first cruise ship in history

The History of the World’s First Cruise Ship Built Solely for Luxurious Travel

At the turn of the 20th century, a German Jewish shipping executive had an innovative idea for a new revenue stream: the cruise

Daryl Austin

Shipping magnate Albert Ballin had a vision. He saw a future of leisurely sea travel available to anyone willing to pay the price of a ticket. The late-19th century director of the Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfahrt-Actien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG), or Hamburg-America Line, knew the future of the company rested beyond shipping cargo across the Atlantic.

The Jewish son of a Danish immigrant took over his father’s immigration agency in 1874. But he became part of Germany’s elite (an odd fit because corrosive attitudes towards Jews were already taking shape) when he transformed the family business into an independent shipping line, earning the attention of HAPAG executives who hired him in 1886 and made him their general director in 1899.

One of his first orders of business after assuming the leadership role was to commission the first purpose-built cruise ship the world had ever known: the Prinzessin Victoria Luise .

“The Hamburg-America Line was the world’s largest shipping firm at the time,” says Peter McCracken, a librarian at Cornell University and publisher of the vessel-research database ShipIndex.org . “As its general director, Ballin was responsible for maintaining that position and for moving the company forward.”

Over the previous decade, Ballin oversaw the expansion of the passenger arm of the company by retrofitting freight ships into barely acceptable cruise liners to some success. Though some HAPAG executives initially balked at the idea (“Germans will travel out of necessity, but they would surely not submit themselves to the hazards and discomforts of a long voyage just for the incidental fun of it,” one colleague told him,) Ballin proceeded anyway.

He began in January 1891 by repurposing the Augusta Victoria , one of the ocean liners in the company’s fleet, into a leisurely cruising vessel for wealthy tourists. What’s more, he knew he needed to offset losses during the winter months, when fewer freight orders came through and frozen waterways made sea travel dangerous. Daniel Finamore, associate director of exhibitions at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, says that Ballin understood the company needed “to maximize use of their large ships” by “organizing pleasure cruises to Caribbean ports and warmer climates during winter.”

Ballin soon realized, however, that the Augusta Victoria had significant limitations when it came to pleasure exclusions at sea. Passengers had to tolerate unsightly machinery, restrictive deck space, and a lack of onboard amenities. The ship itself was too large to navigate into the smaller ports near popular tourist destinations. And the austere sleeping accommodations were undesirable for high-minded first-class passengers, too, all of which made the Augusta Victoria a temporary measure. Scientific American reported at the time that “the venture was looked upon...as somewhat of an experiment.”

His innovation was recognizing the appeal of luxury sea travel designed specifically for the experience of the journey.

By 1899, Ballin hired the shipbuilder Blohm & Voss to construct a vessel specifically outfitted for what he had in mind. In the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, he had a 407-foot, 4,419-ton vessel with twin-screw engines that could cut through the water at a speed of 16 knots. (About 19 miles per hour; the Titantic’s top speed was 23 knots.) In 1971’s The Sway of the Grand Saloon: A Social History of the North Atlantic, author and historian John Malcolm Brinnin described the ship as having “the white hull of a yacht, a long clipper stem and bowsprit, buff-colored funnels.”

In February 1901, Scientific American highlighted that the vessel was “designed for a class of service which hitherto has been performed by the regular ships of this company...the first vessel of her kind to be built purely for yachting [leisure cruising] purposes.”

Brinnin gives Ballin full credit for the accomplishment: “The real breakthrough in pleasure cruising, at least as the 20th century would come to know it, was...the single-handed gesture of Albert Ballin,” he wrote in Grand Saloon .

Indeed, James Delgado, the former director of NOAA’s Maritime Heritage Program, and senior vice president of SEARCH , a marine archaeology program, acknowledged Ballin’s contributions as well and says there is consensus that the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was the “first purpose-built, non-private excursion ship: what we call ‘cruise’ ships today.”

Named by Ballin after the German emperor’s only daughter, the Victoria Luise boasted a large gymnasium, a social hall, a library, a smoking room, a palatial art gallery surrounding the dining room, spacious promenade decks, a ballroom for dancing, a darkroom for amateur photographers and 120 unusually commodious first-class only staterooms—each equipped with elegant European furnishings, brass beds and double-light portholes that were opened when the ship was in warm climates. “It was Ballin’s intention that the style and service (on board) should be commensurate with the finest European hotels,” says Bruce Peter, a design historian at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland and author of Cruise Ships: A Design Voyage .

“There was no consideration for accommodating lesser fare passengers or freight,” Delgado explains, “just cruising in style in well-appointed cabins with good food and visiting different ports.”

After launching from Hamburg on June 29, 1900, the Victoria Luise ’s first cruise lasted 35 days and explored ports in the West Indies and Venezuela. Subsequent Victoria Luise cruises sometimes followed the same route, at times changing destinations across the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas and beyond. “The vessel sailed to Norway and the Baltic in summer, to the Mediterranean and to the Caribbean in winter,” Peter says, noting ”the four ever-popular cruising regions.” Over the years it docked in ports in New York, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, the North Cape in Norway and St Petersburg.

“Every port had well-planned shore excursions,” says Finamore.

Even though the superrich already had yachts of their own “none were available for public bookings,” Finamore explains—and Ballin knew he’d need to market to a wealthy clientele in order to make the venture a success. To that end, he requested that engineering journals refer to the Victoria Luise as a “cruising yacht.”

The Victoria Luise made leisure cruising available to people who couldn’t afford “the upkeep and maintenance, let alone the expense of building such vessels,” Delgado says. Adds Peter, “There was a strong desire among the very wealthy to emulate the style of royals and emperors.” Its popularity opened the doors to many additional such vessels being commissioned by HAPAG officials; with other popular shipping lines of the day following suit. (Including the White Star Line, the navigation company responsible for commissioning the Titanic .)

The deck of the Victoria Luise boasted a permanent awning framework that provided shade and shelter while nearby musicians entertained guests. Inside, “a string quartet would play from the dining saloon balcony at dinner,” Peter says, and “local performers would be brought onboard to give the passengers a taste of the exotic when in specific ports.”

In addition to entertainment, passengers expected decadent cuisine on board and enjoyed it in abundance, though not without great effort. “Fine-dining on a ship such as this was a particular challenge,” Finamore says. “Everything on a broad menu offering multiple courses had to be planned, stored, preserved and prepared on board.” Menu selections aboard one Victoria Luise cruise included beef broth with farina dumplings and roast duck and whortleberry soup. To celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday at sea on February 12, 1906—either as a nod to the ship’s American passengers or just an excuse to throw a party, or both—the chef offered selections of fried halibut in Russian sauce, or Strasbourg goose in jelly, while the ship’s band played John Philip Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever” from the surrounding balcony.

Fine-dining and lively entertainment were no substitute for good seamanship, however, and the majesty and tranquility of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was short-lived. While on a Caribbean cruise in December 1906, it crashed against an uncharted ridge off the coast of Jamaica. Captain H. Brunswig had had tried to enter the harbor without aid and had incorrectly identified the Plumb Point Lighthouse for the lighthouse at the port he was due at, the Port Royal Lighthouse. To make matters worse, Peter says, “the shape of the seabed off Jamaica had been changed by a recent volcanic eruption, so the charts the captain depended on were wrong.”

Though no passengers were harmed when the ship ran aground (everyone was rescued by the following morning), Brunswig retreated to his cabin after the evacuation and ended his life with a pistol . ”I cannot account for his act except on the theory that his pride was crushed by the accident, and that he believed that only death would wipe out what he regarded as his disgrace,” an HAPAG executive said at the time. A New York Times article of a few days later said the captain had been “one of the best known and most reliable commanders in the company’s service.” His death came as a shock to colleagues. “Though he was clearly to blame,” McCracken says, “his steward and other officers later said that they certainly did not expect him to commit suicide.”

The ship itself tragically shared its captain’s fate. After pounding waves were seen “breaking over her pitilessly,” as a Jamaican news article said at the time, the vessel quickly became a total loss and was soon “abandoned and left to her fate.” As Brinnin wrote in Grand Saloon: ”The sea had claimed one of its prettiest prizes.” Upon hearing of the loss of his ship, Ballin commissioned a replacement vessel to be built by the same shipbuilder, which he named The Meteor.

After the crash of the Victoria Luise and the subsequent crash and sinking of the Titanic and the Lusitania four and then eight years later, the world of leisure cruising slowly came to a halt. “With the start of World War I and the following Depression, the concept of an excursion or cruise ships would not be reborn until after World War II,” Delgado says.

“Modern cruise ships owe a huge debt of gratitude to pioneers like Albert Ballin,” McCraken says. “His contribution to maritime history—particularly as the father of modern leisure cruising—is incalculable.”

Get the latest History stories in your inbox?

Click to visit our Privacy Statement .

Daryl Austin | READ MORE

Daryl Austin is a journalist based in Utah. His work has appeared in National Geographic, The Washington Post, Kaiser Health News, Discover Magazine, and LiveScience.

What was the first cruise ship? Origins, Features, Evolution

The first cruise ship, Origins, Features, and Evolution: The allure of cruise ships has stood the test of time, captivating the fascination of adventurers seeking luxury and exploration on the high seas. However, the genesis of these magnificent vessels can be traced back to a period when leisurely maritime travel was an emerging concept. Exploring the origins of the first cruise ship sheds light on the modest beginnings that paved the way for today’s flourishing cruise industry. During the 19th century, the advent of steam-powered ships revolutionized oceanic travel, primarily serving commercial purposes. Yet, amidst this utilitarian landscape, a shift began as these vessels started accommodating affluent travelers seeking leisurely experiences. This marked the nascent stage of what would later evolve into the opulent world of cruise ships.

Origins of Cruising

Transatlantic travel underwent a significant transformation in the middle of the 1800s, largely thanks to industry titans like the Cunard Line and the White Star Line. These companies spearheaded the shift from functional transportation to lavish, leisure-focused journeys. Opulent accommodations and luxurious services defined these voyages. They attracted a niche market of affluent travelers seeking comfort and indulgence. This transition marked a crucial juncture. Oceanic travel ceased being just transportation. It transformed into an experience tailored to delight and entertain passengers.

Transition to Leisure Travel

The emergence of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise , in this era of shifting perceptions represented a significant leap in maritime history. This ship, which the Hamburg-America Line commissioned and launched in 1900, served solely as a symbol of the shifting tide. It signified a departure from the traditional cargo-focused ships, signaling a new era of opulence and pleasure at sea. The creation of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise heralded a paradigm shift. It envisioned a vessel that transcended transportation boundaries. The ship embraced the concept of a floating luxury hotel. It enticed passengers with an unparalleled level of comfort and sophistication.

Your Ultimate Guide to the 2023 Woodward Dream Cruise!

The Emergence of the Pioneer

In this era of transformation, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise emerged as a groundbreaking innovation. This vessel’s commission by the Hamburg-America Line marked a turning point in maritime history. Launched in 1900, it was purposefully designed to cater exclusively to leisure travelers, marking a departure from traditional cargo-focused ships.

Key Features of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise

Crafted meticulously at the esteemed Blohm & Voss shipyards in Germany, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was an engineering marvel of its time. Its dimensions were impressive, spanning 407 feet in length and boasting a design that epitomized elegance. With accommodations comprising 120 luxurious cabins, the ship could host up to 220 passengers, each space meticulously designed to exude opulence. Beyond its sheer size, the vessel was adorned with a myriad of lavish amenities.

The ship’s library, adorned with rich woodwork and plush seating, offered passengers a sanctuary for literary indulgence amidst the ocean expanse. The gymnasium, equipped with state-of-the-art exercise apparatus, catered to the fitness inclinations of travelers seeking to maintain their routines while aboard. Meanwhile, the smoking room provided a refined space for socializing and relaxation, adorned with intricate decor and comfortable furnishings. For the photography enthusiasts aboard, a dedicated darkroom facilitated the development of captured memories, fostering a sense of creativity amidst the journey.

The Maiden Voyage

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise embarked on its maiden voyage on June 5, 1900, from Hamburg, Germany. It set sail across the North Sea, initiating a historic journey. The inaugural voyage was meticulously planned. It aimed to offer passengers a glimpse of maritime delights and cultural richness at each port of call. The itinerary included stops at vibrant cities like London and Oslo. This invited travelers to explore bustling hubs before returning to the ship’s comfort and luxury. As the Prinzessin Victoria Luise navigated the waves, passengers reveled in the novelty of a voyage designed solely for pleasure and leisure. They indulged in the blend of opulence and exploration offered by this pioneering vessel.

Impact and Legacy of the first cruise ship

The successful voyage of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise left an indelible mark on the maritime landscape, revolutionizing perceptions of oceanic travel. It propelled the evolution of cruising as a leisure pursuit, reshaping the narrative from utilitarian voyages to alluring, experiential journeys. This watershed moment in maritime history laid the foundation for the exponential growth of the cruise industry, inspiring numerous shipping companies to embark on the construction of luxurious liners dedicated to leisure voyages. The legacy of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise endures as a testament to the transformative power of innovation, igniting a passion for exploration and luxury that continues to enthrall travelers on modern-day cruise ships.

Evolution of the Cruise Industry

In the wake of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise’s triumphant voyage, a wave of transformation swept through the maritime world. The success of this pioneering vessel spurred a frenzy among shipping companies to meet the surging demand for leisurely ocean travel. Consequently, the early 20th century witnessed an unprecedented surge in the construction of purpose-built cruise ships. These luxurious liners, designed explicitly for pleasure cruises, emerged with a focus on offering unparalleled comfort and extravagant amenities to discerning passengers.

The proliferation of these opulent vessels transformed the cruise industry into a realm of unparalleled sophistication and indulgence. From the opulent salons to the expansive deck spaces adorned with lounges and entertainment venues, these ships aimed to cater to every aspect of a traveler’s desires. Elaborate dining experiences featuring gourmet cuisine and extravagant social gatherings became the norm, elevating the onboard experience to new heights. Moreover, diverse itineraries catering to foreign destinations around the globe enticed travelers seeking adventures and cultural explorations. The evolution of the cruise industry mirrored the changing desires of passengers, encapsulating the essence of luxury, comfort, and exploration on the high seas.

The first cruise ship: Conclusion

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise stands as an emblem of innovation, heralding a new era in maritime history. Its maiden voyage marked the genesis of an industry that has flourished beyond expectations. The cruise ship concept has evolved significantly since its inception. It has become an all-encompassing experience for modern-day travelers. This evolution captivates travelers with sophistication, comfort, and exploration. Understanding the pioneering spirit of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise is crucial. It helps us appreciate the remarkable development of the cruise industry. The industry has come a long way from its modest beginnings. Today, opulent and breathtaking ships grace the seas. Travelers continue to embark on voyages aboard these floating palaces. They owe a nod to the legacy of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise. This vessel set sail on an unforgettable maiden voyage. It shaped the course of leisure travel on the high seas for generations to come.

Related Posts

Royal Caribbean Cruises, History, Destinations and Itineraries

Ambassador Cruise Line: Ownership and History

Leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

A History of Cruise Ships: From Past to Present

11th April 2014

For over 100 years, people have been using cruise ships to travel. As one of the longest-standing methods of travel – find out have cruise ships have changed and grown over the decades.

Nothing can beat being on a cruise ship. With numerous restaurants,forms of entertainment available and numerous destinations across the world. It doesn’t matter if you want a full blown adventure through the wildlife of Alaska, or to chill and soak in the sun on a mediterranean cruise , there will always be a cruise tailored for you. Modern luxury liners provide journeys through many different countries and ports. The history of cruise ships and the way technology has moved forward is what makes today’s ships so popular as a holiday alternative.

Where did it all start though? People are so used to jumping on a cruise ship and ending up in a location that they don’t even consider the technological advances that have occurred over the years.

Would you believe me if I told you that it started off because of the need to deliver mail?

The Original Ships

The birth of leisure cruising started with the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company way back in 1822. Three sailors, Captain Richard Bourne, Brodie McGhie and Arthur Anderson started with a steam service between London, Spain and Portugal. This journey is better known as the Iberian Peninsula.

In the year of 1837, they managed to win the first contract to deliver mail. It wasn’t until 1840 that the company started to deliver mail. They began to deliver mail to Alexandria, Egypt, via Gibraltar and Malta. They did such a good job that they were incorporated in the Royal Charter.

Four years later in 1844, the first passenger cruises were introduced. They advertised sea tours to different destinations such as Athens, Malta and Gibraltar, all starting at Southampton . This was the birth of modern day cruises as we know them today.

Later on the company introduced round trips to destinations such as Alexandria and Constantinople.

In the latter half of the 19th century, there was a major expansion in development. Larger, more luxurious ships were built to accommodate the rapidly expanding market.

Some historians speak of a ship, the Francesco I, that flew the flag of the the two Sicilies as the first cruise ship. Built in 1831, it sailed from Naples early June 1833. The ship was boarded by royal princes, authorities and nobles from all over Europe. In just under the space of three months the ship had sailed to Taormina, Catania, Syracuse, Malta, Corfu, Patras, Delphi, Zante, Athens , Smyrna and Constantinople.

Passengers were entertained with guided tours, dancing, card game and parties. This journey was strictly for the aristocracy of Europe. Normal people were not allowed to board the ship. They did this so that they would only get upper class people on these sorts of journeys.

The German ship, Augusta Victoria, cruised the Mediterranean and the near East from 22 January to the 22 March 1891. With 241 passengers, the popularisation of cruises was shown to a wider market. This ship was the first liner that was designed with twin propellor design. This made it one of the fastest ships at that time. One of the passengers, Christian Wilhelm Allers, wrote an illustrated account of this journey .

The Augusta Victoria was one of the first ships that introduced the concept of a “floating hotel”. The interior design was designed like an old fashioned hotel. A reception was surrounded by palm trees, and there was a sleekly designed smoking room designed for passengers.

Up to this point, all the ships that had done cruise style voyages were standard ships that were not exclusively designed for this purpose. They had very basic designs, and entertainment usually considered of a smoking room. Most activities would be done on the deck.

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise was the first to be designed purely for luxury cruising. At the time cruises were targeted towards wealthy travellers. Because of this the ship was designed to look like a private yacht rather than a commercial ship.

Onboard, the ship contained 120 cabins that were all first class. All of the rooms were made to be luxurious. There was also a library, a gymnasium, and a darkroom for the development of film by amateur photographers.

With the act of luxury cruising becoming more popular, the market expanded massively. Transatlantic cruises became very popular.

To compete with an ever expanding markets, cruise liners started to incorporate even more luxuries. Fine dining and luxury service are just a few of the ways that companies attempted to convince people to choose their cruise liners.

It wasn’t until later in the 19th century, that Albert Ballin had the idea to send transatlantic ships out to places like the North Atlantic during the winter seasons. Weather conditions would be worse than the normal crossings in summer. Other companies instantly took advantage of this and built their very own specialized ships. They were specifically designed for the easy transformation between summer crossings and winter cruising.

Modern Luxury Cruisers

The introduction of large commercial jet aircrafts in the 1960s caused people to switch from ships to planes. This sent the ocean liner business in to a decline.

The ships were not designed well enough for the modern age. High fuel consumption, the inability to dock at shallow docks and windowless cabins with no regard to comfort put passengers off the idea of cruises.

By 1986, ocean liner services aimed at passenger were cancelled, other than the exception of transatlantic crossings operated by the British company Cunard Line. They catered to a niche market of people who appreciated several days at sea.

Cunard has an attempt to shift the focus of passenger travel to cruising with a high entertainment value. They pioneered this by pioneering the luxury cruise line, the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner. International celebrities were hired to provide entertainment acts onboard the ship. The crossing was cleverly advertised as a vacation in itself.

The Queen Elizabeth 2 marketed one class cruising. This meant all passengers had the same quality facilities as each other. The kick started the market as the idea of luxury cruises become a popular idea on both sides of the Atlantic.

The 1970 television show, Love Boat, made the idea that a cruise was a romantic getaway for couples popular. Ships built in the late 1980s and started to break the size record held by other ships. The Sovereigns were the first “mega ships” that were built. They pioneered the idea that cruise ships should be built to include a multi story atrium with glass elevators.

Cabins were made that had the luxury feature of a private balconies instead of oceanview cabins. Other ships started to use similar ideas to convince people to choose their ships.

With veranda suites becoming much more popular with people, the more recent cruise ships have been designed to maximize the amount of rooms with this feature.

1975 – 1980 cruises offered features like deck chairs and games such as shuffleboard as a way to get people interested in sailing. After 1980, even more activities were introduced such as arcades and discos. City sized ships have numerous activities that people can take part in.

Cruise Ship Organisation

On board facilities.

Modern cruise ships are organized to be floating hotels by having hospitality staff as well as the addition to the ship’s crew.

In older ships it was traditional that the ships would organise two dining services in a day, one for morning breakfast and the other for evening dinner. People may have been required to dress in formal attire to match the style of food that was being served.

The majority of modern ships allow people to dine whenever they want. Besides numerous restaurants there are often casual buffet style places to eat that are open 24 hours. The food normally varies throughout the day, ranging from breakfast to late night snacks. This can range from delicious sandwiches, to carefully crafted cakes, the list of foods go on and on.

A lot of modern cruise ships have special restaurants that require you to play an extra charge for. These restaurants are often of the highest quality, offering meals that are not available in the standard dining places.

Cruise ships also feature numerous bars and nightclubs for passenger entertainment.

The majority of modern cruise ships feature facilities such as casinos, fitness centers, spas, shops, theatres, Libraries, Swimming pools, Cinemas, hot tubs, lounges, gyms, pool and ping pong tables.

The naming of ships

It isn’t unusual for ships to have activities like bowling alleys, ice skating rinks, rock climbing walls, miniature golf course, arcades, surfing simulators, basketball courts and chain restaurants that are available for use throughout the day.

Most older cruise ships have had more than one owner. It isn’t unusual that some ships will have a new name once they have been purchased by another owner.

Utilisation of cruise ships

Cruise ships have more uses than just being a mode of overseas transport. A shortage of hotel accommodation occurred during the 2004 summer olympics. They ended up mooring a number of cruise ships to provide accommodation for tourists.

A similar case was during September 1, 2005, when hurricane Katrina devastated new orleans. Three cruise line vessels were brought in to house the numerous evacuees.

In 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano erupted, shutting down UK airspace. The newly completed cruise liner, Celebrity Eclipse , was used to rescue 2000 British tourists that had been stranded in Spain. They started the journey on April 21 and returned to the English coast on April. The owners did it out of goodwill and did not charge any of the passengers.

Caribbean cruising

The Caribbean cruising industry is one of the largest in the world. Over 45,00 people from the Caribbean are directly employed into the cruise industry. Over $2 billion is made to the Caribbean islands. More than 17,457,600 cruise passengers have visited the islands.

The Caribbean is one of the most popular tours in the world. With numerous islands to visit, foods and sights to see, there isn’t any wonder why these cruises do so well.

Stability advances

The design of cruise ships has changed at a rapid rate throughout the years. One of the major changes has been moving passenger cabins from inside the hull to the main structure. This has allowed more balconies to be added to rooms. It also makes cruise ships top heavy, making them safer to sail on long journeys.

One of the main selling points of cruise ships is to allow the maximum comfort that can be had. Many passenger ships use stabilizers to reduce the rolling you may get in rough weather. This is for the sole purpose of passenger and crew comfort, it does not contribute to the overall stability of the vessel. Ships do have to fulfill stability requirements even without stabilizer fins to legally sail.

Why should you go on a cruise?

The answer is simple. Cruise ships are one of the most adaptable holidays you can have. Over 20,335,00 people go on cruises in a year. With over 60 destinations to choose from the possibilites are endless.

One of the best points of a cruise is having so much to do. There is no way that you could ever be bored. You are in control of what you want to do. With so many activities on a cruise ship, ranging from meals to arcade games, you can be as active as you want to be. Prefer to relax? The majority of liners have many sun beds you lie back in and soak in the rays. Some activities are aimed at younger children. Child entertainers, discos and water slides all provide hours of entertainment to keep a little one occupied. Waking up in a different country, laughing at the various comedians that appear at the theatres, trying your hand at a climbing wall or just having a dip in the pool. Going on captains diners while everyone dresses up, discos and champagne evenings. If these activities don’t make you want to go on a cruise then nothing will.

Then and Now: Cruise Ship Travel Through the Years

The cruising industry has gone through some incredible changes over the past 100 years — and the tides continue to turn on cruising as a form of leisure travel.

Cruising has never been more accessible and, as such, continues to draw more curious travelers into the arms of the ocean. And while we may not be cruising as much right now, learning about cruising history can help get us through until the seas are open for good again.

From the ill-fated Titanic to modern cruising conundrums, here are some of the most fascinating aspects of cruise ship travel history.

The First American 'Cruise' Crossed the Atlantic in 1819

The first "cruise" vessel to cross the Atlantic from a U.S. port was the S.S. Savannah in 1819. 

The cruise liner took 29 days to reach England and is considered to be the cause of a new era of marine travel by proving that ships powered by steam could actually pick up enough speed to be convenient.

It’s Believed That Cruising Originated In Germany

Cruising can be traced back to Albert Ballin, a German shipping magnate who is believed to be the inventor of the modern-day cruise liner. 

The Augusta Victoria departed Cuxhaven, Germany, in January 1891 with a total of 241 brave passengers. The two-month-long cruise stopped at over a dozen ports that would later become hot spots all throughout the Mediterranean.

Cruise Liners Were Originally Used Strictly for Transportation

Transport ocean liners were originally used as just that — transport. 

The large vessels were exclusively used as a means to get from point A to point B without ever hopping from port to port for leisure.

Mark Twain Helped Boost the Early Cruising Industry

Mark Twain published "The Innocents Abroad" in 1869, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the cruising industry. 

The story follows Twain’s five-month trip from Europe to Jerusalem on the Quaker City and is credited for sparking interest in cruising for pleasure rather than just to get from point A to point B.

The First Leisure Cruise Line Was Built in 1900

While cruise liners were used exclusively for transportation up until the early 1900s, it wasn’t until Albert Ballin completed the Prinzessin Victoria Luise of Germany that the tides started to turn. 

The luxury cruising vessel was completed in 1900 and was designed to transport passengers in style and comfort. The ship was in service until 1906 when it was accidentally grounded off the coast of Jamaica.

There Were Very Few Bathrooms on Early Cruise Ships

Cruise ships were much smaller in the early 1900s than they are today, and as such, there were much fewer bathrooms. 

All passengers — including first-class guests — would have to share public bathrooms on board.

There Were Very Few Routes and Ports to Choose From

Prior to the 1980s, there were very few ports and routes for passengers to take. 

The most popular route was between London, England, and New York, New York. Passengers looking to explore inward into the U.S. or Europe would opt for air travel.

The Titanic Would Be Considered a Small Vessel by Modern Standards

The Titanic may have been touted as the "Queen of the Ocean" — but the unlucky vessel would have been considered quite small by today’s standards. 

The cruise liner set sail in 1912 with 2,229 guests, while today's average Princess Cruise Line vessel can accommodate upward of 4,000 guests.

The Titanic Was One of Three Luxury Ocean Liners Built by the White Star Line

We’re all very familiar with the tragic story of the Titanic — but the White Star line actually built three luxury cruise liners for transatlantic trips. 

Alongside the Titanic, there was the Olympic and the Britannic. The Britannic was used as a British government ship, but the Olympic set the stage for luxury cruise ship amenities like on-board swimming pools.

The Addition of Safety Equipment Once Caused a Ship to Sink

The ill-fated journey of the Titanic sparked the cruise industry to reconsider what it means to have enough safety equipment on board — but unfortunately, for the SS Eastland, taking extra precautions was its downfall. 

The cruise ship set sail through the Great Lakes in 1915, but the additional weight of all the lifeboats and rafts caused the ship to capsize and resulted in the deaths of 844 passengers.

Cruises Were Reserved for VIP Passengers Until the 1960s

The cruising industry was not nearly as accessible in the early 1900s as it is today — and, as such, most guests would be royal, famous or very well off. 

The Titanic, for example, cost about $2,500 for a ticket, which would be closer to $61,000 in today’s economy.

Most Crew Members Talk in Code

While it is true that most ships have their own jargon, most crew members share a single unique code for all words, places, things and even events that happen on board the ship. 

Not only does this give crew members their own personal "space" and privacy that living on a ship usually strips them of, but it also allows crew to chat among themselves without worrying about guests overhearing.

Cruise Ships Have Been Used as Places of Refuge After Natural Disasters

It might not seem like a haven during a tropical storm, but cruise ships have served as a place of refuge following natural disasters in the United States. 

The Ecstasy and the Sensation from Carnival Cruise Ships, for example, provided shelter and meals to thousands of city workers in New Orleans, Louisiana, after Hurricane Katrina hit.

Cruise Line Vessels Also Frequently Double as Rescue Boats

You might not expect a luxury vessel packed with discerning clients to double as a rescue boat, but many cruise liners have taken it upon themselves to rescue fishermen and other marine workers in need. 

The Carnival Sensation recently rescued 24 people from a sinking boat off the coast of Florida. And it happens much more frequently than you might believe.

Ironically, sometimes it's dumb cruise ship passengers who need rescuing after pulling unconscientious stunts like jumping out of balconies.

There Are Clothing-Optional Cruise Lines

Clothes-free and clothing-optional cruises are a popular and growing vacation choice, according to the American Association for Nude Recreation . 

"We’ve talked to and worked with many of the larger cruise lines: Costa, Dolphin, Carnival, Holland America’s Windstar and Majesty," says Nancy, who runs Bare Necessities Cruises with her ex-husband Tom. "When a company like ours can deliver a full ship, that’s a bonus for any cruise line." 

Many Cruise Ships Have On-Board Morgues

According to the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office at Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, nearly 100 people have died on cruise ships that arrived in Fort Lauderdale between 2014 and 2017. 

Bodies can be stored in shipboard morgues for up to a week, and most cruise ships have room for three to six bodies.

The Crew Members Typically Sleep on the Lowest Level

Let’s just say the crew’s accommodations are not quite as glamorous as the guests in the top deck. 

Most crew members sleep on the "B deck," which is below the waterline of the ship. They usually share dorm-style rooms and will typically have their own bathrooms.

There Are Hidden Crew-Only Bars and Pools

More crew and staff facilities are typically located on the "A deck" — including the crew store and the crew bar (where no passengers are allowed). 

Certain modern-day liners also include an employees-only swimming pool and sunbathing areas.

Most Cruise Ships Have Well-Known 'Godmothers'

Cruise liners and many other ships follow a longstanding tradition of naming a well-known "godmother" who is selected by the cruise line and acts as good luck for the ship. 

Celebrity godmothers have ranged from Helen Mirren and Reba McEntire to Oprah and Queen Elizabeth.

More Cruises Depart from Florida than Anywhere Else in the U.S.

Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale is the most popular cruise port in the United States with over 3 million passengers passing through its ports in a given year.

That’s about 145,866 passengers boarding vessels every single day.

State Rooms Are Typically Built Separate from the Rest of the Ship

Staterooms are typically built off-site by a completely different company to ensure ample space and time to complete the project. 

The finished staterooms are then transported to the shipyard and lifted onto the exterior of the ship later in the project.

Some Cruise Ships Are Designed for Permanent Residents

Hoping to make your next home a cruise ship? It’s not exactly that wild of a dream. Avid cruisers who wish to move into their state room can now do so thanks to luxury liner The World. 

The 165-guest ship takes its permanent residents all across the globe and back again — and then does it all over.

Many Cruise Liners Have an On-Board Jail

No, you’re not going to be put in cruise ship jail for overdoing it at the buffet or sneaking a glass of wine to your room from the bar. 

The on-board jail — known as the brig — is rarely used and is typically reserved for passengers who commit serious crimes, like drug trafficking.

Princess Cruises Made its Debut by Way of a Television Series

"The Love Boat" television series ran from 1977 to 1986 and, as such, made Princess Cruises and its Pacific Princess ship recognizable in all corners of the world. 

The spin-off series "Love Boat: The Next Wave" featured Sun Princess and increased its name recognition even more.

River Cruises Only Gained Popularity in the 1990s

River cruising has become a great option for anyone looking for a quick trip. But it wasn’t always the case. The Rhine-Main-Danube canal opened in 1992 and set off a new way to explore Europe from the water. 

Viking River Cruises made its debut in 1997 and has since become the largest river cruise fleet.

The Cruise Industry Is Only Growing

Although this method of travel has been topical for over a hundred years at this point, it shows no sign of slowing down. 

The cruise industry has reportedly grown year-over-year at a rate of 7 percent since 1980 (if you don’t count the pause in sailing due to the pandemic).

Many Cruise Ships Don’t Keep Bananas on Board

Many superstitious captains and cruise liners believe that bananas can bring bad luck to the ship. This superstition dates all the way back to the 1700s and is believed to have sprung from a myth that poisonous spiders would hide in banana crates and poison the crew. 

Another theory is that bananas seen floating on the top of the water were often the first signs of a nearby shipwreck.

Pirate Attacks Can and Do Happen — Even Today

Pirate attacks sound like the punchline to a Peter Pan sequel. But they can and do happen to ships and cruise liners. 

Thankfully, there are less than 200 pirate attacks annually and, according to Cruise Critic, there have only been six reported incidents of pirate attacks to cruise ships in the past decade.

The World’s Longest Cruise Was 357 Days

The longest consecutive cruise in history took place in 2016 when Mundy Cruises offered a "World of Travel" itinerary. 

The 357-day cruise sailed to all seven continents and took place aboard seven different vessels.

The Largest Cruise Liner on Record Is Twice the Length of the Washington Monument

The largest cruise liner — Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas — was reportedly more than twice the length of the Washington Monument when it first hit the seas in 2018.

The massive ship features 2,759 staterooms, more than 20 restaurants and even an on-board zipline.

Old News, Vintage Photos & Nostalgic Stories

The beginnings of leisure cruising and the first cruise ships in the world.

• Self-Propelled

Sometimes the point of a journey is not only to transport yourself from one location to another; some journeys are made purely for pleasure.

If the goal of traveling is pure pleasure, is there a better way to enjoy yourself than taking a boat and cruising the oceans and seas? For those who aren’t seasick, leisure cruising is the right choice. Leisure cruising wasn’t created for fast transportation.

It is meant to do just the opposite; to slowly take you on wonderful tours around the globe and show you the beauty of the seas while making you feel comfortable and entertained.

At the beginning, leisure cruising was a privilege reserved only for the richest. Today, with many ships available around the world, it has become more affordable for all of us.

Leisure cruising wasn’t created for fast transportation. It is meant to do just the opposite; to slowly take you on wonderful tours around the globe and show you the beauty of the seas while making you feel comfortable and entertained. At the beginning, leisure cruising was a privilege reserved only for the richest. Today, with many ships available around the world, it has become more affordable for all of us.

First of all, “cruising by boat” is defined as a lifestyle that involves living for extended time on a vessel while traveling from place to place for pleasure. Cruising refers to trips of a few days or more and can extend to round-the-world voyages. So when did this kind of traveling begin?

According to some sources, the first cruise ship was an Italian vessel called  Francesco I, built in 1833.

After a marketing campaign had been made about its journey, it sailed from Naples in June 1833. Francesco I, boarded by many European nobles, authorities, and royal princes, sailed to many important ports of the time, including Catania, Syracuse, Malta, Corfu, Delphi, Athens, and Constantinople.

  Passengers were treated to lavish meals, excursions, guided tours, and organized parties to make their journey enjoyable. Although this trip apparently belongs to the pleasure cruise category, it was only available to European aristocracy and thus, was not commercial like the others that followed in the next decade.

The actual beginnings of leisure cruises can be traced back to 1822 and the foundation of the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

At the start, the company operated only shipping lines (under the name Peninsular Steam Navigation Company), and in 1837 they received a contract for mail delivery between England and the Iberian Peninsula. Three years later, they received a new contract for delivering mail to Alexandria, Egypt, Gibraltar, and Malta.

Three years later, they received a new contract for delivering mail to Alexandria, Egypt, Gibraltar, and Malta. These contracts opened new possibilities for the company, and in 1844 they started offering passenger services also.

The Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O Cruises) advertised boat cruises from Southampton to places like Gibraltar, Malta, and Athens.

Those journeys laid the foundations for modern cruise holidays. Because of these pioneering tours, P&O Cruises are recognized as the world’s oldest cruise line. They also made the first round trips to Alexandria and Constantinople. The company flourished towards the end of the 19th century when ships became more sophisticated, larger, and luxurious.

Famous for the popularization of leisure cruises were a series of tours made by a German ship called  Augusta Victoria in the Mediterranean and the Near East. In 1891,  Augusta Victoria took Albert Ballin (a German shipping magnate and the owner of the ship) and 240 other passengers on a pleasant journey through the Mediterranean Sea.

Albert Ballin’s company (Hamburg-America Line) was also the first one to send ships on southern cruises when cold winter weather made it difficult for ships to cross the Atlantic.

Many other companies followed this example and some even utilized their ships for summer transatlantic crossings and winter cruising.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the first ship made solely for the purpose of pleasure cruising was built. The Prinzessin Victoria Luise (Hamburg-America Line) was completed in June 1900 and sent on her maiden voyage to New York on 5 January 1901.

She was one of a kind. All of her 120 cabins were first class and luxuriously decorated (with some instructions from the Emperor himself).  Prinzessin Victoria also had a library, a gymnasium, and a darkroom for the development of film by amateur photographers.

Unfortunately, five years later the ship was accidentally grounded just off the coast of Jamaica. The captain locked himself in his quarters and shot himself.

Soon, many of the transatlantic ships (such as the Titanic ) started to offer services that were inspired from the leisure cruising business.

In 1906, there was a total of seven luxury liners in service. Some of the more famous were  City of Paris, Campania, Lucania, Majestic, and Teutonic.

With the development of large passenger jet aircraft in the 1960s, the majority of intercontinental transport moved from ships to planes.

The Ocean liner trade slowly started to loose their customers. The 1980s brought a big change in the ocean liner niche.

Companies lie Cunard Line moved their focus on people who wanted to spend their time at sea and specialized their ship  Queen Elizabeth II  for luxury transatlantic cruises.

This was the rebirth of pleasure cruises. The journeys were advertised as a vacation and the ship as a floating hotel, not just a vessel for transportation.

Did you know this about the Titanic: Wreckage of the RMS Titanic expected to disappear by 2030 thanks to hungry bacteria

Other companies followed this innovation and soon fleets of huge mega cruisers started to appear, a trend that still continues today.

The Story of the First Cruise Ship: SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise

By: Author Carrie Ann Karstunen

Posted on Published: July 19, 2021  - Last updated: September 1, 2022

Ocean liners have been carrying passengers across the sea since the 1840s. But the first cruise ship built for pleasure cruising wasn’t launched until the turn of the 20th century. Here’s the story of the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise , a revolutionary ship with a tragic fate.

SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise  was a German passenger ship, built for the Hamburg-America Line, also known as HAPAG. She is considered to be the first purpose-built cruise ship.

Launched on June 29, 1900, she sailed with HAPAG until December 16, 1906 when she was accidentally grounded off of Port Royal, Jamaica.

But why was the first cruise ship built? And why was this groundbreaking luxury liner abandoned? Find out the real story of the first cruise ship , illustrated with vintage photos of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise .

Why was the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise built?

In 1886 Albert Ballin—today considered the father of modern cruise ship travel—joined Hamburg-America as the manager of its passage department.

Ballin immediately realized that in the winter months the company’s flagship vessel, the ocean liner Augusta Victoria , sat idle. Passengers didn’t want to travel in the North Atlantic in frigid conditions.

At this time, people traveled on ocean liners not as a vacation, but as a means of getting from one place to another.

Although he was criticized by his peers for the unusual decision, Ballin chose to send the Augusta Victoria on a 58-day pleasure voyage from Germany to the Mediterranean. This cruise would include shore excursions at various ports of call, and Ballin and his wife would be among the passengers.

From January to March 1891, the ship cruised from Cuxhaven, Germany to Southampton, Gibraltar, Genoa, Cairo, Jerusalem, Damascus, Constantinople (now Istanbul), Athens, Malta, Naples, and Lisbon before returning to Hamburg.

The journey was a success, and Ballin planned to offer more cruises through HAPAG, though at the time they were often called “pleasure voyages” or “excursions”.

The Augusta Victoria may have hosted one of the first cruise voyages, but she wasn’t a cruise ship. Like the other ocean liners of her day, this ship was built for speed and had very few amenities on board.

Ocean liners in the HAPAG fleet were all multi-class vessels, designed to limit premium deck space to first-class passengers, with restrictions on those staying in second- and especially third-class areas of the ship. This wasn’t the best setup for the wealthy clientele Ballin hoped to attract.

Deck space on these ships was also sheltered, to protect those on board from the elements when sailing in the North Atlantic—not exactly what you’d want for a pleasure cruise in warm weather.

Ballin firmly believed that only a ship specifically designed for vacationers would work for his vision, and that these new ships could spend the entire year cruising.

In 1899 Ballin became managing director of Hamburg-America. Just a few months later he commissioned Blohm & Voss , a German shipbuilding and engineering company, to construct his first cruise ship.

She would be named after Kaiser Wilhelm II’s seven-year-old daughter, Princess Victoria Luise of Prussia. The ship, christened Prinzessin Victoria Luise by the Countess von Waldersee, was due to launch on June 29, 1900.

How was the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise different from other ocean liners of the time?

As he hoped to attract wealthy travelers looking to adventure in style, Ballin made sure that the Prinzessin Victoria Luise looked nothing like a utilitarian ocean liner.

The design of his new ship looked more like a private yacht—with her slim hull, rounded stern, and clipper bow enhanced with decorative carvings and a figurehead of her namesake princess.

Painted in all white (which helped keep the ship cool in tropical climates as well as give her a more elegant look) she sported two masts and two slim funnels positioned amidships.

Once on board, passengers noticed that the luxurious interior spaces included amenities designed to pass the time at sea during leisurely voyages.

Reportedly in consultation with Germany’s kaiser, who had become his personal friend, Ballin included a library, a small gymnasium, and even a darkroom so amateur photographers could process their travel photos.

(Once the finishing touches were completed on the ship, the kaiser made a formal inspection and was said to be unhappy that Victoria Luise was slightly longer than his own royal yacht Hohenzollern!)

Also unlike the ocean liners of the time, Prinzessin Victoria Luise had all first-class staterooms—passengers on this new type of ship were no longer segregated by class.

However, there were no cheap fares to be had. Prices for these cruises, which lasted 14 to 33 days, ranged from $75 to $175 and up. (That’s equivalent to $2,315 to $5,403 in today’s money. The average yearly salary in the US at the time was only $449.80, so only the wealthy could afford to cruise.)

The ship had very little space for transporting mail or cargo—it was designed solely for the enjoyment of passengers.

Albert Ballin wanted his ship to be more like a “floating hotel” for his wealthy guests. Her 180 passengers would be served by 161 crew members, a passenger-to-crew ratio that was unheard of at the time (and only rivaled today by the most luxurious all-inclusive cruise lines ).

How big was the first cruise ship compared to modern cruise ships?

Prinzessin Victoria Luise ‘s hull was 52.2 feet wide (15.9 m) by 407.5 feet long (124.2 m). She measured 4,409 gross register tons (GRT).

If you compare Prinzessin Victoria Luise to Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Sea s (the largest cruise ship currently in operation at 236,857 GRT), you could fit almost fifty-four of her inside!

But for the time, she was a considerable size if you take into account that the largest ocean liner sailing in 1900 (the RMS Oceanic ), was only 17,272 GRT.

We’d consider a cruise ship of that size today to be tiny!

Where did the first cruise ship sail?

Originally, the plan for the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was to kick off with a 135-day grand world cruise for her maiden voyage.

The very first cruise ship would have left Hamburg on August 28, 1900, sailing eastbound around the world until she reached San Francisco. At that point, the passengers would disembark, travel by train across the United States, and return to Hamburg by ocean liner.

In 1900 construction on the Panama Canal hadn’t yet begun (that started a few years later in 1904) and sailing around the southern tip of South America would have added weeks to the journey.

A second group of passengers would embark at San Francisco and cruise in the reverse direction back to Hamburg.

But, neither world cruise ever sailed. Apparently, a strike at the shipyard delayed construction, and the Prinzessin wasn’t completed until December of that year.

Instead, the ship’s rescheduled maiden voyage from Hamburg stopped at Boulogne in France, Plymouth UK, and then sailed to New York to begin her first pleasure cruise.

On January 26th 1901, passengers embarked on a round-trip itinerary visiting several islands in the West Indies.

On March 9th, she left on her second cruise, sailing from New York to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

For the next several years, Prinzessin Victoria Luise cruised year-round (with the exception of six transatlantic crossings), also adding Baltic cruises to her schedule.

What were accommodations like on the first cruise ship?

All of the passenger cabins on the Prinzessin Victoria Luise were first-class staterooms, decorated with sumptuous fabrics and rich wood furnishings accented with brass.

The Emperor’s Suite , custom-built for Germany’s kaiser (though there’s no evidence he ever sailed in it) was complete with a private bath and toilet.

All staterooms had sinks with running water, but if you weren’t in a suite you’d need to confer with the bath steward to schedule your bathing time.

The space-saving bunk bed concept (popular on ocean liners of the time), was abandoned when designing Victoria Luise ‘s staterooms.

Instead, side-by-side beds made for a more elegant boudoir. The ship also offered single staterooms for solo travelers.

All cabins on the first cruise ship were complete with electric lights, a ventilation fan, and a state-of-the-art electric paging system to allow passengers to summon the room steward.

Amenities aboard the Prinzessin Victoria Luise

Prinzessin Victoria Luise ‘s lavish art-nouveau interior was opulent, with gilded detail work on every wall, crystal-paned domes to let in the light, and plush furniture and carpets in rich colors throughout the ship. Decorative live plants and cut flower arrangements augmented the beauty of the furnishings.

But the guest amenities on board the Prinzessin Victoria Luise were what made her stand out from the typical passenger ship of the time.

Albert Ballin’s dream of creating a floating hotel came to life on his ship—with a range of communal spaces to socialize, read, exercise, or just relax and enjoy this new cruise experience.

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise featured a gymnasium, what we’d consider a very small exercise room today! The gym included a stationary bicycle, a rack of Indian clubs (also known as exercise pins), a mechanical horse, and various other fitness contraptions of the period.

For gentlemen passengers, there was a vast smoking room—ladies were not allowed! This would have been a social hub for the men of the ship, where they could relax with a cigar and play cards, chess, or checkers.

But guests of any gender could enjoy getting to know their fellow cruisers in the Main Cabin, a light and airy room with a domed roof and skylight. Upholstered armchairs and sofas arranged around tables invited conversation.

The open decks, sheltered by a removable tarpaulin, were the perfect place to read the newspaper or gaze out at the sea.

Prinzessin Victoria Luise also had a popular promenade deck, so passengers could take the air and enjoy the view on a leisurely walk around the ship.

The ship also featured a music salon, a ladies’ parlor, and a well-stocked library. The onboard darkroom for amateur shutterbugs was likely the first one included on a passenger ship.

What were meals like on the first cruise ship?

On Prinzessin Victoria Luise , meals were served in the elegant dining room, an opulent atrium-style space with galleries brightened by a stained-glass rosette skylight.

Dinner on the Prinzessin was a lavish eight-course affair. Unlike on today’s cruise ships, diners didn’t have a choice of dining time, or a choice of what they wanted to eat!

But from the look of one surviving menu I found, guests on the ship weren’t exactly going hungry.

From the dinner menu on the evening of Friday, March 1st 1901, we see that cruisers began their meal with cannelons à la Prinzessin , which would be small mincemeat rolls or pastry rolls with rice and fruit.

The soup course was beef broth or soup à la Reine , a chicken and rice soup with cream.

Then on to the fish course, with fillets of fish à la Regence . This would have been a very elegant preparation for fish at the time—vintage recipes in this style often topped the buttered fish fillets with a creamy sauce, truffles, and lobster or crayfish.

Next was the meat course, roast beef American-style. Roast turkey followed, accompanied by preserves and salad.

If anyone still had room in their bellies, dessert that evening was strawberry ice cream and macaroons, followed by cheese, fruit, and coffee.

The tragic fate of SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise and her captain

On the moonlit evening of December 16, 1906, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was entering Kingston Harbor in Jamaica. But sadly, she would never leave.

According to a New York Times article published later that month, the crew and several passengers told the story of what happened that fateful night.

Captain H. Brunswig, hoping to beckon a pilot to help him navigate the harbor, displayed the ship’s night signals. When no one responded, the captain decided that entering the harbor was too dangerous and he had better set off to nearby Port Royal to sit at anchor for the night.

He guided the ship toward Port Royal, spotting the two red lights he thought would guide him into the safety of the harbor there. But the captain misread the lights and sailed directly toward the lighthouse at Plumb Point.

At about 9:30 PM, the Prinzessin Victoria Luise suddenly stopped—grounded on a reef in the shallow water.

Captain Brunswig sent a boat ashore to report the accident, then returned to his cabin where he took his own life.

All of the passengers (none of whom were injured) stayed aboard the ship that night, unaware of the captain’s suicide.

The next morning, the third officer and fifteen members of the crew set off to Plumb Point, where they created a line of boats two feet apart, all the way to the ship. The crew handed the passengers from boat to boat until they all reached the safety of the shore.

What happened to the SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise after the wreck?

Soon after the Prinzessin ‘s grounding, two nearby ships came to her aid. Both the German cruiser Bremen and the French training ship Duguay-Trouin offered assistance, with the Bremen attaching lines in an attempt to tow the ship off of the rocks.

But the Prinzessin wouldn’t budge. She had suffered significant damage during the grounding—her engines were dislodged and the frame plates shattered.

A storm that blew through the area just after the accident battered the ship, damaging the hull even more as it listed and took on water.

The Merritt & Chapman Wrecking Company also attempted to recover the ship. However, in January of 1907 (a little less than a month after the Prinzessin ran aground) Kingston, Jamaica was hit with a massive earthquake.

Estimated to be about a 6.2 Mw magnitude, the quake killed hundreds, injured thousands more, and leveled 85 percent of the buildings in the city.

Recovery of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise was abandoned.

Have you ever heard of the first cruise ship, SS Prinzessin Victoria Luise ? If you could go back in time, would you like to sail on her, or do you prefer modern cruise ships? Let me know in the comments below!

Liked this post? Pin it for later!

• Recent Posts

• Carnival Cruise Line Salutes Military Women During Inaugural Fleet Week in Miami - May 10, 2024
• Holland America’s Culinary Teams Will Be Alaska Seafood University Certified - May 9, 2024
• Carnival’s Celebration Key Construction Empowering Grand Bahamian Workforce - May 8, 2024

Related posts:

Jean-Guillaume

Tuesday 19th of September 2023

Thank you for this article and all this research! It is fascinating. I read somewhere that the captain had decided to arrive several hours early (and above all, at night rather than during the day!), but I can't find the source. And all I don't understand why he decided that (if it's true...), have you heard about this part of the story?

Hi Jean-Guillaume, I'm so glad you enjoyed my article about the Prinzessin Victoria Luise! It's been a few years since I first published it, but I do recall finding so many rumors during my research about the Captain's decisions that day. He did arrive in the evening, so if that was just a few hours ahead of the planned schedule, he'd still be arriving in the middle of the night! The theory I chose to go with, backed up by reports from the officers on board, is that he was going to set anchor in the safety of the harbor at Port Royal until daylight, but he just misread the lights.

I have your email from your comment submission, so I'm going to send you a link to all of my sources in a Google sheet. I only included sources that I actually used for the article, but there are quite a few on my list. If you find anything to substantiate the rumor, I'd love if you'd comment back and I'll amend the article!

Monday 13th of February 2023

I have a piece from that ship so I was interested in reading about her. The piece I have must have been from my grandparents as I have no history of it or where it came from. Enjoyed your article very much.

Thursday 9th of March 2023

@Carrie Ann, Like JC, I also have an original item related to the ship's first cruise. Mine’s a souvenir type hand fan detailing the West Indies cruise 1901. I don’t know if this would have been acquired on board or was promotional material at the time. Nice to read the article.

Wednesday 15th of February 2023

Hi JC, I'm so glad you enjoyed reading about the story of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise ! It's so neat to hear that you have a piece from the ship - I'd love to see a photo of it, and maybe include it in my article for other readers to enjoy. My email is carrieann [at] shouldbecruising.com (just replace the [at] with @) Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday 30th of November 2021

What a great job you did of bringing the story to life. I could almost see myself on the ship.

Hi Ava, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed reading about the first cruise ship! I'd love to time travel and see her myself :)

Monday 2nd of August 2021

I love the history! Thank you for detailing this 😊😊

Tuesday 3rd of August 2021

Hi Shafinah, Thanks for reading! I'm fascinated by the history, too :D

Ashlee Fechino

Sunday 1st of August 2021

What an interesting read. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Ashlee, thanks so much for stopping by and reading about the first cruise ship!

The History of Cruise Ships

When did the first cruise ships hit the waters? What caused a hit to the cruise ship industry in the early 1900s? Find out everything.

Stefan Kristensen

Pinpointing exactly when shipping for pleasure is nigh on impossible. For centuries, people have been traveling for pleasure. It hasn't always necessarily been comfortable, but we are positive that they liked their ultimate destination. So, we aren't going to tell you about that early pleasure travel. We are pretty sure even historians cannot trace back that far.

What we will tell you about, however, is the advent of the modern cruise ship. Although, to be honest, there is some debate about when that exactly started too. Some will argue that cruise ships didn't appear until the 1900s, while others will say that cruising properly started in the 1800s. We are going to try and cover as much cruise ship history as possible, but we apologize if our idea of history doesn't match up with yours.

SS Savannah

The SS Savannah is not a cruise ship. We are going to agree with you there 100%. If anybody claims it is a cruise ship, then they are wrong. However, it did play a vital role in the rise of the cruise ship industry.

The SS Savannah was a steam-powered ship that also had sails (it could switch between power, depending on needs). Up until the early 1800s, traveling long distances on a ship was a slow and laborious process. Most people didn't do it.

Some bright spark that owned the SS Savannah decided that this should change, so the SS Savannah made the trip across the Atlantic using a combo of wind and steam power. It wasn't a comfortable ride, but it showed people that the trip could be made in good time...and this is when passenger travel began.

Cruising In The 1800s

In the 1800s, Cunard, P;O, and the Holland America Line were ferrying passengers around at blistering speeds, mostly as immigrants into the Americas.

We are hesitant to say that this was proper cruising. It wasn't. Traveling on those ships probably wasn't that pleasurable. However, it was clear that the various shipping companies were transitioning more into ferrying passengers around. The bulk of these boats was still for freight and mail, but the companies really had to put a bit of effort into ensuring that their passengers were comfortable. It was the early days of cruising.

Somewhere in the background, the largest shipping company in the world (HAPAG) was going through a transition in terms of management. Albert Ballin was starting to take the helm of the company (in 1886), and he realized that while his company was making bucketloads of cash in shipping products around the world, there was a whole lot more money to make in the world of passenger shipping.

Albert Ballin quickly converted some of his freight ships into cruise ships. This means ships that were built purely for passengers. No freight. No mail. Just a pleasurable experience for those that wanted to travel long distances. While these were the original proper cruise ships, they were still freighters at heart...then the 1900s rolled around.

The Advent Of The Purpose-Built Cruise Ship

Albert Ballin saw that people wanted a good travel experience, and he had the best idea ever (at least for those that love cruise ships). He decided that his retrofitted cruise ships were doing a great job, but he wanted something more comfortable. He wanted a purpose-built cruise ship. This resulted in the creation of the Prinzessin Victoria Luise. This was launched in 1901.

All of the 'cruise' ships to come before had a dual purpose. While companies like P;O were investing heavily in ensuring that the customer experience was still brilliant and creating amazing ships with working electric lights, however, the customers were still being bundled next to other goods and, unless those goods were traveling to a destination the passenger wanted to be at, the passenger was stuck.

The Prinzessin Victoria Luise was not built for any of that. It was built from the ground up, purely for passengers. It had all the bells ; whistles. Countless staterooms. Shops. Entertainment. Food. Excursions at various destinations. The works. It was comfortable and very close to modern cruising.

Unfortunately, the boat sank about 6-years after it launched. However, the ship had made its mark on the industry. Companies were now realizing that there probably was a market for these purpose-built ships.

The Titanic

Enter, The Titanic. We are sure that you have all heard the story of The Titanic, right? It hits an iceberg. It sinks. Around 90 years later, James Cameron decides to make a film, with rousing success.

At the time, The Titanic was the largest passenger ship on the water. It shows that the world of cruise ships was on the up. Companies (including The White Star Line) were working overtime to create the most luxurious experience possible and, until it ended up at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, The Titanic was the most luxurious ship imaginable.

Even if The Titanic didn't enter a watery grave, it would still go down in history as marking a turning point in the world of cruise ships. Around the same time, luxury liners such as The Majestic and The Teutonic (both from White Star Line) and Campania (Cunard) started to appear. Companies were starting to outdo each other. But then something in the industry changed.

The Decline Of Cruising

The sinking of The Titanic was a huge deal in the industry. In people's minds, a ship that was billed as unsinkable shouldn't really sink. In fact, cruise ships probably shouldn't sink anyway. As a result, a lot of people have now been put off the idea of cruising. The industry was in tatters. But, with what was just around the corner...it would be torn to shreds.

Enter, World War I. Cruising was out of the question. All those cruise ships were fitted into warships, and most of them ended up being sunk. Same during World War II.

Did the industry recover? Nope. It didn't have the opportunity to. By the 1960s, transatlantic flight was now a thing, and this meant people don't need cruise ships. They want planes.

The industry has never recovered from this...although, companies are doing their best.

The Rise Of The Cruise Megaship

After the 1960s, the ocean liner cruise ship wasn't going to work. Sure, it was going to get you where you wanted in style, but most people would have preferred to fly. This killed off many cruise ship companies. Although, some decided to stick around in the industry. They had an idea.

Rather than compete with transatlantic flights (and other long-haul flights), they wanted to cruise to be an experience. They wanted cruise ships to be epic hotels on the sea. A vacation in itself. These ships would hold thousands of passengers at a time.

Sovereign Class cruise ships were the first big hint that the world of cruise ships was changing. After that, things got bigger. We had the Vista class cruise ships and, more recently, the Freedom-class from Royal Caribbean.

Ocean liners have pretty much died off at this point, with the mega ships being the big deal in the world of cruising. The only one that really survives now is the Queen Elizabeth II, operated by Cunard, although she is now a floating hotel in Dubai.

The Future Of Cruising

It is hard to predict the way that cruising is going to go. The pandemic caused a massive hit to the cruise ship industry. However, for the past 20 years, we have been seeing 9 new mega-ships enter service every single year, so we don't expect things to come to a grinding halt in the near future. What you can expect, however, is ships to get bigger. Boast more luxury. That is the way that the cruise ship industry has gone for well over a century, and we really, really do not see it changing now.

Sign up for more like this.

This is the announcement bar for Poornima to test the Close Button.  It will expire May 31 2024.

• Pre-Cruise FAQ
• Onboard FAQ
• Post-Cruise FAQ
• Cruisetours FAQ
• Special Offers Sign Up
• Cruise Deals

You have been logged out

Your window will update in 5 secs

The History of Princess Cruises: A Timeline of Key Events

• Company founder Stanley B. McDonald charters Princess Patricia and forms Princess Cruises - first winter season of Mexico cruises starts in November
• Princess Patricia returned to owners
• Princess Italia chartered (one of first modern ships built specifically for cruising)
• First Panama Canal cruises (company pioneered regularly scheduled Canal cruises)
• Princess Carla chartered
• Seawitch logo makes first appearance
• Boise Cascade purchases Princess
• First transatlantic sailing (13-day Nassau-Genoa, Princess Italia)
• First Alaska season (Princess Italia)
• Stanley McDonald repurchases Princess from Boise Cascade
• Princess Carla returned to owners
• Island Princess joins fleet (formerly Island Venture)
• Princess Tours founded
• Princess Italia returned to owners
• Princess acquired by the Pennisular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O)
• Pacific Princess joins fleet (formerly Sea Venture)
• Sun Princess joins fleet (formerly P&O's Spirit of London)
• "The Love Boat" TV series developed by producer Aaron Spelling; Princess agrees to become backdrop for the show
• "The Love Boat" begins filming
• Princess Tours acquires Johansen Royal Tours
• Stanley McDonald departs company
• Princess begins calling at first private Caribbean island, Palm Island in Grenadines
• Royal Princess joins fleet (innovative ship features all outside cabins)
• Pacific Princess launches company's first Mediterranean season
• First major cruise line to base a ship in San Diego (Pacific Princess to Mexico)
• Sea Princess joins fleet from P&O (formerly Kungsholm)
• New "Voyage of the Glaciers" route debuts (Vancouver/Whittier on Sea Princess)
• New private island, Mayreau (Grenadines), replaces Palm Island
• Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge opens
• First Caribbean cruises from Miami
• First Asia cruises (Royal Princess)
• First Northern Europe (Baltic) cruises
• P&O acquires Sitmar Cruises
• Dawn Princess joins fleet (formerly Fairwind)
• Fair Princess joins fleet (formerly Fairsea)
• Sky Princess joins fleet (formerly Fairsky)
• Sun Princess sold
• First Midnight Sun Express Railcars built
• Star Princess joins fleet
• Crown Princess joins fleet
• Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge opens
• Captain's Circle loyalty program begins
• Regal Princess joins fleet
• Sea Princess transferred to P&O as Victoria
• New private island launched (Princess Cays in Eleuthera)
• Golden Princess chartered (formerly Royal Viking Sky)
• Dawn Princess sold
• Fairbanks Princess Hotel opens
• Sun Princess joins fleet (debuts largest number of balcony cabins)
• First 24-hour café debuts
• Fair Princess transferred to P&O Australia
• Golden Princess returned to owner
• C.R.U.I.S.E. customer service program debuts
• Dawn Princess joins fleet
• Star Princess transferred to P&O becoming Arcadia
• Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge opens
• Grand Princess joins fleet 
• Sea Princess joins fleet
• "Love Boat: the Next Wave" debuts
• First world cruise (Island Princess -- 64 days Rome/San Francisco)
• First wedding chapel and wedding program at sea
• Santa Clarita, California customer service center opens
• Princess Cays expanded
• Island Princess sold
• Company web site debuts
• P&O Princess International demerged from P&O
• Ocean Princess joins fleet
• Sky Princess transferred to P&O Australia becoming Pacific Sky
• First Bermuda cruises (program ran 2000-02)
• Fleet transferred to British/Bermuda registry
• Personal Choice Dining debuts on Grand Princess
• Golden Princess joins fleet
• Princess headquarters moves to Santa Clarita, California
• Use of shore power debuts in Juneau
• Original Pacific Princess sold
• Tahitian Princess joins fleet
• Crown Princess transferred to A'ROSA becoming A'ROSA Blu
• Ocean Princess transferred to P&O Cruises becoming Oceana
• Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge opened
• P&O Princess International acquired by Carnival Corporation 
• Coral Princess joins fleet
• New Pacific Princess joins fleet
• New Island Princess joins fleet
• Sea Princess transferred to P&O Cruises becoming Adonia
• First Antarctica cruise
• Cunard Line integrated into Princess operations
• Diamond Princess joins fleet
• Caribbean Princess joins fleet
• Sapphire Princess joins fleet
• First Movies Under the Stars screen debuts
• First Caribbean sailings from Galveston, Texas
• Royal Princess transferred to P&O Cruises becoming Artemis
• Sea Princess returns to Princess fleet
• Princess Cruises celebrates 40th anniversary
• First Sanctuary debuts
• Emerald Princess joins fleet
• New Royal Princess joins fleet
• First Chef’s Table debuts
• Regal Princess transferred to P&O Australia becoming Pacific Dawn
• Ruby Princess joins fleet
• Ultimate Ship Tour debuts
• Shore power begins in Vancouver
• Tahitian Princess renamed Ocean Princess
• Royal Princess transferred to P&O Cruises to sail as Adonia
• Digital travel documents debut
• Bon Voyage Experience program begins
• eZAir program debuts
• Shore Power begins in San Francisco
• Gavin MacLeod 80th birthday party on Golden Princess
• Most significant drydock transformation – Grand Princess
• Princess launches first blog – “50 Essential Experiences”
• “Inspired to Cruise” blog debuts
• First Entertainer of the Year competition held onboard
• “Linked by the Sea” blog debuts
• Japan-based cruising begins
• New Royal Princess joins fleet (christened by The Duchess of Cambridge)
• First "Cruising with a Cause" cruise to support U.S. veterans charities
• New Regal Princess joins fleet
• New Princess@Sea Messenger debuts giving guests the opportunity to stay connected with fellow cruisers using mobile messenger app
• Princess Cruises celebrates 50th anniversary including the cruise line’s very first cruise ship float in the iconic annual New Year’s Day Rose Parade, along with special onboard activities and food and beverage offerings
• Princess Cruises launches “Come Back New Promise” – a $450 million, multi-year product innovation, cruise ship renovation and guest experience enhancement campaign, highlighting new partnerships with Chef Curtis Stone, Chef Ernesto Uchimura, Master Chocolatier Norman Love, award-winning composer and songwriter Stephen Schwartz, Sleep Dr. Michael Breus with the development of the Princess Luxury Bed and brand partnership with Discovery Communications “Discovery at Sea,” featuring innovative activities and shore excursions
• Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduces  MedallionClass  Vacations enabled by the  Medallion®, the vacation industry’s most advanced wearable device
• Majestic Princess joins the fleet
• Princess MedallionClass debuts onboard Caribbean Princess, along with MedallionNet, the fastest Wi-Fi at sea
• Sky Princess joins the fleet, debuting new Sky Suites
• Princess Cruises celebrates 50 years of cruising to Alaska and opens Fannie Q’s Saloon at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
• The Reef Family Splash Zone debuts onboard Caribbean Princess
• Princess breaks the  GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS  title for the  largest multi-location vow renewal  after 1,443 couples reaffirmed their love for one another during simultaneous ceremonies onboard three ships
• Enchanted Princess joins the fleet
• Golden Princess, Sea Princess, Star Princess and Sun Princess leave the fleet
• All 14 ships in the Princess Cruises fleet offer Princess MedallionClass Experience and Princess MedallionNet, the best Wi-Fi at sea
• Pacific Princess leaves the fleet
• Princess Cruises celebrates the 90th birthday of Brand Ambassador Gavin MacLeod, everyone’s favorite Captain Stubing of “The Love Boat”

Media Contacts

Contact information for members of the media

Media Relations Department, Princess Cruises 24305 Town Center Drive Santa Clarita, CA 91355

Phone : 1 661 753 1530 Email :  [email protected]

Not a member of the media? 

Contact us at: 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237) or 1-661-753-0000

More contact information is available on our Contact Us page

The only cruise blog for the Middle East and South Africa

Historical: The world’s oldest cruise lines

The cruise industry came of age in the 1960s and 70s, but has been around for much longer than that, surviving the Great Depression, two world wars and the 2008 financial crisis.

Cunard Line is famous for pioneering the legendary trans-Atlantic passenger service in the 19th century.

RELATED:  Historical: The first cruise ships

RELATED:  Ocean liners versus cruise ships

The cruise industry has been around since the mid-19th century when ocean liners were still in their heyday and commercial aviation was a century from being developed, but even then, ocean liners were still being repurposed for cruises.

Hamburg-Amerika Line (now Hapag-Lloyd) launched the world’s first purpose-built cruise ship in 1900.

While P&O Cruises is generally regarded as the world’s first cruise line, having first introduced passenger cruising services in 1844 to destinations such as Gibraltar, Malta and Athens, sailing from Southampton, you’d be surprised at how long many of the world’s other cruise lines have been around.

The global cruise industry survived the transition from coal to diesel, the Great Depression, the advent of long-distance commercial aviation, two world wars and the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, by which time it had reached full maturity and was the fastest growing segment in the travel industry.

From oldest to youngest, here’s how long each of the world’s major cruise lines have been around:

P&O Cruises – 1837 (1977 in current form)

P&O Cruises is the modern iteration of P&O (Peninsula & Orient Steamship Company), which began operating cargo and passenger shipping services back in 1837. P&O was the first shipping company to offer ‘cruises’ back in the late 19th century, and 100 years later a dedicated cruise subsidiary, P&O Cruises, was established in 1977. The subsidiary was sold to Princess Cruises in 2000, and then both Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises were purchased by Carnival Corporation in 2003.

Oceanic launched in 1871 by Cunard, was one of the most advanced ships of the age

Cunard Line – 1840

While P&O was the first to provide cruises to exotic locales around the world, Cunard Line is the legendary shipping company that began offering a regular scheduled passenger service across the Atlantic back in 1840 when Samuel Cunard formed by British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company. In 1879, the firm was reorganised as the Cunard Steamship Company and later Cunard Line. In 1998, it was purchased by Carnival Corporation.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (formerly Hamburg-Amerika Line) – 1847

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is today a small, premium cruise line offering cruises around the world aboard three mid-sized cruise ships, but in its heyday it was one of the mighty passenger shipping lines on the Atlantic. Formed in 1847, Hamburg-Amerika Line was Germany’s biggest shipping company and, like P&O, was one of the first to pioneer cruising. It’s fleet was wiped out during the two world wars, and the company was absorbed into a competing business to form Norddeutscher Lloyd in 1970. In 1998 it was acquired by Preussag AG (since 2002 called TUI AG) and in 2006, the cruise business was devolved as a separate subsidiary.

Holland America Line – 1873

Holland America Line is the Netherland’s own version of the UK’s Cunard Line. It was founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1873 and operated as a Dutch shipping line, a passenger line, a cargo line and a cruise line until 1970 when it ceased shipping and passengers shipping services, focusing on cruises instead. In 1989 it was purchased by Carnival Corporation.

Hurtigurten – 1893

Hurtigurten is Norway’s largest cruise and ferry shipping company, and has been sailing the North Sea since 1893 when it was established by government contract to improve communications along Norway’s long, jagged coastline. It operates 12 mid-size cruise ships calling at 34 destinations along the coast.

Linea C, Costa’s first cruise ship

Costa Cruises – 1854 (1948 for passenger services)

Costa Cruises started out life as a cargo shipping company in 1854, but only launched passenger services in 1948 during the mass emigration between post-war Europe and North America. In 1959, the company gradually transitioned into offering more cruise holidays, with trips being offered in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean regions. In 1986 it was re-branded as Costa Cruises and was purchased by Carnival Corporation in 1997.

AIDA Cruises – 1960

AIDA Cruises started out as Deutsche Seereederei (German Shipping Company) in 1960, and like all the (future) great cruise lines of that era, it started out with a converted ocean liner. The ship, Völkerfreundschaft , the former Stockholm, had made world headlines in 1956 when she collided with the ocean liner Andria Doria and sank her.

The cruise line was restructed and re-branded several times over the years, especially after the reunification of Germany, and ultimately became AIDA Cruises in 2000, when P&O Cruises acquired a 51% stake. P&O Cruises itself had just merged with Princess Cruises and three years later in 2003 all three brands were bought outright by the rapidly expanding Carnival Corporation.

Princess Cruises – 1965

Princess Cruises was launched in 1965, but didn’t own its own ships until 1974 when it became part of P&O. Before that, it chartered various ships for cruises on the Mexican Riviera out of Los Angeles. The acquisition by P&O gave the line a cash injection that enabled it to buy its first cruise ship, Sun Princess and the now-famous Island Princess, which served as the set for the popular Love Boat television series.

The series cemented Princess Cruises as a household name in the United States and played a major role in increasing the popularity of cruising for the American public. The cruise line was purchased by Carnival Corporation in 2003 with its parent company P&O Cruises.

Fred Olsen Cruise Line – 1848 (1966 cruise services)

Fred Olsen Cruise Line is one of the UK’s oldest companies, having started out as a cargo shipping company back in the 1800s. Fred. Olsen acquired the Færder Steamship Company in 1901, a first decisive venture into the passenger business. However, it wasn’t until 1966 that it entered the cruise business.

During the 1950s, the company added two ocean liners to the fleet – Blenheim and Braemar, but by 1966 it had left the ocean liner business and instead began offering cruises to the Canary Islands from London. Fred Olsen Cruise Line is today a leading cruise company in the UK and one of the few independent operators, with five vintage ships in its fleet.

Norwegian Cruise Line – 1966

The world’s third-largest cruise line, Norwegian Cruise Line , actually started out life as Norwegian Caribbean Line in 1966. It was founded by Ted Arison, who left shortly afterwards to launch Carnival Cruise Line instead. His partner, Knut Kloster stayed on and acquired additional ships for Caribbean service.

NCL went on to pioneer many firsts in the cruise industry, from the first combined air-sea program combining low-cost air fares with the cruise, to the first purpose-built cruise ports in the Caribbean, such as Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Later, it would go on to pioneer freestyle dining, new onboard entertainment concepts and at-sea attractions. Today, NCL is owned by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which also owns Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

Royal Caribbean International – 1968

The world’s second-largest cruise line, Royal Caribbean International , came along just two years after Norwegian, but was, at the time, a modest affair, with just one ship.

It was the product of a joint venture between three Norwegian shipping companies, though, so grew quickly. By 1986 it had several ships in its fleet and its own private cruise destination, Labadee in Haiti. In 1993 it went public on the New York Stock Exchange and grew exponentially.

Today, it’s part of the Royal Caribbean Cruises Group, which owns Celebrity Cruises, and Azamara Cruises outright, as well as a 67% stake in Silversea Cruises, a 50% stake in TUI Cruises and a 49% stake in Pullmantur Cruises.

The original Mardi Gras in 1979

Carnival Cruise Line – 1972

Ted Arison launched Carnival Cruise Line in 1972, with a single ship, Mardi Gras (formerly the ocean liner Empress of Canada). She joined in 1975 by Carnivale (the former Empress of Britain) and Carnival was off the races. By 1996, Carnival Cruise Line had grown into one of the largest in the world, and launched Carnival Destiny, which (at 101,000-gross tons) was at the time the largest passenger ship ever built.

Three years earlier, in 1993, the cruise line had gone public with Carnival Corporation as its parent company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. By 2003, Carnival Corp was in a position to embark on a spending spree, snapping up cruise lines all over the world.

Marella Cruises – 1973

Marella started out life as Thomson Cruises back in 1973, when Thomson Travel Group entered the cruise sector. It didn’t do well initially though, and was cancelled in 1976. By 1996, however, Thomson was ready to get back in the game with a fleet of former ocean liners.

Newer ships were added to the fleet as the line grew, and by the 2010s, it was in a position to replace almost its entire fleet with former Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ships. In 2017, Thomson Cruises was rebranded as Marella Cruises, following the purchase of Thomson by TUI.

Windstar – 1984

Windstar started out life as Windstar Sail Cruises in 1986, focusing initially on sailing passenger ships rather than traditional cruise ships (something it still specialises in). A year after it launched, the cruise line was purchased by Holland America Line, which was itself purchased by Carnival two years later. Carnival later sold Windstar in 2007 and in 2013, Windstar purchased three more ships, effectively doubling the size of the fleet. Star Pride joined the fleet in 2014, while Star Legend and Star Breeze launched in May 2015.

Seabourn – 1986

Seabourn was founded in 1987 by a consortium of Norwegian investors headed by industrialist Atle Brynestad under the name Signet Cruise Lines, but adopted the name Seabourn Cruise Line shortly afterward after objections from Signet Oil over trademark ownership. In 1991, Carnival Corporation purchased a 25% stake in Seabourn, upping it to 50% in 1996 and then full ownership in 1998.

Celebrity Apex

Celebrity Cruises – 1988

Celebrity Cruises was founded by the Greece-based Chandris Group in 1988, sailing cruises to Bermuda. It rapidly added new destinations and ships and by 1997 had merged with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. Celebrity’s signature logo is an “Χ” displayed on the funnel of Celebrity ships, and is the Greek letter chi, for “Chandris”. The acquisition by Royal Caribbean enabled further expansion. During the same year Celebrity Cruises took delivery of the first Century class vessel, Century, that was followed by Galaxy in 1996 and Mercury in 1997.

Ponant – 1988

The French luxury line Ponant was founded in April 1988 by Philippe Videau, Jean-Emmanuel Sauvé, and other officers of the French Merchant Navy and launched the first French cruise ship the same year. The company operated a number of large yachts and small cruise ships over the years until 2010 when it launched its first newbuild, Le Boreal. She was followed by three sister ships, L’Austral in 2011, Le Soléal in 2013 and Le Lyrial in 2015.

Crystal Cruises – 1988

Crystal Cruises was founded in 1988 as a US-based luxury cruise line offering longer cruises to far flung destinations. In 2015, former parent company Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) sold Crystal Cruises to Genting Hong Kong (GHK) – a major shareholder in Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. The same year, Crystal launched river cruises, expedition cruises and luxury air cruises aboard a custom designed private plane.

Phoenix Reisen – 1988

The German cruise line Phoenix Reisen was born in 1988 when the Bonn-based travel agency of the same name decided to get into this rapidly expanding travel sector. It chartered the West German-built cruise ship SS Maxim Gorkiy from the Soviet Union-based Black Sea Shipping Company on a 20-year charter agreement and added more second-hand, vintage cruise ships over the years. Today, it operates a fleet of five cruise ships, but sails all of them on charter.

MSC Europa will belong to a cruise ship class second only to the Oasis-class in terms of size

MSC Cruises – 1960

MSC Cruises started out in 1960 as Lauro Lines, named after Italian shipping tycoon Achille Lauro. The company entered the cruise business with MS Angelina Lauro and MS Achille Lauro, cornering the Mediterranean market and up-and-coming cruise markets overseas, such as South Africa. The early years were marred by misfortune. Angelina Lauro caught fire in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands in 1979 and Achille Lauro was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front in 1985, before later catching fire and sinking in 1994.

In 1989, MSC (Mediterranean Shipping Company), one of the largest shipping lines in the world, saw the potential inherent to the cruise industry and acquired Lauro Lines and renamed it StarLauro Cruises. A few years after Achille Lauro caught fire, the name was changed again (in 1998) to MSC Cruises. MSC Cruises has rapidly expanded since then, replacing all of its older ships with newer, larger vessels. In 2006 it took delivery of its first newbuild (MSC Musica) and is now on track to launch the second-largest class of cruise ship in the world with MSC Europa.

Pullmantur – 1990

Pullmantur was founded in the late 1990s as a subsidiary of the Madrid-based travel agency Pullmantur. Its parents company was purchased by US-based Royal Caribbean Cruises in 2006, but Royal Caribbean later sold a 51% stake in the cruise line to Spain-based investment firm Springwater Capital, retaining a 49% stake. The cruise line had a shifting fleet line up throughout the 90s and early 2000s as all its ships were chartered. However, following the purchase by Royal Caribbean, it now owns three vessels, two of which are former Royal Caribbean ships, as well as the much smaller MS Horizon.

Regent Seven Seas – 1992

Regent Seven Seas Cruises started out as Radisson Seven Seas Cruises back in 1992, specialising in small, luxury cruise experiences. It was later purchased by Carlson Companies and then sold to Apollo Management in 2008 for US $1-billion, a few years after taking delivery of its first newbuild vessels, Seven Seas Voyager in 2003 and Seven Seas Mariner in 2001.

Under Apollo ownership, Regent Seven Seas Cruises ordered its largest and most expensive ship to date, Seven Seas Explorer, and was then purchased by Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (along with Oceania Cruises). Seven Seas Explorer was delivered in 2016, two years after the sale to NCL. In 2020, sister ship Seven Seas Splendour was delivered. The two ships are believed to be the most expensive ever built on a per-gross ton basis.

Silversea – 1994

Silversea Cruises was founded in 1994 in a joint-venture between a Monaco-based shipping company and the Lefebvre family of Rome. While other luxury cruise lines had built complimentary experiences into their cruise fares, Silversea did it on a whole new level, with all-inclusive fares including gratuities, beverages, port charges, travel insurance, and some complimentary shore excursions.

That policy, and its two little cruise ships Silver Wind and Silver Cloud, proved hugely popular and in 2000, the line launched Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper in 2001. Both ships were enlarged versions of the original two ships, but carrying about 100 more passengers. In December 2009, Silversea launched Silver Spirit and in 2014, Silver Muse, its largest ship to date. In 2018, Royal Caribbean Cruises acquired a majority stake in Silversea for approximately $1 billion, and Silversea ordered three more ships.

Disney Magic

Disney Cruises – 1996

The Walt Disney Company launched Disney Cruise Line in 1996 in an effort to take the magic of Disney to the high seas. It started out as Magical Cruise Company Limited, when the first vessel, Disney Magic, was launched. In 1998 it purchased a private island in the Caribbean and redeveloped it as the Castaway Cay cruise destination. Disney Cruise Line currently operates four ships: Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy. Three ships will join the fleet in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Saga Cruises – 1996

The British cruise line Saga Cruises was launched by the travel company Saga Group in 1996, with the former Cunard Line ocean liner Saga Rose, which was joined shortly afterwards by sister ship Saga Ruby. In 2010, Saga Rose was sold for scrap, followed by Saga Ruby in 2014. Saga Cruises now operates the Saga Sapphire and its first newbuild Spirit of Discovery, which joined the fleet in 2019, replacing Saga Pearl II.

Paul Gauguin Cruises – 1998

Paul Gauguin Cruises was established in 1998 by Regent Seven Seas Cruises to sail the luxury cruise ship, Paul Gauguin, to Tahiti, French Polynesia and the South Pacific. Pacific Beachcomber took over Paul Gauguin Cruises and its ship in January 2010, and in 2019 it was purchased by Compagnie du Ponant, which announced plans to add two new ships to the fleet, based on its hybrid Explorer-class design.

SeaDream Yacht Club – 2001

In 2001, SeaDream Yacht Club was launched by Atle Brynestad, the Norwegian founder of Seabourn Cruise Line, offering yacht-like cruise experiences aboard its two little cruise ships SeaDream I and SeaDream II. In 2019, the company ordered a new 220-passenger ship, SeaDream Innovation, from Damen Shipyards, but later cancelled the contract in December, just months before the Coronavirus pandemic brought the global cruise industry to a standstill.

MS Riviera of Oceania Cruises

Oceania Cruises – 2002

Oceania Cruises was founded in 2002 by cruise industry veterans Frank Del Rio, Bob Binder, and Joe Watters. Del Rio would go on to become president of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which purchased Oceania in 2014. In the early years, the line chartered R-class ships that previously belonged to Renaissance Cruises (which went bankrupt in 2001). In 2007, it ordered its first newbuilds from the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy. The two new 1,250-passenger ships Marina and Riviera were delivered in 2011 and 2012. Two further ships are being built by Fincantieri for delivery in 2022 and 2025.

TUI Cruises – 2007

The German premium cruise brand TUI Cruises was launched in 2007 as a joint venture between German tourism giant TUI AG and Royal Caribbean Cruises, both of which hold a 50% stake in the company. The cruise line started out by operating former Celebrity Cruises ships until 2014 when it took delivery of its first newbuild, Mein Schiff 3. Three more ships of the same design were added between 2015 and 2017 and in 2018 and 2019 it took delivery of its largest cruise ships to date, Mein Schiff 7 and Mein Schiff 8 at 111,000-gross tons each.

Cruise & Maritime Voyages – 2010

Cruise & Maritime Voyages was launched in 2009, by Cruise & Maritime Services International, after their German based Transocean Tours (for whom they were the UK representative) filed for bankruptcy. The cruise line operates a fleet of five former ocean liners and vintage cruise ships, primarily from the UK. Cruise & Maritime Voyages serves an adult market, with a traditional onboard style with low-key entertainment, set dining times and longer voyages.

Viking Ocean Cruises – 2013

Viking Cruises , a Switzerland-based travel company offering luxury river cruises, was established in 1997 and has one of the largest river boat fleets in the world. It’s ocean-going subsidiary Viking Ocean Cruises, wasn’t launched until 2013. It began operating its first cruise ship, Viking Star, in 2015, with itineraries in Scandinavia, the British Isles, the Baltic and Mediterranean Sea. Five further cruise ships joined the fleet between 2016 and 2019, with a further 10 on order for delivery between 2021 and 2027.

Celestyal Cruises – 2014

Celestyal Cruises is a subsidiary of Louis plc, the first travel agency in Cyprus (which was launched in 1935). Celestyal started out as Louis Cruises in the 1980s, operating a range of former ocean liners and classic old cruise ships in the Aegean Sea. In 2014 it was re-branded as Celestyal and currently operates two ships (Celestyal Crystal and Celestyal Olympia).

Scarlet Lady

Virgin Voyages – 2014

The world’s newest cruise line, Virgin Voyages , was established in 2014 as a subsidiary of the Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. It ordered three new cruise ships to be built by Fincantieri, the first of which, Scarlet Lady, was delivered in 2019. Scarlet Lady is scheduled to enter service in 2020, operating four-to-seven-day cruises to the Caribbean. In 2018, it ordered a fourth cruise ship and in February 2019, it launched its private beach club in the Bahamas called The Beach Club at Bimini.

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Categories: Cruise History

Tagged as: cruise history , Cruise lines , Cunard , Holland America Line , P&O Cruises

Published by Shaun Ebelthite

Founder and editor of Cruise Arabia & Africa. I try to create the best news and information specifically for cruise passengers taking cruises to and from Dubai (where I live) and South Africa (where I was born). You can contact me at shaun(at)cruisearabiaonline.com. View all posts by Shaun Ebelthite

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Get in touch.

Email : shaun(at)cruise-arabia.com

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

Carnival’s Mardi Gras to Return to Europe in 2025

• July 16, 2024

Carnival Cruise Line’s Mardi Gras is set to make a return to Europe next year. After five years sailing in the Caribbean, the LNG-powered ship will go back to the continent where it was built for the first time in late 2025.

According to published deployment, the Mardi Gras is set to offer a 14-night trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-September.

Sailing from the vessel’s homeport in Port Canaveral, the one-way voyage ends in Barcelona and features visits to three additional destinations in Spain: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cádiz and Málaga.

In addition to nine days at sea, the itinerary also includes a stop at Carnival Cruise Line’s new private island in the Bahamas, Celebration Key.

The Mardi Gras then offers another trans-Atlantic crossing in mid-October 2025. Also sailing from Barcelona, the 14-night voyage features a similar itinerary and is set to end in Port Canaveral.

During the month-long gap between the sailings, the 2020-built vessel is projected to visit a European shipyard.

While specific details will be confirmed at a later date, the drydock is expected to include class inspections and routine maintenance.

Built by the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, the Mardi Gras was delivered to Carnival Cruise Line during the pandemic operational pause in December 2020.

Before welcoming its first guests six months later , the 5,200-passenger vessel remained laid-up at different European ports.

Offering week-long cruises departing from Port Canaveral, the Mardi Gras has been sailing exclusively in the Caribbean since entering revenue service in June 2021.

Following the short stint in Europe, the vessel is poised to resume its regular schedule out of Central Florida in late November 2025.

The Mardi Gras continues to operate week-long cruises to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean through at least May 2026.

The first ship in Carnival’s Excel Class, the vessel was later followed by the 2022-built Carnival Celebration and the 2023-built Carnival Jubilee. Two additional sister ships are scheduled to enter service through 2028.

Cruise Industry News Email Alerts

• Breaking News

Get the latest breaking  cruise news .  Sign up.

62 Ships | 142,732 Berths | $46.7 Billion | View

Highlights:

• Mkt. Overview
• Record Year
• Refit Schedule
• PDF Download
• Order Today

• 2033 Industry Outlook 
• All Operators
• Easy to Use
• Instant Access
• Advertising
• Cruise News
• Magazine Articles
• Quarterly Magazine
• Annual Report
• Email Newsletter
• Executive Guide
• Digital Reports

Privacy Overview

America’s Most Scenic Small-Ship and River Cruises

Columbia and snake rivers.

T hese nine-day American river cruises on the American Queen Steamboat Company's American Empress sail from Vancouver, Washinton to Portland, Oregon and show you a glimpse at some of the most gorgeous scenery in the Pacific Northwest. From the paddle wheeler, you'll get to see the dramatic waterfalls at the Columbia River Gorge, the pioneer town The Dalles, and sea lions and filming sites from the hit 1980s film, The Goonies in Astoria.

Rivers of Wine Theme Cruise on the Columbia and Snake Rivers

These seven-night American river cruises on the UnCruise Adventure's S.S. Legacy sail round trip out of Portland, Oregon cruising a similar route to American Empress but focusing on wine. A sommelier and guest wine expert sail with passengers for the week, serving as an onboard resource and hosting tastings. There are also wine tastings, vineyard tours, and wine cave tours in Columbia Gorge, Walla Walla, Red Mountain, Columbia Valley, and the Willamette Valley and guests get to taste old-vine varietals and wines from eco-cultivated vineyards. River cruises are also popular across the pond.

Adventure Theme Cruise on the Olympic Peninsula

Sailing round-trip out of Seattle through Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands on an elegant little yacht, this seven-night cruise on UnCruise Adventure's Safari Quest includes kayaking, paddle boarding, and plenty of hikes. There are also opportunities to spot bald eagles, sea lions, and whales and to enjoy local seafood, including oysters and clams.

Upper Mississippi American Heartland Theme Cruise

This river cruise from Chicago to St. Louis is on American Queen Steamboat Company's newest ship, the American Duchess , a paddle wheeler as majestic as her older sisters, with the same iconic red paddlewheel. You'll see the towering skyscrapers of Chicago and get the perfect photo op of St. Louis's famed arch. The focus of this cruise is American history, and you can see towns that were settled as trading posts by French explorers, visit the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate in Ottowa, Illinois, and check out places from Mark Twain's writings in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. Want to learn even more of America's backstory? Start with these 16 best cities for American history buffs .

Ohio River Cruise

These 11-day cruise tours on American Cruise Line's Queen of the Mississippi travel from St. Louis to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania visiting Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati (among other towns) along the way. You'll get a behind-the-scenes tour of Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, and tour the Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati. In Cape Girardeau, you'll see everything from Trail of Tears sites to Civil War battlefields. Best of all, expect plenty of bluegrass music and mint juleps along the way.

Music Cruise on the Cumberland River

These seven-night American river cruises from Nashville to St. Louis also on American Cruise Line's Queen of the Mississippi will take you to the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Grand Ole Opry, and the Johnny Cash Museum and then heads on to St. Louis for a celebration of blues music.

Mississippi River Bourbon Theme Cruise

Cruise up the Mississippi River from Memphis to Louisville on the American Queen Steamboat Company's American Queen, with private tastings and cooking demos along the way, as well as lectures by historians. This special sailing, offered annually in July, also includes the opportunity to sample rare and vintage bourbons as well.

Lake Michigan

On this eight-day cruise roundtrip out of Chicago on Blount Small Ship Adventures's Grande Mariner , you'll visit Mackinac Island, Michigan, home to historic homes and plenty of rocking chairs as well as Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin's Door County, where you'll see lighthouses and plenty of yachts.

Lower Mississippi from New Orleans to New Orleans

See—and eat—the highlights of New Orleans—from beignets to po' boys—before setting sail on American Cruise Line's America Song . You'll head to Natchez and Vicksburg in Missouri for Civil War sites and St. Francisville and Houmas House, Louisiana for historic plantations with a stop in the middle in Baton Rouge to see the Louisiana State Museum and the capital buildings. Occasionally, the line also offers a food-themed cruise out of New Orleans, too.

Maine Coastal Cruises

Maine Windjammer Association's Lewis R. French is a dramatic 21-passenger schooner that offers two- to six-night cruises in the summer and through the month of September out of the town of Camden, Maine. The schooner, which dates back to 1871 and is a National Historic Landmark, has no engine, and powers through Penobscot Bay just with the wind in its sails. You can help out with the sails, and watch for porpoises and eagles.

Newport, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard Cruise

This sailing yacht, the Arabella , may winter in the Caribbean, but it summers in the northeast, home of lobster rolls, lighthouses, and clambakes. The five-night sailings in July, August, and September let you travel to the area's loveliest beaches under billowing white sails.

Chesapeake Bay Cruise

This seven-night cruise on American Cruise Line's Independence sails round-trip out of Baltimore to Oxford, St. Michael's, and Annapolis, Maryland as well as Yorktown and Williamsburg, Virginia. You'll visit coastal fishing villages and eat plenty of hard-shell blue crabs, and get to visit Baltimore's famed aquarium.

Hudson River Valley Fall Foliage Theme Cruise

This eight-day American river cruise on American Cruise Line's American Constitution sails round-trip out of New York City before taking you to Hyde Park, the Catskills, and West Point as well as Sleepy Hollow, all in upstate New York. But in addition to the history in the region, the highlight of the cruise is easily the changing colors of the autumnal leaves.

Savannah to Baltimore

Cruise one of our favorite 12-day American river cruises in the Southeast on Blount Small Ship Adventures's Grand Mariner and you'll spend your days exploring Beaufort by horse-drawn carriage and wander the cobblestone streets of Charleston, South Carolina as the port town of Annapolis. Read on to discover the best cruise to take every month of the year .

The post America’s Most Scenic Small-Ship and River Cruises appeared first on Reader's Digest .

I quit my desk job to work on cruises 10 years ago. It has its drawbacks, but I've seen 79 countries.

• Years ago, I quit my desk job in NYC to work as an entertainment host for a major cruise line.
• The first few weeks were overwhelming, but I quickly adjusted to the lifestyle.  
• The living quarters were incredibly small, and there were mandatory weekly inspections.  

After I graduated from college with a journalism degree, I got a job at a highly regarded publication in New York City.

However, my two-hour commute and crowded cubicle were anything but glamorous. I started getting stress-induced bald spots  and endlessly scrolled through Instagram, desperate to find a way to make a living as a nomad .

When I learned that onboard cruise-ship employees get a paycheck while traveling and meeting new people every day, I auditioned to be an entertainment host for a major cruise line . When I got the job, I left New York for good on my first contract, which lasted seven months.

Now, I've worked on cruise ships for nearly a decade and have visited 79 countries. Here are seven things that first surprised me most about working on a cruise .

I've barely met any other Americans working on cruise ships

The first day I boarded a cruise ship, my crew members coined me "Erica from America" since I was just one of nine American employees.

I've noticed similar numbers since. Crew members come from all over the world, and I've always found a very small percentage of Americans working on board.

Even years later, everyone in my life calls me Erica from America — and it's the name on my TikTok handle .

The first week of working on a ship can be incredibly overwhelming and stressful 

Safety is the most important thing on cruises. So, whether a crew member is a brand-new hire or they've been working there for 20 years, they have to complete safety training during the first few weeks — and that's in addition to their regular job prep.

Between presenting all of my medical paperwork to officers to learning about fire codes, I've always found the crews' onboarding process intimidating.

The first day I walked on a ship, I learned how to operate a deadly, watertight door. I cried in the bathroom every day for a week straight. The requirements were a lot to handle, especially after hours of travel, but life on board got so much easier after the first few weeks.

The crew cabins are seriously cramped

On the ships where I've worked, the crew cabins are about half the size of a walk-in closet, and the wardrobes have just enough space to fit five hangers on each side. Not to mention, I've usually lived in those tiny spaces with two other employees I don't know.

The cabins typically also have a mini fridge and a flat-screen TV that can swing to face the top bunk.

The bathroom is usually so tiny that I can bathe, brush my teeth, and use the toilet without taking barely any steps. Showers are often so small that the curtain clings to my butt when I'm in it.

My roommates and I also have to prepare for mandatory cabin inspections once per week, which is when staff checks that our quarters are orderly.

The dating culture is dramatic but can also be amazing

I expected to experience college-like drama on the ship, but the reality was even wilder.

As a crew member, I'm often surrounded by adults who are away from home for nine months at a time, working extremely hard, and trotting around the world.

Some are married, some are single, and some are married but "single" on ships. Many of the people I meet are truly amazing partners, but others are not. Life on a ship brings many heartbreaks, but it also leads to plenty of amazing love stories.

It wasn't hard for me to adjust to the lifestyle

Working on a ship isn't for everyone, and I've seen many people quit within their first month.

Related stories

Some crew members work eight to 12 hours per day, with no days off, for seven months straight. However, my coworkers love this lifestyle and their jobs. If you don't, you probably won't make it very long on board. 

Working on a ship, we wake up in a different country virtually every day and appreciate every free moment. Being part of such an amazing group of people is the most special experience I've ever had. I feel such a sense of community and morale with the other crew members.

Contracts can vary, but I often have time to relax for a few months between them where I can eat junk food, sleep all day, and catch up on pop culture. 

Crew life is a blast, even after work

Cruise-ship crews are known for partying after work, and in my experience, that's partially true. However, there are very strict alcohol policies for the staff when they're working, so learning a level of self-control is crucial.

There's usually an onboard bar for crew members, where the drinks are cheap and the parties are so much fun. Ships usually have a human-resource team on board that plans events for the crew, offers support, and organizes onshore crew tours.

Some cruise employees, like entertainment hosts, get more time off in the ports than others because they don't interact with guests as much when the ship is docked. I've been lucky to explore parts of the world I never thought I'd see in person. I've gone dogsledding in Alaska, run around Petra, and gone cave-diving for glowworms in New Zealand.

This journey can feel full of love but also lonely 

Although I've made amazing friends who feel like family since boarding my first ship, I realized that I'm truly on my own throughout this journey.

It's special to be surrounded by hundreds of crew members and passengers, but no one will ever experience things exactly the same way I do.

I feel close to other crew members because of our shared lifestyle on the water. However, when I return home from a contract, I sometimes find it harder to relate to land-based friends and family. Still, I'm so lucky to have a supportive family who visits me a lot.

It's hard to describe my lifestyle to people who have never experienced ship life . The truth is that I can feel lonely at times, but living on the ships is the most enthralling and fulfilling thing I've ever chosen to do. 

This story was originally published on May 10, 2021, and most recently updated on July 9, 2024.

Watch: Why it costs $1 million a day to run one of the world's biggest cruise ships

• Main content