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Floating Cruise Ship

Mr. Anderson said:
...but I'd always wonder about what they'd use for "life boats" :D
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Women and children first... :eek:


pic13_large.jpg
 
That doesn't look too safe to me. I think i'll pass.

Besides, wouldn't it probably be awfully expensive to book a room? Helium doesn't come cheap, and even the super cruise ships of today don't have '1-acre cabins'.
 
it'll be awhile before something like thats trickles down to the masses, but looks like it has poetential.
 
PlaceofDis said:
it'll be awhile before something like thats trickles down to the masses.
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It shouldn't take more than a few minutes once it explodes.... ;)

Seriously, though? Way cool. Cooler than I thought when I saw the "Floating Cruise Ship" title... I thought "don't they all?"
During the flight, passengers would peer at national landmarks just 8,000 feet below or, if they weren't captivated by the view, the cavernous interior would easily accommodate such amenities as luxury staterooms, restaurants, even a casino.
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I think membership in the Mile High Club would grow significantly.
 
jsw said:
Seriously, though? Way cool. Cooler than I thought when I saw the "Floating Cruise Ship" title... I thought "don't they all?"
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:p Me too!

I guess it would be parachutes rather than lifeboats. I think it's an interesting idea but I'm assuming that it's going to stop off places en route like a cruise ship would do - since those who just want to go somewhere else will still use a plane.
 
Applespider said:
...since those who just want to go somewhere else will still use a plane.
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If this idea ever made it off the ground, as it were, I'd think that the ability to stroll through an acre-sized cabin would outweigh the extra time.

I could see this being a big hit with people with children, should the prices ever come down.
 
Blue Velvet said:
Women and children first... :eek:


pic13_large.jpg
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uh, are you supposed to jump off the ship head first? or was that taken in Australia an I have to rotate it?:p

but for the cruise ship:
i can see a huge application in business. you can have a extended comfortable business meeting on the way from london to san francisco. when you arrive in SF you're there to sign the contracts. normally you would lose the time and arrive dead tired.

imagine international conferences on the way from peking to new york with a stop over in paris.

there will certainly be gambling casinos and similar services available.

of course it will be a high end luxury thing for the next time being.
 
Found a better image

21249_Untitled1.jpg


It does look quite cool - the main thing, though, will be price - but imagine going over the Grand Canyon at 8000 ft? Talk about a view :D

D
 
Actually, I think I read that it's supposed to be cheaper than flying by jet. Remember, they're comparing it to a cruise ship. $200 for a 3-hour flight vs. $600 for a 3-day cruise.

I would gladly take this over a regular jet flight. LA to NY in 18 hours? Why not if I can walk around, get lunch and dinner, spend some time at the casino or in the bar? I'm not seeing much of a downside.
 
Mr. Anderson said:
It does look quite cool - the main thing, though, will be price - but imagine going over the Grand Canyon at 8000 ft? Talk about a view :D
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Especially since the elevation of the north rim of the canyon is 7,000 - 8,000 feet... actually, the minimum altitude for flying over the Grand Canyon is 10,500 feet in limited corridors and 14,500 feet over most of it.

I presume they're talking about an 8,000 foot cruising altitude for this craft because that's about the maximum for flying without either pressurizing the cabin or providing oxygen for passengers. And how do you cross the Rocky Mountains at 8,000 feet? Basically, you don't. But I'm sure they've thought about all of that...
 
jsw said:
Seriously, though? Way cool. Cooler than I thought when I saw the "Floating Cruise Ship" title... I thought "don't they all?"
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This was my first thoughts too.

All in all I like the concept.

But this is not the first time the idea was "floated" (sorry had to say it :D ). I remember a proposal for something similar, but using DC-9's to ferry passengers to the airship.
 
I had the idea for this a long time ago. I mean, I didn't have it all fleshed out like this, but I always said that Zeppelins (or probably more properly, rigid airships) could make a comeback. I guess I should have got started on it awhile ago...:rolleyes:
 
Wow, what an easy terrorist target. May as well put a target right on the helium filled "balloon".

Better yet, get a company like Target to sponsor the trip and put their big logo on it.
 
Macaddicttt said:
I had the idea for this a long time ago. I mean, I didn't have it all fleshed out like this, but I always said that Zeppelins (or probably more properly, rigid airships) could make a comeback. I guess I should have got started on it awhile ago...:rolleyes:
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there was a german company called cargolifter. they wanted to build Zeppelins for e.g. for heavy lifting in construction. They built a huge manufactoring building to make the Zeppelins. Due to low interest in Zeppelins they went broke right away (after burning a few hundred million EUROs).

They huge building was converted into a tropical fun park. That went almost broke and is under new management now.

So it seems the idea of bringing back large Zeppelins is quite old. Nobody could make it profitable yet. And with the banrupty of a company trying this it will be hard to get investors on board in the future.
 
Hmmmmmmm... 18 hours in a comfy hotel or 3 hours in an uncomfortable plane?


Think I'll go for quick and uncomfortable, I spend the extra 15hours doing something interesting. ;)


Cool concept though.
 
though i doubt i'll ever get on one of these things if the idea even takes off, i love wacky flying machines like this. keep 'em coming :D
 
whocares said:
Hmmmmmmm... 18 hours in a comfy hotel or 3 hours in an uncomfortable plane?


Think I'll go for quick and uncomfortable, I spend the extra 15hours doing something interesting. ;)


Cool concept though.
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That is the whole problem with the world today.. Everyone is in such a hurry. I travel quite a bit for work and I am used to cramped uncomfortable cross country flights. For vacation one year we took a train from Illinois to California. It took two days but it added a whole new meaning to the phrase "Getting there is half the fun"
 
I think these have the potential to be really cool. Imagine, you'll be able to sleep in a full-size bed, walk around, and eat at a regular table! I wouldn't mind paying a lot more for that kind of luxury.
 
watcher2001 said:
That is the whole problem with the world today.. Everyone is in such a hurry. I travel quite a bit for work and I am used to cramped uncomfortable cross country flights. For vacation one year we took a train from Illinois to California. It took two days but it added a whole new meaning to the phrase "Getting there is half the fun"
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[We [my family and myself] used to go to florida every year. We were there for a week, and frankly it was boring since we were with my grandparents the whole time. The we took a train there...and 2 days each way in a train was so much fun...if this blimp ever happens, SIGN ME UP!
 
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