Mega trends that change the way how we live, work and spend our holidays will influence design cruise ships of the future, said Harri Kulovaara, EVP Maritime at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL), the world's second largest cruise shipping company.
A mega trend towards greater individuality will be a major factor that designers of ships of the future will have to take into account. In practise, this will result e.g. in greater focus on learning and on health, he stated.
"When we design a ship today, we need to think ahead as it will have a life span of 30 years. Mega trends that affect personal needs and desires are very important in this respect. For example, boundaries between work and leisure time will be increasingly blurred in the future," Kulovaara told Cruise Business Online.
Meanwhile, Teijo Niemela, editor of Cruise Business Review, says that on its new Quantum of the Seas, the RCCL group's contemporary market unit Royal Caribbean International offers a package that allows a passenger to have one device constantly connected to the Internet for $160 for the duration of the entire eight night crossing from Southampton to Cape Liberty, New Jersey. The ship sailed from the UK port on Sunday.
