The modern day cruise ship voyage has its origins in the lengthy transatlantic sea crossings of old, which could sometimes take a week or more depending on conditions. In the race to attract more well-heeled travellers, these liners began to offer levels of on-board luxury that could only be matched by the finest five star hotels. In the late 1800s, Albert Ballin was the first to send transatlantic liners on long cruises round the Southern hemisphere, in order to offer wealthy customers a respite from the cold Northern winters. Over time, the dedicated ocean liner evolved into a hybrid vehicle that could be converted into a cruise ship for the winter cruising season. The first ship to be designed specifically with this dual use in mind was known as the Prinzessin Victoria Luise, which was designed by Albert Ballin, the general manager of a company called Hamburg-America Line, and completed in 1900.

When the jumbo jet became a reality in the 1960s, cutting transatlantic crossing times from a minimum of four days to a matter of hours, the writing was on the wall for the transatlantic ocean liner industry. Passenger ocean liner services effectively ceased in the mid-1980s, with the exception of the Cunard line, although this was purely aimed at wealthy customers who were looking to extend their transit times in luxury. All those ocean liners didn't go to waste, though ? the redundant ships were mostly converted into cruise ships, a market that was set to grow exponentially over the following decades.

A major shot in the arm for the cruising industry came in the form of a hit seventies TV series, set on a cruise ship. The Love Boat, as it was called was a catalyst for the huge increase in awareness of and demand for cruises amongst ordinary people in America, and cruising has never looked back since. And the ships look like they're just going to get bigger and bigger. At present there are plans to build two cruise ships weighing in at 220,000 tons and carrying up to 5,400 passengers apiece.
At present, the largest passenger cruise ships belong to Royal Caribbean International, whose Freedom fleet boasts three of the biggest passenger ships on the planet, and a fourth Freedom class vessel is due in 2011. The Freedom Class vessels are all over 1,100 feet long, 64m high, and weigh in at around 160,000 tons each. Their forthcoming Oasis class vessels promise to be even bigger, at 360m long, sitting 213 feet high above the water level, and weighing in at 220,000 tons each.