Biggest Cruise Ship to Arrive in U.S.
Early Friday morning, the largest cruise ship ever built will sail into Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
CBS News travel editor Peter Greenberg gave an early look at the gigantic floating city on "The Early Show."
Greenberg said the ship, called the Oasis of the Seas, and its very arrival poses huge challenges for the cruise industry and begs the question: Is it too big?
When the ship was first ordered by Royal Caribbean, it was a different economic time, Greenberg said. Bigger wasn't big enough, he said, but biggest meant money, and a different part of the market.
"They wanted this ship to be so big it could compete with large convention markets, like Las Vegas and Orlando," he said.
Oasis of the Seas set sail for Fort Lauderdale last month from Finland, where it was built. The ship is taller, wider heavier, and -- at $1.4 billion - more expensive than any other ocean liner. The ship will hold 5,400 passengers and another 2,000 crew on its maiden voyage slated for Dec. 1.
The ship's first challenge, Greenberg said, was squeezing under a bridge in Denmark. The smokestacks were lowered, but the ship went through - with just two feet to spare.
At 20 stories high, Greenberg said, the Oasis of the Seas dwarfs other cruise ships. The ship also features seven different neighborhoods, such as "Central Park," and a huge theater.
So why even disembark?
Nikki Davies, of Trailfinders, a travel information Web site, said, "Realistically, on a seven-day cruise, you'll struggle to do everything because there is just so much to do. So a lot of people will see it as the final destination, I suppose."
And that's what the owners are hoping they'll do - stay on board and spend with an almost never-ending range of activities, including shows, gambling and shopping.
And all of it will cost you, Greenberg said. Some of the restaurants, for example, levy a surcharge up to $75 for the captain's table.
Greenberg noted critics have said this ship "dumbs down" the whole cruise experience. However, he added, it may just be giving the market what it wants.
Sue Bryant, of CruiseCritic.com, said, "If you want an intellectual cruise experience with guest speakers, and visiting the antiquities of Europe, then you'll chose a completely different ship. I don't think it's a dumbing down. It's providing a service for which there is a market."
For the moment, Greenberg said Oasis of the Seas will sail full. But most new ships are completely booked. The real question is what this new ship means to consumers, to pricing and to cruise lines in general.
But will the new ship attract new customers?
Greenberg said the ship will because everyone wants to be the first passengers on the new ship. However, the cruise lines, he said, are going to cannibalize their passenger base from other ships.
Greenberg said other cruise lines are following Royal Caribbean's lead. He said, for example, Norwegian Cruise Line has the Epic cruise ship, which is coming out next year.
The ships, however, were commissioned during better economic times, Greenberg said, and now the challenge is filling them. Some cruise lines are turning to cutthroat pricing to pack the ships.
Greenberg's examples of good deals in cruise travel:
1. A seven-day cruise in the Caribbean on the Norwegian Pearl, $299 per person, from CruiseOne.com
2. A 14-day Panama Canal crossing, $1,099 per person on Celebrity Constellation, from Travel Zoo.com.
3. Trans-Atlantic Crossing on Queen Mary II, $499 from
Greenberg added, "Cruise passengers shouldn't worry about the price of getting on the ship, they should worry about how much money they're spending on the ship."