Vacation on Cruise

Vacations on Cruise has gained a lot of attention these days. More and more people from different sections of the society are undertaking tours on cruise ships. Industry statistics show that this is one of the fastest growing segment in the leisure travel market. The following facts and figures would give a birds eye view of this market:

• This is one industry where demand consistently exceeded the capacity for the last three years.
• Capacity utilisation on cruise ships is 100% consistently.
• Number of global ocean cruise passengers went up from 24.7 million in 2016 to 25.8 million in 2017 and further to 27.2 million in 2018.
• Unless booked in advance, berths are not available on many popular tour destinations.
• More than 1000 ports, big and small, support this activity.
• There is addition of new vessels every year. For the next five years, more than 50 new ships are being built.
• People from all income groups are availing the cruise vacations. Number of passengers from the budget travellers group is showing a higher increase.
• Younger generation travellers are more attracted to cruise vacations. 
• Repeat travellers are on the increase. It is not "once in a life time" any more.
• Demand for cruises to cold climate destinations are on the increase.
• The industry provides more than one million jobs directly and indirectly.
• More destinations from Asia and Africa are being added to the list of places served.

A discussion about the concept of "Vacation" and "Vacation on Cruise" become relevant in this background.

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Online Dictionary defines "Vacation" as "a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel, recess or holiday". It is also mentioned as "a part of the year, regularly set aside and freedom or release from duty, business or activity". Thus the word vacation indicates that it is a period of time set aside to give relief from the routine things and a time at which the vacationing person need not worry about the various issues that arise during normal working/living days. This includes maintaining/cleaning of the living premises, buying, storing and managing of daily essential items, worrying about food rom time to time etc. It is not just those who are employed, but also those in business or profession or even those who are enjoying their retirement days. Thus the concept of vacation is all pervasive and applicable to those who have regular working or business hours as well as those who have no work to do at all!

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"Vacation on Cruise" has a very interesting history. The first cruises are dated back to 1844 when trips to Gibraltar and Greece were offered from England. It is claimed that the first vessel exclusively for cruise vacations was built in 1900 by a German company. Thus cruise vacations are more than a century old. One of the famous Perry Mason novels centres around a cruise holiday trip Perry Mason takes from Vancouver to Los Angeles. "The Case of the Substitute Face" deals with a murder that took place on the cruise ship by pushing a man overboard. A popular serial aired during 1950s and 60s (can be seen even today on Amazon videos) on this episode shows many scenes shot on a cruise ship Westminster - Liverpool.

Cruise vacations industry has come a long way since then, especially in the last two decades. Luxury cruise ships provide wonderful packages that combine many adventures for attractive and bargain fares. The many advantages of vacations on cruises are encouraging more and more travellers to avail the benefits of cruise vacations.

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In the Indian context, understanding evolution of "vacation" is very interesting. Some fifty or sixty years ago, when we were children and studying in schools, most of the families had a number of children living under one roof. The idea of Family Planning, or Family Welfare, as is now known, was not existing then. Joint family actually meant generations of persons living together under one roof, unlike today's definition of joint family where husband and wife living together is sometimes referred to as joint family! Having a number of children was the norm for couples. Early marriages and marriage for life in the absence of divorces was another cause. Economic criteria was not relevant despite the fact that many families struggled to provide basic necessities to their children. After independence in 1947, Government of India laid emphasis on birth control to contain population explosion and the ministry taking care of Public Health was renamed as "Ministry of Health and Family Planning". Family Planning earned lot of notoriety during the Emergency period (1975-77) due to forced surgical operations to enforce family planning. After the Janata Party came to power in 1977, Shri Raj Narain who defeated Smt. Indira Gandhi from Rae Bareli constituency in UP became the minister of health and renamed the same as "Ministry of Health and Family Welfare" to make it appear more acceptable in those days. Small family norms became a mass movement in the society.  

The initial recommendation was for three children for a couple which got reduced to two in due course. Next generation further simplified it to one child family and the latest generation is tending towards no child family. A day may come when a group of families (couples) may decide to have one child for the whole group and share the expenses of raising the child as the popular opinion nowadays is that "Children are costly". Of course, same sex marriages which have now become legal will also contribute abundantly in this cause.

Fifty years ago, when the family head was finding that his earning was not sufficient to provide for the basic necessities to his dependents, the concept of going on a vacation was very far from his mind. Most of the women were not earning (they were working at home alright, but not paid) and did not have much say on various matters. They would have certainly loved vacations, but did know what a vacation was. At the most they would have extra work during school holidays when guests arrived for their holidays (not vacations)! The ideas of vacation remained only in the annals of the affluent and aristocratic families.

Improvement in service conditions for salary earners and development of small families helped enhancing the economic conditions of working people. Introduction of LFC/LTC in government and public sector undertakings brought the concept of vacations to more and more sections of the population. Leave encashment facility put more money in the pockets of families to take care of expenses when they went on vacations. Improvement in communication and transportation facilities made visiting far off places convenient and possible. Advent of computerisation and internet made access to knowledge of vacation sites easy and mobile phones brought this within the reach of common man. 

Development of hospitality industry bringing in good hotels, resorts and recreation facilities further enhanced enjoyment of vacations. Reduction in cost of travel and creation of budget travel apparatus has given higher fillip to vacationing. Even weekends have become time to go away on brief travel as many families own cars and those who do not own can hire them according to their economic status. Enhanced educational and employment opportunities have made members of families to live and work in different parts of the world. Traveling has become both necessity and easier. Family get-togethers  with going on vacation has become so common that one can hear people talking frustratingly about not taking any vacations for more than six months or a year! Organised tour operators are now giving end to end travel solutions with confidence that paying a certain sum of money will take care of all expenses on a given trip. Experience of those making such trips are spurring more uninitiated to plan for vacation travel.

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Options for Vacation on Cruise is to be viewed in this background. There are many popular cruise routes around the word. Modren luxury cruise ships provide fantastic amenities while vacationing on them. There are various options for enjoying vacations on cruise ships. A discussion on these areas will, however, have to wait for another day! 

Casabianca and Mount Vindhya

"The boy stood on the burning deck

When all but he had fled,

The flame that lit the battle's wreck 

shone around him over the dead"

"Casabianca" is a famous poem by Felicia Dorothea Hemans, an English poetess from Ireland.  She lived for only 41 years (1793-1835) and in her short life span wrote several poems, said to have been published in 19 volumes.  Her eldest brother Lt General Sir Thomas Henry Browne had a distinguished position in the Army and other brothers also held high positions in the Government. Her husband Captain Alfred Hemans served in the Irish Army.  She was naturally well versed in battlefield exploits.  "Casabianca" is a true account of an actual incident from the 1798 "Battle of Nile", between the French navy and British navy under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson.  The poet was only five year old when the incident happened.  This probably left a deep impression on her and resulted in the writing of the poem.  British Navy ships chasing the French navy made a surprise attack on them in the Aboukir Bay near the Egyptian city of Alexandria.  This surprise attack and destruction of the French navy ships in the Aboukir Bay defeated Napoleon Bonaparte's plans of attacking the British forces in India.

Louis de Casabianca was the captain of the French flag ship "Orient" that took part in the Battle of Nile.  He had taken his 12-year old son Giocante de Casabianca also on the voyage.  When the ship was attacked by the British, father Louis was standing on the deck with the young boy Giocante, supervising the activities on the ship.  The captain was called by another officer for attending to an emergency in the lower deck.  While going over there, the father advised the son to stay on the deck till he returned.  When the father was on the lower deck, the ship's magazine (a place in the ship where ammunition or other explosives were stored for distribution in time of need) exploded and the whole ship became a giant inferno.  As the other sailors abandoned the ship and jumped into the sea, they asked the boy to accompany them and save himself from death. He refused to leave without his father or his permission.

Say, Father, say, if yet my task is done

Speak Father, once again he cried

If I may be gone

Shouted once more aloud 

My father, must I stay?

alas, of course, there is no response

The father was in no position to reply as he had died in the explosion on the lower deck. The boy would not listen to others and did not move without his father.  He dies on the deck in the burning flames.  The poet concludes:

With mast and helm, and pennon fair,

That well had borne their part-

But the noblest thing which perished there

Was that young faithful heart

The father did not return.  The son would not leave.  Casabianca, the 12-year old boy, is burnt with the ship and dies, and yet lives as a symbol of a faithful son for ever.  The picture given above (from the internet) aptly explains the situation.  

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Several million years ago, the legend says, the mountains had wings and could fly in the sky.  This was causing havoc in the order of things.  Lord Indra wanted to restore some order and using his weapon, Vajraayudha, cut the wings of all mountains.  The problem of flying mountains was stopped for ever.  But one mountain, Vindhya in Central India, had the special capacity to grow.  His growth resulted in another problem; it obstructed the movement of people on either side to cross over to the other side.  Sun god was also afraid that one day his path too would be obstructed and his movement restricted.

Sage Agastya is considered as the shortest of the seven celestial sages, known as Saptarshis. He was requested to do something to stop the growth of Vindhya.  Agastya Rishi is highly revered and considered as the founder of the "Siddha Form of Medicine", a branch of Ayurveda.  He was held in high esteem by all including Vindhya. The sage who lived in the Himalayas came south with his wife Lopamudra. Looking at the sage near him, Vindhya bowed to him in reverence. Agastya blessed Vindhya and told him that he was going south for some work and would return after sometime.  He also told Vindhya that his growth would create problem for him to cross over to the north when he returned. Being a short man, it was difficult for him to climb a growing mountain and move to the other side. Due to the respect he commanded, Vindhya promised the sage that he would stay in his bowed form, thus shortening his height, till the sage returned from the south.  He would hold his growth till Agastya returned to the north.  The sage was happy and went south.  He told his wife Lopamudra that they would settle down in south forever.  Vindhya is waiting for the sage to return; that is not going to happen as the sage Agastya has settled down in south of South India.

Agastya is still believed to be living near Rameswaram.  He is said to have been present when Lord Rama created the Temple of Rameswara, during Ramayana days.  He is credited with being the earliest author of Tamil Grammar.

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Casabianca waited for his father who could not come.  Vindhya is waiting for a sage who would not come.  We also keep waiting for things that either cannot come or do not come.......