A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CRUISE LINE INDUSTRY |
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Before the dominance of air travel, which began to enjoy commercial success in the late 1960s, passenger liners were the preferred mode of overseas travel. Ships changed very little during the first half of this century. Although engine
efficiency improved, passenger staterooms, public lounges, and deck space on a cruise ship built in the 1950s were not much different than those on the S.S. Titanic. Most of the so-called modern ships plying the waters during this time copied the amenities and grand styling of past steamships. Their purpose remained the same as well. Oceangoing vessels were primarily used to get from Point A to Point B, especially for second- and third-class passengers, whose
accommodations were in stark contrast to those in first-class staterooms. The most common voyages were transatlantic crossings from New York to London. You can still visit the original terminal at Tilbury Docks, just east of London, and imagine the hustle and bustle of a bygone era. It sits humbly on the tide flats of the Thames, surrounded by the smoke stacks of the city. It was from here that the grand Queen Elizabeth ran continuous service to New York. In
this golden age of ocean liners, ships such as the Lusitania, United States, Ocean Monarch, Paris, Queen Mary, Caronia, and Laconia were sailing the high seas. Every vessel had a unique personality, history, and enough passengers to keep companies financially afloat. But it was an age that would eventually come to an end. The real blow to the cruise industry came in the 1960s when the Boeing Company began selling 747s and other aircraft worldwide. Meanwhile, a
global transportation network of airports with regulated common language and air traffic controllers, in coordination with the United States Federal Aviation Administration, was being established. As the decade came to a close, it was no longer fashionable, practical, or economical to travel by boat. The age of jumbo jets had arrived. Cruise Industry Growth >>>
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