aoumd
 Share

Recommended Posts

11 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I don't know why there is the "K" factor involved in calculating GT, but prior to the introduction of Gross Tonnage and Net Tonnage in 1982, there were several methods of calculating tonnage for vessels, used variously around the world, and the IMO's decision to go to GT and NT was to make it all uniform.  A lot of it dates to the change from sail to steam, as steamships had to have more space that could not carry cargo, so using the total volume of the ship was not fair (also why Net Tonnage came into being, being the volume of cargo carrying space only).

Comprehensible. Many thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
On 7/23/2024 at 8:03 PM, Jim_P said:

True, but a lot of those were cargo ships. It would be interesting to compare Cunard's passenger capacity then to now. I think 1958 would be in front, though Queen Anne with her 3000 capacity may have tipped the scale. 

 

On 7/24/2024 at 4:14 PM, 57eric said:

Who's up to the comparison task?  Come on, CCers!  You can't all be as lazy as me.

 

I had a little time tonight so I perused Wikipedia some more to fill out the table with passenger counts.  Some of the counts are ambiguous as to whether they are for double occupancy or maximum passenger capacity, so anyone who has more reliable information please chime in!

 

I also calculated "Tons per Pax" to gauge how much space each passenger has on the ships now.  The impact of Queen Anne's higher passenger count seems noticeable, but is about where the original Queens (and the Green Goddess Caronia of the 1950s) were.

 

Cunard Line in 2024    
  TONNAGE PASSENGERS TONS/PAX
Entire Fleet            443,165                 9,763                       45
Queen Mary 2            149,215                 2,695                       55
Queen Anne            113,000                 2,996                       38
Queen Elizabeth               90,901                 2,058                       44
Queen Victoria               90,049                 2,014                       45
 

 

       

 

 

Cunard Line in 1958    
  TONNAGE PASSENGERS TONS/PAX*
Entire Fleet            429,572               11,956                       31
Queen Elizabeth               83,673                 2,283                       37
Queen Mary               81,237                 2,140                       38
Mauretania               35,738                 1,360                       26
Caronia               34,183                     932                       37
Britannic               27,666                 1,093                       25
Ivernia               21,800                     929                       23
Carinthia               21,800                     868                       25
Sylvania               21,800                     925                       24
Saxonia               21,637                     925                       23
Parthia               13,350                     251                       53
Media               13,350                     250                       53
Asia                 8,723  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Assyria                 8,663  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Andria                 7,228  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Alsatia                 7,226  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Vardulia                 7,176  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Brescia                 3,834  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Lycia                 3,543  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Phrygia                 3,534  Cargo Ship   N/A 
Pavia                 3,411  Cargo Ship   N/A 
* Only tonnage of ships which carry passengers was used for 1958 tons/pax calculation.
Edited by Aoumd
Fixed Tables
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I like it!

 

We QM2 fans like the fact she is, by this table, the single (and by a good margin) most spacious Cunard ever!  But already knew that.  QUEEN ANNE isn't comparing too well.... she's c. 1936 QUEEN MARY!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I like it!

 

We QM2 fans like the fact she is, by this table, the single (and by a good margin) most spacious Cunard ever!  But already knew that.  QUEEN ANNE isn't comparing too well.... she's c. 1936 QUEEN MARY!

 

Queen Anne's 38 tons per pax is the same as the original Queen Mary, but also interestingly, similar to the Caronia, which was known for her lavish world cruises.  Looking forward to my coming winter crossing on QM2 to see what she is like, an uncrowded ship during an uncrowded off-season!

 

For an even larger contrast, my last cruise was a family cruise during school holiday on Carnival Venezia, when every third and fourth berth was filled, and the 135,225-ton ship was at or near its 5,260 passenger maximum capacity -- so approximately 25.7 tons per passenger.   We had a great time, but that ship felt crowded!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

57 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I like it!

 

We QM2 fans like the fact she is, by this table, the single (and by a good margin) most spacious Cunard ever!  But already knew that.  QUEEN ANNE isn't comparing too well.... she's c. 1936 QUEEN MARY!

I agree QM2 has a much larger space per passenger ratio, but after 7 weeks on Queen Anne I haven't at all felt like I needed more space, and I've never not been able to have a seat at events/venues other than 1 time at dinner which has also happened to me on QM2.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, MylesS said:

I agree QM2 has a much larger space per passenger ratio, but after 7 weeks on Queen Anne I haven't at all felt like I needed more space, and I've never not been able to have a seat at events/venues other than 1 time at dinner which has also happened to me on QM2.


It amazed me how spacious QA seemed, and how empty of passengers, even on sea days.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As I've said before, a Gross Tonnage/Pax ratio is a somewhat distorted measure of "spaciousness".  A more accurate measurement would be Net Tonnage/Pax, as this measures only the passenger spaces' volume, but Net Tonnage is not a figure that is readily available to the public, as it does not show "who's got the biggest".  Then again, things like Oasis class ships having the open Boardwalk and Central Park areas provide passenger space without being included in even Gross Tonnage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

As I've said before, a Gross Tonnage/Pax ratio is a somewhat distorted measure of "spaciousness".  A more accurate measurement would be Net Tonnage/Pax, as this measures only the passenger spaces' volume, but Net Tonnage is not a figure that is readily available to the public, as it does not show "who's got the biggest".  Then again, things like Oasis class ships having the open Boardwalk and Central Park areas provide passenger space without being included in even Gross Tonnage.

Thank you for explaining the differences in tonnage definitions.  As you note, net tonnage is not usually readily available, so I had to calculate off of the figures I could find.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/26/2024 at 11:17 AM, chengkp75 said:

As I've said before, a Gross Tonnage/Pax ratio is a somewhat distorted measure of "spaciousness".  A more accurate measurement would be Net Tonnage/Pax, as this measures only the passenger spaces' volume, but Net Tonnage is not a figure that is readily available to the public, as it does not show "who's got the biggest".  Then again, things like Oasis class ships having the open Boardwalk and Central Park areas provide passenger space without being included in even Gross Tonnage.

 

Square feet (public spaces)/pax would be a nice metric? 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • Hurricane Zone 2024
      • Cruise Insurance Q&A w/ Steve Dasseos of Tripinsurancestore.com Summer 2024
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...