Cruise Liners

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States.
Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & plc and accounts for approximately 19% share of its revenue. Being based in America, executive control of Princess Cruises was transferred to Carnival Corporation's American division following the merger between Carnival and P&O Princess in 2002, however Carnival UK is responsible for sales and marketing of the company in the United Kingdom. The company was made famous by The Love Boat TV series, in which two of its ships, the Island Princess and Pacific Princess were featured. In May 2013, the brand new Royal Princess will become the flagship of Princess Cruises.

Founded	1965
Headquarters	Santa Clarita, California
Key people	Alan Buckelew, CEO
Parent	Carnival Corporation & plc
Website	Princess.com

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC. The company has the largest fleet in the group, with 23 vessels currently in operation that account for 21.1% of the worldwide market share. Executive control of the company is provided by the North American division of Carnival Corporation, headquartered in Doral, Florida.

Founded	1972 by Ted Arison
Headquarters	Doral, Florida
Key people	Gerry Cahill (President and CEO), Jim Berra Executive VP of Marketing John Heald (Cruise Director & Brand Ambassador) Ruben Rodriguez SVP of Marketing
Parent	Cruise ship holidays
Website	www.carnival.com

Disney Cruise Lines

This cruise line is fun for the whole family, especially those who have little children. An American corporation, it is owned by the Walt Disney Company. It does several expeditions to Europe, the Caribbean and South America.




Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) is a company operating cruise ships, headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida. It began operations in 1966 under the name Norwegian Caribbean Line. The company is best known for its Freestyle Cruising concept, which means that there are no set times or seating arrangements for meals, nor is formal attire required. Norwegian Cruise Line has a sister company, NCL America. NCL itself is jointly owned by Star Cruises (a public company partially owned by the Genting Group based in Malaysia) and Apollo Management, with both companies owning 50% of NCL. Norwegian Cruise Line controls approximately 8% of the total worldwide share of the cruise market.

Founded	1966
Headquarters	Miami-Dade County, Florida
Key people	Kevin Sheehan, CEO
Website	http://www2.ncl.com/

Polar Cruise Lines

Polar Cruises provide expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica. You can see polar bears and view penguins on their different trips. The cruise is small but is popular for those who want to see Antarctica for themselves.



 



Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a Norwegian / American company based in Miami, Florida. It is the world's second-largest cruise line operator, after Carnival Corporation & PLC. As of March 2009, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. fully owns five cruise lines: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur Cruises, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France, plus has a 50% stake in TUI Cruises. Previously Royal Caribbean Cruises also owned 50% of Island Cruises, but this was sold to TUI Travel PLC in October 2008

Founded	1997
Headquarters	Miami, Florida
Key people	Richard D. Fain (Chairman and CEO)
Website	www.rclinvestor.com

Avalon Waterways

With U.S. operations in Littleton, Colorado and worldwide headquarters in Lugano, Switzerland, Avalon Waterways is part of the Globus family of brands. This small ship and river cruise line offers cruises in Europe, China, Egypt and the Galápagos Islands. The company became a member of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in August 2009

Oceania Cruise Line

Oceania Cruises is a Miami, Florida, United States-based shipping company that operates four luxury cruise ships on world-wide itenaries. It is currently the world’s largest upscale cruise line, offering good-quality food and itineraries at a cheap price when compared to other upscale cruise lines. Since April 2007, Oceania Cruises has been owned by Apollo Management

Founded	2002
Headquarters	Miami, Florida
Parent	Prestige Cruise Holdings
Website	www.oceaniacruises.com

AIDA Cruises

AIDA Cruises is a British-American owned German cruise line based in Rostock, Germany.

Originally founded as Deutsche Seereederei with a ship called Völkerfreundschaft ("Friendship Between Peoples"), the company entered the cruise industry in the 1960s and was later acquired by P&O Princess Cruises in 2000. In 2003, P&O Princess merged with Carnival Corporation, to form Carnival Corporation & plc, the worlds largest cruise holiday company. Following the merger, executive control of AIDA Cruises transferred to Costa Cruises Group, one of the main operating companies of the Carnival Group, with responsibility for the groups European brands.

AIDA Cruises is now one of eleven brands operated by the Carnival Group accounting for 6.5% of its share of revenue and has its own executive team, led by company President Michael Thamm. AIDA ships cater to the German-speaking market and are renowned for their youthful style and casual service. As seagoing "club resorts", AIDA ships have many on-board amenities and facilities that attract younger, more active vacationers

Founded	1960
Headquarters	Rostock, Germany
Website	http://www.aida.de/

MSC Cruises

MSC Cruises (Italian: MSC Crociere S.p.A.) is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company S.A. (MSC).

Originally founded as Lauro Lines by Achille Lauro, the company entered the cruise business in the 1960s, operating two ships, the Angelina Lauro and MS Achille Lauro, both of which met fiery ends. After the Angelina Lauro burnt in the port of St.Thomas in 1979, Lauro Lines, also known as Flotta Lauro, met with bad times, now operating just one ship, the Achille Lauro. In 1985, the Achille Lauro was hijacked by members of the Palestine Liberation Front, and the much-publicised event further dropped passenger numbers. In 1989, Flotta Lauro was purchased by Mediterranean Shipping Company and renamed StarLauro Cruises.[1] In 1994, the Achille Lauro caught fire and sank. In 1995, the company name was changed to MSC Cruises.

MSC Cruises is the fourth largest cruise operator in the world, after Carnival Corporation & plc, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line with a 6% share of all passengers carried and cruise revenue in 2012.

On March 1, 2010, after strong support from French government, STX Europe and MSC Cruises announced signing a new Letter of Intent to build one, 139,000 ton, 3502 passenger, Fantasia-class ship, which is subject to financing, at STX Europe St-Nazaire. MSC Divina is scheduled to enter service in June, 2012.

Founded	1987
Headquarters	Geneva, Switzerland
Parent	Mediterranean Shipping Company
Website	www.msccruises.com