Thursday 26 September 2013


Cruise ships are used for pleasure voyages. They are also called Cruise Liners. The passengers are provided with various amenities. Undertaking cruise ship voyages have become the latest tourist attraction. Let's learn about some cruise ship facts.

Facts about Cruise Ships
Fastest Cruise Ship: 'Royal Olympic Cruises Olympic Voyager' is the fastest cruise liner in the world. The average speed is 27 nautical miles an hour. Since it has a high speed, it can cover three continents, namely Europe, Asia and Africa, on a weekly basis. It is the only cruise ship to have 'Fast Monohull' technology installed, which enables the high speed.

Largest Sail Cruise Ship: 'Royal Clipper' takes her inspiration from Preussen. It is the largest sail cruise ship still in service. 'Royal Clipper' was built at 'Merwede Shipyard' in The Netherlands. It has five fully-rigged masts. It means that it has squared-sails on the masts. The mast height is 197 feet above the water-level. The total weight that the 'Royal Clipper' can carry is 5000 tons. The speed of the ship varies between 8 to 20 nautical miles, depending on the weather conditions. Only when required, she is powered by two 2,500 horsepower engines. Only 20 people are required to handle the sails. The rest of the crew takes care of the voyagers.

Tallest Cruise Ship: The title of the tallest cruise ship goes to 'Freedom of the Seas'. It is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Limited, a Florida based shipping company. 'Freedom of the Seas' was built by a Finnish company.'Freedom of the Seas' is 208 feet tall, i.e., twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. It can have 4,000 passengers on board simultaneously. There are many activities, which can be undertaken while on board. There is a full-size boxing ring, a climbing wall, an ice rink and a number of swimming pools on the ship. The 'Queen Mary-II' which can accommodate 3,000 voyagers at any given point of time, ranks after the 'Freedom of the Seas'.

Largest Cruise Ship: 'Freedom of the Seas' is also the largest cruise ship in the world. It accommodates a sports pool on board, a lazy river and a waterfall. There are geysers shooting from the water cannons. This area is called the 'H2O Zone'. The area also has many sculptures with a lighting system, which becomes a sculpture garden at night. The sports pool is situated in the main pool area. The pool area is used for aquatic games, like, basketball and volleyball. They are also used for lap swimming. There is a shopping, dining and entertainment zone, which is located on an area as large as a football ground. This is called 'Royal Promenade'. There are street parades organized on 'Royal Promenade' by the staff of 'Freedom of the Seas'.

Most Expensive Cruises: The most expensive cruise is the 'Alaska Cruise'. It's a seven-night Alaskan charter cruise. The Alaskan Cruise is owned by Alaska Unusual, a Washington based company. It can accommodate only 12 passengers and 20 staff members on board. During the peak season, a seven-night spell costs $335,000 and during the off season it costs $285,000.
The second most expensive cruise is the 'Arctic Cruise'. It has to be booked approximately 8 months in advance. The ship has a heated swimming pool and sauna, volleyball court and library. It is a 16 day tour, which starts at Murmansk in Russia, en route it passes through glaciers and volcanic mountains.

Most Expensive Yacht: 'Alysia' and 'Annaliesse' are the two most expensive yachts. 'Annaliesse' is owned by the Greek entrepreneur Andreas Liveras. The total passenger capacity of both these yachts is 70. These expensive yachts offer opulence and grandeur, fit for any palace. They can be called 'palaces on water'. These yachts cost 94,500 per day or 661,500 per week. They have on board Roman baths, jacuzzi, a gymnasium, spa, movie theater, business center and helicopter landing pad for the rich and the famous to land. They cruise along the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and in South Pacific Ocean.

The cruise ship facts show that most of the cruises have all the facilities on board. With all the facilities a cruise vacation will certainly be a once-in-lifetime experience for the voyagers, albeit their high prices.

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