- (month unknown)
- Holland America Line refits the Statendam cruise ship. [73.32]
- Flagship Cruises introduces the Sea Venture cruise ship (20,000 gross tons) for voyages from New York to Bermuda. [73.35]
- July
- The Nordic Prince cruise ship is built for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. [67.7] [73.32,35] [339]
- (month unknown)
- Norwegian Caribbean Lines introduces the Starward cruise ship. [73.34]
1972
- January 9
- Former Cunard Line's passenger ship Queen Elizabeth catches fire and capsizes in Hong Kong harbor. [1] [360.55]
- February 11
- Cruise ship Lindblad Explorer (2300 tons, under 100 passengers) runs aground in Admiralty Bay in South Shetlands. Passengers are rescued by Chilean ships, and the ship is towed off by South African Arctic tugboat. [965.27]
- March 11
- Carnival Cruise Line begins cruise operations, as the TSS Mardi Gras embarks on its maiden voyage from PortMiami, Florida. [339]
- May
- An anonymous demand is made for US$350,000 ransom, or suicide bombers aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner crossing the Atlantic with 2150 passengers would activate explosives. No explosives are found. [254.13]
- (month unknown)
- Royal Viking Line forms and begins long cruises with three cruise ships: Royal Viking Star, Royal Viking Sky, and Royal Viking Sea, each 21,500 gross tons and capacity of 500 passengers. [73.35] [1376.29]
- Royal Viking Line begins operations of the Royal Viking Star cruise ship (21,847 tons, 539 passenger). [339]
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1973
- January
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line introduces the Sun Viking cruise ship. [73.35]
- May 20
- The USSR issues a postage stamp depicting the Mikhail Lermontov ocean liner for the inauguration of transatlantic service between Leningrad and New York. [278.664]
- June 5
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Sky cruise ship (21,847 tons, 536 passengers) begins service. [339]
- (month unknown)
- The Vistafjord cruise ship (25,000 gross tons) is built for Norwegian America Line. [93.20] [1376.29]
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Sea cruise ship (21,847 tons, 536 passengers) enters service. [339]
1974
- April 1
- The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 breaks down off Bermuda; The entire passenger load is transferred to Flagship Cruises' liner Sea Venture. [254.13]
- June 28
- Saint Vincent issues four postage stamps depicting cruise ships: 15-cents Istra, 20-cents Oceanic, 30-cents Alexander Pushkin, $1 Europa. [278.866]
- (month unknown)
- Cosulich Line's Caribia liner is scrapped. [67.21]
- Holland America Line adds a Slot Machine Room to the Rotterdam cruise ship. [73.32]
- Home Lines adds a Slot Machine Room to the Oceanic cruise ship. [73.32]
- Royal Cruise Line introduces the Golden Odyssey cruise ship (10,500 gross tons). [73.35]
- September
- Some crew of the SS France mutiny and hold the ship at anchor on the English Channel, demanding the ship be restored to service, and demanding a pay raise of 35 percent. [260.80]
- October
- French Line's SS France ship is withdrawn due to declining patronage. [67.18] [254.13]
1975
- February 8
- Seychelles issues four postage stamps overprinted with the Queen Elizabeth 2 cruise ship in black profile. [278.1089]
- (month unknown)
- Carnival Cruise Lines purchases the former Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Britain. [75.8]
1976
-
- Delta Queen Steamboat Company introduces the Mississippi Queen paddlewheel cruiser. [72.50]
- Cunard Line introduces the Cunard Countess cruise ship, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. [292.17] (1975 [73.42])
- December 25
- Egyptian passenger liner SS Patria burns and sinks in Red Sea, about 100 killed. [1]
1977
- March
- Cunard Line's Cunard Princess is christened in New York. [292.17]
- (month unknown)
- Norwegian Cruise Line develops the first private island concept, with Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. [73.21] [1310.25]
- September 24
- American Broadcasting Company begins airing the TV series The Love Boat in the USA. Two Princess Cruises ships are used on the show: Island Princess and Pacific Princess. (The TV show helps growth of the cruise vacation industry. The show runs for ten seasons, ending in 1987.) [67.30] [74] [457]
- September 28
- Surinam issues a 95-cent postage stamp depicting the Stuyvessant ocean liner. [285.235]
1978
-
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line lengthens the Song of Norway cruise ship with an 85-foot midsection (4589 gross tons, 316 passengers), at Helsinki's Wartsila shipyard in Finland. [88.18]
1979
- June
- The first issue of Cruise Travel magazine is published, in the USA. [736.32]
- (month unknown)
- Flotta Lauro's Angelina Lauro liner sinks in the Pacific under tow to scrapyard. [67.21]
- Norwegian Caribbean Lines purchases the France cruise ship. [67.31]
1980
- May
- Norwegian Caribbean Line completes transformation of the former SS France into world's largest and longest cruise liner, renaming it Norway (70,000 gross tons, 2000 passengers). Cost of the renovation was US$130 million. [67.18,27,31] [73.28] [254.13] [260.132] [1436.35]
- (month unknown)
- Royal Caribbean Cruise Line lengthens the Nordic Prince cruise ship with an 85-foot midsection (4713 gross tons, 316 passengers), at Helsinki's Wartsila shipyard in Finland. [88.18]
- Norwegian Cruise Line introduces the Norway cruise ship, converted from the France ocean liner. The ship is more than twice the size of other existing Caribbean cruise ships. [1370.20]
- August 11
- Saint Lucia issues two postage stamps depicting cruise ships, including the Queen Elizabeth 2. [278.808]
- August 22
- Seychelles issues a postage stamp for the World Tourism Conference, depicting an ocean liner. [278.1090]
1981
- February
- Seychelles issues a postage stamp depicting the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner. [278.1091]
- (month unknown)
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Star cruise ship enters a drydock in Germany to be lengthened nearly 28m, adding 200 berths. [339]
- Royal Viking Line lengthens the Royal Viking Star cruise ship with a 91-foot midsection (6373 gross tons, 219 passengers). [88.18]
- August 27
- Divers begin to recover a safe found aboard the cruise ship Andrea Doria. [1]
1982
- January
- Carnival Cruise Lines introduces the Tropicale cruise ship (36,000 gross tons, 1022 passengers), the first of a new generation of modern cruise liners, the first newly built ship for Carnival. [67.26,31]
- MSC Cruises' MSC Melody cruise ship is built. [73.10]
- April
- Home Lines' Atlantic cruise ship debuts. [292.18]
- Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 is requisitioned for use by the British government for the Falklands war. [254.13]
- June 11
- Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 returns to England from use as a troop transport for the British navy in its war to regain the Falkland Islands. [254.14]
- (month unknown)
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Sky cruise ship is lengthened 28m, increasing tonnage to 28,000. [339] (1983 [88.18])
- December 29
- Saint Vincent issues four postage stamps depicting cruise ships: 45-cents Geestport, 60-cents Stella Oceanis, $1.50 Victoria, $2 QE 2. [278.869]
1983
- February 22
- Tonga issues three postage stamps depicting the passenger liner Canberra of 1983. [285.558]
- March 14
- Saint Kitts issues two postge stamps depicting cruise ships: Stella Oceanis, and RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. [278.786]
- (month unknown)
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Sea cruise ship is lengthened 28m, increasing tonnage to 28,518, and passenger capacity raised to 812 from 536. [88.18] [339]
- Cunard Line acquires the cruise ships Sagafjord and Vistafjord from Norwegian America Line. [93.20] [1376.29]
1984
- January
- Princess Cruises introduces the Royal Princess cruise ship. All passenger cabins have at least an outside window. [67.29,31]
- Lloyd Triestino's Galileo Lalilei cruise ship is sold to Chandris Group, renamed Galileo. [71.36]
- The Holland America Line introduces the Noordam cruise ship (1,214 passengers). [76]
- May 21
- Seychelles issues three postage stamps depicting a 1930s steamship, a cruise liner, and the Ennerdale ship. [278.1091]
- November
- Philippines issues a postage stamp depicting a cruise liner. [278.261]
1985
-
- Home Lines sells the Oceanic cruise ship to Premier Cruise Lines. [67.29]
- Carnival Cruise Line introduces the Holiday cruise ship (46,052 gross tons, 1452 passengers). [67.31] [71.22]
- Meyer Werft begins building its first cruise ship, the Homeric for Home Lines. [339]
- October 7
- The cruise ship Achille Lauro is hijacked in the Mediterranean Sea by four heavily armed Palestinian terrorists. [1] [85]
1986
- January 27
- The British Virgin Islands issues postage stamps depicting cruise ships Cunard Countess and Sea Goddess. [285.1042]
- May
- Meyer Werft shipyard delivers the Homeric cruise ship to Home Lines. [339]
- May 19
- Vanuato issues three postage stamps for AMERIPEX '86, depicting the passenger liner SS President Coolidge, as troop ship in 1942, and site of sinking in 1942. [285.902]
- (month unknown)
- Home Lines introduces the Homeric cruise ship. [76]
- July 25
- Paraguay issues seven postage stamps depicting passenger liners: 25c City of Paris, 50c Mauretania, 1g Normandie, 2g Queen Mary, 3g Kaiser Wilhelm the Great II, 4g United States, 5g Bremen. [278.141]
1987
- April 29
- Ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 embarks on its second maiden voyage, following entensive renovation. [254.14]
- May 20
- The USSR issues three postage stamps depicting passenger ships Maxim Gorki, Alexander Pushkin, and The Soviet Union. [278.701]
- (month unknown)
- MSC Cruises' MSC Rhapsody cruise ship is built. [73.10]
1988
- January
- Royal Caribbean introduces the Sovereign of the Seas cruise ship, the first large modern cruise ship (73,000 gross tons, 2690 passengers). [67.31]
- April 15
- Holland America Line purchases the Homeric and Atlantic cruise ships from Home Lines, for an estimated US$250 million. The Homeric will be renamed Westerdam. [339]
- (month unknown)
- Holland America Line purchases Windstar Sail Cruises and its four-masted 148-passenger luxury sailing ships. [76]
- The Kloster Group acquires Royal Viking Line. [339]
- Royal Viking Line's Royal Viking Sky cruise ship runs aground off the coast of Plymouth, England. [339]
- September 30
- Seychelles issues a postage stamp for the 300th anniversary of Lloyds of London, depicting the Queen Elizabeth 2 ocean liner. [278.1093]
- October 31
- The Solomon Islands issues a $2 postage stamp depicting the Empress of China ship. [285.8]
- November 12
- Holland America Line's Westerdam enters service. The ship was formerly the Home Lines' Homeric. [76]
- November 25
- Saint Thomas and Prince Islands issues a postage stamp depicting a British passenger liner. [278.846]
1989
- April 21
- Saint Vincent issues ten postage stamps depicting cruise ships: 10-cents Ile de France, 40-cents Liberte, 50-cents Mauretania, 75-cents France, $1 Aquitania, $2 United States, $3 Olympic, $4 Queen Elizabeth, $6 Queen Mary, $6 QE 2. [278.874]
- May 8
- Netherlands Antilles issues two postage stamps depicting cruise ships at St. Maarten and Curaçao. [143.1215]
- (month unknown)
- The Delfin Clipper expedition ship is built in Finland. [67.18]
- Holland America Line stretches the Westerdam cruise ship by 129 feet, adding 11780 gross tons, and 446 passenger capacity. [88.18]
- October 27
- Saint Thomas and Prince Islands issues a postage stamp depicting the Port of Hamburg passenger liner. [278.847]
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