Cruise ship

Radiance of the Seas, a cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International.

Golden Princess, a cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises.

A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year. 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 mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. In contrast, ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport 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.

A river cruise ship has similar amenities, however is shorter, narrower, and has a shallower draft, allowing it to travel inland waterways.

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 of cruising grew gradually out of the transatlantic crossing tradition, which 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 and well-appointed staterooms.

In the late 19th century, Albert Ballin, director of the Hamburg-America Line, was the first to send 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, intercontinental travellers largely switched from ships to planes. There are many, 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 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

Pacific Princess off the U.S. West Coast.

Exhibition cruise ship Hanseatic and iceberg in the Antarctica

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. Today, several hundred cruise ships, some carrying over 3,000 passengers and measuring over 120,000 gross tons, ply routes worldwide. For certain destinations such as the Arctic and Antarctica, cruise ships are very nearly the only way to visit.

Organization

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.

Many older cruise ships have had multiple owners. 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.

Inland Waterway cruise ships

The Avalon Tapestry river cruise ship

Main article: River cruise

Although similar luxury is available on inland waterway cruise ships, there are differences. The ships are much smaller, perhaps carrying 20-240 people. The size of such ships allows for movement through locks. For instance the Moonlight Lady a ship of Vermont Discovery Cruises travels through the locks of the Chamblay Canal, allowing for international inland waterway travel between the United States and Canada. There is more opportunity to visit ashore, and it is possible to leave the boat and catch it again later using alternative transportation. Inland waterway cruises are more common than ocean cruises, and many more destinations are available.

Regional industries

The Moonlight Lady Inland Waterway Cruise Boat

The number of cruise tourists worldwide in 2005 was estimated at some 14 million. The main region for cruising was North America (70% of cruises), where the Caribbean islands were the most popular destinations. Next was Continental Europe (13%). Most European routes were in the Mediterranean Sea but an increasing number of cruises are in the Baltic Sea.

Caribbean Cruising Industry

Near 9,000 passengers in three ships visiting St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

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”. 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”. It also became a passageway for “escaped slaves, indentured labourers and settlers, and later still a watery flight path for emigrants and boat people”.

The Caribbean cruising industry is a large and growing market, and currently the most popular. Cruising has grown from “an estimated 900,850 passengers in 1983 to 2.3 million passengers in 1993”. Cruise lines operating in the Caribbean include Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, P&O, Cunard, and Norwegian Cruise Line. There are also smaller cruise lines that cater to a more intimate feeling among their guests. The biggest cruise line companies are Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line.

Many 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”. Other cruise ships depart from Fort Lauderdale ("Port Everglades") New York, Tampa, Galveston, and San Juan. Many UK cruise lines base their ships out of Barbados for the Caribbean season, operating direct charter flights out of the UK and avoiding the sometimes lengthy delays at US immigration.

Cruises sailing in the Caribbean travel on 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”. This is because its distance from Florida, 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)”. Other ports of call include: Belize City, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Antigua, Aruba, Grand Turk and Key West. St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands is particularly popular with US passengers because they get a second Duty Free allowance to use on goods purchased there.

Majority of the major cruise lines also stop at their own "Private Island," more truthfully, a 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 from 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”. Princess Cruises bring many of their guests to Princess Cays, on the island of Eleuthera in the 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 a barbecue lunch”. Holland America cruise line have their own private beach at "Half Moon Cay" in the Bahamas, and Norwegian Cruise Line have likewise "Great Stirrup Cay". Costa Cruises(italian company, the largest in Europe and part of Carnival Corporation) has its own private island, Catalina Island in the Dominican Republic.

Shipyards

The market for cruise ships is dominated by three European companies:

• Aker Yards of Norway with two shipyards:
  • Aker Finnyards (the former Kvaerner Masa-Yards/Wärtsilä, Valmet and Rauma Shipyards) in Finland.
  • Aker Yards France (Chantiers de l'Atlantique) in France.
• Fincantieri of Italy.
• Meyer Werft of Germany.

Few cruise ships have been built by other shipyards; many of these exceptions are old ocean liners, operating under steam power. Only one ship built in the United States, the SS The Emerald is still sailing.

Infections on cruise ships

Norovirus

Norovirus infections continue to be a problem on cruise ships. In 2002, there were 25 reported outbreaks, with 2,648 passengers becoming ill from the virus. There have been a number of voyages where hundreds of passengers have become ill. Outbreak investigations by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shown that transmission among cruise ship passengers is almost wholly person-to-person; water supplies have never been implicated.

Legionella

Other pathogens which are known to be a problem on board cruise ships include Legionella, the bacteria which causes Legionnaires' disease. Legionella can colonise the domestic water systems and whirlpool spas as well as cooling systems used on board. Legionella, and in particular the most virulent strain, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, can cause infections when inhaled as an aerosol or aspirated. Infections are more common amongst the over 50s, with smokers and others with pre-existing respiratory disease being particularly vulnerable. The demographic most commonly using cruise ships can be particularly vulnerable. A number of cases of Legionnaires' disease have been associated with cruise ships.

Environmental impact

Main article: Cruise ship pollution

Cruise ships generate a number of waste streams that can result in discharges to the marine environment, including sewage, graywater, hazardous wastes, oily bilge water, ballast water, and solid waste. They also emit air pollutants to the air and water. These wastes, if not properly treated and disposed of, can be a significant source of pathogens, nutrients, and toxic substances with the potential to threaten human health and damage aquatic life. Cruise ships represent a small — although highly visible — portion of the entire international shipping industry, and such waste streams are not unique to cruise ships. However, particular types of wastes, such as sewage, graywater, and solid waste, may be of greater concern for cruise ships relative to other seagoing vessels, because of the large numbers of passengers and crew that cruise ships carry and the large volumes of wastes that they produce. Further, because cruise ships tend to concentrate their activities in specific coastal areas and visit the same ports repeatedly, their cumulative impact on a local scale could be significant, as can impacts of individual large-volume releases (either accidental or intentional).

References

Sources

• Douglas Ward, Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships, published annually
• Monarchs of the Sea: The Great Ocean Liners; Ulrich, Kurt; Tausir Parke; 1999; ISBN 1-86064-373-6

See also

• List of cruise ships
• List of cruise lines
• Cruiseferry
• River cruise
• Cruising (maritime)
• Ship location mapping service of cruise ships and water vessels worldwide

External links

• Template:Wikitravel
• "Cruise Ship Consumer Fact Sheet". United States Coast Guard. July 1998. Retrieved 2007-12-19. Information on safety oversight, security, and complaints for ships of U.S. registry or visiting U.S. ports.
• Real-time location data of cruise ships worldwide -- from the ship location mapping service
• Cruise Ship radio frequencies
• "Search the Best Cruise Deal"