A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year as of 2006. The industry's rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, as well as others servicing European clientele. Smaller markets such as the Asia-Pacific region are generally serviced by older tonnage displaced by new ships introduced into the high growth areas.
Cruise ships operate on a mostly set roundabout courses, returning with their passengers to their originating port. In contrast, ocean liners do "line voyages" in open seas, are strongly built to withstand the rigors of transoceanic voyages, and typically ferry passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Some liners also engage in longer trips which may not lead back to the same port for many months.[1]
History
Early years
The first vessel built exclusively for this purpose was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, commissioned by Albert Ballin, general manager of Hamburg-America Line. The ship was completed in 1900.
The practice as known today grew gradually out of the transatlantic crossing tradition, which, despite the best efforts of engineers and sailors into the mid-20th century, rarely took less than about four days. In the competition for passengers, ocean liners added many luxuries — most famously seen in the Titanic, but also available in other ships — such as fine dining, well-appointed staterooms, and so forth.
In the late 19th century, Albert Ballin, director of the Hamburg-America Line, was the first to make a regular practice of sending his transatlantic ships out on long southern cruises during the worst of the winter season of the North Atlantic. Other companies followed suit. Some of them built specialized ships designed for easy transformation between summer crossings and winter cruising.
Jet age
With the advent of large passenger jet aircraft in the 1960s, the vast majority of intercontinental travellers switched from ships to planes. There are some however, who enjoy the few days of luxury and enforced idleness that a liner voyage affords, so a small niche market has remained for transatlantic voyages. Excluding this exception, the ocean liner transport business crashed. Cruising voyages however gained in popularity; slowly at first but at an increased rate from the 1980s onwards. Initially the fledgling industry was serviced primarily by redundant liners, and even the first purpose built cruise ships were relatively small. However, after the success of the SS Norway (previously the SS France, re-launched in 1980) as the Caribbean's first "super-ship", the size of these vessels has risen dramatically to become the largest passenger ships ever built.
Modern days
The 1970s television show The Love Boat, featuring Princess Cruises' since-sold ship Pacific Princess, did much to raise awareness of cruises as a vacation option for ordinary people in the United States. Initially this growth was centered around the Caribbean, Alaska and Mexico, but now encompasses all areas of the globe. As of 2004, several hundred cruise ships, some carrying over 3,000 passengers and measuring over 100,000 gross tons, ply routes all over the world. For certain destinations such as the Arctic and Antarctica, cruise ships are very nearly the only way to visit, a fact that is the primary attraction for many tourists.
Organization
Present-day cruise ships are organized much like floating hotels, with a complete "hospitality staff" in addition to the usual ship's crew. It is not uncommon for the most luxurious ships to have more crew and staff than passengers.
As with any vessel, adequate provisioning is crucial, especially on a cruise ship serving several thousand meals at each seating. Passengers and crew on the Royal Caribbean International ship Mariner of the Seas consume 20,000 pounds (9,000 kg) of beef, 28,000 eggs, 8,000 gallons (30,000 L) of ice cream, and 18,000 slices of pizza in a week.[citation needed]
Many older cruise ships have had multiple owners over their lifetimes. Since each cruise line has its own livery and often a naming theme (for instance, ships of the Holland America Line have names ending in "-dam", e.g. MS Statendam, and Royal Caribbean's ships' names all end with "of the Seas", e.g. MS Freedom of the Seas), it is usual for the transfer of ownership to entail a refitting and a name change. Some ships have had a dozen or more identities.
Cruise ships and former liners often find employment in applications other than those for which they were built. A shortage of hotel accommodation for the 2004 Summer Olympics led to a plan to moor a number of cruise ships in Athens to provide tourist accommodation. On September 1, 2005, FEMA contracted three Carnival Cruise Lines vessels to house Hurricane Katrina evacuees.[2]
River Cruise Ships
Although much of the same luxury trappings are available on river cruise ships, there are significant differences. The ships are much smaller, perhaps carrying 100-240 people. There is more opportunity to visit ashore, and it's possible to leave the boat and catch it again later using alternative transportation. Sea motion is less to the point where passengers may have no sense of motion whatever when not on the ocean (Some river cruise ships also travel in the open ocean.) http://cruises.about.com/cs/shipprofiles/a/vikingeurope.htm River cruises are more common than ocean cruises, and many more destinations are available: Europe, Russia, Egypt, North America, China, and Southeast Asia.
Regional industries
Caribbean Cruising Industry
The first journeys across the Caribbean Sea were made by Amerindian canoeists who “settled the island chains, paddling north from the river systems of the Orinoco and the Amazon”.[3] This resulted in the fight for control of the Caribbean, particularly for the Caribbean Sea between the European powers. The sea became an economic highway for “slavers, traders, buccaneers, and fishermen”.[4] It also became a passageway for “escaped slaves, indentured labourers and settlers, and later still a watery flight path for emigrants and boat people”.[5]
The present day Caribbean cruising industry is a massive market, and continues to grow each year. The cruising industry is expanding faster than land-based tourism. Cruising has grown from “an estimated 900,850 passengers in 1983 to 2.3 million passengers in 1993”.[6] These statistics were expected to double by the year 2000.
There are many different cruise lines operating in the Caribbean, which include: Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, and Norwegian Cruise Line. There are also many smaller cruise lines that cater to a more intimate feeling among its guests. The biggest cruise line companies are Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is currently sailing the two largest cruise ships in the world. These are the Freedom of the Seas, and Liberty of the Seas. They are part of the brand new Freedom Class ships that Royal Caribbean is offering. Both of these ships are operating in the Caribbean, offering Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries. These two ships alone carry approximately 3,634 passengers .[7]. There are more ships that are currently being built that are part of the Freedom Class. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line is also building the Genesis X cruise ship, which will be larger than the current Freedom Class ships. Royal Caribbean is a cruise line that caters to people of all ages. Endless amounts of activities are offered onboard and on-land. They have many contracts with local shore excursions for its passengers at every port they visit.
Princess Cruises is another company with a fleet of large ships. They sailed the world’s largest cruise ship, until it was surpassed by Cunard Line, and finally by Royal Caribbean. Princess Cruises also has a dominant presence in the Caribbean. Princess Cruises are best known for their Grand Princess fleet of ships, which used to be the world’s largest cruise ships. Similarly to Royal Caribbean, they offer many activities onboard and on-land for its passengers.
Carnival Cruise Line also operates a large number of cruise ships in the Caribbean, and is known for their cheaper and shorter in length cruises. They are known for being the “fun ships”. A younger crowd is attracted to Carnival Cruises. Carnival Cruise Line also sailed the world’s largest cruise ship, with its Carnival Destiny in 1996. It has since been beaten.
Majority of the American cruise lines in the Caribbean depart from ports in the United States, “nearly one-third of the cruises sailed out of Miami”.[8] Other cruise ships depart from Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, New York, Tampa, Galveston, and San Juan. Of non-American bases, cruise ships depart mainly from Aruba, Antigua, Puerto Rico, and Martinique.
Cruises sailing in the Caribbean travel on a variety of different itineraries depending on the port of departure and the length of the cruise. The busiest port of call is the Bahamas with “1.8 million cruise-ship arrivals in 1994”.[9] This is because of the distance it has with Florida, it is very convenient for short and long cruises. The next most popular ports of call were “the US Virgin Islands (1.2 million), St. Maarten (718,553), Puerto Rico (680,195), the Cayman Islands (599,387), and Jamaica (595,036)”.[10] There are many other ports of call that cruise ships include in their itinerary which include: Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Antigua, Aruba, Grand Turk and Key West.
Majority of the major cruise lines also stop at their own Private Island or private section of a Caribbean island. Royal Caribbean brings many of their guests to Labadee, Haiti, which is Royal Caribbean’s private beach that is fenced off to local Haitians. Labadee offers “pristine beaches, breathtaking scenery and spectacular water activities. Even a new Aqua Park for kids. Kayaking, snorkeling, parasailing or simply lying on the beach to relax is all offered”.[11]. Princess Cruises bring many of their guests to Princess Cay, Bahamas. This is Princess Cruises' private beach, which includes the “option to explore a coral reef with schools of tropical fish, a special area dedicated to children's activities, water sports equipment, relaxing music, bar facilities, and lunch”.[12].
The cruising industry continues to gain popularity every year, resulting in an expansion of cruise ships being built and exploring new islands in the Caribbean. Itineraries are constantly changing to appeal to repeat cruisers. Lengths of cruises typically vary from 4 nights, to 14 nights. Also, different cruise lines cater to the different customer clientele. This boom in the cruising industry allows its passengers to get a small taste of the Caribbean Islands, in hopes that they will return again either on their own or by cruise. A decline in the cruising industry is nowhere in sight
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