Cruise lines are competing in a booming market. Some shipowners tend to order bigger and bigger cruise vessels, while others prefer to respond as quick as possible to the encreasing demand by stretching their already kingsized ships.

But how to lengthen a Jumbo ship in only two months ?

That's the job of the ship surgeons of Bremerhaven's "Lloyd" shipyard. In a seven weeksoperation they cut a 41'000 tons vessel in two sections, put a new midbody of over 100 feet height in between and fit the three parts together, smoothly and half inch by half inch.

Follows a five days firework of welding and grinding. Eventually, when the new born "Norwegian Dream" leaves for the oceans, only two quite invisible cicatrices remind of the heavy surgery.

History of a Dreamliner