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Cruise Ship History
Since that first transatlantic voyage in around the 1400s, a lot has
changed. The accommodations for those first passengers were far lass
than stately. We move forward in history to 1818, when the Black Ball
Line out of New York became the first shipping company to offer a
scheduled passenger service. This move caused trade and leisure to grow
together, creating a luxury war between shipping lines, which resulted
in each company tried to out do the other. The White Star Line led the
way, building bigger and more luxurious ship each time, until they were
the favored shipping line for the wealthy. This almost came to a halt
with the Titanic, called the last of the grand ships of the gilded age.
Then in 1913, the Hamburg-Amerika Linie, directed by Albert Ballin,
began to make regular transatlantic crossings along the southern route
during the winter season of the North Atlantic. This southern route
eased the minds of passenger and crew at the same time, kept the ships
full with passengers. Soon other companies followed suit, creating
another race to built specialized ships, geared for the warmer climates.
The cruise industry almost came to a complete stop in the 1960s with the
arrival of the large passenger jet aircraft. Flying the friendly skies
was how many travelers preferred, they'd arrive at their destinations in
a matter of hours instead of days. Businessmen, were the ones who
actually kept the ocean lines afloat--no pun intended. The business
traveler would fly across the Atlantic one way, but would enjoy the
couple of days it would take to return by ship citing the need for
relaxation. Thus, the ocean liner transport faded, and the cruise
voyages began to take form.
In the mid-1960 other cruises were establish to such places as the
Caribbean islands,
around the Hawaiian Islands, and the Mediterranean. New cruise liners
were built as the demand grew, and the industry began to see a slight
growth. Television gave the industry the much-needed shot in the arm
with the popular 1970 show, The Love Boat, featuring the Princess
Cruises, the Pacific Princess, which has since been sold. By showcasing
exotic destinations, the show raised awareness of ordinary people that
cruises were an exciting and valid option for vacations. By 2004, there
were over several hundred cruise liners that many have the capacity to
carry over 3,000 passengers, making these ship the largest every built.
To date, the Cunard Lines Queen Mary 2 is the world's largest cruise
liner. Cruise liners now sail all over the world.
The present-day cruise liners have returned to the grandeur of the
gilded age. Today these ships resemble floating cities, with most ship's
having a crew that out number the passengers. Everything the passenger
could possible want is available onboard. To feed so many people, the
amount of food and beverages consumed on a ship is staggering. Some
cruise lines do charge for items such as cokes, so please be aware of
this.
As the industry continues to grow, increasingly newer and larger ships
are being made. The older cruise ships are then sold. It is not unheard
of over the life of a vessel for it to have had multiple owners. Since
each company has its own livery and often a naming theme for instance,
ships of the White Star Line all were given names ending with "ic",
Oceanic, Atlantic, Baltic, Republic, and Titanic. Because it is natural
for the transfer to entail a refitting and a name change, many vessels
have had numerous names.
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