A closer look
Cruise ships are legally required to have their colossal air horns tuned to very specific musical chords, typically in a low-frequency range so the deafening sound can carry for miles through thick oceanic fog without vibrating the ship into pieces; modern megaships have taken this practical safety regulation and turned it into an obnoxious novelty, programming their horns to blast the theme song from The White Stripes or classic Disney tunes at ear-bleeding volumes; nothing quite screams luxury and relaxation like being jolted awake at six in the morning by a one-hundred-thousand-ton floating hotel aggressively honking pop music at a nearby pod of terrified dolphins; it is the ultimate display of maritime hubris, turning vital emergency equipment into a tacky oceanic jukebox
