Amazingly big cruise ships "stretched" to become absurdly massive

Having recovered from COVID-era losses, the cruise industry is a $25 billion-a-year business. However, cruise lines are always looking for ways to make more money. More passengers = more money, but new ships can cost well over a billion dollars. They also take years to build and require crew training.

Enter the "stretch cruise ship." Constructed like stretch limos, these ships are cut in half and have a new prefab segment added in the middle.

For an average of around $80 million, and just a couple of months out of service, operators can chop an existing ship down the middle, slide in a new slice that's designed to fit perfectly, weld it together, and come away with enough extra premium cabins to pay off the whole operation within a few years.

That's not to mention the opportunity for a new paint job, bigger deck pools or engine upgrades while the ship's up on blocks – and HR only needs to train a small percentage of extra staff to add to an existing crew. The result: with a much smaller outlay and a negligible gap in service, operators can make an existing boat much more profitable.

New Atlas

This time-lapse video of the process is fascinating to watch, even if the end result is just a vessel capable of producing even more norovirus patients.

The precision required in the cutting process alone is staggering, never mind lining everything up precisely during reassembly.

Previously: World's largest cruise ship, "Icon of the Seas," which includes the largest swimming pool at sea and an "Ultimate Family Townhouse" costing $100,000 per week, sets sail on its first voyage