Striking photos show just how much cruise ships have evolved during the last century
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
A hundred years ago, the idea of taking a transatlantic voyage solely for pleasure was unheard of.
In 2019, cruise ships carried nearly 30 million passengers across dozens of lines.
From ship size to onboard entertainment, here's how cruising has changed over time.
In the 19th century, the idea of "cruising," or traveling by sea for leisure as opposed to necessity, was a strange one.
Some credit the origin story of the cruise to American writer Mark Twain, who chronicled his "Great Pleasure Excursion" onboard the Quaker City steamship in his 1869 book "The Innocents Abroad."
Source: New York Historical Society
Along with 73 fellow passengers, Twain set off on a five-month journey from New York City to Europe and Jerusalem, for a price of $1,250 per person.
Source: The Southern Literary Journal
While this may have been the first time the notion of cruising entered the zeitgeist, the world had yet to see its first cruise ship intentionally constructed for leisurely sea travel.
The world's first cruise ship is considered to have been the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, created by German Jewish shipping executive Albert Ballin.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
Not everyone was a believer, with one colleague warning Ballin that travelers "would surely not submit themselves to the hazards and discomforts of a long voyage just for the incidental fun of it."
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
The 407-foot Prinzessin Victoria Luise was designed in par with Europe's luxury hotels, with amenities including a ballroom, gymnasium, dining hall, library, and an art gallery ...
... plus 120 first-class staterooms.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
In 1900, the ship embarked on its maiden voyage, a 35-day cruise in from Germany to Venezuela and the West Indies. Later itineraries included trips to the Baltic Seas, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean.
Source: Smithsonian Magazine
The oldest cruise line still in existence today is P&O Cruises, which launched its first "pleasure cruise" in 1904: a retrofitted mail steamer renamed the Vectis.
Source: P&O cruises
The White Star Line, another major player in the early days of cruising, built three luxury cruise ships a few years later: the Olympic, Britannic, and the ill-fated Titanic.
In 1912, The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious ship ever built, with a passenger capacity of 2,435 people — but we all know the end of that story.
Source: History.com
The sinking of the Titanic was one of the deadliest civilian maritime incidents in history, prompting a wave of safety regulations.
Source: NOAA.gov
The industry barely held on during The Great Depression and World War II, but experienced a resurgence during the economic boom of the 1950s.
The first-class sections of early cruise ships featured lavish interiors ...
... with relatively spacious first-class cabins (especially compared to the bunk rooms on the lower decks).
Unlike today's hectic cruise buffets, dining on the ship was a special occasion — and one to dress up for.
Instead of arcades and waterslides, passengers entertained themselves with games like golf ...
... boxing ...
... and tennis.
Even some of the earliest ships had pools on deck, though much smaller (and dirtier) than any you'll find on today's cruises.
Sunbathing has endured as a popular cruise-goer pass time ...
... though "electric light baths," an early version of the tanning bed, has not.
As for nightlife, the ballroom was the place to be.
In the late 1950s, the rise of affordable plane travel momentarily slowed the cruise business — only to later aid the industry by making major ports more accessible.
But perhaps the biggest turning point for the cruise industry was the hit-show "Love Boat" set onboard Princess Cruises.
Source: CNN Travel
The series, which aired from 1977 to 1986, helped expand cruising's customer base beyond just newlyweds and retirees, CNN reported.
Source: CNN Travel
Between when the show first aired and the late 1990s, the number of cruise-goers had multiplied ten-fold, according to the outlet.
Source: CNN
From then on, the ships just kept getting bigger. In 1988, Royal Caribbean launched the Sovereign of the Seas, frequently cited as the world's first "mega ship" at 73,000 tons.
Source: The Points Guy
The cruise touted two pools, a casino and nightclub, multiple restaurants, plus a theater and concert venue.
The wow-factor amenities onboard the so-called "floating hotels" set the stage for modern-day cruising, where the ship is as much of a destination as the ports.
Carnival was the first cruise line to add water slides to its ships, with the industry's first "substantial" waterslide of 115 feet debuting on the Carnival Fantasy in 1990, according to The Points Guy.
Source: The Points Guy
But it was Disney who "changed the game" for onboard amenities when it debuted its first cruise ship in 1998, Joe Kleiman of InPark Magazine told Condé Nast Traveler.
Source: Condé Nast Traveler
Then in 2001, P&O, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruises merged, overtaking Carnival as the world's largest cruise line with a fleet of 41 ships.
Source: The LA Times
Between 2009 and 2019, the number of people going on cruises steadily increased each year from 17.8 million to 29.7 million, according to Statista— until COVID sent those numbers crashing down.
Source: Statista, Cruise Lines International Association
Today, major cruise lines are returning back toward pre-pandemic booking levels, with Royal Caribbean announcing its single largest booking day in 53 years on Black Friday.
Source: Royal Caribbean
As the industry grows, so do the ships. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas setting sail in 2024 will have a whopping 20 decks and measure 1,198 feet — making it the largest cruise ship in the world.
Source: Insider
Read the original article on Business Insider
