Certain common areas will be open to all passengers,but all will be able to retreat into their respective "neighborhoods" away from the "public square" type decks.
Each class of cabin must compete against those of other ships in size and amenities offered,and the breakdown of the various classes has to be determined.
For the twice-Titanic size model I'm thinking of something on the order of 375 1st/475 Deluxe/575 Superior/675 Standard class passengers capacity...with various multi-bedroom suites for families and so forth.For the various scaled-up-further models capacity would be higher.If there is a fifth class it would be called Economy.
A "pyramid" is obvious,more as you go down,thus my suggested 375 1st/ 475 Deluxe/575 Superior/675 Standard.(This adds up to less than the above because you can fit more Standard cabins into a given space than you can fit larger,more expensive ones).
A "sandwich" is like the Titanic,where 1st and 3rd each greatly outnumbered 2nd class berths...thus 1000 1st/500 Superior/1000 Standard.
A "mushroom" is pitching toward the high end,with a "stem" of the cheaper cabins to fill things up...1000 1st/900 Deluxe/500 Standard.
A "brick" is dividing things evenly,600 1st/600 Deluxe/600 Superior/600 Standard.(Or 500 1st/500 Deluxe/500 Superior/500 Standard/500 Economy).
A "teardrop" would have the largest classes near but not at the bottom.
What sort of division would make most sense?
Reclassifying cabins and associated spaces would require a major
interior refit,it can't be decided lightly.(Swing cabins defeat
important planning goals...traffic and capacity could not be
predicted).
I've been thinking on cabin layouts(and am still waiting for inside thoughts on workspace design and how it can save space for passengers). I've heard complaints about the small dimensions of QE2 cabins in the lower grades,and while I don't know the dimensions or square footage, on the deck plans they do look tiny.I do have cabin sizes for the Royal Viking Sun,Rotterdam VI,Deutschland,and Disney Magic.
Recently the Travelpage reviews have added some information on QE2 cabin size...Mauretanias 99-121 square feet,Caronia 190s-260, but nothing on Princess and Queen's class except that 765 sf is top.
Here
is a look at the (mainly cruise) competition on the high end.
Celebrity has announced 3,000-square foot penthouses on the Millennium,
however.
Given the offerings of other ships out there,I don't think even a Standard cabin should be below 200 square feet,a little over the RotVI. Increments above need to keep pace.
If cabins were 15 feet square(225 square feet) in Standard class, this would be bigger than any non-veranda cabins of the above-named ships,except the 226 sf Deluxe Outsides of the Disney Magic. Of course,square cabins are not very efficient in giving lots of people windows,hence the slivered proportions one sees on QE2 deck plans,but they're simple as a jumping-off point for hypothetical layouts.
I assume watertight(?) firezone barriers every 130' to cover the SOLAS fire zone length requirements,and that all passenger cabins are above the bulkhead deck(see safety).
If the outside cabins were instead 11'x20' (still better than the 3 or 4 to 1 ratio of some QE2 slivers,and 220' still competitive) the outside cabin rows would add three per zone for a total of 36 on the deck,and there would STILL be room for three rows of hall-separated 15'x15' inside cabins in between...the total would be 276 for an all-Standard-cabin deck.
Theoretically,then,if there were an all-Standard cabin deck,with 224 double occupancy cabins and 52 singles=500 people,an all-Superior deck with 178 double occupancy cabins and 44 singles=400 people, and between them a deck with the two midship firezones Superior and the other four Standard,that would be 833 Standard passengers and 533 Superior passengers on just 3 of the ship's 13 decks,albeit the three most crowded.Knock off 33 of each for other uses of space to get 500 and 800.
If the sought capacity is 400 1st/500 Deluxe/700 Superior/800 Standard (total 2400,competitive on the Normandie-scaleup if not the twice-Titanic) then there are just the 400 1st Class,500 Deluxe,and 200 of the Superior left to accomodate.(For 375/475/575/675,things go even easier).
A fourth deck could be Superior outside cabins with a handful of inside cabins,which would reach the 700...and all the rest of the interior space could be Superior and Standard class public areas.
144 Deluxes on two decks with the interior all public space,possibly the upper deck in the superstructure,would accomodate most of the Deluxe passengers.Terracing back for enclosed promenades or verandahs/porches would not dent the ability to have dual rows,so 60 on one deck and 46 on another would complete the Deluxe cabin complement as firezones were freed for public spaces of various kinds.(Firezones really only apply to limit the size of rooms once you're out of watertight-bulkhead territory).
The finest accomodations on board,I imagine,would be the Big Four suites atop amidships,sharing a firezone in length with panoramic views...65' in length,then,and 35' or more in width.
The beam of Normandie plus 24% would be 146 feet 4 inches...still 11 feet 2 inches narrower than an Eagle,let alone World City.(The tanker record is 259 feet!).The draft would be almost 46 feet,which would require lots of dredging.
The bare-Eagle-buster 1250 feet long with a stretch(see size) would be 142' in beam,and a little more practical.
(There are deeper tankers and freighters galore,but the ship has to go to passenger ports,not tanker terminals).The bare-Eagle-buster would go within the 45' channel depth important ports are dredging to.
This ship would be 14 or 15 decks.The additional width of 18 feet could make room for yet another row of inside cabins,and an additional firezone in length being dedicated to cabins(making seven) would still leave over 180 feet in each of fore and aft for non-passenger-cabin use in the hull.
So for Standard cabins,11'x20' on the outside and 15'x15' inside,seven 130' firezones would add up to 154 outside cabins and 224 inside cabins, call it 322 doubles + 56 singles =700 people.
However,mockup design of a standard class firezone shows that with conservative,SOLAS-conscious space allocation,it would be better to leave out the additional row,allotting that area to elevator shafts and swing space,and have 22 outside and 25 inside cabins(two rows of nine and one of eight) with a stair off every row within each firezone. (In this mockup the inside Standard cabins would be 14'x16',224 square feet). Seven such firezones would be 329 on a deck,154 outside and 175 inside; call it 285 doubles + 44 singles =614 people.
Superior class cabins,16'x20' on the outside and 18'x18' inside,could fit 112 outside cabins and 196 inside cabins in a seven-firezone deck... call it 252 doubles and 56 singles=560 people. (I expect some rows of inside cabins would be back-to-back).
However,again injecting some design conservatism would change the inside cabins to 19'x19',361 square feet,and leave 14 or 15 outside and 20 or 21 inside cabins per firezone(three rows)...so about 100 and 140 respectively on a full deck.If that were 200 doubles and 40 singles it would be 440 people.(19'x18' could well be used for one row).
The mixed deck,the center three firezones Superior and the outer four Standard,would be 400 more Standard and 240 more Superior passengers for totals of 1100 Standard and 800 Superior on the less conservative design.Knock off 100 Standard and 100 Superior for other uses of space, leaving 1700 easily accomodated thus far...well on the way to a better passenger-space ratio than the Eagles.It would still be behind the 1000-passenger 70,000-ton rumored Cunardival newbuilds(these seem to have disappeared from discussion in favor of a 100,000-ton,2000-passenger ship,though).
On the more conservative design,the mixed deck could take about 180 Superior and 350 Standard passengers,so over 600 Superior and 950 Standard thus far.
At this point we reach issues of layout, as lifeboats must be accomodated...boarded on one deck and stored by the one above.The safety rules require that the lifeboat embarkation deck be no more than about 45 feet above the water.
This next deck,Superior outside cabins and Superior and Standard public spaces,would add 200 passengers for 1000 Standard/900 Superior so far (800 Superior when being conservative) if dedicated to cabins. However,if a nine-foot ceiling height is used it would have to be the boat deck.
If this deck is to be the boat deck the outside cabin space would have to be given over to space for getting onto the boats, for as far along the sides as the boats fit...so perhaps 50 passengers would be berthed on this deck.The logical rooms from which people would step into the lifeboat embarkation area would be the Superior and Standard class dining rooms and their associated lounges and assembly areas(First and Deluxe Class passengers would have some form of access,stairs and elevators,for this purpose).
So in this scenario,decks up through the S&S-dining/lifeboat deck would house 700 Superior and 950 Standard class passengers in the more conservative,and 750 Superior/1000 Standard in the less conservative design projection.
Many cabins on the next deck would have semi-obstructed views because of the lifeboats,but the QE2 subjects some of their Queen's (highest) class cabins to this,so it would not be anti-competitive to do this to middle-ranking cabins.Likewise,lifeboat embarkation and drills are right outside their highest class dining room...in this ship's case it would be most passengers who would dine daily right where they would enter lifeboats if need be.
If this deck did not house the full 200 Superior passengers it could hold,so it might have ocean-view Superior/Standard public spaces, or if another firezone of the mixed deck were Standard rather than Superior it might have the 200 Superior without the number of Superior passengers exceeding Standard.It is from the interior Superior public spaces of this deck that a grand staircase would descend to the Superior class dining room.
The deck above this would be the highest in the hull,and possibly part of the ship's "Public Square"(see layout). If not,it would commence Deluxe class accomodations,and have certain Deluxe class public spaces.
Deluxe cabins(all outside,21'x28') would fit 84 in seven firezones. (With 146' beam a hull deck would leave 90' in between the two rows for public spaces...with 142',close enough).
168 Deluxes on two full decks,72 on another,48 on another would be space for over 600 passengers if all were doubles.(Some might be singles,some triples).Deluxe cabins in the superstructure would have glassed-in porches,rather than open verandahs,on most cases,given that the usual sspeed of the vessel would create uncomfortably bracing winds.
This covers nine decks,and at least 2500 passengers.
If four decks were given over to "public square" facilities,
there would be two full decks and the "Big Four" island on top
left for First Class.If four firezones each had five First Class
suites/staterooms on each side,that would be 80 of them,with room
for two or more people each...and the Big Four Suites would each
have broad flexibility in guests accomodated.(They would have
their own dining rooms,so passengers staying there could "eat in"
or use the First Class Dining Room--or an a la carte or casual
onboard eatery--at their leisure,not that any Standard Class
passengers would do without free room service meals on request
either!)
1st Class should have the feel of a small ultraluxury hotel.
Each constellation of 1st class cabins/suites has its own hostess desk, possibly its own carefully chosen architectural/decor style.
200-350 1st Class passengers would make something close to 2800 total. This is only adding 400 to the previous mockup at 50,000 tons smaller, and I stress that ALL THESE PROJECTIONS TRY TO BE CONSERVATIVE AS TO CAPACITY...an Eagle/Grand Princess style ship of this length would have more decks and just about no taper toward the top,creaking under the crowded weight of close to 4500 passengers even in double occupancy mode...I expect 3000 could be fit in in comfort if we used another firezone here or there for passengers.
Feedback welcome.
complete May 23 1999
update October 1 1999