I guess they were about 5-10 years to early with that, shame the economics didn't work out. In stead they have pushed their aging
Destiny-class ships (mid 90s design) to their limit, now with the
Vista. Now their main competitor, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line operates three ships of that size (Oasis, Allure, and Harmony of the Seas, the fourth,
Symphony of the Seas is under construction in France).
Speaking of which, I looked at a couple of ships in Oslo recently, first the Navigator of the Seas:
I have to say I don't like the structure they fitted on top of it at the front, it makes the ship look unbalanced, like it's wearing a hat. The original
Voyager-class design, before the enlarged and glassed balconies of the Mariner and Navigator, and the front end hat was added, they looked much better I think. The somewhat larger
Freedom class is pretty much just a stretched Voyager.
Then, the Independence of the Seas:
This got really close to where I was standing, it was certainly a very imposing sight, also, if you look closely at the area
around the funnel you can see the scrubber they added to clean the exhaust, I guess they will tidy that better up when it's due for some heavier maintenance.
Yesterday I went down to look at Holland America's latest ship, the
Koningsdam, the latest addition in the evolution of the
Spirit/Vista-class ships: