blog

blog https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/ What’s In a Name? https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/what-s-in-a-name/ Cruise lines have drawn on inspiration from all over the world for some of the wonderful names for their ships - with naming traditions that date back almost a century alongside modern name ideas.
With a growing number of new ships setting sail each year, cruise lines are having to get increasingly more creative when it comes to naming their vessels. Original and new names don’t just roll off the tongue, and when cruise line companies have opened naming up to the public well, let’s say, the names a been a little weird. Today, a variety of factors come into play as each new name is created, with some names complying with tradition and others as a way to promote the type of experience a guest might expect. Each vessel is individually named, but often as part of a corporate identity meaning that modern naming traditions tend to be brand led, so that they convey the style and values of the ship and the service standard guests can expect.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600399-RoyalCaribbean-2.png" width="600" height="399" alt="" title=""/>
For example, Cunard’s royal naming theme instantly marks them as the grand dames of the cruise industry – but the line’s ships haven’t always been named after female monarchs. Although the current fleet is made up exclusively of Queens, the vast majority of historical Cunard ships have been as much a Queen as your or I. In fact, 85 ships had entered into service for Cunard before the first Queen (Queen Mary) took to the seas in 1936 – with an additional two ships (Queen Elizabeth in 1940 and Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1969) following this naming standard. A much more prevalent naming practice for the line was to end the name in ‘ia’, with famous ships including Catalonia, Lusitania and Franconia. It was only the current generation of Queen Elizabeth (the second of her name), Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 which made this practice standard.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600368-RoyalCaribbean-3.png" width="600" height="368" alt="" title=""/>
Royal Caribbean’s ships are instantly identifiable by their unique ‘of the Seas’ suffix. As a sea-faring fleet, this naming practice is pretty self-explanatory, but like Cunard’s Queens above, this is a relatively recent trend. The early ships in the fleet had a strong Scandinavian theme with vessels including Song of Norway, Nordic Prince and Sun Viking. Even the Nordic Empress had to be renamed the Empress of the Seas to fit in with the new naming standard when Royal Caribbean made it a hard and fast rule in 2004.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600337-RoyalCaribbean-4.png" width="600" height="337" alt="" title=""/>
Royal Caribbean first introduced the ‘of the Seas’ suffix in 1988 when the line rebranded the Sovereign of the Seas. The first ship to be built with the suffix was 1991’s Monarch of the Seas.
P&amp;O has often sought input from the general public when it plans a new ship. It last did this in 2020, just a year after the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) famously launched a competition to name its new research vessel in 2019. The results of the NERC competitionleft judges gape mouthed with ‘BoatyMcBoatface’ receiving the highest number of votes. In the end, however, the vessel was aptly named in honour of Sir David Attenborough - but it has seen the appetite for public collaborations for boat naming decrease.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/RoyalCaribbean-5.png" width="368" height="553" alt="" title=""/> Thu, 08 Jul 2021 11:50:18 +0000 https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/what-s-in-a-name/ The History of Cruise https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/the-history-of-cruise/ From the old mail liners that started transporting transatlantic passengers to the glamorous 1950s star-students cruise ships of the Golden Age, we explore the history of cruising to the gleaming mega ships of today. 
Until the 1900s, the idea of travelling the seas in a ship for pleasure was an alien concept – it was merely a mode of transport from A-to-B. Transatlantic crossings weren’t possible by air, so the only option was the long journey on water. Initially this was purely practical, but as the route matured the style of cruising evolved to take on a life of its own. It became an experience in its own right, offering luxury and social networking opportunities that encouraged the moneyed elite to mingle, drink fine wines, dine on a gastronomic menu and travel to exciting destinations. Over time, the cost of cruising became more affordable, especially one aviation travel offered an alternative to sea routes. As an elite way to travel, cruising could still offer decadence and splendor but it also expanded to offer fantastic holiday option for families, regardless of wealth.
The Early Years
P&amp;O Cruises were an early pioneer in the 19th century when it began offering cruises – indeed the company claims that co-founder Arthur Anderson invented the cruise holiday. He owned The Shetland Times, and to fill space he placed a dummy advert in his newspaper, promoting an imaginary cruise of the Scottish isles. This was in 1835 and it captured the imagination of those keen to see the world by boat. Companies began offering cruises to the public aboard ships that were primarily built for the transportation of mail with P&amp; converting their liner Ceylon into what is regarded as the first cruise ship in 1881. It embarked on a round-the-world cruise from Liverpool and heralded the real beginning of cruising as we know it. 
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage415600-History-Cruise-2.png" width="415" height="600" alt="" title=""/>
More luxurious
The early 20th century saw big names like Cunard and White Star entering the cruise market, with larger and more luxurious ships launched as the style of cruising continued to evole. Journeys that had been purely functional were now marketed as being for pleasure as cruise companies introduced new facilities – in 1907, the first swimming pool arrived alongside à la carte restaurants and lifts between decks. In these days, ships were still very much divided on a class system, where opulence in the interiors for those travelling in first class contrasted greatly with the facilities and conditions in the cheapest accommodation, or ‘steerage’. Unless you paid for a first class ticket, you were even expected to bring your own food and were crowned into small cabins.
There is plenty of evidence to suggest that it was the split class system of cruising that gave us the acronym that led to the word ‘posh’. This seems very credible, as on the long journeys, particularly those between the UK and India, wealthier passengers would demand cabins that were shadier in the afternoon so they would be cooler by bedtime, which would be the port side going out and the starboard side coming back, or Port Out Starboard Home, which was stamped on the ticket – from which the ‘POSH’ was derived.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/History-Cruise-3.png" width="375" height="500" alt="" title=""/>
Bespoke-built cruise ships
In 1900, the Hamburg America Line created the first purpose-built pleasure cruise ship - up until now the cruise ships had been liners that had previous transported goods and mail. It was a very exclusive affair, offering entirely first-class cabins and gave competitors P&amp;O, Cunard, and White Star Line the impetus they needed to invest in the same. Itineraries developed too, with cruise companies offering a wider range of destinations on routes that made cruising a year-round affair. The Titanic disaster, in 1912, occurred just four days after the White Star Line ship left Southampton. Cunard’s Carpathia was deployed to rescue just over 700 survivors. It was just one incident of many that caused significant disruption to the cruise sector in this half-century.
World Wars 1 and 2 commandeered a number of cruise ships for military service with Fred. Olsen alone losing 23 ships in WWI, and 28 in WWII. Between these devastating wars, shipping lines were able to prosper to a degree, in particular what is now Costa Cruises thrived in producing and shipping olive oil to America. Also, in 1922, Cunard sent their ship Laconia on the very first world cruise. By 1948, Costa also broached passenger cruising, and ran a 16 day trip from Genoa to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. But it wasn’t until the 1950s when cruising finally claimed its rightful place – and the Golden Age of cruising was born.
Glamour travel 
Once again, cruises became fun-filled social events synonymous with games, drinking, dancing, and even glamorous guests. In 1950 Cunard held an all-American star cruise, with special passengers Noel Coward, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Walt Disney, and Rita Hayworth on-board to entertain. Newer and more modern cruise lines were founded, offering a greater variety of style and vessels with Princess Cruises in 1965, Norwegian Cruise Line in 1966, Royal Caribbean in 1968, MSC in 1970, Carnival in 1972, Celebrity Cruises in 1989, and Silversea in 1994. The TV programme Love Boat, which was set on a Princess Cruises ship, ran from 1977 to 1990, and did much to raise the profile of cruising to new heights around the world.
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage423600-History-Cruise-4.png" width="423" height="600" alt="" title=""/>
Soon, cruising became no longer just a pursuit for the wealthy but for the discerning traveler too. Liners began offering types of rooms from stunning loft suites to well-appointed inside cabins. Modern day cruising continues to welcome huge as the main lines compete with one another to bring us bigger, better and more beautiful ships. New ideas are introduced frequently to add to the ‘wow factor’ with greater new technology added onboard each year, including the Royal Caribbean’s brilliant surf simulator, FlowRider, in 2004, the planetarium onboard Queen Mary 2 in 2009, and Norwegian Cruise Line’s race track in 2017. Also in 2017 Royal Caribbean built the largest cruise ship in the world, Symphony of the Seas, which can accommodate up to an incredible 6,680 passengers. Opulent spa suites, star-studded entertainment and 24/7 gourmet dining are now standard with the days of bringing your own food aboard definitely a thing of the past. Sat, 03 Jul 2021 08:30:36 +0000 https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/the-history-of-cruise/ BIG, BOLD AND VERY BEAUTIFUL https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/big-bold-and-very-beautiful/ The top 3 largest cruise ships from around the world that sail the Caribbean 
The largest cruise ships in the Caribbean are absolutely leaders in 2021 by gross tonnage, weight, measure of volume and of course by the length – from ship’s bow to stern. almost a realcity, they have restaurants, shops, bars, huge pools, cinemas and even golf courses - and benefit from ever changing changing of an endless stretch of the blue ocean and azure skies. 
1. CRUISE SHIP ‘QUANTUM OF THE SEAS’ – 168,666 GT
Royal Caribbean Cruise has launched quite a number of cruise liners that sail all over the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean belt. We have already discussed the Oasis series and mentioned the Freedom-class cruises (albeit briefly). The Quantum of the Seas is a leading ship of the Quantum-class cruises that surpassed the Freedom line. It is the second largest passenger ship that weighs 140,00 GT heavier than its preceding cruise liners. Quantum, weighing 168,666 GT was a part of Project Sunshine and was constructed in the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. Quantum of the Seas spent her initial years sailing around Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States, before finally returning to her homeport China in May 2015. After 2015 however, the cruise ventured out to far-reaching routes and sailed three to eight itineraries throughout the year, from Shanghai to Japan and Korea. She reached Hong Kong sometime on June 10 th 2015. 
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600407-Largest-Cruise-2.png" width="600" height="407" alt="" title=""/>
Quantum of the Seas was named on November 14 th, 2014 by the American actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth. The cruise features 16 passenger decks, 8 of which have balconies overlooking the ocean. Other than that, there are 2090 staterooms, double storeyed loft suites, studios, restaurants, casinos, bars, a music hall and even a Kung-Fu themed noodle bar on the pool deck. 
2. CRUISE SHIP ‘ANTHEM OF THE SEAS’ – 168,666 GT
Anthem of the Seas is the second largest ship of the Quantum-class cruise liner that surpassed the Freedom cruise line by almost 14,000 GT. Owned by the Royal Caribbean International, the Anthem was constructed on April 10 th and christened on April 20 th, 2015. It was built in Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany and delivered in the Fall of 2014 under the Project Sunshine. 
Anthem first set sail from her homeport in Southampton, England in 2015 to prepare for her European Summer voyage. It was during this trip that she was officially christened by Emma Wilby, a British travel agent. The maiden voyage was an eight-night cruise to Spain and France. From there, the ship traveled to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, and the Canary Islands. During November, the cruiser operates 7-12 night itineraries to the Caribbean and Bahamas from Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, United States. Anthem of the Seas has a gross tonnage of 168,666 GT, very similar structure to that of the Quantum ship. There are 16 staterooms, 8 of which have open balconies. The staterooms cater to all the needs of the guests; some of them are even equipped with wheelchairs for supporting people who have some handicap. Other than that, there is a sports court, an observation tower, wave pools, bars, theatres, casinos, dining spaces, and plenty of lounges to relax around. 
<img src="https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/assets/_resampled/resizedimage600420-Largest-Cruise-3.png" width="600" height="420" alt="" title=""/>
3. CRUISE SHIP ‘NORWEGIAN ESCAPE’ – 165,157 GT
Plan your perfect escape from the dull monotony of your routine life and sail on the Norwegian Escape cruiser this coming year. The cruise is the second vessel under the Breakaway Plus class owned and operated by the Norwegian cruiser company. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, this ship had its first voyage in 2015 from Hamburg to Southampton. Weighing about 165,157 GT, the cruiser is a lot lighter and smaller than her sister Joy and hence not very suitable for long trips. Her first trans-Atlantic voyage crossing Miami lasted an entire year offering guests a seven-night stay at the Caribbean islands. 
Escape has its homeport in Miami, and from there it is planning to venture out to Tortola, British Virgin Islands; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas. The framework, though a lot smaller, is designed in a similar way as its sisters Bliss and Joy are. There are over 2,000 staterooms that can accommodate over 4,000 guests easily. Also, there are clubs, bars, restaurants, pools, theatres, decks, and balconies all over the cruise providing plenty of entertainment to its inhabitants. Sat, 03 Jul 2021 08:22:15 +0000 https://www.caribbeanworld-magazine.com/caribbean-world-cruises/did-you-know/big-bold-and-very-beautiful/