what speed does a ship sail at
With the high cost of fuel ($500 a ton on a recent cruise on Explorer of the Seas), you do not want to increase consumption any more than is necessary. Therefore, the ships are designed to travel at a speed that allows them to do their desired itineraries in a reasonable time. Still, the passenger ships of today are significantly faster than the cruise ships built in the 1970s and 1980s. Whereas those ships generally had top speeds of 15 to 20 knots, today, there are very few ships in the fleets of the major lines that have a top speed of less than 20 knots. Moreover, as seen below, there are several ships that can go significantly faster.