More than 19 million people worldwide took a cruise in 2011.
Today's cruise ship capacity can range from 30,000 tons to over 220,000 tons.
The Titanic (882 feet 9 inches long, 92 feet wide, 46,328 tons capacity) is a passenger liner that struck an iceberg in the north Atlantic Ocean on her maiden voyage from Southampton,
England, to New York City, US, and sank on 15 April 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people, one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.
Each year more than 10 million people take a cruise, of which 80% of cruises were made in North America.
There are over 2000 ports in the world that cruise ships can visit.
About 50% passengers of major world cruise lines begin their trips from
Miami,
Port Canaveral, and
Fort Lauderdale, which are located in Florida.
Caribbean is the most destination for cruise ships
About 90% of cruise tickets are sold through travel agencies.
The cruise ship capacity can range from 30,000 tons to over 220,000 tons.
The most popular cruise port is St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. There can be up to 10 ships visiting in a single day during the high season.
The North American cruise industry generated 329,943 jobs that contributed a $15.2 billion wage impact on the U.S. economy in 2010.
Carnival Cruise Line, the largest
cruise line in the world, operates 23 ships under the Carnival Brand, and also owns 11 other cruise brands, including Princess, Holland America and Costa.
The Allure of the Seas by Royal Caribbean is the largest cruise ship in the world (1,187 feet long, 225,000 gross tons) and can hold up to 6,296 passengers.
Carnival Cruise Line, which was built in 2002 (110,000 tons, 953 feet length), has 1,487 staterooms, 556 private balcony staterooms, 13 decks, and can hold up to 1,150 crew members and 2,974 passengers.
Azamara Quest, which entered service since 11/2000 as Renaissance R7 (30,000 tons, 593 feet length, 95 feet wide) and sailed as Azamara Quest since 10/2007, can carry about 710 passengers (double occupancy) plus 410 crew members.
