A cruise ship is a luxury vessel that is used to take passengers on a pleasure voyage in a journey that is as much a part of the experience as the various destinations on the way. In contrast to an ocean liner that transports passengers from one point on the globe to the other often across the oceans, a cruise ship or a cruise liner as it is known by most, takes the people on board to a round trip that is of varied duration, from a single day to possibly a week and culminates at the originating port. This is a very refreshing mode of enjoyment and recreation, which relaxes the mind and replenishes energies to a great extent.
The present day form of cruising can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century when the transoceanic traveling was at its zenith. The only mode of transport was the ships so the different companies that were in this business offered the best services to compete in the market. These ocean liners with luxurious services offered what came to be known as line voyages. But because of the long journey, which at best would be no less than four days, there had to be huge storage for fuel and other necessities and that didn’t leave much room for luxuries. With the advent of jet airplanes in the latter half of the last century, there was a shift in passenger preference and the long sea voyages were left for only the ardent sea fans.
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Advent of Cruise Ships
This situation was ideal for the launch of a cruise ship. It needed something strikingly different and exciting to bring back the interest of the people to sea voyages and this is where these trips gained popularity. Considering the fact that the journey is relatively short with many stoppages at exotic locations, the ships are designed accordingly, thereby making more room and utilizing that space for an open design that exudes extravagance. It would be appropriate to liken a cruise ship to a floating hotel complete with a hospitality unit amongst other crew members.
Facilities on Cruise Ships
The facilities on board these cruise liners include great dining services. Some liners offer open air dining on the deck, where as, there are others that have expensively designed dining halls with mouth watering recipes to leave a long lasting impression on the passengers. In addition to this there are casinos, fitness centers, spas, cinemas, and some ships even have a Broadway like theater. These cruise ships also boast of swimming pools, hot tubs, lounges, libraries, gyms and clubs. To put it in a nut shell, they pamper the passengers with the best of hospitality and services that can be imagined with some of the choicest natural views along the sea.
Over the last decade, cruising has become an integral part of the tourism industry contributing over $25 billion yearly to this booming sector. The major bulk of the business as expected comes from the North American and European regions but the other areas like the pan pacific are also catching up.
Reference:В Ezinearticles, В Cruiselinesindia