Did you know that before cruise liners made a splash, ships were used for business and military reasons? It was Arthur Anderson, a sailor, who first thought of making traveling on ships a leisure activity. As the decades went by, cruise ship travelers expected more bang for their buck when they opted for this type of travel. Since then, entertainment has continued to make its mark on the cruise ship experience.
Cruise Ships of Yesteryear
The 1960s were an important decade for cruise ships. With air travel becoming more popular, cruise ship owners had to think of ways to keep people interested in traveling on them. It was then when entertainment was first introduced as part of the cruise ship experience. The Cunard Line was the market leader in this sector as it was the first to hire celebrities to perform on it and proved to be a success.
Cruise ships began to feature in other genres, like TV and books. Shows like The Love Boat proved popular in the late 1970s and this led to renewed interest in cruise ship travel. Around the 1980s, mega-ships would come to the fore, with some being over 1000 feet and 12 decks.
Passengers wanted value for money, and expected to receive the same quality on a cruise as they would expect to receive when vacationing elsewhere. Cruise shipowners realized they would have to think of something to keep their passengers occupied and to keep passengers wanting to return to sail on them. What’s more, there would need to be a variety of entertainment to cater for the different expectations of their passengers.
Cruise Ships Sailing Today
It was around the 1980s when the cruise ship, itself, was a vacation, rather than taking passengers to their destination. Everything they could think of was onboard, including restaurants, a multitude of deck games and casinos. As technology progressed, the next two decades saw mega-ships being built with malls, swimming pools, cinemas, spas, and even golf courses on a few of them.
Naturally, some games have stood the test of time, like bingo on board. Plus there’s Wi-Fi, which enables people to play games like live bingo and in casinos online, should those on board fancy a game but want to keep catching some rays on the deck.
To be surrounded by luxury, with a huge range of activities on board means people can keep active whilst they are on a cruise ship. If someone wants to relax, they can chill on a sun lounger. Depending on the size of the ship, there may even be theme park rides for those that want a bit of fun. Alternatively, people are also able to enjoy fine dining in a sophisticated environment. There’s certainly something for everyone.
Cruise shipowners have learned to adapt to changing times. They continue to think of innovative ways to keep people wanting to travel on them. It provides them with an opulent environment that will cater for their every need. Whether they have enough time on their cruise to do everything is a different story!
