Cruise shipping has first established as the transportation of pleasure-seeking upper class travellers on seagoing vessels offering one or more ports of call in the United States and the Caribbean. Today this is a highly efficient global business. Modern specialised ships – radically different from cargo vessels – the use of an increasing number of cruise ports of call and turnaround ports so as to provide their customers excellent in-port and destination experiences, and convenient departures from proximal embarkation cities being fundamental tenets of the industry.