Cruisi
ng
A guide To the Cruise Line
Industry
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Objectives
After reading this chapter, youll be able
to:
Define the term cruise.
Explain the history of cruising and how it
affects todays cruise vacation experience.
Describe the contemporary cruise
experience.
Distinguish among different types of
itineraries.
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Terms to Know
Cruise
Herodotus
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Reposition
Excursion
Round-trip
At-sea days
Pre-and post-cruise packages
Cruise-tour
Round-trip
Open-jaw itinerary
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Definitions & Beginnings
A cruise is a vacation trip by ship.
A cruise is primarily a leisure
vacation experience, with the ships
staff doing all the work.
From the travelers perspectivethe
desire to relax, get away, experience,
learn, be pampered, and to have fun.
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In ancient times Herodotus, compiled a
list of the most interesting manmade
things he saw during his sailing. These
are known as:
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World
1. The Pyramids (Giza, Egypt)
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (near Baghdad, Iraq)
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Greece)
4. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus (Turkey)
5. The Mausoleum (Helicarnassus, Turkey)
6. The Colossus (Rhodes)
7. The Pharos Lighthouse (Alexandria, Egypt)
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This was done to provide other
pleasure travelers (of his time) with a
guidebook to where to go and what
to see.
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The Arrival of Leisure Sailing
In 1900s the Ocean liner was an
astonishing creation. The major purpose
was to carry immigrants, not the well to
do. This is were the money was made.
Ships were divided into two or three
classes.
1st class: wealthy
2nd class: modest means
3rd class: the masses
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The Luxury Palaces
During the 1920s and 1930s, though, ocean
liners did begin to provide more
entertainment, attract more of the middle
class, and provide much of the pampering
we associate today with cruising. Even the
Depression failed to dent the business.
During Prohibition Americans could drink on
the high seas. Casinos were still a rarity.
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Birth of Contemporary
Cruising
Early 1900s a few (usually smaller)
steamship lines devised a product
that was closer to a cruise.
During the Winter (lease popular
time to cross the ocean) they would
reposition the ships to warmer
places, like the Caribbean.
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This was called and excursion and
became purely leisure. People would book
a cruise to visit a series of exotic ports, to
profit from the health benefits of bracing
sea air, and to do interesting thins while
onboard their ship.
June 1958, airlines started the first
commercial jet service across the Atlantic
and cruising diminished.
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Modern Cruising Develops
The smaller ships in the Caribbean
became the business model.
They begin to think of ships as
floating resorts for pleasure, great
food, superb service and no packing
and unpacking transportation.
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1960s, new liners were built for
ocean crossing.
1970s, cruising was a major
phenomenon, ships designed for
cruising.
1980s-1990s, Megaships appeared
and smaller super luxury vessels
targeted those with more money.
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Cruising Today
Cruises have 3,4,5,7 or 12 day voyages.
7 day is most popular (Saturday to
Saturday).
Agenda can be round-trip or circle
itinerary, with the vessel leaving from
and returning to the same port. (start
and return to the same port).
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The cruise may start at one port, but finish
at another. This is called a one-way
itinerary.
Cruise passengers experience a wealth of
onboard activities (e.g., meals, show,
contests, lounging at the pool), which take
place primarily on at-sea days (when the
ship is traveling a long distance without
stopping at any ports).
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Cruise clients sometimes arrive at the
cruise departure port a day or two
early and /or stay at the port
afterward.
Their lodging can be purchased from
the cruise line or booked separately.
(These are called pre-and post-
cruise packages.)
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In a few cases the cruise line may
even bundle and sell pre-and-post
cruise hotel stays and at least some
sightseeing for one price, as part of a
larger cruise experience, or cruise-
tour.
In airline terminology, a flight to and
from the same city is called a round-
trip or closed-jaw itinerary.
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When an air itinerary features a
return from a different city than the
one first flown to, its called an
open-jaw itinerary.
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