I wonder what Robert Beebe would say about her A/B ratio and perhaps a backup sail plan???
I wonder what Robert Beebe would say about her A/B ratio and perhaps a backup sail plan???
OP... Ugly? Yea, pretty much, but the stranglehold the cruise lines have on the little islands they visit (at least in the Caribbean) is what troubles me the most.
Always amazed at these huge ships operations, all the staff/entertainment/food/etc/etc/etc. Also amazed it makes money given what they charge. Only been on two cruises and it was fairly cheap considering.
Greetings,
Mr. BB. An observation from a learned remote source...
B&B wrote: "They build the boats in the most economical yards in the world."
Most economical does not mean the cheapest as his post implies. All but a very few of those boats are made in European yards that pay higher wages than American yards and far higher than Asian yards. The social benefits and labor conditions of the European yards far exceed those of American yards. The yards that build virtually all cruise ships are not 3rd world latrines.
The cruise ship owners pay for an extremely high tech and high quality product that makes the higher costs part of an economy of operation that no cheap labor yard could ever provide.
There is a good reason why the best engines, the best marine hardware, and the most innovative marine technology comes from Europe, in both design and manufacture. It is not because it comes from 3rd world sweatshops and cheap labor. (editorial comment tactfully removed...)
Greetings,
Mr. BB. I suspect a misinterpretation. Apologies.
Think I dove her 16 times over 4 or 5 years.
When I did it open circuit (scuba tanks) it was with trimix;You're obviously a technical diver. So what gas mixes did you use and I assume you switched mixtures when descending that deep?
That would be Queensland businessman/politician Clive Palmer, associated with Queensland Nickel which recently ceased production. I would very much like to see photos of the ship under construction, it`s only 2 years to the maiden voyage. I`ll believe it when I see them, or the ship.
A reasonable explanation: the new boat is as likely as Titanic Mk.2. In other words there will be no new boat.I wouldn't hold your breath on the Titanic replica floating under Clive's watch.
As to his expertise when boating, he could probably use some help
‘Titanic II’ billionaire narrowly avoids superyacht collision – Motor Boat & Yachting
That boat, a $5.3m Horizon 30m vessel, was gifted to his daughter Emily for her 15th birthday in 2009. But it is now going:
"The Courier Mail" Mar 19, 2016:
"We can’t have two of them (superyachts). There isn’t enough space (on the jetty), so we’ve got to let Maximus go. We’re making way for the new one.” Mr Palmer said he did not know how much the new boat was costing or even who was paying for it.
I really want to take a cruise, but first need to find a suitable destination and secondly a right-sized cruise vessel. It wont be as large as the one in post #1 unless its one of the special Cunard ships.
Mr B (as opposed to your wonderful spouse!)-you are pretty close with your estimates of the cost differential of boat building here vs SE Asia. A few years ago, I represented a small groups tht was considering building a specific boat model, anticipated demand around 5-8 boats annually. That had me spend quite a bit of time exploring the Asia vs US as they felt there was some intangible value attached to the "Made in USA" label. We were looking a using an existing builder, financing some expansion for them to handle the production. Some 20-25 years ago, when most SE Asian building was done primarily in Taiwan, the cost difference between here and there was around 30-35%. The difference was mostly in labor costs. Very little cost difference in materials and parts. That has narrowed over the years as the infrastructure built up and the labor force became more skilled. About 5 years ago, we determined that the cost difference had dropped to something around 8-19%. A difference that can be dealt with. But, many, many boats are still built overseas because of the built-up infrastructure and skilled workforce.
...With regards to the original post, it's amazing to me the number of truly hideous passenger ships out there now. I fear may sound like an old fart when I say this, but the last truly pretty passenger ship was the QE2. I really don't even think Queen Mary 2 is all that pretty.
What's up with that butt??