A good example is Carnival Cruises’ “Build a Ship” competition which was launched this month. Anyone aged 13 years or older is invited to build a model of a Carnival Cruises ship out of whatever they can get their hands on. A photo of the ship is then submitted and the winner will get a free cruise holiday on one of Carnival’s ships. For every entry, Carnival will donate $1 to St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Over the past five years, Carnival and its employees have already donated $30m to charitable causes.

Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) are also doing their bit to make life easier for those who need it most. They recently donated $5m to Camillus House, a shelter for the homeless that has been operating for over 50 years.

Royal Caribbean is playing an important role in relief efforts in Haiti. It was involved in the rebuilding process of one of the first schools that opened after the disastrous 2010 earthquake.

The company also invites passengers with Royal Caribbean Visa cards to donate their points to charitable programmes. Passengers cruising with its sister lines Azamara Club Cruises and Celebrity Cruises can also make donations to the Haiti Relief Fund by charging a donation to their accounts while on board a ship.