Cruise ship stretches may be picking up in popularity and will have accounted for approximately 2,350 additional berths between 2014 and 2021, according to Cruise Industry News estimates.

MSC Cruises recently announced it will stretch the Magnifica in 2021, a project that will add 215 staterooms to the vessel and is valued at $140 million.

MSC previously stretched its four Lirica-class ships, adding approximately 200 staterooms to each vessel with a new mid-section built and placed in each ship by Fincantieri.

Silversea cut the Silver Spirit in half in 2018, adding a new midsection with 34 rooms.

In addition, Windstar will stretch its trio of Star-class ships, adding a new midsection and 50 staterooms to each vessel in succession, with the first cut scheduled at Fincantieri’s Palermo facility in October.

Of note, Windstar will also replace the engines in each of its Star-class vessels, boosting the service speed of the ships while cutting fuel use.

Cruise ship stretches enable operators to add capacity in a short window when compared to a newbuild, and are estimated to offer a return on investment in as little as under five years, according to the 2019 Cruise Industry News Drydocking Report.