Carnival Examines Future Ship Designs

The plans for the next generation of Carnival's cruise ships are being overseen by Ted Arison, retired chairman and head of the company's newbuilding program since founding Carnival 20 years ago.

In the search for new designs for the 21st century, Mr. Arison is considering a wide-beamed vessel similar to an aircraft carrier, with an offset superstructure that will create significantly more ship's space.

Comparing his prototype to the twin-hull favored in the Radisson Diamond design, he calls the twinhull "stiff," saying: "They jerk around instead of rolling." Although no ship characteristics have as yet been provided, it is assumed that given Carnival's propensity towards mass market operations, the new ships will be much larger than the cruise ships currently afloat.

"We have to see where we get," he said, warning that the new designs may not be feasible. Mr. Arison is also overseeing five new conventional newbuildings, two in Finland for Carnival and three ships in Italy for Holland America Line.

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