Originally Posted by Javelin

Large ships like Anthem that are designed expressly for cruises aren't built to the same specs as ships designed for transoceanic voyages (e.g. QM2), which can better tolerate big waves and high winds.

If it went down and weren't able to reply lifeboats, there really isn't anything that USCG can do at all. Helicopters have limited range/loiter times, weather limitations, capacity issues, and winching up people one at a time in bad weather takes a really, really long time.