It’s More than Just a Floating Hotel

With some ships weighing almost 50,000 tons and being able to accommodate almost 6,000 passengers, cruise lines are a vacation luxury that we all dream of. These massive floating “hotels” that travel from port to port aren’t just about getting off the boat at the port of destination. Nowadays, ships are built with water slides, rock walls, movie theaters, and even mini golf courses. The luxury cruise line industry has been a mystery for decades. The question everyone is left wondering is how could being stuck on a floating ship for seven days straight make such an amazing family vacation?

“Cruises are really fun because you have so much independence and freedom, especially if you meet people your age,” explained Jason Clark, freshman. 

More recently, cruise ships have become a dream destination for kids and teens. They have been able to build massive kids clubs and other programs to help young people meet peers their own age and so parents can even have a night off from the little ones. Somehow, these cruise lines have been able to design the dream getaway with fun for all ages.

Since 2009, the number of travelers each year that choose a cruise vacation has increased significantly. In just 2019 alone, 30 million travelers took a cruise. If this number keeps going up at this rate, then what is in store for the future of cruise lines?

Cruise lines have been competing with each other for consumer dollars since the very beginning. From building private islands, such as Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Cay and Royal Caribbean Coco Cay, to the world’s largest cruise ship: Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas, it’s inevitable that each cruise line is investing in larger and larger projects in order to please travelers. In the reality of the business world, it only matters how much money these cruise lines are bringing in at the end of the day. 

“Royal Caribbean and its subsidiary cruise line carried nearly 6.1 million people on it’s ships in 2018,” said Tanner Callais in a “Cruzely” article. “In total, those passengers spent almost 9.5 billion dollars.”

It seems with all the money going into these huge cruise industries, the value is worth it. With cruise lines making millions and even billions, the competition increases. It was only a few months ago that Disney Cruise Line announced a new ship, allowing way more travelers to have the Disney experience at sea. 

If you’re planning your next vacation, and want a great getaway where everyone in the family is included in the fun, a cruise is definitely the way to go.