Analysis of information sources in references of the Wikipedia article "Cruise ship" in English language version.
The first known effort to advertise cruising with all of the imagery associated with leisure cruising surfaced in 1833, when the Francesco I, a Sicilian vessel, advertised a three-month Mediterranean cruise to Taormina, Catania, Syracuse, Malta, Corfu, Patras, Delphi, Zante, Athens, Smyrna and Constantinople.
It has been claimed that Francesco I was the first cruise ship, as in 1833 she sailed from Naples with nobility from all over Europe. The three-month cruise took her to Taormina, Catania, Syracuse, Malta, Corfu, Patras, Delphi, Zante, Athens, Smyrna and Constantinople, and offered excursions and guided tours at each port of call.
There is no argument that P&O is the world's oldest cruise line and Southampton the longest-established cruise port.
A two-night, three-day cruise to nowhere can offer a quick vacation for a very reasonable price. Ships depart from their home port and sail in a loop to and from the same port, without any other stops.
Since 2000, 284 people have fallen off cruise ships—and another 41 from large ferries—an average of about 1.5 people per month.