Norwegian Cruise
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.
Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International is a Norwegian and American cruise line brand based in Miami, Florida and owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.. With 22 ships in service under, it controls a 17% share of the world cruise market.[2] All ships under the Royal Caribbean International brand have names ending in "of the Seas" since 1991. Sister brands are Celebrity Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Pullmantur and CDF Croisières de France.
Viking River Cruises
Viking River Cruises is an international company that operates a fleet of 31 river cruising vessels along the rivers of Europe, Russia, Ukraine, China, Vietnam and Egypt. Viking has offices in Germany, England, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, France and China as well as additional sales offices in the United States.
Star Cruises
Star Cruises (SEHK: 678) (SGX: S21), a member of Genting Hong Kong, is the third largest[1] cruise line in the world behind companies such as Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean Cruises. Star Cruises dominates the Asia-Pacific market and is owned by Genting Hong Kong who also owns 50 % of the Norwegian Cruise Line, and NCL America with a total combined fleet of 17 ships and over 35,000 berths. The company is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Singapore Exchange.
Star Cruises is credited with almost single handedly developing the cruise industry in the Asia-Pacific region. Its foray into the global shipping market has allowed it to tap into lucrative and more mature markets in North America and Europe. Its services cater to Asian passengers as well as to North Americans, Europeans and Australians interested in Asian destinations.
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. 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.
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.
