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A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships. Cruise lines have a dual character; they are partly in the transportation business, and partly in the leisure entertainment business, a duality that carries down into the ships themselves, which have both a crew headed by the ship's captain, and a hospitality staff headed by the equivalent of a hotel manager.
Among cruise lines, some are direct descendants of the traditional passenger shipping lines, while others were founded from the 1960s on specifically for cruising. The business is extremely volatile; the ships are massive capital expenditures with ruinous operating costs, and a slight dip in bookings can easily put a company out of business. Cruise lines frequently sell, renovate, or simply rename their ships just to keep up with travel trends.
A wave of failures and consolidation in the 1990s has led to many lines existing only as "brands" within larger corporations, much as a single automobile company produces several makes of cars. Brands exist partly because of repeat customer loyalty, and also to offer different levels of quality and service. For instance, Carnival Corporation owns both Carnival Cruise Lines, whose former image were vessels that had a reputation as "party ships" for younger travellers, but have become large, modern, and extremely elegant, yet still profitable, and Holland America Line, whose ships cultivate an image of classic elegance.
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Ship Owners and Management
Ocean Liners :: Ships
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African Safari Club Cruises - Cruise aboard the M.S. Royal Star to the paradise islands of the Indian Ocean including the Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar and Zanzibar.
Meta Description: [ African Safari Holiday to Kenya and Indian Ocean Cruises aboard the cruise ship M.S. Royal Star, all from African Safari Club. For more information on our cruises and holidays please visit African Safari Club ]
American Cruise Lines - East Coast Cruises from Maine to Florida
Meta Description: [ default description ]
American West Steamboat Company - Offering river cruises and tours to Alaska, with details of itineraries, vessels and prices.
Meta Description: [ Elegant, Small Ship Alaska Cruises and Columbia River Cruises. Free shore excursions are included in every port for Alaska Cruises and Columbia River Cruises. ]
Arabella Sailing Cruises - A three masted schooner adventure sailing the waters of New England, the Eastern Seaboard and the Caribbean.
Meta Description: [ Arabella is a three masted schooner, adventure sailing the waters of New England, the Eastern Seaboard and the Carribean. ]
Arctic Umiaq Line - Passenger ships along the west coast of Greenland. Cruise the Arctic - watch whales and icebergs pass by in the midnight sun.
Captain Cook Cruises - Discover Fiji and Australia.
Meta Description: [ Captain cook cruises small cruise ships offering great barrier reef cruises, Sydney harbour cruises, Murray river cruises Australia, Fiji cruises, honeymoon cruises ,sailing cruises, boat hire and expedition cruises. ]
Carnival Cruise Lines - Cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii. Information about destinations, excursions, and life on board.
Celebrity Cruises - Voted one of the World's Best Cruise Lines by Condé Nast Traveler offers cruises to the Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, Panama Canal, Galapagos, Hawaii, Mexico and more.
Clipper Cruise Line - Small ship cruise line.
Coral Princess Cruises - Discover Australia's most picturesque coastline and the world's largest marine park, the Great Barrier Reef, on a Coral Princess Reef and Island Adventure Cruise.
Meta Description: [ Expedition cruises for Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Cape York, Darwin And The Kimberley with Coral Princess Cruises. 3 to 11 night cruising itineraries including Cairns, Townsville, Lizard island, Cape York, Torres Strait, Gove, Nhulunbuy, Arnhem Land, Darwin, Broome and the Kimberley Coast passen... ]
Costa Cruises - Cruise the Italian style, provides information about the destinations, the fleet, the contacts and view from the webcams onboard.
Cruise West - Provides an ideal way to explore waterways and small ports. Our fleet of smaller ships, the largest holds just 102 guests, offers experiences simply not possible aboard any large cruise ship.
Meta Description: [ Cruise West specializes in small ship cruising to Alaska, Columbia River, British Columbia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Intracoastal Waterway, Antebellum South, Caribbean, Snake River, Denali ]
Crystal Cruises - Offers three Six-Star ships, which sail to many destinations across the globe.
Meta Description: [ Crystal Cruises wins ten consecutive years of Travel + Leisure's Readers' Poll for World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line. Unmatched Record of #1 Wins in the Cruise Industry. Its luxury ships, the 940-guest, 50,000-ton Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony and 1,080-guest, 68,000-ton Crystal Serenity a... ]
CTMA Group - Offering cruises in Québec, Canada, maritime links to Magdalene Island.
Meta Description: [ Cruise on the St-Lawrence river or sea links toward Les ÃŽles de la Madeleine and Prince Edouard Island on ferry, modern and confortable ship. Unforgettable trip in Quebec, Canada ]
Cunard Cruise Line - One of the most luxurious cruise lines available.
Meta Description: [ Enjoy supreme luxury with Cunard cruise vacations to the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Europe on the legendary ships Queen Mary 2, QE2 and the newest addition Queen Victoria. ]
DFDS Seaways - Baltic and North Sea cruise line.
Disney Cruise Line - The magic and quality of Disney is yours to enjoy on a magnificent ship that is part of an unforgettable Walt Disney World and Disney Cruise Line vacation.
Meta Description: [ Welcome Aboard! Discover an enchanting vacation for every member of your family. Take a trip on Disney Cruise Line and set sail on a dream. ]
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines - Fleet and itineraries for trips from Dover to Africa, Portugal, Canary Islands, Mediterranean, Norwegian Fjords, Canada, Far East, and Mexico.
Great Lakes Cruise Company - Cruise line with two ships sailing the Great Lakes.
Harmony Cruises - Luxury yacht-cruise ships offering cruises in Mediterranean, includes photos, destination information, and a virtual tour of the cabins.
Meta Description: [ Harmony Cruises Ships : The ideal alternative to the typical cruises on board large ships ]
Hebridean Island Cruises - Luxury cruise line operating small ships to Scotland and around the World.
Meta Description: [ The Small Cruise Ship Company offering luxury cruises on two luxury cruise ships with destinations to Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, UK, and Scotland as well as African Coast and Indian Ocean. ]
Holland America Cruise Line - Well known for cruises in Alaska, Caribbean and Panama Canal, offers wide range of itineraries, shore excursions, general information and travel agent contacts.
Meta Description: [ Holland America Line offers world cruises to such cruise ports as Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Canada, New England, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, the Panama Canal, and South America. ]
Indian Ocean Cruises - Based in Durban the ship is offering a variety of cruise options to ports of call in South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Madagascar.
Meta Description: [ Indian Ocean Cruises, experience the scenery and diverse cultures of South Africa with Indian Ocean Cruises. ]
Ionian Cruises - Greek cruise line that operates in the Ionian Sea.
Meta Description: [ Ionian Cruises Corfu provides daily mini cruises. Visit Greece on your holiday and enjoy an unforgettable island cruise to Corfu, Paxos, Antipaxos, The Blue Lagoon or one of many other beautiful Greek islands in the Ionian Sea. ]
Island Cruises - The Island Escape cruises the Mediterranean in the summer and returns to Brazil in the winter.
Meta Description: [ At Island Cruises we offer relaxed, friendly and informal Transatlantic and Mediterranean cruises. Extend your Mediterranean cruise holiday with a cruise and stay holiday ]
Kristina Cruises - Family-owned shipping company with two vessels operating on international destinations with fascinating cruise programs.
Lindblad Expeditions - Adventure cruises and exotic vacations to the Galapagos, Alaska, and Antarctica.
Meta Description: [ Lindblad Expeditions offers adventurous travel packages on small cruise ships to a variety of destinations. Travelers can use this page to learn about featured expeditions, read daily expedition reports, and visit the travel DVD library. ]
Louis Cruise Lines LTD - Cruises on the eastern Mediterranean sea.
Meta Description: [ Louis Cruise Lines - Mediterranean mini cruises - cruises from cyprus - cruises to Greece and Greek Islands, cruises to Egypt, Cruises to the Pyramids, cruises to Rhodes, cruises to Syria , European cruises ]
Mariposa Cruise Line - Toronto based cruise line with a fleet of seven ships.
MSC Mediterranean Shipping Cruise - Italian cruise line operating in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Caribbean.
Meta Description: [ Beautiful! Passionate! Italian. This is the essence of an MSC Cruise. From the genuine warmth of our italian officers and italian inspired decòr to our refined ]
North Star Cruises Australia - Wilderness or diving adventure travel holiday aboard the luxury True North. Cruise the Australian Kimberley coastline with on-board helicopter or dive the pristine coral atolls.
Meta Description: [ North Star Cruises Australia, 2005 Tourism Awards Winner, operates the new True North luxury Adventure-Cruise ship in the Kimberley region. Former name was North Star Charters ]
Norwegian Coastal Voyage Limited - Offers information and rates for cruises through the Arctic Circle, Bergen, Hammerfest, Bodo, and other destinations.
Meta Description: [ Hurtigruten - The Norwegian Coastal Voyage Group offer a flexible and unique voyage along some of the worlds most beautiful coastline. ]
Norwegian Cruise Line - Premium cruise line with itineraries worldwide. Includes destinations, ships, new and press releases and corporate overview.
Meta Description: [ Freestyle Homeland Cruising with NCL, the Hawaii Specialist ... Find out why we're the #1 Cruise Line in Hawaii. NCL also sails from more US and Canadian departure points on regular, round-trip 7-day cruises than any other cruise line. We pick the ports and the rest is up to you! With Freestyle C... ]
O Cruises - The official PO Cruises website covering every aspect of the PO Cruise experience from selecting a cruise to getting booking information.
Meta Description: [ Welcome to the world of P&O Cruises. Bringing you all the latest cruise holidays, a wealth of destination information, search tools to find the perfect cruise holiday to suit you, and secure online booking 24 hours a day - making your online experience as effortless as your experiences on board. ]
Paradise Cruise Ltd. - Join us on the Star of Honolulu and Starlet's I and II for luxury dinner cruises, sunset cruises, adventure cruises, and whale watching. You can also plan a special event cruise such as a wedding or company outing.
Meta Description: [ Official site for Star of Honolulu® Sunset Dinner and Show Cruises and Events, Whale Watching Weddings, Starlet® and Spirit of Lahaina® ]
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Pearl Cruises - Cruise project plans to operate one ship exploring Asia, Australia, India and Africa on unique, port intensive itineraries.
Meta Description: [ Pearl Cruises will specialise in destination cruising. ]
Princess Cruises - The cruise line that brought you the Love Boat.
Meta Description: [ Princess Cruises has distinguished itself by sailing to more destinations with cruise vacation specials to Alaska, Caribbean, Bermuda, Europe, Mediterranean, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti, Mexico, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Asia, South America, Canada, New England, & more!. Book your... ]
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises - Voted Best Small Cruise Line in Travel Leisure's 1999 readers survey.
Meta Description: [ Luxury cruise vacations from Regent Seven Seas Cruise Lines include sailings to a variety of luxury vacation cruise destinations. ]
Royal Caribbean International - Provides premium cruises worldwide. Includes destinations, ships, services, and packages available, letter from the president, and FAQ.
Meta Description: [ Royal Caribbean Cruise Deals: Get ready for an adventure on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. ]
S S Pumper - Offer tours on the Niagara River, on a wood fired, steam screwed vessel, built in 1903. Also available for corporate and private special and social occasions.
Seabourn Cruise Line - Luxury vacations and first-class world travel. Award-winning ships, dining and service equal to the best restaurants, hotels, resorts and spas.
Meta Description: [ Seabourn luxury cruise lines for voyages to the Caribbean, South Pacific, European and Mediterranean. ]
SeaDream Yacht Cruise - Operates the innovative new ultra-luxury yachts SeaDream I and SeaDream II offering cruises all around the world visiting exclusive places.
Meta Description: [ Luxury vacations, first class world travel, award winning ships, five star cuisine, dining, service, spa, fitness center equal to finest hotels, mega yachts and resorts. ]
SeaEscape Cruises - Luxury cruising on Sydney Harbour information about the boat, the itinerary and the prices.
Meta Description: [ SeaEscape Cruises - the best value for money
on Sydney Harbour. Cruises from $10 per person per hour. Cruise on a catamaran yacht. Day / evening charters available. ]
Sikumi Alaska Cruises - The M.V. Sikumi a luxurious 67 foot converted trawler offers an alternative to large Cruise ships. Small Ship cruising away form the hustle and bustle of the large boats.
Meta Description: [ Custom Alaska Cruises runs luxury cruises for 6-12 people in wild beautiful Southeast Alaska. Every trip is fully customized to the clients needs ]
Silversea Cruises - Journey aboard the Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, the two most beautiful yacht-like ships ever launched, you will discover a journey beyond your expectations.
Stad Amsterdam - A cruise that offers a combination of adventure and comfort with an historical ambiance onboard the Clipper Stad Amsterdam, detailed information about special events, itinerary and tariff.
Meta Description: [ De Clipper Stad Amsterdam. Het zeilende passagiersschip van Randstad en de gemeente Amsterdam. Â ]
Star Clippers - Discover in detail our sailing cruises in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and the Far East and prepare a romantic vacation aboard genuine Tall Ships.
Star Cruises - Cruises along the east asian coast.
Meta Description: [ The leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific and first global cruise line offers exotic cruises in the far east with ships based throughout Asia-Pacific. ]
Sternwheeler Cruises - Empress of the North will cruise into history along Alaska's Inside Passage and on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, rates, dates and itinerary available.
Meta Description: [ Elegant, Small Ship Alaska Cruises and Columbia River Cruises. Free shore excursions are included in every port for Alaska Cruises and Columbia River Cruises. ]
The World ResidenSea - Luxury five star cruise ship cabins available to rent aboard ‘The World’ cruise liner. Online booking available
Meta Description: [ Luxury five star cruise ship cabins available to rent aboard ‘The World’ cruise liner. Online booking available. ]
Viking Star Cruises - We cruise an average of 4 hrs daily and the rest of the day and night is spent on the Greek islands for exploring, visiting, shopping, swimming and nightlife.
Meta Description: [ offering yacht cruises and tours in Greece and Greek islands for over 30 years ]
Windjammer Barefoot Cruises - The ships are all sail boats with an informal atmosphere.
Meta Description: [ Cruises - Windjammer Barefoot Cruises, cruise with the largest tall ship cruises operator in the world. Sail a tall ship and cruise to a small island. ]
Windstar Cruise Line - Luxury sailing ships offering cruises in Mediterranean, Caribbean and Tahiti.
Meta Description: [ Cruises with Windstar, Luxury Cruises, Cruise with the world's most luxurious cruise line. Small exotic, luxury sail cruises serving a private yacht style vacation for the active traveler. Travel to Romantic ports in Spain, French and Italian Riviera, Greek Islands, Turkey, Costa Rica and Caribbe... ]
World Explorer Cruises - Offers unique voyages of discovery, learning and adventure, sailing Alaska and Central America.
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