Ever larger cruise ships

The stubborn, headlong rush toward the creation of more absurdly large ships continues without letup. Last month, Norwegian Cruise Lines announced that it has contracted with a French shipyard to build at least two — perhaps three — 150,000-ton vessels, each capable of carrying at least 4,200 passengers.

In a statement accompanying the release, the president of NCL, Colin Veitch, strongly implied that henceforth, all of the company’s new ships will be of at least that size.