- Royal Viking Line founded, a new company that aims to form a fleet of five star luxury vessels, sailing on world-wide itineraries. Three ships are ordered at once.

                       Royal Viking Line orders a trio of sisterships: Royal Viking Sea, Sky and Star

 -  HAPAG-Lloyd formed from Norddeutscher Lloyd and Hamburg Amerika Line.

1971

- Holland America Line (HAL) ends liner services from Rotterdam, the Netherlands to New York and switches to fulltime cruising by all of it ships.

- Royal Mail Lines withdraw their Andes. Converted in 1960 from liner to luxury cruise ship, she became one of the most prestigious cruise ships of her time.

1972

 - Carnival Cruise Lines formed by Ted Arison. The company's first ship, Mardi Gras (ex Empress of Canada) is acquired.

1973

 - After her owners' Deutsche Atlantik Linie bankruptcy, the German cruise liner Hanseatic is sold to the Russians. She is renamed Maxim Gorkiy.

1974

 - P&O purchases Princess Cruises.

 - Sitmar line switches to full time cruising.

                                              Sitmar vessel cruising in Glacier Bay, Alaska

 - ss France withdrawn from North Atlantic service by French Line because of high operating costs. She is laid up in the port of Le Havre.

 - Royal Cruise Line's Golden Odyssey enters service, one of the first ships to introduce the concept of fly-cruises, where passengers are flying to their ship to join them there. Her passenger load exactly matches those of a Boeing 747.  

1975

 - The television series " The Love Boat" starts. This TV series has made cruising very popular in the USA. The first episodes were filmed on board Island Princess, but sister ship Pacific Princess became the real star of this long running TV series. Today Princess Cruises still uses the trademark The Love Boat for it' s ships.......      

1976

 - Carnival Cruise Lines buys a second ship Queen Anna Maria from Greek Line and renames her Carnivale.

1977

 -  World Explorer cruises founded: Universe, a converted freighter is introduced. The company starts with a new concept, it organises cruises for students part of the year (called 'Semester at Sea').

- SA Vaal sold by Safmarine to Carnival Cruise Lines, She becomes Festivale.

                                                              Festivale

1978

 - RCCL : Song of Norway is lengthened at the Wartsila ship yard in Helsinki, Finland. It is the first time this kind of 'ship surgery', inserting a mid-ship section, is performed by a ship yard.

1979

 - American Hawaii Cruises formed. It operates the former transatlantic liners Independence and Constitution.

 - Society Expedtitions formed, the company carries out soft expedition cruises with the World Discoverer.

 - Knut Kloster, owner of Norwegian Cruise Line, in a surprise move buys the laid up ss France and plans to convert her to a cruise ship.

  - DFDS forms Scandinavian World Cruises to operate one day cruises out of Miami. Later the name of the company is changed to SeaEscape Cruises, still existing today.

 - Conversion of the SS France to become the Norway is completed; she is the largest cruise ship in the world when she is introduced.

  - Norwegian America Cruises is formed to manage former North Atlantic Liners Sagafjord and Vistafjord as cruise ships after they are retired from transatlantic liner service.

                                                               Vistafjord

1981  

  - Royal Viking Star lenghtened in Bremerhaven by AG Weser (sister ships Royal Viking Sky  and Royal Viking Sea will follow).

1982

  - Uganda, Canberra and QE2 are sent to the Falkland Islands, acting as hospital/ troopships during the Falkland War between England and Argentina.

1983

  - Cunard Purchases Norwegian America Cruises along with it's two ships Saga- and Vistafjord.

  - Lindblad Explorer is the first passenger ship to navigate the Northwest Passage through pack-ice.

1984

  - Kloster (owner of Norwegian Caribbean Line) purchases Royal Viking Line, a company owning three 5-star ships sailing on world wide itineraries.

   - Several new cruise operators are founded: Regency Cruises, Windstar Cruises, Dolphin Cruises and Sundance Cruises.

  - Founded a year earlier, Premier Cruises starts operations.

1985 

 -  Former DFDS cruise ferry Scandinavia starts sailing for Sundance Cruises as Stardancer on the US West Coast. She replaces Sundancer which became a victim of fire a year earlier.

 - Carnival take their brand new Holiday into service. Measuring 46.000GRT she marks the beginning of the era of the mega cruise ship or superliner.

 - For the first time, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line will operate a vessel from another port than Miami. Nordic Prince will make seven day cruises from New York to Bermuda.

1986

  - Admiral cruises is formed by merging Eastern & Western Cruises & Sundance Cruises.

  -  Radisson Diamond Enters service, the world's first SWATH cruise ship meaning Small Waterplane Area Twin Hull, making her look like a catamaran. This hull form makes her a very stable ship.

                                                     ssc Radisson Diamond

1987

  - NCL changes name fom Norwegian Caribbean Lines to Norwegian Cruise Line and a new logo is introduced.

  - Swedish Kockums shipyard goes bankrupt after delivery of cruise ships Jubilee (1986) and Celebrations (1987) to Carnival Cruise Line.

  - Sea Goddes Cruises, operating two small 5-star yacht cruisers Sea Goddes I and II is  taken over by Cunard Line, which wants to expand in the luxury segment of the cruise industry.

  - HAL acquires 50% of Windstar Cruises. Windstar operates two sail ships and has a third on order at the time.One of these ships, the Wind Song is the world's first sail assisted cruise ship.

  - Queen Elizabeth 2, one of the world's largest and most famous cruise ships converted from steam to diesel electric power at Lloyd Werft.

1988

  -  Seabourn Cruises first 5- star luxury cruise ship Seabourn Pride is introduced.

  - Admiral Cruises merges with Royal Caribbean Cruises.

  - Home Line ceases operations.

  - Sitmar Cruises is purchased by Princess Cruises.

 - RCCL take delivery of the Sovereign of the Seas, which is the world's largest cruise ship at the time (73.200 GRT).

  - Carnival tries to take over competitor Royal Caribbean Cruise Line but does not succeed.

   - HAL takes over the remaining 50% of Windstar cruises, and is taken over itself by Carnival Cruise Lines.

1989

  - Wartsila, famous yard and builder of cruise ships goes bankrupt, and is taken over by     new owners Kvaerner, new name: Kvaerner MASA yards.

  -  Chandris Cruises, which operates a fleet of elderly liners converted to cruise ships launches Celebrity Cruises, an upscale brand which in turn will operate luxury, modern ships.

                           Celebrity Cruises'  first two ships: Meridian (top) and Horizon (bottom)

  - Renaissance Cruises formed.

  - Mitsui OSK introduces the Fuji Maru, a cruise ship mainly catering for the domestic Japanese cruise market.

   - Lindblad Travel, the firm that started soft expedition cruising, closes it's doors.   

- Aloha Pacific Cruises, a company which organised cruises in Hawaiian waters goes bankrupt: Monterey, their only ship is put up for sale. She is sold to Mediterranean Shipping Cruises the following year.