The cruise industry has become a major source of income for the travel industry as a whole over the years, and there is an ever-increasing range of ships, lines, destinations and ports of call that are making connections with the world of cruises. If you have been on a cruise recently - or are planning one in the near future - you may find some of the following facts interesting:
1) The first ship to take on transatlantic crossings with passengers on board was the Cunard Line's RMS Britannia. The last great ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) taking on such crossings was the same company's Queen Elizabeth II (better known as the QE2).
2) The most popular cruise destination by far and away is the Caribbean. Carnival Cruises alone took 2.9 million passengers on a Caribbean cruise in 2007.
3) A passenger known only by the surname of McBeth went for a trip on Cunard's Caronia liner back in the 1940s. She remained a passenger on the ship for the next 14 years. She must have quite enjoyed it, and by the time she finally disembarked she had spent the equivalent of US million on cruise fares. The ship has since been taken out of service, so you can't find out exactly what possessed her to spend so long aboard.
4) The average age of a cruise passenger is 50. Of those with children, 59% bring those children on the cruise, making for around three-quarters of a million kids who will go on a cruise this year.
5) The world's largest cruise ships, Royal Caribbean's Oasis series, will weigh over 220,000 tonnes when completed and afloat. Although this dwarfs just about any other cruise ship out there, it's still smaller than most oil super tankers, which routinely weigh over a quarter of a million tonnes
6) Much of the spending done on a cruise can either be avoided or lessened greatly with a little forethought. The main cost is from dry-land excursions, but if you plan you can book the ones you want independently at a much-reduced cost. Drinks at the bar can be pretty costly too, but you are free to bring your own along with you. Moreover, whatever you do, do not use the onboard phones. Some cost more than /minute. For that price, you could almost charter a jet home to talk to whoever you wanted to.
7) There are more than 300 cruise ships currently active. Taking into account the gross tonnage of the average cruiser, that's... a lot.
8) The number of people taking a cruise each year easily exceeds 10,000,000, of which 80% will be sailing to North American destinations such as Miami and Cancun.
9) Carnival, Royal Caribbean and NCL carry between themselves about two-thirds of the world's cruise passengers
10) If you had been quick enough to book the Presidential Suite on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas for its maiden voyage, it would have set you back ,000 for the week. For your money you would have got a 113-sq m. cabin with accommodation for 14 people, ten flat screen TVs, a wet bar, a hot-tub and a baby grand piano. But its been snapped up, so you'll have to wait a bit longer.
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