Are shipyards pitting cruise lines against each other for potential slots?

As the major lines seem to be flirting with a tonnage race once again, a recent Norwegian Cruise Line order that went to Meyer Werft underscored creeping berth prices.

This week’s double Norwegian ship order that went to Meyer Werft for its Breakaway-plus class was valued by the cruise line 1.6 billion euro, or 800 million euro per 4,200-passenger ship.

That is in contrast to the line’s first order for a Breakaway-plus ship, a single newbuild order with an option that was eventually exercised. Announced in October 2012, that contract was valued at approximately 700 million euro, or 166,666 euro per berth. This week’s order was approximately 190,476 euro per berth.

By contrast, the Norwegian Breakaway class price-tag was 1.2 billion euro for 150,000 euro per berth when announced in 2010.