Vista-class cruise ship (2002)
The Vista class is a class of Panamax-type cruise ships, built by Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, in Italy. Vista-class cruise ships are operated by Holland America Line, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line. The ships are equipped with a diesel-electric power plant and an Azipod propulsion system. The ships are designed so that eighty-five percent of the staterooms have ocean views and sixty-seven percent have verandas; the extensive use of glass in the superstructure of Vista-class ships is also reflected in the class name.
MS Noordam, a Vista-class cruise ship, at Grand Turk Island, March 2007
Enlarged Vista-class ship Queen Victoria passing Calshot Spit light buoy outward bound from Southampton
Queen Elizabeth departing Southampton, 2011
Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on tours known as "shore excursions". On "cruises to nowhere" or "nowhere voyages", some cruise ships make two- to three-night round trips without visiting any ports of call.
Wonder of the Seas is one of the largest cruise ships in service.
Icon of the Seas
Cruiseferry MS Galaxy at the port of Mariehamn, Åland, in February 2016
Cruise ships MSC Poesia, Vision of the Seas, and Mein Schiff Herz at Tallinn Passenger Port in Estonia