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Before passenger aircraft the only way to travel over the ocean was by ship. Then when aircraft became available cruise line travel fell off because aircraft were faster and cheaper. That began with the introduction of the Boeing 707 in the late 1950's as Boeing manufactured 1010 of them and they were the lead passenger plane for twenty years in the 60's and 70's. In the 70's Boeing began building over 1409 of the 747 model a much larger aircraft which dominated the skies in the 70's and 80's.
Two basic types of ships exist the cruise liner and the cruise ship. The cruise ship which normally returns it's passengers to the same port predominates and at this time there is only one ship the Cunard Queen Mary2 that is designated as a Cruise Liner which runs between New York and the UK. Prior to air transportation the cruise liner was the predominate ship.
The main selling point for a cruise is it's all inclusive nature. You are wined and dined and entertained and you get to travel too. In a very real sense it is a floating hotel. You often may get off to visit ports but you spend the majority of your time on the ship. In 2005 over 14 million people traveled on cruise ships with 70% in North American primarily in the Caribbean and Alaska. 13% went to continental Europe.
One of the reasons for the popularity of cruising is the cost of hotel rooms these days. I recently checked out some prices in Hawaii and was frankly horrified at the costs as my recollection of room rates were based on a visit there back in the early 1990's. The cheapest rate I found was $189 a night (plus taxes) and while I am sure there are cheaper spots if one looked I also found several rates in the $250-$550 range for a good but not luxury grade room. Then you need to add food and transportation and you end up paying several hundred dollars a day for your hotel room vacation. In most cases a cruise is not only all inclusive it is also cheaper.
Your best bet is to research cruise ships to obtain a better understanding of the industry and ideas of where to cruise and on which cruise line. We have selected some books which will help. And as time permits we will be adding additional links and information on Cruising.
Cruise Collectors Corner -great deals on cruise collectables and guides on auction now!
LINKS
Cruise Ships wikipedia a good article on the background of cruise ships the main markets and the larger companies providing the service.
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