What makes an ocean liner different from a cruise ship? – Jalopnik

Before the arrival of fighter jets such as the de Havilland Comet and Boeing’s iconic 707 in the 1950s, overseas travel was almost exclusively conducted by ship. These simple journeys from point A to point B – such as New York City to Southampton, England – are known as ‘line journeys’. Therefore, the ships involved were called ocean liners. Today, the titles ocean liner and cruise ship are often used interchangeably to describe large ships, but the differences between them are actually significant.

While ocean liners were primarily seen as transportation between continents, some amenities such as games rooms and live bands were provided to entertain passengers during the long sea crossings. That said, outdoor activities were scarce. If the weather is nice, a nap in a lounger or a game of shuffleboard might be an option. But the weather was often stormy, especially on the North Atlantic route between the United States and Europe.

Just as the passenger compartments were designed for challenging winds and waves, so were the ship’s hulls. Ocean liners have a deep draft, measured as the depth of the hull below the waterline, to improve handling in rough conditions. In addition, the hull is made of thicker steel to withstand the repeated abuse of pounding waves and the high speeds required to maintain schedules.

In the era of ocean liners, speed was serious bragging rights among the national airlines of different countries. A prestigious award called the Blue Riband was awarded to the ship with the highest average speed while crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In 1936, an elaborate award statue called the Hales Trophy was introduced as an additional prize for the ship holding the Blue Riband speed record.

For decades, Britain, France, Germany and Italy traded the Blue Riband back and forth as faster and more modern ocean liners emerged. In 1952, US Lines won the Blue Riband with its eponymous superliner, the SS United States. This 240,000 horsepower juggernaut rocketed from New York to Southampton in just three days, 10 hours and 40 minutes at an average speed of over 35 knots (over 40 mph). That crossing – a record that still stands today – shaved a full 10 hours off the previous record held by Cunard’s Queen Mary, which now serves a static tourist attraction in Long Beach, California. The SS United States was not as lucky as Queen Mary when she retired and is expected to be sunk as the world’s largest artificial reef off the coast of Florida in late 2025 or early 2026.

Cruise ships, on the other hand, are much slower. According to cruise giant Royal Caribbeanthe average speed of a cruise ship is only 18 to 20 knots (about 20 to 23 mph). That’s because a cruise is meant to be enjoyed rather than being a useful means of transportation between continents. Lounging by the pool with an umbrella drink on a windy deck at 60 km/h doesn’t sound very enjoyable.

While a speed of 60 km/h on a 300 meter long ship is undoubtedly impressive, even the fastest ocean liners were no match for jet aircraft, which could cover the North Atlantic Ocean in hours rather than days. At the same time that airplanes were putting ocean liners out of business, a fledgling cruise industry was beginning to develop. Ironically, many of the early cruise ships were actually retired ocean liners converted to sail between different ports of call on a leisurely voyage.

For example, the French Line’s gargantuan ocean liner, the SS France, and its signature winged funnels, became the beloved cruise ship the SS Norway after its purchase by Norwegian Cruise Lines in 1979. This conversion included adding additional cabins with balconies, two outdoor swimming pools and an open-air buffet area. Norwegian also removed two of the ship’s four propellers, which were not needed for low-speed cruising – a move that improved fuel economy.

Today, newly built cruise ships have little traditional nautical flair. Instead, most of them look like someone turned an apartment building on its side. Some cruise ships make occasional (and slow) transatlantic crossings during their repositioning to a new seasonal port, but slowly weaving between ports – often starting and ending in the same place – is the order of the day. Modern cruise ships have rock climbing walls, go-kart tracks, replicas of Old West train cars, and all kinds of gimmicks that make the ship a destination in itself.

As cruises have replaced ocean liners, there is only one true cruise ship left: Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, launched in 2004. However, the ship only operates transatlantic crossings part of the year and is equipped to act as a cruise ship when necessary.