Michelle Anne T.

Tayoba June 17,

2010

Cruise ship

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, as well as the different destinations along the way. Transportation is not the prime purpose, as cruise ships operate mostly on routes that
return passengers to their originating port, so the ports of call are usually in specified region of a continent.

In contrast, dedicated transport oriented ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on
round trips. Traditionally, an ocean liner for the transoceanic trade will be built to a higher standard than a typical cruise ship, including high
freeboard and stronger plating to withstand rough seas and adverse conditions encountered in the open ocean, such as the North Atlantic. Ocean
liners also usually have larger capacities for fuel, victuals, and other stores for consumption on long voyages, compared to dedicated cruise ships.

However, the lines between both types of passenger ships have blurred, particularly with respect to deployment. Larger cruise ships also engage in
longer trips such as transocean voyages which may not lead back to the same port for many months (longer round trips). Some former ocean liners
currently operate as cruise ships, such as MS Marco Polo and MS Mona Lisa, however this number is ever decreasing. The only dedicated
transatlantic ocean liner in operation as a liner, as of February 2010, is the Queen Mary 2 of the Cunard fleet, and she also sees significant service on
cruise routes.

Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, accounting for U.S.$27 billion with over 18 million passengers carried worldwide in 2010.
The world's largest cruise liner is Royal Carribean International's Oasis of the Seas. 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.

MS Majesty of the Seas, a cruise ship completed in 1992

Early years

The first vessel built exclusively for this purpose was the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, designed
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 fewer 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 travelers 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 transatlantic 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, which was converted to a cruise ship) 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.

Amenities

Until 1975-1980, cruises offered shuffleboard, deck chairs, "drinks with umbrellas and little else for a few hundred passengers." After 1980, they
offered increasing amenities. As of 2010, city-sized ships have dozens of amenities.

Getting there is half the fun! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship

 Michelle Anne T. Tayoba June 17,
2010

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 large cruise ships ply routes worldwide, with plans for larger vessels.

For certain destinations such as the Arctic and Antarctica, cruise ships are very nearly the only way to visit.

The largest passenger cruise ships are the Oasis class vessels owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International; these are MS Oasis of the Seas,
and the under-construction MS Allure of the Seas. Oasis of the Seas is 1,187 feet (362 m) long, sits 236 feet (72 m) above the water line, and
measures 225,282 gross tons.

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.

Dining

Dining on almost all cruise ships is included in the cruise price, except on EasyCruise and Cruiseferry. Traditionally, the ships' restaurants organize
two dinner services per day and passengers are allocated a set dining time for the entire cruise, but a recent trend is to allow diners to dine whenever
they want.

As with any vessel, adequate provisioning is crucial, especially on a cruise ship serving several thousand meals at each seating. For example,
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

Dining

Dining on almost all cruise ships is included in the cruise price, except on EasyCruise and Cruiseferry. Traditionally, the ships' restaurants organize
two dinner services per day and passengers are allocated a set dining time for the entire cruise, but a recent trend is to allow diners to dine whenever
they want.

As with any vessel, adequate provisioning is crucial, especially on a cruise ship serving several thousand meals at each seating. For example,
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.

Other on-board facilities

Most modern cruise ships feature the following facilities:

 Casino - Only open when the ship is in open sea

 Spa
 Fitness centre
 Shops
 Library
 Theatre with Broadway style shows
 Cinema
 Indoor and/or outdoor swimming pool
 Hot tub
 Buffet restaurant
 Lounges
 Gym

Some ships have bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, video arcades, basketball courts, or tennis courts.

Getting there is half the fun! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship

 Michelle Anne T. Tayoba June 17,
2010

Ship Naming

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.

Security

Cruise Lines generally take security very seriously, particularly after several high profile incidents on cruise ships, including pirate attacks on
Seabourn Spirit and MSC Melody.[21] As a result, cruise ships have put various security measures in place to prevent incidents, including LRADs to
deter pirates, as well as CCTV, metal detectors and x-rays to prevent weapons and contraband onboard.

In addition to these measures, passengers are often given a personal identification card, which must be shown in order to get on or off the ship. This
of course prevents people boarding who are not entitled to do so, and also ensures the ship's crew are aware of who is on the ship.

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. It is important, however, to keep these discharges in some perspective, because cruise ships represent a small — although highly visible —
portion of the entire international shipping industry, and the waste streams described here 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 (especially Florida, California, New York, Galveston, Seattle,
and the waters of Alaska), their cumulative impact on a local scale could be significant, as can impacts of individual large-volume releases (either
accidental or intentional).

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The popularity of cruise lines has grown dramatically over recent years. Millions of people every year take to the sea. So what do people get out of a
cruise? A cruise is a holiday like no other. Cruise lines offer passengers a complete experience rather than just a mode of transport from one place to
the next. Your luxury hotel is in a different location every day. There is a different port to explore every day and a floating city to explore whilst at
sea. Port calls are usually frequent and you can usually book excursions into nearby cities and points of interest. Whilst on your cruise line you can
expect to be treated like royalty. The supply of food and drink sometimes seems endless and fine dining is often just a stroll away. Other amenities
onboard your ship might include a cinema, a gym or a theatre house. Modern cruise lines really are floating cities. With shopping malls, bars and
restaurants you would be forgiven for thinking you were in a thriving city centre location. Only the sun and the sea breeze is there to remind you that
your next port of call is only a few hours away. Certain destinations would be inaccessible without the cruise lines. Places like the Arctic and
Antarctica are now accessible to members of the public.

Cruise line facilities

Far from being a basic mode of transport cruise lines have evolved into modern floating resorts. Full sized heated swimming pools are available on
most cruise ships. Holiday makers can surf, swim, rock climb, shoot, play golf or simply sit and relax in the sunshine. It is your holiday and you can
do as much or as little as you want! Some cruise lines offer clay pigeon shooting off the back of the boat and others offer surfing lessons in a
specially constructed pool. Pick your cruise lines depending on what facilities you require. You may be surprised just what is on offer.

What cruise lines are there?

There are hundreds of cruise lines across the world. They are not all equal, they each offer different facilities and locations. Below is a list of cruise
lines for you to peruse. Carnival, RC, Princess, Cunard, Windstar, Holland America, Costa, Yachts of Seabourn, Disney, Royal Carribean.
Norwegian cruise lines.

Getting there is half the fun! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruise_ship