World's Largest Ship

Titanic - Courtesy Google Images

In 1912, the RMS Titanic was a state of the art passenger liner. She was 882 feet long and carried 3,547 passengers and crew. In case you missed it, on April 15, 1912, she hit an iceberg and sank, killing more than 1,500 people.

In the years since that 1912 disaster, ships have gotten bigger. The Disney cruise liner, the Dream, is 1,115 feet long and can carry 5,450 crew and passengers. But she’s not the largest liner in the world; that honor belongs to Royal Caribbean’s sister ships, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas. Both ships are 1,187 feet long and can carry 6,296 people.

Wow! 6,296 people is larger than the crew aboard a United States Navy Nimitz class aircraft carrier.

Dream - Courtesy Google Images

Oasis - Courtesy Google Images

There seems to be no maximum of ship size. Freedom Ship International has announced plans to build a ship, Freedom Ship, that would be 4,500 feet long, and twenty five stories high. There would be over 200 acres of recreation space, hospitals, restaurants and a runway at the very top of the ship that would be capable of accommodating forty passenger turboprop airplanes. According to Freedom Ship International, the ship would accept up to
40,000 full time residents, 30,000 daily visitors, 10,000 nightly hotel guests and 20,000 full time crew. Freedom Ship International calls it The First Mobile City at Sea.

The ship would be so massive that no port in the world could accommodate it. It would complete an around-the-world cruise every two years.

The concept for the Freedom Ship originated in the 1990s. According to Business Insider, at an estimated cost nearing a staggering $10 billion, project investors were scarce. The project was scrapped after the financial crisis in 2008.

Freedom - Courtesy Google Images

Business Insider reports that Roger Gooch, a member of the original team, has revived the idea because he believes the financial climate is changing.

I’ve seen the Oasis of the Seas up close and I’ve been on the Disney Dream. Both ships are huge; the Dream is so big that it is easy to get lost and turned around once aboard.

I find it difficult to fathom that something that’s more than ¾ of a mile long and 750 feet wide can float. If built, the Freedom Ship would make the Oasis of the Seas look like a tugboat. And, based on what happened to the Titanic, I wonder how many lifeboats it would take to evacuate 100,000 people.

What do you think; would you take a cruise aboard the Freedom Ship?

Florida Is Not Just Disney

Since 2008, my wife and I have journeyed to Dade City, Florida at least twice each year, February and April, to visit the in-laws. During one or both of the trips we have attended a theme park – usually Disney World. This year we eschewed the theme parks and discovered there are other things to do in Florida.

During our April trip we trekked to The Pier in St. Petersburg and the Ringling Mansion and Museum in Sarasota.

The Pier is a promontory that protrudes into the Tampa Bay. At its farthest point sits a building that resembles an inverted five stories tall pyramid. The first floor hosts an olio of shops, the second houses an aquarium, the third contains an art exhibit, the fourth holds a restaurant, and the uppermost level comprises another restaurant and an observation deck.

We spent a couple hours at The Pier; did a little shopping, toured the aquarium and finished with the view from atop. It was a pleasant afternoon but I wouldn’t classify it as a “Must See.”

However, the Ringling Mansion and Museum is definitely a “Must See.” In 1926, the Ringling mansion was completed and according to The Ringling, the house is a splendid Venetian Gothic mansion on the waterfront that cost $1.5 million, a staggering sum for the times.

The place is majestic. It’s five stories and encompasses 36,000 square feet. I’m not an architect or interior designer, but I don’t need to be one to recognize opulence. The furnishings are grand; our guide informed us that most of the furniture the Ringling’s purchased for the house was used; acquired at high end auction houses in New York City.

John Ringling was a self-taught art expert. Once he completed his education he collected a vast quantity of art, including paintings and fine artifacts. He amassed so much artwork that he built a separate art museum to display it. We walked through the museum, but to be honest, I’m not into “fine” art and I thought it was boring. Now, if it had been comic book or movie poster art, it might have piqued my interest.

My favorite stop on the Ringling grounds is the Circus Museum. This place houses a variety of circus memorabilia, the Ringling’s restored private train car and the Howard Bros Circus Model.

The Howard Bros Circus Model was the highlight of the museum. Howard Tibbals created a ¾-inch-to-the-foot scale model, based on the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It spreads out over 3,600 square feet. According to The Ringling, it’s complete with eight main tents, 152 wagons, 1,300 circus performers and workers, more than 800 animals and a 57-car train. The detail is amazing. Even at scale and separated by distance and Plexiglas, I could see the facial expressions of the models.

One of my big takeaways from this visit to Dade City is that there is so much more to do in Florida than Disney World Busch Gardens and Universal Studios theme park attractions. There is a whole state to explore.

Does anyone else think that skipping the theme parks in favor of other activities is worthwhile? What are your favorite places to visit in Florida? Any best kept secrets?