Cruise bookings to Europe and Alaska remain popular but there’s less interest these days in the Caribbean, attributable to last year’s hurricane season.
“The magnitude of the hurricane season last year has people a little skittish,” Timothy Conder, a leisure analyst with A. G. Edwards, told MarketWatch.
“Europe and Alaska markets were reported as being very strong and up, With the Caribbean, they reported some softness,” said Mike Driscoll, editor of the industry publication Cruise Week.
He was referring to recent earnings reports from the cruise lines.
The hurricane threat has also led to some bargain basement prices for the Caribbean. Cruise lines are also offering heavily-discounted rates for extra berths to encourage family travel.
And the impact of recent fires, a scattering of overboard passengers and other mishaps?
They have apparently not affected bookings, say industry observers.
Report by David Wilkening
