Cruise line

A cruise line is a company that operates cruise ships that operate on ocean or rivers and which markets cruises to the public.[1] Cruise lines are distinct from passenger lines which are primarily concerned with transportation of passengers. Though cruise packages provided by cruise lines vary, there are some features most have in common, such as accommodation, all meals and entertainment. They may include alcohol and shore excursions, sometimes on additional payment.

Among cruise lines, some are direct descendants of the traditional passenger lines, while others were founded since the 1960s specifically for cruising. The business has been extremely volatile; the ships are massive capital expenditures with very high 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 consolidations in the 1990s has led to many companies being bought by much larger holding companies and to operate as "brands" within larger corporations. Brands exist partly because of repeat customer loyalty, and also to offer different levels of quality and service. For instance, Carnival Corporation & plc owns both Carnival Cruise Line, whose former image were vessels that had a reputation as "party ships" for younger travellers, but have become large, modern, yet still profitable, and Holland America Line, whose ships cultivate an image of classic elegance.

A common practice in the cruise industry in listing cruise ship transfers[2] and orders[3] is to list the smaller operating company, not the larger holding corporation, as the recipient cruise line of the sale, transfer, or new order. For example, Carnival Cruise Line and Holland America Line are the cruise lines whereas Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. are considered holding corporations . This industry practice of using the brand, not the larger holding corporation, as the cruise line is also followed in the member cruise lines in Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA)[4] and the member-based reviews of cruise lines.[5]

List of largest cruise lines

The cruise industry is estimated to be around US$45.6 billion with around 26 million passengers annually. The following is a list of the largest cruise lines with over 1,000 passengers annually and their market share by passengers and revenue as of 2018 according to Cruise Market Watch. The list also includes the combined market share of each of the cruise line holding companies: Carnival Corporation & plc, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Genting Hong Kong.[6]

Legend:

  • Bold: Major cruise company
  • Italic: Not owned by a major cruise company
Cruise line Parent company Passengers
(thousands)[6]		 Revenue
(US$ millions)[6]		 Passengers % Revenue %
Carnival Corporation & plc 12,302.30 18,305.16 47.4% 39.4%
Carnival Cruise Line Carnival Corporation & plc 5,716.5 4,166.89 22% 8.9%
Princess Cruises Carnival Corporation & plc 1,667.5 4,228.85 6.4% 9.1%
Costa Cruises Carnival Corporation & plc 1,560.6 2,235.62 6% 4.8%
AIDA Cruises Carnival Corporation & plc 1,183.7 2,128.28 4.6% 4.6%
Holland America Line Carnival Corporation & plc 831.5 2,589.60 3.2% 5.6%
P&O Cruises Carnival Corporation & plc 623.4 1,031.85 2.4% 2.2%
P&O Cruises Australia Carnival Corporation & plc 499.6 548.02 1.9% 1.2%
Cunard Line Carnival Corporation & plc 169.6 823.79 0.7% 1.8%
Seabourn Cruise Line Carnival Corporation & plc 49.9 552.26 0.2% 1.2%
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 5,963.80 9,389.80 23% 20.2%
Royal Caribbean International Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 4,987.0 6,525.18 19.2% 14%
Celebrity Cruises Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 909.5 2,447.45 3.5% 5.3%
Azamara Cruises Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 67.3 417.17 0.3% 0.9%
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 2,471.20 5,833.20 9.5% 12.6%
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 2,269.8 3,897.80 8.7% 8.4%
Oceania Cruises Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 132.5 1,057.97 0.5% 2.3%
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 68.9 877.43 0.3% 1.9%
MSC Cruises Mediterranean Shipping Company 3,010[7] 4,108.00 10.2% 9.8%
Genting Hong Kong 525.80 2,309.02 2.1% 5%
Dream Cruises Genting Hong Kong 258.1 1,024.45 1% 2.2%
Star Cruises Genting Hong Kong 227.6 722.72 0.9% 1.6%
Crystal Cruises Genting Hong Kong 40.1 561.85 0.2% 1.2%
(Other)
Tallink Silja Other 9,800 967
Viking Line Other 6,411.537
Disney Cruise Line Disney Parks, Experiences and Products 589.5 1,006.77 2.3% 2.2%
TUI Cruises TUI AG (50%)
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (50%)		 523.8 1,057.84 2% 2.3%
Pullmantur Cruises Other Springwater Capital (51%)
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (50%)		 370.4 467.67 1.4% 1%
Hurtigruten Hurtigruten, Inc. 246.2 952.52 0.9% 2%
Viking Cruises Other 163.2 604.43 0.6% 1.3%
Cruise & Maritime Voyages Other 122.9 487.95 0.5% 1%
Celestyal Cruises Louis PLC 118.8 377.17 0.5% 0.8%
Marella Cruises TUI AG 106.4 338.00 0.4% 0.7%
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Bonheur 106.2 156.31 0.4% 0.3%
Silversea Cruises Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (67%)
Other (33%)		 81.0 685.00 0.3% 1.5%
Phoenix Reisen Other 81.0 257.28 0.3% 0.6%
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises Hapag-Lloyd AG 72.3 147.21 0.3% 0.3%
Compagnie du Ponant Artémis 51.1 185.77 0.2% 0.4%
Windstar Cruises The Anschutz Corporation 46.9 186.32 0.2% 0.4%
Quark Expeditions Travelopia 31.1 123.51 0.1% 0.3%
Saga Cruises Saga plc 30.8 97.88 0.1% 0.2%
Lindblad Expeditions Other 26.1 103.79 0.1% 0.2%
Star Clippers Star Clippers Ltd 21.6 85.57 0.1% 0.2%
American Cruise Lines Other 19.9 68.31 0.1% 0.1%
Voyages to Antiquity Other 11.5 45.73 >0.0% 0.1%
Paul Gauguin Cruises Other 9.8 38.71 >0.0% 0.1%
SeaDream Yacht Club Other 8.6 33.99 >0.0% 0.1%
Travel Dynamics Other 6.4 20.22 >0.0% >0.0%
Blount Small Ship Adventures Other 5.9 23.31 >0.0% 0.1%
Orion Expedition Cruises Other 5.1 20.32 >0.0% >0.0%
Grand Circle Cruise Line Other 3.8 12.15 >0.0% >0.0%
Hebridean Island Cruises Other 1.4 2.13 >0.0% >0.0%
Total 26,001.0 46,571.9 100% 100%
gollark: HACK THE SPEAKER SYSTEM.
gollark: SPEAK LOUDER THEN.
gollark: Just constantly shout "TURN THE VOLUME DOWN" until they get rid of you and/or turn it down!
gollark: Actually, instead of ear protection you can use *active* sound blocking, by carrying around a giant set of speakers and automatically playing the Soviet national anthem at twice the volume of whatever they're playing.
gollark: *can't tell if serious*

See also

References
  1. "Cruise line definition". Travel industry dictionary. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  2. "Ship sales and transfers". Cruise industry news. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  3. "Cruise ship orderbook". Cruise Industry News. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  4. "Member Cruise Lines". Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  5. "Member reviews of cruise lines". Cruise Critic. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  6. "2018 Worldwide Cruise Line Market Share". Cruise Market Watch. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  7. https://www.express.co.uk/travel/cruise/1234464/cruise-2020-ship-cruises-best-lines-worst/amp
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