1800s A time when shipping was primarily concerned with mail and cargo, although times were a-

changing…
In 1818, Black Ball Line was founded with the purpose of providing a regular service from North
America to Europe aboard its packet ships, says Cruise Line History, a website whose editor,
Michael Grace, is dedicated to charting historical moments in cruising. Black Ball Line also became
the first shipping line to have concern for the comfort of its passengers, which perhaps has
something to do with its subsequent reputation for ferrying hundreds of thousands of immigrants
from Europe to America.
A new age in comfort was heralded in on July 4, 1980, when Britannia, the first ship to operate
under the Cunard Line name, embarked on a 14-day trans-Atlantic voyage from Liverpool with a
cow on board to supply passengers with fresh milk.
However, the first true leisure cruise occurred in 1844 when P&O Cruises, then formally known as
Peninsular Steam Navigation Company, sailed passengers on small liners to the Mediterranean for
the sole purpose of pleasure. P&O Cruises later expanded its services to include the British Empire,
India, the Orient, Australia and New Zealand.
This milestone soon became a benchmark and throughout the 1850s and 1860s ships began to focus
more on passengers than mail, with little luxuries like electric lights, more spacious deck areas and
onboard entertainment gradually introduced to shipboard life. Steerage class was introduced and
these passengers were responsible for bringing their own food and finding a suitable space to sleep.
But it was endorsements from Mark Twain and the British Medical Journal that really introduced
the cruise industry to popular culture. In 1867, Mark Twain was a passenger on the first cruise to
begin in America and he recorded his six-month experience in his novel Innocents Abroad, says
Cruise Line History.
And if anyone needed further persuasion on the benefits of a sea voyage, it was delivered in the
British Medical Journal, which wrote in 1897 that a short West Indies cruise provides “opportunities
for recovering health,” saying “the most delightful days of peace and leisure may be passed doing
nothing…”
It was around this time that the term “posh” was apparently coined. Although it has never been
substantiated, the word was the acronym of port out, starboard home, and referred to the area of the
ship with the most desired cabins. Going to India the port side was shaded from the sun, while
returning home it was the starboard side.
1900s Enter the golden age of cruising: an era concerned with the joys of the journey at sea rather
than the previous hassles associated with travel.
Before jets became the preferred mode of travel, cruising was basically the only way to go and the
transatlantic route was a popular connection between Europe and America.
It was a time when ships were taking on the form of “ornate hotels”, says Cruise Line History, and
cruise lines began playing on the romance of the voyage itself rather than the former hassle of the
travel.
“The design of these liners attempted to minimize the discomfort of ocean travel, masking the fact
of being at sea and the extremes in weather as much as possible through elegant accommodations
and planned activities,” the website says.
Renowned British cruise line Cunard began the tradition of dressing formally for dinner aboard
Mauretania and Lusitania, ships which were both renowned for their speed rather than expansive
public areas. Still, its “Getting there is half the fun” campaign depicted passengers taking part in
extra activities integral to most of today’s voyages – fine dining, dancing, playing sports and
dressing up. White Star Line, one of Cunard’s main competitors, was the initiator of putting
passenger comfort first when it ordered three Olympic-class vessels – Olympic, Titanic and
Britannic – which were to be the biggest and most luxurious of the day.
For White Star Line this spelled disaster: in April 1912, Titanic sank on her maiden voyage and
Britannic was slated for service during World War II before she had launched. She hit a mine and
sank in 1916. During World War I leisure cruising ceased. Many ships were drafted to the war effort
and were converted into troopships, including Cunard’s Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, which
were painted gray for subtlety and were credited by Winston Churchill for shortening the duration
of the war due to their speed.
After World War II, ocean travel returned to its glorious, most luxurious best but the onset of the
Great Depression saw passenger numbers fall and White Star Line merged with Cunard Line to
form Cunard White Star in 1934 with a total of 25 vessels.
In 1958, with the advent of the first commercial non-stop trans-Atlantic flight to Europe, cruising
continued to decline. Lines went bankrupt and passenger ships were sold.
Modern cruising as we know it, emerged in the 1960s, says Cruise Line History, when lines began
marketing cruise holidays to the general public and promoting the holiday as the destination rather
than focussing on the transportation element. Cruise ships came laden with amenities and
entertainment options, immortalised in the hit television series The Love Boat, which ran from 1977
to 1986 and starred Princess Cruises vessel Pacific Princess. Skip to today and the biggest cruise
ship on the high seas are Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis-class Harmony of the Seas, which
was launched in 2016. Measuring 360 metres long and carrying 6,700 passengers, Harmony is
divided into seven “neighbourhoods” and has an astounding range of entertainment offerings.
Cateva Companii de croaziera in functiune: AIDA Cruises, Azamara Club, Celebrity Cruises, Costa
Cruises, Cunard Lines, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, P&O Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises,
Royal Caribbean International, TUI Cruises, Viking Ocean.
Curiozitati
1. Cruise ships produce an enormous amount of pollution. Their engines require immense amounts
of fuel to move; the famous QE II required nearly 400 liters of fuel to move a single mile and went
through 433 tons of fuel a day. As if scarring the atmosphere wasn’t bad enough, according to the
Environmental Protection Agency, a cruise ship carrying 3,000 passengers generates approximately
800,000 liters of raw sewage throughout the course of a week. And if you think that it is carefully
stored and treated, you’re kidding yourself. Next time you find yourself dreaming of basking in
crystal clear Caribbean waters, consider this: For the most part, ships are able to dump their raw
sewage directly into the ocean, provided they are more than about five kilometers (three miles) from
shore.
2. The world's largest cruise ships are about four football fields long and are as heavy as 9,000 army
tanks.
3. In 2009, pirates earned 30 million Euros from ransoms and stolen goods. That year, they
successfully completed 200 attacks.
4. On average the following food and drink are consumed DAILY on cruise ships (from Disney
cruise line): 8,260 cups of coffee, 5,000 eggs for breakfast, 2,000 steaks, 1,000 baked potatoes,
and 1,150 pounds of bananas
5. Cruise ships are attractive targets for pirates—hundreds of unarmed tourists carrying cash and
valuables just ripe for the picking. In the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia, this is a very real
concern. After seizing whatever goods they desire, the pirates often ransom the passengers and ships
back, and the results can be deadly. While the ships are not equipped with an arsenal to battle the
assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades carried by pirates, they aren’t helpless. They’re
equipped with high-pressure water hoses and long-range acoustic devices called “sonic cannons.”
These devices fire a concentrated beam of sound that can permanently affect hearing from over 275
meters (900 ft) away.
6. Some elderly people have found a delightful alternative—they become permanent or semi-
permanent residents on cruise ships. The cost is comparable, but in many ways, the amenities are
superior. Linens are changed daily, the food is sumptuous and plentiful, there is a host of activities,
24/7 medical care is readily available, and of course, there are constant visits to paradisiacal
locations. There are drawbacks, such as a lack of permanent friendship and proximity to family, but
those can be carefully weighed while enjoying a cocktail on deck.
7. Owned by Royal Caribbean International, the world’s largest cruise ships are the sister ships MS
Oasis of the Seas, MS Allure of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas (which is technically the longest).
The specifications of these vessels are simply mind-boggling: Nearly four football fields long and
16 decks high, the ships can carry over 6,000 passengers.
By way of comparison, they are more than 90 meters (300 ft) longer than the Titanic and more than
four times heavier. Harmony has 22 restaurants of varying themes, shows worthy of any Vegas
casino, and its own replica of Manhattan’s Central Park.
1. In 1991, the cruise ship Oceanos sank off South Africa’s eastern coast. The crew abandoned ship,
leaving the passengers behind. They were all saved by guitarist Moss Hills, who radioed for help
and directed the rescue operation.
2. There is a cruise ship named “The World,” where residents permanently live as it travels around
the globe
3. There is an abandoned Russian cruise ship roaming international waters since January 2013
4. There is a cruise ship that runs between Stockholm (Capital of Sweden) and Helsinki (Capital of
Finland) with the primary purpose of purchasing and consuming cheap alcohol
5. In 2004, a study was published showing that retiring to a cruise ship was often as cost effective as
retiring to a retirement home and that cruise ships were more effective in providing quality of life
7. After extensive analysis of charts, currents, video, photographs, interviews, and witness
statements, it was shown that the Star Princess, a Princess Cruise Ship, did not leave three men
adrift in the sea.
8. An Australian billionaire has made the decision to fund the building of a new Titanic cruise ship,
which will set out from England in 2016. Advance ticket sales soon to follow.
9. After Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ Tulane University put students and faculty in a cruise ship
for the next semester
11. There is an abandoned beached wrecked cruise ship in a remote bay of the Solomon Islands.
“The world Discoverer
12. Since 2001, over 170 people have disappeared from cruise ships, and cruise lines are often self-
serving and uncooperative in investigating such disappearances as they are governed by very few
laws.
13. It is legal for cruise ships to dump raw sewage into the ocean if they are at least 3 miles from
shore
14. On average 200 passengers die aboard cruise ships every year
15. The largest cruise ship in the world is only 2 inches longer than the second longest ship
16. The Oasis of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world, uses enough electrical wiring to
stretch across America, coast to coast
17. Disney abandoned a half completed island resort near the Bahamas when they discovered that
their cruise ships won’t dock close enough to the island.
18. Cruise ships don’t carry blood stocks on board, but solely rely on passengers and crew members
in an emergency.
20. Many cruise ships have no deck number 13
21. On old luxury cruise liners, it wasn’t uncommon for the fourth funnel (chimney) to be non-
functional and used only for storage. The fake funnel was added for aesthetics as a way to seem
more prestigious and powerful. Among the ships to sport a false non-functioning funnel was the
Titanic.
22. The first cruise ship built in Finland is now owned by the Church of Scientology
23. Disney (and other) cruise ships share a port with U.S. ballistic missile submarines in Florida.
24. François Zanella (ex coal miner) constructed a 1/8th scale model of the “Majesty of the Seas”
cruise ship. In addition to being a scale replica model, the mini Majesty is a fully functional canal
boat
25. Salvador Dali often traveled with his pet ocelot (wild cat), even bringing it aboard a luxury
ocean liner.

Stern – pupa; Hall – cantina; funnel – cos; lounge – hol; forecastle – tenga; port hand – babord; bow
– prova; stem bulb – prova in apa; starboard hand – tribord; bow thruster – mijloc de propulsie de la
prova; compass bridge – puntea cu busola; stabilizer fin – aripa de stabilizare; porthole – hublouri;
rudder – carma; propeller – elice
Un vas de croaziera este alcatuit din mai multe etaje numite punti. Vasele mai mari au pana la 16
punti. Puntile de la nivelele inferioare sunt dedicate salilor tehnice, motoarelor, cebinetului medical,
holului principal de primire calatori. Pe urmatoarele sunt dispuse camerele (care pot fi interioare
fara hublou, exterioare cu hublou, exterioare cu balcon sau apartamente spatioase), receptia,
restaurantele (exista restaurante a-la-carte, restaurante cu autoservire, restaurante tematice), baruri,
cafenele, teatrul, casino, cinematograf, holuri de relaxare, discoteci, biblioteca si salon pentru jocuri
de masa, parcuri, terase pentru plaja, pista de alergare, sala de internet, saloane de infrumusetare si
masaj, sauna, sala de fitness, magazine, galerie foto, sala de jocuri video, piscine (exterioare sau
acoperite), aquapark si jacuzzi, terenuri de sport, cluburi pentru copii si tineri, sali de conferinte.