All About Cruises

Tag: history of cruises

  • The Oldest, Most Historic Cruise Lines in the World (a Brief History of Cruises)

    The Oldest, Most Historic Cruise Lines in the World (a Brief History of Cruises)

    Sailing is, without a doubt, an ancient tradition. It’s said that the oldest boat in the world is from 7600 BC, and the first sailboats from 5500 BC. That’s a long time ago. While they were a far cry from the mega-ships of today’s cruise industry, it proves that the idea of traveling across bodies of water has been around for a long time. The concept of cruises has been around for somewhat less time, but it’s still existed for a while. If you’re curious just how long, wonder no longer! These are the oldest cruise lines in the world.

    Hamburg-America Line

    The Hamburg-America Line isn’t known as a cruise line, and that makes sense. It was technically a shipping company, though it does have a history in passenger ships. They commissioned the Prinzessin Victoria Luise specifically to be what we would refer to today as a cruise ship. It was deployed in the year 1900, and contained 120 cabins. It was designed to look very different than the shipping vessels of theirs, which consequently means it looks a lot more like a sailboat than a modern-day cruise ship. It was marketed towards the wealthy and made trips from America to the West Indies and Jamaica, among other ports. In 1906, the ship’s career was ended by running aground, and it’s now history.

    Costa Cruises

    Here’s a name you might be more familiar with. The Italian cruise line is said to have been founded in 1854, which is partially true. It was, much like the previous company, founded as a company largely concerned with cargo ships. It wasn’t until 1924 that the company changed hands and began to focus on cruises. In the late 40s, Costa was frequently going between Italy and South America. Operations gained a lot more steam starting in the 60s, and are obviously still going strong today.

    P&O Cruises

    Here’s a little-known fact: P&O Cruises is the oldest cruise line out there. Not just the oldest cruise line still operating, but pretty much the oldest cruise line…ever. While they were transporting people as early as 1834, they got into the business of what we would call cruising around 1840 when they merged with another company to become the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. By 1844 they were cruising from England to the Mediterranean in a manner very much like what we would all be familiar with. It was very groundbreaking at time, and the cruise line obviously takes similar paths to this day.

    So, yes, the cruise industry may not be as old as boats themselves (not much is), but it’s safe to say it’s over the hill at this point. It makes sense, and it shows the natural human inclination to get away from it all and just relax. P&O and Costa are still around today, so book a cruise with them if you’re looking to get a taste of that rich history!

  • Cruise Ships History

    So what exactly is a cruise ship and what do we know about cruise ships history? First, a cruise ship is “a passenger ship used commercially for pleasure cruises.” Secondly, cruise ships, built exclusively for pleasure, have been around since the year 1900. In the early days of the cruise ship, taking a cruise was something that only the wealthy could do. But over the decades to follow, cruises began to hit the mainstream. It wasn’t until the hit 70s TV show “The Love Boat” aired that cruises became wildly popular across America.

    Somewhere between 1900-1901, the S.S. Prinzessin Victoria Luise was built specifically for the purpose of pleasure voyages. S.S. Prinzessin Victoria Luise, called a “screw steamer,” was built by Blohm und Voss, Hamburg, for the Hamburg-America Line and it was used for cruises in the Baltic and Atlantic. This luxury yacht carried up to 180 passengers and the design incorporated features from the most expensive first class luxury liners without {allowing for} second-class passengers or steerage. The ship, which was popular among German and English passengers on both sides of the Atlantic, featured a dining room and lounge covered by a glass dome along with a gorgeous library and writing room. This luxury cruise ship also housed a state apartment.

    This exclusive cruise ship didn’t stay in commission for long. In 1906, she became stranded on an uncharted reef (raised from a recent earthquake) at Plum Point near Kingston, Jamaica. It was on December 16, 1906, that Prinzessin Victoria Luise became a total loss.

    Many cruise ships, post Prinzessin, continued to compete in order to be the best luxury liner at sea and some competed to become the fastest. Today cruise ships are nothing short of floating hotels, with each new vessel designed to top the latest and greatest.

    There are currently more than 150 major cruise ships in existence today, some weighing in at more than 100,000 tons and others spacious enough to accommodate 3,000 passengers or more.

    Some of the latest upcoming releases will accommodate 4,370 passengers served by 1,360 crew (Royal Caribbean’s 18-deck Liberty of the Seas, May 2007) and 5,400 passengers (Royal Caribbean’s Genesis Class, Fall 2009).

    Further evidence of the race to be the biggest and the best is The Freedom Ship (Freedom Ship International Inc.). The Freedom Ship, if completed, will be the largest ship ever constructed.

    Designed by a team 24 engineering firms & consultants, this “floating city” will house 50,000 residents, 15,000 employees & 20,000-day guests. This cruise ship will measure almost a mile in length, it will be 750′ wide and have a 25-story superstructure topped with 2 aircraft runways capable of handling 40 passenger jets. The design doesn’t stop there – Freedom Ship will have its own railway transportation system, as well as its own marina. Will it move, you ask? Well according to the Freedom web site, this ‘City At Sea’ will “circle the globe every two years following a route to keep its residents in perpetual sunshine.”

    While cruising’s popularity experienced a slow climb in the earlier years, today’s cruise ships are more popular than ever with their popularity continuing to grow at a rapid pace each year. It is estimated that a staggering 12.62 million passengers will climb aboard a cruise ship in 2007, with 12.12 million passengers cruising last year — a 4 percent increase over the 11.18 million in 2005. I guess it’s safe to say, cruise ships are here to stay.

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