A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience. Cruising has become a major part of the tourism industry, with millions of passengers each year. The industry's rapid growth has seen nine or more newly built ships catering to a North American clientele added every year since 2001, as well as others servicing European clientele. Smaller markets such as the Asia-Pacific region are generally serviced by older tonnage displaced by new ships introduced into the high growth areas.

Cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port. In contrast, ocean liners do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Some liners also engage in longer trips which may not lead back to the same port for many months.The ocean-going stretch limo - New Zealand Herald, Friday 16 February 2007

A river cruise ship has similar amenities, however is shorter, narrower, and has a shallower draft, allowing it to travel inland waterways.

Carnival Cruise Lines is a cruise line operating a large number of cruise ships. It originally was an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison. It is now a branded division within Carnival Corporation & plc, a publicly traded company with Micky Arison as the Chairman. Carnival Corporation & plc owns a number of different cruise lines and has become the largest corporation in the cruise industry. Carnival and its subsidiaries Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises and the Yachts of Seabourn; are branded by the company as the World's Leading Cruise Lines[http://www.WorldsLeadingCruiseLines.com].

Carnival was a pioneer in the concept of cheaper and shorter cruises. Its ships are known for their Las Vegas-style decor and entertainment. The line calls its ships The Fun Ships and there is a wide range of activities offered on board. Its trademark is the smoke stack, or funnel, which is red, white and blue and shaped like a whale's tail. The mascot for Carnival is "Fun Ship Freddy", a character in the shape of Carnival's distinctive funnel.

In 1996 the Carnival Destiny of 101,000 gross tons became the largest passenger ship in the world at the time. As of 2007, the latest and largest ship in the Carnival Fleet is the Carnival Freedom, a Conquest Class ship and Carnival's second ship to be based in Europe. The company announced three new ships in early 2007: the Carnival Splendor, to debut July 2 2008, the Carnival Dream, set to debut in October 2009, and the Carnival Magic, set to debut in June 2011.

Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise ship company owned by The Walt Disney Company and headquartered in Celebration, Florida. The business is run by President Tom McAlpin as part of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division.

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It operates two ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, along with Castaway Cay, a private island in the Bahamas designed as an exclusive port of call for Disney's ships.

The Disney Magic began operation July 30, 1998. The Disney Wonder began operation August 15, 1999. The ships each contain 875 staterooms Disney Cruise Line FAQ and are virtually identical in their design, with a few variations in restaurants and entertainment venues. Both contain areas designed exclusively for various age groups, including toddlers, young children, teens, and adults.

They are the first in the industry to be designed and built from the keel up as family cruise liners, with the goal of accommodating parents and children. Unlike most ships of their type, they do not include casinos.

Unlike most ship's horns, which have a single or two-tone sound, the horns on both Disney ships play a seven-note melody from When You Wish Upon a Star.

Disney Cruise Line was created in 1995 when the company commissioned its two ships at Fincantieri in Italy, ending an arrangement with Premier Cruises for the maritime segment of its vacation packages.