How many people can sail on the biggest Cruise Ship?

And now, it’s time for Who’s Smarted. Psst, hey, smarty pants, trusty narrator here. Listen closely and see if you can guess where I am. Ready? Did someone say a hockey game or the start of a race? Good guesses, but here’s some more hints.

Bon voyage.

What do you say now, smarty pants? Did you guess I’m on a boat? Yep, but not just any boat. I’m on a humongous vessel the size of a building called a cruise ship. Right now, we’re pulling out of a harbor on the Hudson River in New York City.

We’ll be passing this Statue of Liberty on our way to the beautiful Caribbean Sea. And while I might be traveling alone, I’m certainly not alone. There’s lots of fellow passengers on board, including my smarty friends, the Skinner family.

There’s Gemma, a long time smarty pants. Hi, trusty narrator. Hi, Gemma, and Gemma’s smarty family is here too. Hi, Gemma’s mom. Hi, Gemma’s dad. Hi, trusty. It’s nice to actually see you.

Yeah, we’re used to only hearing you.

Well, they do say trusty narrators are better heard than seen, but what better place to be seen than on a giant cruise ship? Am I right?

This boat is here!

It sure is. Smarty Pants, quick show of hands, how many of you have gone cruising on a giant cruise ship? Uh -huh. Some have. A lot haven’t. Statistically, 15% of American citizens have been on a cruise.

That’s about one and a half people for every ten. To be honest, this is my first official cruise. Whoa. Whoa is right. I tend to get seasick in the ocean, but I don’t think I’ll have any problems on a boat this size.

It barely feels like we’re in the water.

But you should still hold on to the railings when you walk around the ship. Also, who are you? My name’s Lana. I’m a ship captain for a different boat on the same cruise line. Today I’m sailing as a backup in case anything would happen to the captain of this ship.

Oh, like if they got sick or hurt? Hey, you never know what can happen on the high seas, so it’s good to be prepared, right Gemma?

Right, Chesty. The chances are it’ll be smooth sailing, and I’m getting paid to take a fun cruise.

But while you’re here, maybe you can help me, Gemma, and the rest of the smarty pants learn more about cruise ships, like when did cruise ships first become a thing? What cool activities can you find on cruise ships?

And is it true there are robots on board? It’s time to go cruising for a big whiff of science and history on…

smarted. Who’s smarted? Who’s smart? Is it you? Is it me? Is it science? Or history? Listen up! Everyone, we make smarted lots of fun on who’s smarted.

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Let’s all get smarted together. Smarty Pants, with a boat this big, I don’t know where to begin. Gemma, any ideas?

Waterslide, waterslide!

Oh, right! There’s water slides on this boat!

There’s a lot more than that, but before you get wet, let’s take a tour. What do you say, Gemma? Sure! We’ll take the elevator to the top. The view is spectacular up there. an elevator on a boat? Trustee, this ship has 15 decks.

That’s what we call the different floors on a ship. Can you imagine having to take the stairs each time?

No thanks. Although, that would be good exercise.

Well, if it’s exercise you want, you can find plenty of it on board. There are three gyms with weights and cardio equipment. You can take aerobics, spin, or Zumba classes. There’s yoga and a walking track around the perimeter of the ship.

Hmm, I’m curious, how far is it around a cruise ship? Smarty Pants, let’s figure it out together. This ship is about 1 ,000 feet long, which is longer than three football fields. Ooh! And it’s about 100 feet wide.

So, if you were to do a lap, you’d have to walk 1 ,000 feet plus 100 feet plus 1 ,000 feet plus 100 feet, which equals.

2 ,200 feet!

Nice, Gemma. Now, a mile is 5 ,280 feet, which means if you ran, jogged, or walked three laps around the boat, you would have gone one and a quarter miles, or just over two kilometers. Whoa. Exactly.

Also, do me a favor, don’t say whoa. My niece Gia gets upset when other people say whoa. Here we are at the top. Cool. I can’t wait to see a view of… Chet Nickerson. This is Chet Nickerson!

Dickerson reporting live from the upper, upper deck of a mammoth cruise ship where trusty narrator and smarty -pants Gemma are taking in an epic view.

Oh, it’s so high! Gemma, do you know Chet? Of course.

Hi, Chet! Hello, Gemma! Um, I advise everyone, hold your ears!

Yikes, that horn’s loud. It has to be to let other boats or sea traffic know we’re coming. It’s not like we can stop quickly, like in a car.

Good point, smarty pants. How fast do you think a giant cruise ship goes? Before we give you choices, you have to understand ships don’t measure their speeds the same way vehicles do on land or in the air.

Ships measure their speed in knots.

Ooh, I love tying cool knots! Look, a sheep shank! Baa!

No, not a knot you make with rope or shoelaces. A knot is a unit of measurement equivalent to one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile per hour is a little bit more than a mile on land, which means one knot, or nautical mile, is a little bit faster than its land equivalent.

Okay, with all that said, does a cruise ship max out at 10 knots, 20 knots, or 30 knots? The answer is…

30 knots, or about 34 .5 miles per hour.

faster than I thought. It barely feels like we’re moving, which is probably a good thing. Wouldn’t you say, Gemma?

Luckily, I don’t get seasick, but I do get sea starving. Good thing there’s five buffets on board. Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.

I will definitely be heading at least three of them later, but first I want to learn more about cruise ships.

Suit yourself, I’ll just grab the zip line and report back later!

isn’t he the adventurous one speaking of adventure

Where do cruise ships cruise to?

I’ve sailed to Alaska, South America, the Galapagos Islands, Iceland, Madagascar, and the Greek Islands. I especially enjoy cruises where you dock at a destination and come ashore for a few hours, what’s known as disembarking.

You just have to be sure to get back on the boat before it sails off again.

Sounds like cruise ships depart from all around the globe and go everywhere.

Absolutely. A lot of the destinations and itinerary depends on the season and the weather. Hey, trusty. How’d you, Gemma, and the smarty -pants like to see how a ship this size operates? Gemma? I’d love that!

Great. Let’s head over to the ship’s control center.

Smarty Pants, do you know what that’s called? Is it A, the bridge, B, the tunnel, or C, the crow’s nest? The answer is A.

the bridge. The bridge is like an oversized airplane cockpit with several different officers in charge of different things. Come on, follow me.

Wow, there’s people everywhere. Smarty pants, any guesses how many people a ship this size can carry? Is it 500 guests, 1 ,000 guests, or 3 ,000 guests? What’s your guess, Gemma?

3 ,000!

That’s right! There are usually between 3 ,000 and 4 ,000 passengers on board most big cruise ships. But the largest cruise ship in the world, the Wonder of the Sea, can hold 6 ,988 passengers.

Woah. 6 ,000 people on one boat?

Yep, and that doesn’t include nearly 2 ,000 crew members. Okay, almost there. We’ll make this quick. I don’t want to distract the officers who are working hard to keep the ship running.

Speaking of, how does a cruise ship run? Obviously, it’s not steam like in the old days.

Definitely not, as is the case with powerboats of any size, engine power is supplied through a propulsion system that makes the propellers in the back rotate. Cruise ships are similar to motorboats, only on a gigantic

scale and what source of energy provides the propulsion

And modern ships use either diesel -electric engines or gas turbines as a source of propulsion. Alrighty, here we are. I just need to swipe my ID and type in today’s security code. Welcome to the bridge.

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Thanks! Now back to Who Smarted. I am standing in the bridge of an enormous cruise ship that resembles a floating 15 -story apartment building.

Don’t forget the waterslide!

Never, but first let’s learn about the bridge where various officers are manning different controls or stations Lana. What’s everyone doing?

Well, some are documenting the weather, others are plotting the course, or testing the instrumentations, and of course, they’re in constant communication with the engine room. Overseeing it all is the captain.

Fun fact, it takes longer to become a cruise ship captain than a brain surgeon. Whoa! It can take 18 to 20 years to earn your captain’s bars. The little yellow stripes you see on the shoulder of the captain’s white jacket.

And speaking of the captain, it looks like he wants us to leave. We’re going. Lana, I’ve got to say, it’s truly amazing how far technology and innovation have come when it comes to cruise ships.

Definitely. The very first passenger boats were converted mail ships, but in the mid -1800s, cruise ships evolved into bigger and fancier boats. The first passenger cruises started with trips originating from Southampton, England to destinations like Greece and Spain.

Back then it was mostly the wealthy aristocracy of Europe that traveled this way. Early ships were filled with gaudy and lavish decor to make the rich feel at home at sea.

Oh yes, there’s nothing better than sitting on a gold -claited toilet seat in the middle of the ocean to make you feel important.

These days, cruising is more available and affordable for families and travelers alike. It’s mostly a matter of choosing where you want to go and what type of cabin you’d like to sleep in. There are cabins with balconies and views of the water, while others line the interior portion of the ship.

Of course, the most famous cruise ship of all time is known for not reaching its destination. Smarty Pants, do you know the most famous cruise ship of all time? Did you say the Titanic?

The Titanic was the biggest ship of its kind when it sank back in 1912 after striking an iceberg. Iceberg, right ahead! After that disaster, big changes were made to the design of future cruise ships.

Things like creating a double hull, which is the front of the boat, and implementing lifeboat regulations throughout the cruising industry.

but nobody wants another Titanic.

Come on, we’ll head to the mid -level decks where a lot of the fun takes place.

Hey, there’s a live band playing, and a magician doing tricks, and people dancing, and kids splashing in four different pools, and… Waterslide, waterslide! Yep, and waterslides, which I totally waterslide down, right after I get a refreshing fruit beverage with a tiny bamboo…

umbrella in it. Pepper can order your drink or answer any questions. Pepper, is that a crew member? In a sense. Pepper is a cyborg or a humanoid robot that speaks three languages and is programmed in hospitality.

Hello, Captain Lana! Welcome back!

How does Pepper know you? Facial recognition. Trusty, let Pepper scan your boarding pass.

Welcome aboard, trusty narrator! How may I help you today?

Oh, hi Pepper. I could use a fruity drink and I was wondering where cabin 24 on deck B was

the elevator to your left and push B. Cabin 24 is 50 feet to the right. Enjoy your stay.

I will and so will my smarty friends Gemma and her mom and dad

Waterslide, waterslide!

Go for it, Gemma. Whee! A big shout out to Emery in Durham, North Carolina. We hear that you’re learning a lot from Who’s Smarted and that you think we’re super funny. Well, we think you’re super smarty.

This episode, Cruise Ships, was written by Dave Departures Davis and voiced by Jenna High Seas Hoban, Adam Chats Davis, our super smarty friends Gemma, Heather and Jason Skinner, and Jerry Kolber. Technical direction and sound designed by Josh Haftakhan.

Who’s Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room Studios, our associate producers Max Kamaski. The theme song is by Brian Suarez, with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who’s Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Kolber.

This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.

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