Came up with a ridiculous business idea in my sleep. Tell me how bad it is

[Yoperreosolo]

Ok, it’s a huge cruise ship in a warehouse, that doesn’t move. You pay to stay on it and you’ll have the whole cruise experience without the moving around or being on the sea. There would be light projections to simulate night and day, and also it would be warm.
I guess my market would be people who can’t afford a cruise and/or aren’t that bothered by the destinations side. My grandparents who have been on lots of cruises say some people don’t bother to get off to see Rome or wherever.
I was thinking about those Disney cruises where the selling point is the cruise itself and the activities/ water park.
It would also be a safe bet due to being in a controlled environment. Wouldn’t be disrupted by wars or weather conditions.
I think I was inspired by the huge ship they built for the film Titanic.

All sounds a bit Truman Show for my liking. A very slippery slope.

I would have to be a hell of a big warehouse to fit a cruise ship in. Have you seen the size of those fuckers?

Sounds hideous.

I gather tht the business model of cruise ships is to register the ship somewhere with low wages and few rights for workers so that you can have on-board swimming pools and a free buffet from 6am to 2am for far less than it would cost you in a wealthy country.
You can have a sea view, get your food brought to your cabin, have your laundry taken away and done for you or have hoists, wheelchairs and so on provided, and it will cost a lot more money than the basic package but still less than the same thing in the UK.
Then you can slow the ship down on the sea part of the journey so that you have a captive audience for the casino, the overpriced watches and suchlike. On land you have no such excuse to keep people confined to the premises.

They used to dump a lot of rubbish overboard, and possibly stil do. They also used cheaper, more polluting fuel once they're away from countries with stricter environmental regulations. Well, that's one thing that wouldn't be a problem with your business

Good idea, it sounds like the scene in the film Project Hail Mary. The main character has a room on board space ship which simulates outdoor earth scenes.

@Yoperreosolo what would you see when you look out in the windows or would all the cabins purposely be ‘below deck’?

At least it was just a dream so you won't have lost money on the business idea. Not something I would be booking.

My kids are climbers and surfers. We don’t live anywhere near the coast. They climb at an artificially made centre (indoor and outdoor) and they surf at an artificially made surfing centre (outdoors).

I’m not against artificially designed activity places. But the idea of the actual hotel being locked inside a warehouse; no natural light, no fresh air, no outdoors, and all your activities being “on board” as well… absolutely no thank you.

Have you visited the SS Great Britain in Bristol. The "sea" is made of glass or perspex and protects the Hull from further corrosion.

How would you recreate experiences which you see from on board (such as the northern lights, seeing whales or arriving in ports with famous landmarks like the rock of Gibraltar)?

What’s wrong with just doing an activity based resort? Like the very successful ones which exist. You can still have a themed hotel like a ship. But not locked up inna warehouse with fake lights.

Sorry op, this idea has already been taken. Just Google "static boat parties" and loads of examples come up. Nothing stopping you from doing it too, though, if you have the money.

https://www.fingal.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1457662264&gbraid=0AAAAAC_zGD0ZQPb2In5w1JFKLlSHwy5Jt&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiYiUhuOwkwMV7ZBQBh2_MxQoEAAYAiAAEgIfjvD_BwE

A floating hotel, maybe, like this!

I saw a video the other day of care home residents enjoying a traditional train trip in a train that didn't move, but many famous sights went by in the windows. I also spend a lot of time running and walking on machines that don't move.

In the time of AI simulated everything, it's not the dumbest idea.

How would you replicate the actual sun?

And how cheap do you think they're going to be able to do this?

She's never going to book out a cruise ship every day with people who are too scared of the sea, or are unable to travel.

Cruise ships are bloody massive and then there's the huge cost of running it, providing food, entertainment and all the other things that go with running a hotel.

The business would sink straight away.

Pun absolutely intended.

Aw, I think people are being harsh on here, I kind of see where you're coming from!
I love experiences and things like that. Although I can't get my head around people paying to go to places abroad such as Rome like said and not get off the ship 😳
Just... Why?! Maybe they'd love your ship.
Do it as a theme, a ship shaped place, nautical decor etc.

I kind of like this idea as my kid is terrified of planes and boats, to the point where we've never attempted either. I wonder if a boat that doesn't move would be good exposure therapy for him.

Me too. Or a sort of Hornblower thing sticking it to Johnny Crapaud.

I wouldn't enjoy an ordinary cruise so absolutely no desire to do a fake one.

I don't even want to think about the amount of energy needed to "move" a building the size and weight of an average hotel (on some sort of moving platform? 😕), and the cost? £££££££££s. Nope, it's lunacy. 😅

There is a place in Edinburgh where you can have afternoon tea on an Orient Express simulator so I suppose this is the same concept on a much bigger scale?

https://www.queencharlotterooms.com/afternoontea.html

This thread is great.

You also need to think about how you're going to replicate the norovirus outbreak 👀😁

We are in a Truman Show world.
People feel they should be adventurous thanks to social media. But many people just want connection with the people they love.
Look at the popularity of Butlin’s and Centre Parcs. That market, they don’t want adventure, they want to spend time with people they love in safe, controlled environments where they are treated well.

I actually love this idea and I think I get what you’re envisioning. I’m happy to be a beta tester 😂.

BOATEL or FLOATEL.