During the late 1880s, 20 million Europeans crossed the ocean to reach the United States which alone drew in over half of transatlantic migration. This led to an increase in passenger ships as at the time, the sea was the only way to get from one country to another. This then helped later influence modern cruising.

The introduction of steamships in 1839 helped improve the efficiency and reducing the travel time across the Atlantic. Industrial Growth and economic prosperity in Europe and the US increased the demand for luxury cruise liners.

In 1950, the post-war economic recovery began and helped increase peoples disposable incomes. This began reviving the interest in leisure cruising and cruise companies began to see an increase in travellers again.

In the 1960s, the Jet Age reduced the need for ocean liners as the introduction of improved air travel meant that people could travel much faster to countries which reduced the need for cruise travel and ocean liners. This made many cruise companies turn towards vacation cruising to attract more people and continue the need for cruises.

In the 2000s the cruise industry continued to develop further with the development and rise of mega-ships like the Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class which could hold up to 6,360 passengers and also allowed economies of scale. This made cruising even more affordable meaning the popularity of cruising increased even further.

In 2018 there were growing concerns of over-tourism with destinations like Venice restricting cruise access due to the affects its having on the city. With local residents protesting about how cruises are eroding their city, this impacted the way people thought about cruising and are less likely to go on a cruise due to this.

After 2020, inflation and the rising fuel costs have increased the operational costs for cruise lines which has reflected on to the price travellers pay, leading to increased ticket prices. Ticket prices have risen by over 40% since pre-pandemic levels

https://ehne.fr/en/encyclopedia/themes/europe-europeans-and-world/ports-tools-european-expansion/european-migrants%27-crossings-united-states-1880-1925#:~:text=From%201880%20to%201914%2C%20the,half%20of%20trans%2DAtlantic%20migrations.

https://www.cruiseinsider.dk/post/cruise-chronicle-1843-1880

https://www.cruisenation.com/blog/a-history-of-cruise-ships-from-past-to-present/

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https://www.cruisedialysis.co.uk/history-of-cruising/#:~:text=1800s%3A%20Paving%20the%20way%20for%20Transatlantic%20cruising&text=P%26O%20then%20made%20the%20decision,cruising%20as%20we%20know%20it.

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https://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/overtourism-in-venice#:~:text=In%20response%20to%20local%20anger,t%20have%20pre%2Dbooked%20parking.

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https://www.virginvoyages.com/dam/jcr:5fc31980-63ac-4522-af8f-a9cb1512d200/Virgin%20Voyages%20Full%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf?pdfInline=true

However during the start of the 20th century, bigger ships like the Titanic (1912) were created and had 416 first class cabins on-board which shows that the industry was growing and cruising is becoming increasingly more popular. Cruise ships are still focusing mainly on the luxury of cruising with the Titanic offering many different luxuries on the ship.

In the 1970s, the TV show 'The Love Boat' gave cruising a different image to customers and turned away from the luxury focus of cruising. The TV show gave cruising a romantic and family-friendly look which encouraged more people to travel on a cruise. The industry is still continuing to see an increase in customers.

In the 1990s-2000s there was a rise in themed/family-orientated cruises. This is similar to the 1970s where cruising became more family-friendly and now cruise liners are acting towards this change. Disney Cruises created the Disney Magic which was Disney themed, perfect for families and opened up a large target market.

Many years later in 2018, the growth in popularity in cruising caused concerns for over-tourism in destinations like Venice, causing protests and Venice restricting cruise access. This decreased the popularity of cruising as the affects caused by cruising on Venice and other destinations put many travelers off cruising.

Similarly in 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak caused the industry to experience a major decrease in customers due to restrictions set out by governments and the enhanced health protocols you would have to do in order to go on a cruise caused travelers to not want to go on a cruise.

However during the 1950s-1960s, there was a shift in the type of fuel used on cruise ships with most companies shifting to diesel-powered ships which helped increase efficiency. This was the major difference between 1839 and 1950s as this meant cruise ships could also travel further and enabled longer routes, reducing the need for coal powered steamships. Similarly these technological advancements both increased cruise ship travel and enabled travel to further destinations.

Similarly to the change in fuel used on cruise ships in 1950, in 2000s-2010s the introduction of liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) began being used on cruise ships. This is similar because in 1950 they also changed the type of fuel used to benefit cruise ships. However this time it enabled cruise ships to reduce the environmental impact they had and to also meet the stricter emissions regulations which is different because this changed focused mainly on the environment whereas in 1950 and 1800s, the fuel wasn't environmentally friendly.

Another similarity is that between 1990s and 2020s, there were major technological advancements made towards customer booking systems. Both worked towards making the booking experience for customers better with the 1990s using the internet and 2020s starting to use AI booking systems.

Similarly during the 1920s-1930s, luxury cruising was still high on the target market with ships like the Titanic focusing mainly on providing luxury facilities for First-class passengers. However the rise of middle-class travel began and due to economic prosperity, more people started traveling on cruise ships as it became more affordable than luxury cruises. This increased the demand for leisure cruising.

However, during the 1970s-1980s, the TV show 'The Love Boat' popularised cruising and cruise holidays became an aspiration for middle-class passengers. This is different from 1800s and early 1900s because there is a shift in the types of customers with middle-class cruising becoming more popular than luxury cruising, overall increasing the demand for cruising further.

Cruises became different in the 1990s-2000 as the industry saw the introduction of themed cruises, single cruises, music cruises and more. This is different from the 1970s-1980s because themed cruises attracted a broad variety of new customers as there is a cruise for everyone and not just for first-class and middle-class people. This continued to increase the demand for cruising.

The 2000s-2010s and 2020s are very similar with both centuries seeing an increase in demand for expedition cruises. In the 2000s-2010s, the increase in adventure tourism lead to an increase in demand for expedition cruises which is similar to what happened in the 2020s because the expansion to locations like Antarctica and Galapagos increased the growth of expedition cruises. This shows that both centuries were focusing on improving expedition cruises to meet the change in customer type and demand.

Similarly in the 1990s-2000, large cruise companies began emerging with tour operators. However, cruise companies began merging with airlines like Thomas Cook which started offering fly-cruise deals, making it even easier for travelers. This meant that travelers didn't need to worry about booking flights and hotels with their cruise package when booking with Travel Agencies.

Similarly in 2008, there were more cruise liners merging with airlines like Royal Caribbean partnering with TUI and started selling cruise holiday packages. However later on in 2015 airlines started taking full control of cruise companies like TUI taking full control of Hapaq-Lloyd cruises. This is different because airlines have started taking over cruise companies instead of merging with them to create package deals.

Virgin Holidays have similarly evolved in the cruise industry in 2020 by launching their very own cruise line called 'Virgin Voyages' and began creating their very own cruise ships like the 'Scarlet Lady'. This enabled airlines like Virgin Holidays to have full control and expand to loads of different countries.

Similarly in 1950, economies began growing again from the post-war economic recovery which helped increase peoples disposable incomes. This began reviving the interest in leisure cruising. This is similar to the 1800s as both economic growths helped boost the demand for cruising.

Contrasting from the 1800s, the start of the Jet Age reduced the need for ocean liners as they we more efficient and quicker than ocean liners, which meant travelers switched from cruising to flying as it was the quicker option. This caused cruise companies to turn towards vacation cruising which changed the industry.

Similarly to the 1800s and early 1900s, the cruise industry continued to develop further in 2000s with the development of mega-ships like Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class. This allowed for economies of scale and made cruising even more affordable. This is similar to the 1800s and early 1900s because they also developed their cruise ships which ultimately benefited the economy.

During 2008, the UK experienced a financial crisis which meant there was a reduction in the demand for cruises as people didn't have a disposable income like they did previously when the economy was growing like in 1950. This is different from 1950 because the economy was positively impacting the cruise industry unlike in 2008 where the economy was heavily affecting the cruise industry negatively.

Similarly to 2008, the economy in 2020 negatively affected the cruise industry due to inflation and the rising fuel costs which increased the operational costs for cruise lines and made it more expensive for travelers. This rise in inflation and fuel costs also meant that people had less of a disposable income similar to 2008.