They are destructive monsters, say opponents, small, floating, glorious cities, say supporters,

whichever, cruise ships and the industry of which they are part, tell us about the way

the world is changing. If the stereotype of the cruise ship passenger is an older American,

that too is changing. According to the information from the China National Tourism

Administration, next year, just for the cruise, over two meaning cruises holidays, and

now we have more ports. So that's why along the coastline, along the cities like Shanghai,

they have the harvors. A lot of people like to travel back to cruise.

I can see, eventually, the whole of sub-Sahara Africa being a cruise destination, not only

for people from outside of Africa coming in to visit and learn more about and enjoy the

destinations and the people and the culture, but at the same time for Africans to cruise

more around their own region.

I'm Philip Dodd, and for the BBC World Service, I'm going to set foot on a cruiser for the

first time and explore the shape of the industry now and to come, how wider global changes

are reflected in who takes cruises, what are the new destinations, and the kind of experiences

we now want.

Once it was the European rich who took cruises, set sail around the world, especially during

the 1930s economic depression.

Well, we're off in the world, cruise now bound across the Atlantic for the Mediterranean

port, through the Suez Canal to India, then onto Java, China, Japan, across the Pacific,

back to the American continent, through the Panama Canal, returning to New York, and

I know we're going to have a jolly fine time.

Now, cruise ships carry thousands of passengers, offer eateries galore and a vast amount of

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