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Why cruise industry continues to grow: vast choices
Cruise travel continues to grow for several reasons, including the fact that many cruisers can drive to their ship, says Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).
Two other reasons: the growing availability of spas and the ability to explore exotic Caribbean destinations.
“One of the important things is no matter what you think you want to do on a vacation, or no matter what you have done and like, you can probably replicate that experience on a cruise,” said Bob Sharak, executive vice president of marketing for CLIA.
Twelve ships are taking maiden voyages this year — with several embarking from Southeast ports — and eight new vessels are scheduled to debut next year, according to CLIA.
In the next five years, 40 ships will be introduced, increasing the number of beds from 265,000 to 335,000.
Some of the newest ships offer activities ranging from ice skating to surfing.
Costa and Carnival Cruise Lines as well as Celebrity’s new Azamara Cruises brand, have suites next to spas, with perks such as in-room services and restaurants.
An expected 12.5 million guests will travel on CLIA member cruise lines (representing 98% of all North Americans sailing) this year, up from a record 12 million in 2006.
About 9 million of those travels will originate from US ports, which represents about 75% of all passenger embarkations, according to CLIA.
Carnival recently decided to put even larger vessels in Jacksonville, Florida.
“It’s really becoming quite an important port and an alternative to the big two [Miami and Port Everglades] down in Florida,” said Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor of CruiseCritic.com.
Cruising in some other southern ports such as Mobile, Ala., also remains strong.
In New Orleans, Carnival and River Barge Excursions have resumed year-round cruises.
The Caribbean remains popular but saturation has made some lines look for alternatives.
CLIA data show a small drop off in the number of ships in the Caribbean.
“Cruise lines have kind of pulled back and are sending ships to other places,” said Ms Brown. Alternative destinations include South America and others.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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