02 APR 2018: Talk about unbounded optimism: for the first time in history there are 100 new ships on order for cruise lines. The majority of the new orders have space for at least 2,000 and some as many as 5,000 guests each. Add them up and cruise lines will have to entice as many as 150,00 new passengers to cruise each week in coming years to fill them all.
But there were no second thoughts about the headlong rush to order new tonnage among cruise executives at a recent industry conference. MSC Cruise Line’s executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago said at the Seatrade Cruise Global he is confident that once the new fleets are built, they will find a ready audience. In fact, he added, the line might be interested in making even more additions, but the major shipyards around the world are booked solid for five years and more. What’s behind this rush to build?