Not very, is the quick answer. Back in 1912, when the Titanic was launched, it was the largest and perhaps most luxurious ship in the world.
The Titanic could accommodate some 3,300 people – 2,435 passengers and 892 crew members. The ship offered luxurious amenities never before seen on a ship including a swimming pool and squash court.
The current title holder for the World’s largest cruise ship is Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas. In terms of volume, it is almost five times Titanic’s capacity.
The Titanic offered a single swimming pool while Symphony of the Seas offers 24! Hungry? Take your choice of any of the 22 restaurants! After dinner entertainment? Movies, casino, the ice skating rink? Perhaps you’d like to try either of the two rock climbing walls.
The extreme difference in size comes in the width, rather than length. The Titanic had a beam of 92 feet. The Symphony of the Seas comes in at a massive 215 feet.
The other big difference is the number of decks. most cabins on Symphony of the Seas would literally look down on the Titanic’s upper staterooms.
And while the Titanic will always be synonymous with maritime tragedy, only time will tell if the Symphony – currently a COVID 19 victim – will gain it’s own infamy as a financial disaster.
Construction costs ran to $1.35 billion. That needs a lot of full fare paying passengers to recoup let alone turn a profit.
Only time will tell if COVID 19 has killed the cruise industry. What do you think?
Image courtesy of Visual Capitalist
