The Unstoppable Transformation of Cruise Ships During the Past Century

It was 882 feet long, 92 feet broad at its thickest point, and 104 feet from the bridge to the keel when the Titanic was launched in 1912. 

It was the largest ship afloat at the time of its launch in 1912, and it was the picture of elegance. While the titanic was enormous, with a gymnasium, swimming pool, over 370 first-class accommodations, and many restaurants for travelers to enjoy, the ship is dwarfed by even the tiniest of modern cruise liners, despite all of its remarkable features and proportions. 

Royal Caribbean's premium cruise ship, Symphony of the Seas, is also the world's largest cruise ship, measuring five times the length of the Titanic and more than twice the width of the Titanic. 

She is 1184 feet long and 229 feet tall from the keel to the highest point; the titanic weighed around 46 000 tonnes, while the symphony of the seas weighted 228 000. The Titanic was built in 1912. What's most amazing is the cruise liner's astounding capacity, 

which can accommodate 6690 passengers and 2200 crew members when completely loaded, whereas the Titanic could only accommodate 2 453 passengers and 885 crew members at the very most when fully loaded. 

A floating metropolis was constructed for the symphony of the seas, with 24 bars and lounges, nine hot tubs, a spa, and 18 restaurants on both the interior and outside of the vessel. 

There is also a water slide that is ten stories high, a surfing simulator that is forty feet long, an ice skating rink, and a laser tag arena. While both cruise ships and ocean liners have a long-range, 

the Titanic was traveling across the Atlantic Ocean when she struck an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. However, many modern cruise ships can duplicate the transatlantic route with nearly equal travel durations... 

A further significant change from the Titanic's era is the type of fuel used to operate the vessels for example, while the Titanic ran on coal, it consumed approximately 825 tonnes per day today's cruise ships run on gasoline, 

consuming approximately 80 000 gallons every 24 hours however, because the fuel tanks on the ships can hold four million gallons of fuel or more, they can travel for up to 50 days without having to enter the port when they do need to be replenished cruise ships are able to travel for,

It takes years for a modern cruise ship to be built, and it is done in a dry dock that can be flooded and drained as needed to test the ship's capabilities. Powerful cranes are used in specially equipped shipyards, 

such as chantier del Atlantique in western France. As soon as the building is finished, the dock will be flooded one more time in order for the ship to be properly launched. After being towed out of the dry dock by a tugboat or several tugboats, 

the ship is slowly maneuvered out to sea due to the sheer size of the vessel this procedure usually includes guiding the cruise liner down small canals and waterways, through bridges, and around shallow sections depending on the shipyard it can take multiple days to reach the sea once out at sea, 

thousands of people may be on hand to assist with the vessel's launch. Finally, all cruise ships will conduct multiple drills to ensure that both crew and passengers are familiar with the rescue,

and abandoned ship procedures perhaps one of the most important developments in cruise ship safety is the invention of the free-fall lifeboats which are typically positioned parallel to the cruise ship's hole,

 where they can be loaded and lowered into the water in minutes, or they may be pointed out towards the sea and launched into the water bow first, depending on the situation.

It's interesting to note that it's not just shipping that has seen significant technological advancements since the Titanic's days; ports are also modernizing at a rapid pace. 

The most significant example of this is port electrification, which involves replacing gasoline-powered equipment with equipment powered by cleaner, greener energy. 

This will not only reduce pollution in the port area but will also significantly reduce carbon emissions across the entire shipping industry.