Article Surfing Archive

Before the sixties, traveling on board a ship was the way of going to another continent. Travel by air, by passenger jets, which were absolutely luxurious, then ushered it. Even when Boeing introduced the famed 747 jets, travel by sea continued. This was despite the fact that it was nowhere near as pleasurable and relaxing as it is today. It was probably because it was a less expensive mode of travel as compared to air travel.

The film Titanic has quite accurately portrayed what a cruise aboard a liner entailed, aside from the great love story that unfolds in the film. There was a clear demarcation between the upper and lower class. While every luxury was available to the former right from their plush cabins to dancing and dining at the fine lounges and restaurants of the top deck, the latter had too be cooped up in their small cabins. It was simply money that decided the facilities that were available to a person. However, as a mode of travel to reach a certain place from another, an under deck ticket was the cheapest way to do so.

There were many cruise ships like the Queen Mary and the Lusitania, which were owned by shipping companies. There is a lot of legend associated with ships such as these. However, the number of such cruise liners was not many, but the companies were financially secure since there were enough passengers from all classes who brought in the money.

A perceptible change in the average view of what a cruise aboard a ship was, came with 'The Love Boat', the popular series on TV in the seventies. Now cruise travel seemed more like wonderful hotels which glided around the world offering luxury and recreation in the form of just lounging about on the deck drinking in the beauty of the ocean all around or reading a book, swimming and playing games, and dining in the fine restaurants. Once more, shipping companies acquired the same success that they had before the advent of the Boeing jet. The number of people wanting to go on a cruise holiday has been only increasing since then.

There is a wide variety of choice available right from the duration of the cruise, which ranges from four days to three weeks, to the size and amenities of accommodation on board, and the price that it costs to take a cruise. This makes it possible for anyone and everyone irrespective of their needs and budgets to enjoy a cruise. This is the main reason why cruises are the prime choice of vacation.