With new cruise ships priced in the $1.5 billion range their incomes must take into account the costs of their fleets
Yup, they're expensive, like huge office towers and ocean oil drilling platforms.
The cruise ship is an asset - it's cost is irrelevant given the income and profit generated and the decision to build it is based on the profit already described.
Trying to feel bad for the cruise industries challenges is a lot like empathizing with facething for it's legal challenges over the use and misuse of our private information.
Hard to square that circle, lol.