Cruise Ships Archives (2024)

FAQs

What happens with old cruise ships? ›

Oftentimes, these vessels are taken to scrapyards to be dismantled for their valuable parts such as the metal. Materials from a single ship can bring in around $4 million, Business Insider reported in 2021.

Decommissioned ships are almost always sent to one of two scrapyards. The largest is Alang, located in India's Gulf of Khambhat, which recycles more than half of the world's decommissioned cruise ships. The second largest is Aliaga in Turkey.

Cruise ships either use their own power to go or they're towed, which is a bit more difficult. Then there is a process in order to tear cruise ships down. “If the ship is no longer profitable or has mechanical or other systemic issues, then it will be sold for demolition.

When a passenger ship reaches about 30 to 40 years, it has to undergo major rebuilding. Keeping a ship operating more than 50 years is possible, but on an economical scale there needs to be a special reason for the board of directors to justify the escalating costs to keep it.

Mostly, old curise shops are cut up and melted down to make new curise ships. Cruise ships aren't built to last for 40 or 50 years. They get plenty of wear and tear, being on the water for 20 to 25 years, full of people celebrating and have a good time. Some do get repurposed as a floating hotel or a floating casino.

Mallows Bay, Maryland.

Cruise lines began shedding older tonnage, scrapping ships well before the end of their service life in a bid to dramatically reduce operating costs.

Disney has bought the world's biggest cruise ship, saving it from the rubbish heap. The ship was destined to be sold for scrap. Global Dream II, the world's biggest cruise ship, has been purchased by Disney after 10 months on the market. The incredible ship was abandoned in January 2022.

Cruise ship captain salaries vary widely, ranging from around $48,000 for entry-level positions to $190,000 for experienced captains on mega-ships for luxury lines. The average salary falls around $92,125. Key factors impacting salary include experience, cruise line, ship size, region, and benefits.

Is it expensive to retire on a cruise ship? The cost of living onboard a cruise ship varies depending on the type of cabin you choose and the amenities you desire. Generally, retirees can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 - $3,000 per month for accommodation, meals, entertainment, and other activities.

What is considered an old cruise ship? ›

Of course, few ships are truly “old” nowadays; for most cruise lines, we're talking about vessels constructed in the past two decades. This is a marked difference from even just a decade ago, when plenty of ships built during the 1960's could be found plying the oceans of the world.

Waste is then typically disposed of in port in a variety of ways. Grey water (from sinks, showers etc) and black water (sewage from toilets) is pumped ashore either into tankers or into the port's existing plumbed sewage system. Sludge (scrubber waste) and engine oil is collected by tankers and sent for recycling.

The easiest way for ships to do this is to liquefy the leftover food in an industrial grinder. The food is blended with water until it's a smooth mixture and then either disposed of in port, incinerated, or pumped out to sea when the ship is deep water and away from the coastlines. Simple as that.

What happens to all the scrapped material? The steel plates are melted and refashioned into reinforcing bars for roads and other construction. There is a large secondary market where fittings such as toilets, chairs, lighting, panelling and other ship components are sold.

Most cruise ships dock on New Year's Eve, rather than spend it at sea like they do on Christmas Day, so you may get to see a good city fireworks display while you party. It's the easiest New Year's Eve celebration you'll ever have: no food preparations, no tidying up or waiting for a taxi home afterwards.