Are smaller cruise ships the future after shock of Covid-19? Not so fast, say experts, mega-ships may still be attractive
- Cruise lines have been shedding ships and delaying orders for new, larger vessels as the pandemic wreaks havoc on their operations
- But there’s nothing to stop lines ordering even bigger ships as long as there are people to fill them and destinations that want big volumes of cruise tourists
Pre-Covid-19, it did not seem a big leap to imagine Royal Caribbean International’s Wonder of the Seas, a 225,000-ton liner accommodating 5,500 passengers that is slated to debut in 2022, would in due course be eclipsed as the largest cruise ship in the world.
Yet, as with every other facet of travel, the coronavirus pandemic has significantly altered cruise operations. Cruise lines are already shedding ships and delaying new orders, and it’s possible the race to build ever bigger cruise ships has taken a back seat to more immediate concerns.
“I think you’re looking at an impact that will last, in practical terms, three to five years,” says Rod McLeod, retired chief marketing officer at Royal Caribbean International, regarding Covid-19’s effect on cruise operations. “That means delayed newbuilds, and I think you’re going to see orders for smaller ships.”
“Will we continue to see ever larger mega-ships? I would be surprised,” McLeod adds. Royal Caribbean has the Quantum class [measuring 169,000 tons and accommodating 4,180 guests], and that is probably a more utilitarian class of ship for wide-ranging global operations.”
Cruise lines debuted the first 70,000-ton ships in the late 1980s and began billing ships as the “largest ever” in the 1990s. The cruise lines’ idea was to create increased space to expand shipboard amenities, facilities and services, enabling cruise holidays to better compete with land-based resorts.