Much Larger Cruise Liners Raise Eyebrows in Tourism Industry

A trend toward building ever bigger cruise ships, such as a 3,600-passenger vessel to be launched in June, has some industry experts wondering whether it might be too much of a good thing.

Cruise lines taunt dream vacations at sea, complete with Broadway-style shows, cinemas, gourmet food and even artificial waves for surfing. But some travel agents worry passengers might eventually feel the dream is turning into a crowded nightmare.

"Mega ships that carry lots of people unfortunately lead to crowds in line," said Walter Littlejohn, a cruise travel expert with the Chartwell travel agency.

"We have crowds at embarkation, we have crowds at disembarkation, we have crowds in line at restaurants, we have crowds at airports," he said during a panel discussion at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping, the industry´s largest convention, held last week in Miami Beach, Florida.

Increasingly, vacationers have to get up early in the morning if they want to ensure they get a deck chair, he said.

Cruise ship companies insist this is more than offset by the huge variety of attractions offered on board. Royal Caribbean´s "Freedom of the Seas" that will launch in July has a rock-climbing wall, an ice-skating rink, and even a pool with artificial waves for surfing.

The 160,000-ton, 3,600-passenger vessel will be the world´s largest cruise ship, a title the "Queen Mary 2" has held since 2004.

A new record should be set in 2009 when Royal Caribbean inaugurates "Genesis", a massive ship designed to accommodate 5,400 passengers and more than 2,000 crew. And if the trend continues, Genesis might not hold the crown for long.

A study presented at the convention estimates that the boarding process for the Genesis will last four to six hours. Some experts also pointed out that attractions along the route of the cruise ships could only accommodate a certain number of people.

Some Caribbean destinations already limit the number of passengers who can disembark on a given day.