Guide to Cruising 2008

History

1960’s 1960 Passenger shipping directories listed more than 30 companies operating transatlantic voyages. Many ships were laid up from 1960 to 1970, and most sold for a fraction of their value. Britannic, the last White Star Line ship, went out of service.
1962 Compagnie Générale Transatlantique’s 1,035-ft liner France, (then the longest passenger ship ever built, entered service from Le Havre to New York. It was scrapped in 2006.
1963 Cunard Line’s RMS Queen Elizabeth made an experimental cruise from New York to the West Indies. As a result, full air conditioning was fitted in
1965-66 to facilitate more extensive cruising.
1965 The Orient Steam Navigation Company was absorbed into the P&O Group. The new company became known as the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company. Stanley B. McDonald founded Princess Cruises.
1966 Soviet transatlantic service was reopened with the Black Sea Shipping Company’s Aleksandr Pushkin inaugurating service between Montreal and Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) for the first time since 1949. The Norwegian company Klosters Reederei joined Miami businessman Ted Arison in marketing Caribbean cruises from Miami. Sanford Chobol founded Commodore Cruise Line.
1967 Cunard withdrew the transatlantic liner Queen Mary from service.
1968 Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth withdrawn. Cunard refused delivery of Queen Elizabeth 2 from its builder, John Brown, in December, because of unacceptable turbine vibration. Repairs led to a five-month delay to its maiden transatlantic crossing. Boise Cascade purchased Princess Cruises from its founder, Stanley B. McDonald, who re-purchased it two years later.
1969 Lars-Eric Lindblad’s Lindblad Explorer, designed for close-in expedition cruising, was launched. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line was set up by a consortium of Norwegian shipping companies. The loss-making United States was laid up. 

1970’s 1970 Royal Viking Line was founded by three partners (Bergen Line, A.F. Klaveness, and Nordenfjeldske) who each contributed one ship (Royal Viking Sea, Royal Viking Sky, and Royal Viking Star). Germany’s Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hapag (Hamburg American Line) merged as Hapag-Lloyd.
1971 Cunard Line was sold to Trafalgar House Investments. Royal Cruise Line was founded.
1972 Ted Arison founded Carnival Cruise Lines. It began with just one sad ship, Mardi Gras (ex-Empress of Canada). It ran aground on its first voyage from Miami. Sitmar Cruises began operations with one ship, Fairsea.
1974 P&O bought Princess Cruises. Compagnie Générale Transatlantique laid up the loss-making France. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey opened its Passenger Ship Terminal. Royal Cruise Lines’ first ship, Golden Odyssey, built to accommodate the equivalent load of a Boeing 747 aircraft (425 passengers), was introduced.
1975 Island Princess and Pacific Princess (Princess Cruises) became “stars” in the American television show The Love Boat.
1976 The Italian Line and Lloyd Triestino ceased transatlantic passenger operations.
1977 World Explorer Cruises was founded with one ship, Universe. Holland America Line absorbed Monarch Cruise Lines.
1978 Richard Hadley founded United States Cruises, which went nowhere. Royal Caribbean’s Song of Norway underwent a “chop and stretch” operation to add a mid-section (the first time this technique had been applied in the cruise industry).
1979 American Hawaii Cruises was formed. In June, SS France was purchased by Lauritz Kloster, rebuilt for Caribbean cruises, renamed Norway and transferred to Norwegian Caribbean Lines. Peter Deilmann ordered his first new cruise ship, Berlin. 

1980’s 1980 Sea Goddess Cruises was founded by Helge Naarstad. Denmark’s United Steamship Company (DFDS) founded Scandinavian World Cruises (later SeaEscape) to operate cruise-ferry service between New York and Freeport/Miami.
1981 Transatlantic service provided by Soviet-registered ships was discontinued because of a US embargo. Astor Cruises was formed in the UK.
1982 The British government chartered Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 and P&O Cruises’ Canberra for use as troop carriers during the Falklands War between Argentina and Britain.
1983 P&O appointed Jeffrey Sterling as chairman in order to fend off an unwanted takeover bid by Cunard Line’s owners, Trafalgar House, which purchased Norwegian America Cruises (NAC), together with Sagafjord and Vistafjord. Premier Cruise Lines was founded. Salen-Lindblad Cruising’s Lindblad Explorer became the first passenger ship to successfully navigate the Northwest Passage, sailing 4,790 miles (7,700 km) from Saint John’s, Newfoundland, to Point Barrow, Alaska.
1984 Dolphin Cruise Line, Premier Cruise Lines, Regency Cruises, and Sundance Cruises were created. Windstar Sail Cruises re-launched commercial sail. Network TV advertising was used in the US for the first time, by Carnival Cruise Lines.
1985 The Chandris Group of Companies acquired Fantasy Cruises from GoGo Tours, renaming it Chandris Fantasy Cruises in the US and Chandris Cruises in the UK.
1986 Direct-dial satellite calls were introduced. Signet Cruise Line was founded in Norway. Owing to a lawsuit brought by an American who claimed the right to the name Signet, the company changed its name in 1988 to Seabourn Cruise Line. Eastern Cruise Lines, Western Cruise Lines, and Sundance Cruises merged to become Admiral Cruises. Cunard acquired Sea Goddess Cruises.
1987 Carnival Cruise Lines made its first public stock offering. Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 was converted at a German shipyard from steam turbine to diesel-electric power, the largest conversion in maritime history. Ocean Cruise Lines merged with Pearl Cruises. Princess Cruises replaced almost 500 unionized British hotel and catering staff aboard its five ships.
1988 Commodore Cruise Lines sold its Bohème to the Church of Scientology; it was renamed Freewinds. Crystal Cruises was formed as a wholly-owned division of Japan’s Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK). Royal Caribbean Cruise Line merged with Admiral Cruises to form Royal Admiral Cruises (later Royal Caribbean Cruises). Carnival Cruise Lines acquired Holland America Line, including its land-based hotel/transport operations and Windstar Cruises. Seabourn Cruise Line’s first ship, Seabourn Pride, entered service.
1989 American Cruise Lines, which operated small vessels for intracoastal cruising, went into bankruptcy. The Chandris Group of Companies created Celebrity Cruises. Renaissance Cruises was formed by Fearnley & Eger (a 120-year-old Oslo-based shipping concern) to build eight small premium ships. The Panama Canal celebrated its 75th birthday. Lindblad Travel went bankrupt. 

1990’s 1990 Starlite Cruises (part of the Piraeus-based Lelakis Group) was formed. Ocean Cruise Lines was purchased by Croisières Paquet, itself owned by the French giant Accor leisure company. Japan Cruise Line entered the Japanese cruise market with Orient Venus for charters and incentive cruises. At the start of the Gulf War, the US government chartered Cunard Princess for six months for use as a rest and relaxation center for US service personnel in the Persian Gulf.
1991 Carnival Cruise Lines acquired a 25 percent stake in Seabourn Cruise Line. Renaissance Cruises was sold to an international group of investors. Effjohn International purchased Crown Cruise Line. Seawind Cruise Line commenced cruise operations. Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) purchased Salen Lindblad Cruising.
1992 Costa Cruise Lines introduced its Euro-Luxe cruise concept as CostaClassica debuted. Admiral Cruises (two ships) ceased operations. Carnival Cruise Lines deployed Mardi Gras to accommodate 600 staff members made homeless by the Hurricane Andrew. The Chandris Group and Overseas Shipholding Group (OSG) agreed to form a joint venture company called Celebrity Cruise Lines, Inc. Chargeurs and Accor, the French property and leisure industries group that own Paquet Cruises and Ocean Cruise Lines, purchased a 23 percent stake in Costa Crociere, parent of Costa Cruises.
1993 Carnival Cruise Lines formed Fiesta Marina Cruises for the Spanish-speaking Latin American market; it was phenomenally unsuccessful. George Poulides founded Festival Cruises. SeaQuest Cruises (one ship) ceased operations. Frontier Spirit was returned to its Japanese owners and then chartered as Bremen to Germany’s Hanseatic Tours.
1994 Delta Queen Steamboat Company changed its corporate name to American Classic Voyages Company; it owns American Hawaii Cruises and the Delta Queen Steamboat Company. Trafalgar House, Cunard’s parent company, signed an agreement to purchase the rights to the name Royal Viking Line, together with Royal Viking Sun. Royal Viking Queen went to Royal Cruise Line, becoming Queen Odyssey and later Seabourn Legend. Radisson Diamond Cruises and Seven Seas Cruise Line merged to become Radisson Seven Seas Cruises. Star Cruises was founded.
1995 British company Airtours purchased Southward from Norwegian Cruise Line and Nordic Prince from Royal Caribbean Cruises.
1996 Kloster Cruise (parent of Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Cruise Line) announced the closure of its Royal Cruise Line division. Crown Odyssey and Royal Odyssey went to Norwegian Cruise Line as Norwegian Crown and Norwegian Star, respectively. Queen Odyssey went to Seabourn Cruise Line as Seabourn Legend. Star Odyssey was sold to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines and renamed Black Watch. Cunard (and parent company Trafalgar House) were bought by Kvaerner.
1997 Hapag-Lloyd acquired Hanseatic Tours, together with its expedition ship, Hanseatic. Carnival Corporation, jointly with Airtours, purchased Costa Cruises. Royal Caribbean International bought Celebrity Cruises for $1.3 billion. P&O Cruises’ Canberra was withdrawn from service and sent to Pakistan for scrap.
1998 Australia repealed its cabotage laws, allowing international cruise ships to dock and operate from Australian ports without restrictions. Kvaerner sold Cunard for $500 million to a consortium that included Carnival Corporation.
1999 Crown Cruise Line was reintroduced as an upscale division of Commodore Cruise Line. It chartered Crown Dynasty and later purchased the ship for $86.2 million. 

2000 onwards 2000 Star Cruises took full control of Norwegian Cruise Line (including Orient Lines) after purchasing the outstanding shares held by the Carnival Corporation. P&O Group separated its cruising activities from the rest of the group; it has five cruise divisions - Aida Cruises, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises (Australia), Princess Cruises, and Swan Hellenic. Costa Cruises became 100% owned by the Carnival Corporation. Canaveral Cruise Lines (one ship), Commodore Cruise Lines (two ships), Crown Cruise Line (one ship), Delfin Cruises (two ships), and Norwegian Capricorn Line (one ship), Premier Cruise Line (7 ships) and Sun Cruises (three ships) ceased operations.
2001 Spain’s Pullmantur bought Oceanic (formerly Premier Cruise Lines’ Big Red Boat I) and Seawind Crown (formerly operated by Premier Cruise Line) for the Spanish-speaking market. The Carnival Corporation sold its 25.1% shareholding in Airtours. Renaissance Cruises (10 ships) ceased operations after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US. So did American Hawaii Cruises, United States Lines, Delta Queen Coastal Cruises, Hyundai Asan, and Leisure Cruises.
2002 Empress Cruise Lines (one ship) and Valtur Tourism (one ship) ceased operations. SeaDream Yacht Club began with two ships, SeaDream I and SeaDream II. Golden Sun Cruises became Golden Star Cruises with one ship, Aegean I.
2003 The Carnival Corporation and P&O Princess Cruises merged to become the world’s largest cruise company, with more than 60 ships and 13 brands (A’Rosa Cruises, Aida Cruises, Carnival Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Swan Hellenic Cruises and Windstar Cruises). Oceania Cruises was founded by Frank del Rio and Joe Watters, with two ships, Insignia and Regatta (the former Renaissance Cruises’ R1 and R2). Regal Cruises (one ship) and Sun Bay Cruises (two ships) ceased operations. Mauritius Island Cruises was founded with two ships, Island Sky and Island Sun (the former R7 and R8).
2004 Festival Cruises ceased operations; its six ships were impounded and auctioned. Royal Olympia Cruises also suffered the same fate (but recovered, albeit with a smaller fleet), a victim of high ship and operating costs. Australian tour operator Around the World Cruises (one ship) and Mare Nostrum Cruises (one ship) ceased operations.
2005 Orion Expedition Cruises started operations with one ship, Orion. Royal Olympia Cruises (two ships), Siam Cruise (one ship), Spanish Cruise Line (one ship) and My Travel/Sun Cruises (four ships) ceased operations. Mauritius Island Cruises ceased operations; its two ships were sold to a Bahamian company and chartered to Noble Caledonia and Travel Dynamics International.
2006 Radisson Seven Seas Cruises became Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Royal Caribbean International bought Pullmantur (for $889.9 million). Abou Merhi Cruises ceased operations; its ship, Orient Queen, was acquired by Louis Cruise Lines. Glacier Bay Cruiseline ceased operations (two ships). Holiday Kreutzfarhten (Holiday Cruises) ceased operations; its two ships were returned to their owners. Pearl Sea Cruises was founded by Charles Robertson (American Cruise Lines) for international cruises, with two ships on order. CLIA (Cruise Lines International Organization) and ICCL (International Council of Cruise Lines) merged into CLIA, and moved to Miami.
2007 Carnival Corporation sold Swan Hellenic Cruises to the UK’s Lord Sterling. Carnival Corporation acquired 75% of Spain-based Iberostar Cruises, sold Windstar Cruises to Ambassadors International for $100 million, and entered into a joint venture with Germany’s TUI. Caspi Cruises (one ship) ceased operations. Louis Cruise Lines’ Sea Diamond ran aground and sank off Santorini; the captain and five officers were charged with negligence. Oceania Cruises was bought for $850 million by equity group Apollo Management. Celebrity Cruises created a sub-brand, Azamara Cruises. Queen Elizabeth 2 was sold for £50 million ($100 million) to a state investment company in Dubai, where it will be turned into a floating hotel and museum.         

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2008