PASSENGER SHIPS: THEN AND NOW

Florida became a very fashionable vacation destination in the 1920s and 1930s. Tourists flocked to the winter sunshine primarily by rail but also by sea. See our account of the Coastal Liners to Florida with vintage postcards representing the major shipping lines plus historic brochures of the Clyde-Mallory Lines and Merchants and Miners Line.

Explore the early history of the cruise industry by visiting Five Notable Early Cruise Ships from Miami in the 1950's and 1960's. Cruising from the Port of Miami was usually done aboard small 30 to 40 year old former ocean liners of about 5,000 gross tons or less. Swimming pools, air-conditioning and private bathrooms were very rare, but the public didn't expect much at that time.

The Classic Ocean Liners and Cruise Ships of Port Everglades in the 1960's is a survey of the ships that sailed from this South Florida port and their destinations, along with some great images, statistics and stories. Find the annual itineraries and sailing schedules for September 1963 to August 1964.

Take an evocative journey back to the 1950's and 60's sailing Around-The-World with P&O-Orient Lines. See a brief post World War II illustrated company history, online interactive 1965 sailing schedules plus a gallery of images and facts for each ship.

See the rank and statistical details of nearly 300 cruise ships over 9,000 tons at Compare the Cruise Ships ... biggest, newest, longest, fastest? See how they rank in number of cabins, space per passenger and compare their GT scores and stars!

The Ocean Liner Bookstore, in association with Amazon.com, features the Berlitz cruise ship guide and a hand-picked selection of other passenger ship and cruise industry titles.