IS BIGGER BETTER?

When Samuel Cunard's little 1,100 ton steamship Britannia chugged her way out of Liverpool towards the new world in 1840, it was amazing to think that she sparked a competition which is still around today.

The race had started to build the biggest and fastest ships across the atlantic. These ocean greyhounds would attract the creme of society who would want the kudos of travelling on the newest and biggest ships. Immigrants were also attracted by the size and speed because this meant they could start their new lives faster and it was thought that the largest ships were also the safest! In fact, travellers in the early days of steamships were very influenced by funnel size - the more funnels a ship had the more safer and sophisticated it was! A few ships even had 'dummy' funnels in order to attract more passengers. Question: can you name all 13 four-funnelled ships?

In 1840, the passenger ship was 1,100 tons (Britannia), by 1911, it was 45,000 tons (Olympic), by 1937, 79,200 tons (Normandie) and 2007, 158,000 (Independence of the Seas). And we are not finished yet!

Now, rather than speed, ships are becoming larger through economies of scale. A larger ship holds more passengers, has more amenities and can provide an experience similar to a land-based resort or destination such as Las Vegas. The ship is fast becoming THE destination. Soon passengers will be spending all the time on board the ship with no need to visit destinations. Passengers like the larger ships because they can boast to their friends at having travelled on the largest ship afloat and these ships have a multitude of facilities to keep the passengers amused.

Already there are ideas on the drawing board for ships like America World City (250,000 tons) and Freedom Ships (500,000 tons) where people will live and work on these ships. A few years ago, ships of this size would seem almost inconceivable, but now their size is becoming reality!

Is bigger better? Its personal choice. Many people I've spoken to like small ships as they are sociable places and the small ships can get into small ports. But large ships with resort type facilities offer a whole range of entertainment and choices which are not present on a small ship. As for me, I don't really mind which type of ship I travel on... I love them all!