New class of ships confirmed to be 225.000 tonnes.

[hallux]

14 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

How do you think NCL plans to fit all those additional passengers on the last few Pr1ma class ships?  Will they add an additional deck?  Will they make the ship longer by squeezing in an additional section somewhere around midship?

Some quick research (Google is a thing) reveals the answer.  Aqua will be 70 feet longer than Prima - Prima is 981 feet, Aqua is expected to be 1,056 feet.

[9tee2Sea]

I hope at least 1 cruise line starts making smaller ships, that can easily navigate into ports where the townsfolk are having congestion issues. IMO, once the cruise lines see that the smaller ships sell out faster, even for a premium price, they MIGHT just start moving in the direction.  If ships keep getting bigger, eventually they will have a very hard time being welcomed with open arms by cities, and cruising will just become like the ferry system.  Pick up, drop off. Personally, I think the perfect size of cruise ship is approx 2000-2500 passengers. I know there are some small cruise lines, that almost have a feel of being on a Yacht, but there has to be a happy spot between tiny ships, and mega ships.

[hallux]

1 hour ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I hope at least 1 cruise line starts making smaller ships, that can easily navigate into ports where the townsfolk are having congestion issues.

Maybe not quite THAT small, but I think Royal has already said their next class of ships after Icon will shift smaller again.

[Panhandle Couple]

4 hours ago, hallux said:

Some quick research (Google is a thing) reveals the answer.  Aqua will be 70 feet longer than Prima - Prima is 981 feet, Aqua is expected to be 1,056 feet.

Listed passenger difference is 451.

 

70 ft = 7 extra balcony cabins (10 ft wide) x 2 = 14 per deck

8 decks (deck 9 - 16) x 14 = 112

112 x 2 per room = 224

 

Inside cabins, say extra 10 per deck, x only 5 decks = 50 x 2 per = 100

 

Ocean view, 14 x 2 decks = 28 x 2 = 56

 

Total 224 + 100 + 56 = 380

451 listed - 380 = 71

So maybe a few solo cabins added, a few more inside or a few more Haven rooms.

Maybe a few more cabins on deck 8 forward, since main atrium probably isn't an extra 70 ft.

[The Traveling Man]

6 hours ago, hallux said:

Some quick research (Google is a thing) reveals the answer.  Aqua will be 70 feet longer than Prima - Prima is 981 feet, Aqua is expected to be 1,056 feet.

Yes, the Aqua is already in the works and that additional section is well documented.  I may not have stated it clearly, but I was speculating on the ones which were announced to follow Aqua.  They are bigger still.  It seems likely that NCL either plans to drop in one more additional section to make those remaining Pr1ma class ships even longer than the Aqua, or they would need to add a deck or steal some space from common areas like the observation lounge, Galaxy Pavilion, or the theater.  What's your best guess?

[The Traveling Man]

4 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I hope at least 1 cruise line starts making smaller ships, that can easily navigate into ports where the townsfolk are having congestion issues. IMO, once the cruise lines see that the smaller ships sell out faster, even for a premium price, they MIGHT just start moving in the direction.  If ships keep getting bigger, eventually they will have a very hard time being welcomed with open arms by cities, and cruising will just become like the ferry system.  Pick up, drop off. Personally, I think the perfect size of cruise ship is approx 2000-2500 passengers. I know there are some small cruise lines, that almost have a feel of being on a Yacht, but there has to be a happy spot between tiny ships, and mega ships.

There are several boutique or luxury cruise lines which already offer smaller ships.  As you surmised, cruises with them definitely come at a premium price.  NCL Holding Company owns two such subsidiaries, Oceania and Regent.  There are others under the umbrella of Royal Caribbean etc.

[The Traveling Man]

2 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Listed passenger difference is 451.

 

70 ft = 7 extra balcony cabins (10 ft wide) x 2 = 14 per deck

8 decks (deck 9 - 16) x 14 = 112

112 x 2 per room = 224

 

Inside cabins, say extra 10 per deck, x only 5 decks = 50 x 2 per = 100

 

Ocean view, 14 x 2 decks = 28 x 2 = 56

 

Total 224 + 100 + 56 = 380

451 listed - 380 = 71

So maybe a few solo cabins added, a few more inside or a few more Haven rooms.

Maybe a few more cabins on deck 8 forward, since main atrium probably isn't an extra 70 ft.

By those calculations it seems like the final versions of the Pr1ma class ships will need another add-on 70 ft section, making them about 1130 ft long, compared to 981 ft for Pr1ma and V!va and 1056 ft for the Aqua.  Design changes of that magnitude are bound to have an impact on the ship's maneuverability.  I'd be interested in hearing what @chengkp75 has to say about those design changes.

[Panhandle Couple]

33 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

By those calculations it seems like the final versions of the Pr1ma class ships will need another add-on 70 ft section, making them about 1130 ft long, compared to 981 ft for Pr1ma and V!va and 1056 ft for the Aqua.  Design changes of that magnitude are bound to have an impact on the ship's maneuverability.  I'd be interested in hearing what @chengkp75 has to say about those design changes.

Or add another deck?

[The Traveling Man]

1 minute ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Or add another deck?

Maybe, but it seems that would be a more complicated modification that slipping in an extra section to increase the length.

[Panhandle Couple]

1 minute ago, The Traveling Man said:

Maybe, but it seems that would be a more complicated modification that slipping in an extra section to increase the length.

There are some general rules of nautical design about length, width, height, mass and cg.

(caveat, I am NOT a nautical designer)

A ship much longer would need to be wider.  A wider ship means a larger hull area that can be buoyant enough for more mass, such as another deck. 

If RCL's megatron of the sea is a valid design, then expanding the Prima class into something larger can work as well.

[dlh015]

5 hours ago, 9tee2Sea said:

I hope at least 1 cruise line starts making smaller ships, that can easily navigate into ports where the townsfolk are having congestion issues. IMO, once the cruise lines see that the smaller ships sell out faster, even for a premium price, they MIGHT just start moving in the direction.  If ships keep getting bigger, eventually they will have a very hard time being welcomed with open arms by cities, and cruising will just become like the ferry system.  Pick up, drop off. Personally, I think the perfect size of cruise ship is approx 2000-2500 passengers. I know there are some small cruise lines, that almost have a feel of being on a Yacht, but there has to be a happy spot between tiny ships, and mega ships.

You posted almost exactly what I was thinking. Where are these monsters supposed to go? I suppose they'll be a lot of 'cruises to nowhere'...the ship *is* the cruise...a floating amusement park, casino, food courts and malls...

 

I'll have to just read the reviews and 'lives' when those ships are put into use. I sure won't be on them. 

 

Hopefully they keep some of the smaller ships in the fleet... 

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

A ship much longer would need to be wider.  A wider ship means a larger hull area that can be buoyant enough for more mass, such as another deck. 

 

Not necessarily.

 

NCL's Prima Class is based on Fincantieri's Project Mille platform which was designed from the very beginning to be for ships of varying sizes and lengths. MSC's "Sea***" ships as well as Virgin Voyages' "Lady" ships and Princess' "Sun/Star" ships are also based on Project Mille. The longest of these ships is over 1130ft long with a GT that is higher than the projected largest Prima ships. 

 

MSC went longer and taller when going from Seaside/Seaview to Seashore/Seascape but the beam remained the same. 

 

The ships have different layouts for passengers but what NCL is projecting should be within the platform's capacity. The engineers have worked things out (Project Mille was made public in 2013) and with so many ships already built, I'm confident that NCL's largest Prima ships will be fine...although (IMO) Fincantieri's built quality isn't as good as Meyer Werft's but that's a topic for another day.... 

Edited August 21 by Two Wheels Only

[timf2001]

Seeing as the 225k ton ships are scheduled for delivery every 2 years rather than yearly like the Prima class, it's possible NCL could be planning a separate order for a smaller class of ships to be delivered in odd numbered years and not be ready to announce that publicly yet.

[luv2kroooz]

13 hours ago, dlh015 said:

Where are these monsters supposed to go?

Private Islands in the Caribbean. Look at the significant investments being made to redevelop or develop the private islands. Royal just did theirs, MSC's is done, Disney has theirs, Carnival is working on theirs and NCL is working on building a dock for theirs. The Caribbean runs will get these huge, new ships and will sadly offer a Disneyworld-like at sea experience. The cruise lines wont have to deal with all the pushback from places like Bar Harbour, Key West, Alaska etc. They'll send the older, smaller ships to those areas.

 

 

[TheBeardedCruiser]

On 8/22/2024 at 6:09 AM, luv2kroooz said:

Private Islands in the Caribbean. Look at the significant investments being made to redevelop or develop the private islands. Royal just did theirs, MSC's is done, Disney has theirs, Carnival is working on theirs and NCL is working on building a dock for theirs. The Caribbean runs will get these huge, new ships and will sadly offer a Disneyworld-like at sea experience. The cruise lines wont have to deal with all the pushback from places like Bar Harbour, Key West, Alaska etc. They'll send the older, smaller ships to those areas.

 

 

Technically, MSC isn't done. They are supposedly dredging near Lighthouse Beach in preparation for their newest ship, the World America. Last time I was on their island, they were still building. Rumor is that they are building a second buffet, and other amenities.

Edited August 25 by TheBeardedCruiser

[CruiseMH]

On 8/21/2024 at 4:44 PM, 9tee2Sea said:

IMO, once the cruise lines see that the smaller ships sell out faster, even for a premium price, they MIGHT just start moving in the direction.

 

The question is: do they get sold out faster for a premium price ?

 

I am 100% sure that if smaller ships would make the same or even more money than the larger ships the cruise lines would build them.

I can`t imagine that all the cruise lines and hundreds of real market experts would do the wrong thing. 😉

As much as i would like to have new smaller ships for an affordable price the current and future market situation is a different one.

 

[PhillyTravelBug]

Would be nice if they used one of the away class ships with the observation lounge to replace the Star on their Antartica sailings.

[Langham1865]

@thetravelingman remember is says new class not Norwegian Prima class, they could be very different in design and more than just slipping in another section

[Two Wheels Only]

3 hours ago, Langham1865 said:

@thetravelingman remember is says new class not Norwegian Prima class, they could be very different in design and more than just slipping in another section

 

"The Traveling Man" was asking about the last 2 Prima Class ships....

 

On 8/21/2024 at 3:10 PM, The Traveling Man said:

By those calculations it seems like the final versions of the Pr1ma class ships will need another add-on 70 ft section, making them about 1130 ft long, compared to 981 ft for Pr1ma and V!va and 1056 ft for the Aqua.  Design changes of that magnitude are bound to have an impact on the ship's maneuverability.  I'd be interested in hearing what @chengkp75 has to say about those design changes.

 

...but ships based on the same platform as the Prima ships are already over 1130ft long. NCL could go both longer and taller than Aqua for the final ships in the class and wouldn't exceed what the Project Mille platform can handle. 

 

The new 225K GT class will probably be something that is new and will probably be able to go larger as the ships go from one to the next. I expect the final 2 ships to be larger than the first 2 ships. 

[MSUjohn]

On 8/20/2024 at 11:12 AM, yakcruiser said:

Too bad they don't announce 4 new 75000-90000 ton ships to replace the Star, Dawn, Sun and Sky.

Star, Dawn, Sun and Sky & pearl, jewel, gem and my jade.

having one class of 2000 beds to replace all 8 would make sense, but i do not see it happening. 

[MSUjohn]

On 8/20/2024 at 7:42 PM, complawyer said:

by the time the new ships roll out, at the earliest i'll be 82, at the latest 88. by that time frankly Scarlett, I wont give a ****

my father is 85 and i take him on cruises. we have on in january and a couple months later there will be a 86th birthday cruise he does not know about.

[complawyer]

god bless him, and an early happy birthday. are you aware you can pre-order a cake?

but my point was by the time the new ships come out i will be in my mid to late 80's. you dad will be  in his 90's

[MSUjohn]

28 minutes ago, complawyer said:

god bless him, and an early happy birthday. are you aware you can pre-order a cake?

but my point was by the time the new ships come out i will be in my mid to late 80's. you dad will be  in his 90's

oh, my dad will be dead for years by the time one of these new ships come out. 
my point was is that: YOU will very much be able to enjoy some of these ships.

i ran across a 94-year-old solo cruiser who did 2 hours in the gym every day on a 3-week cruise i did in 2020.

i know he is an extreme outlier, but still.
 

[complawyer]

well please let me know how you father enjoys the cruise. im noit sure how much fun i can have in my mid 80's. by the way, i grew up in detroit,

[London-Calling]

That's ironic! I remember the CEO at the time,  saying that the new Prima class, being a little smaller than the Breakawy class was the "ideal" size. Now it is very rare for a cruise lines new class to actually be smaller than the one before.

 

However, Prima is getting bigger and we have an NCL mega-ship on the way.

 

Many of the world's ports will not welcome that beast!