Big, bigger, biggest

On the shuttle taking us to the dock and our ship at Fort Lauderdale, we got into a discussion with a couple of cruise ship junkies. They are from Pittsburgh, and they take three or four cruises a year. This is surprising, because they are young and fit but just love to cruise. I thought maybe they wrote about cruising for a living, but I did not ask about that. They told us about their experiences on the largest cruise ship in the world, The Allure of the Sea, which was docked next to our not exactly petite ship, the Nieuw Amsterdam, and dwarfed it. Obviously not at all snobbish about cruising, they nonetheless thought The Allure was too much.

Here is our ship docked next to a smaller ship.  Pretty large, right?

I am of two minds here. At least, if tourist facilities are portable, they don't have to ruin places by bringing in  a lot of tourist infrastructure. At Hilo,  the ships come and go without changing anything essential about the town. On the other hand, Hilo does not benefit greatly from the tourism such ships bring in, because the jobs and profits don't go to local people.

I thought our ship was no beauty, inside or out, but the Allure is hideous. 

 Take a look at this. Talk about over the top.

 

Comments

[Cop Car]

Hattie--I worry about the stuff the ships may be discharging into the ocean. Do you know anything about sewage treatment on cruise ships? How is it regulated, assuming that it is? (Do airlines still release "blue ice"?) I should research it!)
As to the sizes of the ships: large ships may be a way of life if the population of the planet keeps growing without constraint as it is now doing.
Interesting posting.

[gigi-hawaii]

I call cruise ships FLOATING PRISONS. You will never see me on one.

[naomi dagen bloom]

Enormous cruise ship pictured looks much like the aircraft carrier (offers endless tours to the war-loving) permanently harbored on Manhattan's west side. Someone could do a cultural analysis--which few would read of course.

[Brandon]

The big hotels in Hilo are on Banyan Drive, and tourism in Hilo was actually livelier in the 60s and 70s, as my parents recall. It's something I plan to look into more.

The cruise ships: I know the Museum is swamped whenever a big ship is in port and we receive two or even three busloads of visitors. I think there's a shuttle to Wal-Mart, but not directly from the port (something else to look into), where people can load up on souvenirs.

[Kay Dennison]

I envy you this trip!! I love the Caribbean!!!

[RONW]

Huge isn't large enough a word.

[Hattie]

All I can say for sure is someone is getting rich.
Cop Car: You can be assured that everything on these ships is calculated down to the last penny. But that's only to do with profis, not with saving the planet.
Gigi: Probably the same way I feel about luxury hotels and hotel rooms. What we liked was that we could get off the ship at every port of call and explore around.
Naomi: An apt comparison. But cruise ships are not so bad, because nothing is as bad as war.
Brandon: The irony of going to Wal-Mart to get Hawaiian souvenirs must be noted.
Kay: It is wonderful, in spite of everything.
RONW: Massive beyond all meaning, like the World Trade Center.

[Hank Chapin]

Of course, this was a cruise with a PURPOSE! The Nation Magazine had many panel discussions and the people were basically in agreement about things political which meant there was a feeling of not having to be subject to negativity that I feel in society at large. Some people seem to reject this concept, but I would not have even thought of going on the cruise otherwise. A pure fun cruise would not be my cup of tea.

Gigi: I loved being ON the ship. The ports were NOT why I was on the cruise. To each his or her own, I guess.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!, as a jolly old elf once said. I will be celebrating Christmas five hours earlier than all the Hawaii folk because I am in New York.