Everything about Cruise Ships totally explained
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 never took less than four days. In the competition for passengers,
ocean liners added many luxuries — the
Titanic being the most famous example — 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, sending the ocean liner trade into a slow decline. Ocean liner services aimed at passengers ceased in 1986, with the notable exception of transatlatic crossings operated by the
Cunard Line, catering to the
niche market who enjoy the few days of luxury and enforced idleness that a liner voyage affords. In comparison to liner crossings, cruising voyages gained popularity; slowly at first but at an increased rate from the 1980s onwards. Initially the fledgling industry was serviced primarily by small redundant liners, and even the first purpose built cruise ships were small. This changed after the success of the
SS Norway (originally the ocean liner SS
France, re-launched in 1980) as the Caribbean's first "super-ship". Since then the size of cruise ships 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. 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 isn't 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", for example
MS Statendam, and
Royal Caribbean's ships' names all end with "of the Seas", for example
MS Freedom of the Seas), it's 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
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's 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 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
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”. 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 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:
- Fincantieri of Italy.
- Meyer Werft of Germany.
A large number of cruise ships have been built by other shipyards, but no other individual yard has reached the large numbers of built ships achieved by the three above. A handful of old ocean liners also remain in service as cruise ships. Despite the dominance of United States-based cruise ship operators and American clients in the industry, only one ship built in the United States, the, 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
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).
Further Information
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