Highlights
Cruising once may have been the province of the rich, but by the 21st Century, the North American-based cruising industry had become a massive economic engine: about 12.5 million passengers spent about $17.6 billion onboard and ashore in 2007, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. While the industry has struggled recently, the companies proved optimistic about growing demand: By the end of 2007, nearly 100 new ships will have been introduced since 2000 -- 8 just in 2007 and more in the pipeline. Several cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean are building monster-sized boats like the Project Genesis class, which will hold 5,400 passengers.
These are requiring several...
These are requiring several...
Cruising once may have been the province of the rich, but by the 21st Century, the North American-based cruising industry had become a massive economic engine: about 12.5 million passengers spent about $17.6 billion onboard and ashore in 2007, according to the Cruise Lines International Association. While the industry has struggled recently, the companies proved optimistic about growing demand: By the end of 2007, nearly 100 new ships will have been introduced since 2000 -- 8 just in 2007 and more in the pipeline. Several cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean are building monster-sized boats like the Project Genesis class, which will hold 5,400 passengers.
These are requiring several ports, such as Fort Lauderdale Florida's Port Everglades, to consider enlarging berths and deepening channels. Cruising is a key part of Florida's economy. In 2006, cruise line spending in Florida topped $5.8 billion and companies paid $5 billion in wages to Florida employees. Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades are among the busiest ports in North America, accounting for more than half the cruise traffic, but New York and Hawaii are among the fastest-growing embarkation points. The average cruiser remains a 49-year-old person with a household income of more than $100,000, but much of the passenger growth has been due to aggressive marketing to a diverse range of demographics including an entire cruise line aimed at families with children, gay-friendly cruises, amenities designed to be handicapped accessible and younger cruisers seeking more active shore excursions like white-water rafting and rappelling. The types of cruises offered encompass more than the traditional 3-to-10 day vacations with one-day stops in a half-dozen ports. They include day trips to the Caribbean islands, "cruises to nowhere" solely to enable customers to gamble, round-the-world marathons and trans-Atlantic trips that can be cheaper than flying and staying in a hotel. Customer preferences ebb and flow. In 2007, traffic to the Caribbean dipped while demands for trips to and around Europe increased. Patrons are booking their cruises later and later. Cruise lines have striven to attract customers with huge ships that carry thousands upon thousands of passengers. They tout fine dining (even gourmet supper clubs and health-conscious menus), luxurious amenities, gambling casinos, rock climbing walls, exotic ports like Dubai, shipboard Internet cafes and Wi-Fi, lengthy rosters of pre-arranged shore excursions, and experts or celebrities lecturing on everything from languages to art. The industry continues to grow, but it has been hit by one headache after another: rising fuel prices, hurricanes canceling cruises and spooking potential patrons, ship fires, terrorism fears, passenger disappearances, gastro-intestinal illnesses, a soft economy cutting into discretionary spending and the rise of land-based casinos. Some lines have been criticized by environmentalists damaging the eco-system. The North American cruise industry's trade group is the Cruise Lines International Association.
These are requiring several ports, such as Fort Lauderdale Florida's Port Everglades, to consider enlarging berths and deepening channels. Cruising is a key part of Florida's economy. In 2006, cruise line spending in Florida topped $5.8 billion and companies paid $5 billion in wages to Florida employees. Miami, Port Canaveral and Fort Lauderdale's Port Everglades are among the busiest ports in North America, accounting for more than half the cruise traffic, but New York and Hawaii are among the fastest-growing embarkation points. The average cruiser remains a 49-year-old person with a household income of more than $100,000, but much of the passenger growth has been due to aggressive marketing to a diverse range of demographics including an entire cruise line aimed at families with children, gay-friendly cruises, amenities designed to be handicapped accessible and younger cruisers seeking more active shore excursions like white-water rafting and rappelling. The types of cruises offered encompass more than the traditional 3-to-10 day vacations with one-day stops in a half-dozen ports. They include day trips to the Caribbean islands, "cruises to nowhere" solely to enable customers to gamble, round-the-world marathons and trans-Atlantic trips that can be cheaper than flying and staying in a hotel. Customer preferences ebb and flow. In 2007, traffic to the Caribbean dipped while demands for trips to and around Europe increased. Patrons are booking their cruises later and later. Cruise lines have striven to attract customers with huge ships that carry thousands upon thousands of passengers. They tout fine dining (even gourmet supper clubs and health-conscious menus), luxurious amenities, gambling casinos, rock climbing walls, exotic ports like Dubai, shipboard Internet cafes and Wi-Fi, lengthy rosters of pre-arranged shore excursions, and experts or celebrities lecturing on everything from languages to art. The industry continues to grow, but it has been hit by one headache after another: rising fuel prices, hurricanes canceling cruises and spooking potential patrons, ship fires, terrorism fears, passenger disappearances, gastro-intestinal illnesses, a soft economy cutting into discretionary spending and the rise of land-based casinos. Some lines have been criticized by environmentalists damaging the eco-system. The North American cruise industry's trade group is the Cruise Lines International Association.
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Travelers should keep life-supporting equipment near, experts say
A Carnival Cruise Line ship left Miami on Saturday with a disabled woman's dialysis machine aboard, but without the passenger and her family. Carnival officials said in a statement Monday that the dialysis supplies had been given to a porter at the...Tags: Celebrity Cruises, Dania Beach, Dialysis, Sleep Apnea, Festive Events
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Navy commissions the high-tech San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The $1.3-billion ship is billed as the most technologically advanced of any in its class in the U.S. Navy, with stealth capability and a state-of-the-art communications system.
But the commissioning ceremony Saturday that made the San...Tags: Station North, Navy Pier, Unrest, Conflicts and War, World War I (1914-1918), World War II (1939-1945)
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$265 LANCASTER A June 23-24 Lancaster tour includes Amish farmlands, quilt and crafts shop, Kitchen Kettle Village, Hershey Farms dinner, Sight & Sounds show "Jonah", Sturgis Pretzel Factory, Wilbur Chocolates and Landis Valley Living History Museum....Tags: Russia, Saint Petersberg (Russia), Travel, Pompano Beach, Walt Disney World Resort
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Kid Rock's 'Chillin' the Most' cruise floats fans' boat
MIAMI — The Carnival Destiny cruise ship hasn't even left port, and half the ship's guests are already wasted. Passengers pack the lobby bar, balancing luggage with buckets of ice-soaked beer bottles, and flashing room keys that double as charge...
Tags: Casino and Gambling, 311 (music group), Weezer (music group), Rick Springfield, Bars and Clubs
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Travel insurance might not help if the ship sails without you
Watchdog with Paul MuschickBob Durn of Allentown seemed to have a good argument when he sought the Watchdog's help in a dispute with his travel insurance. He'd missed a cruise that left New York as the city was shutting down for Hurricane Irene...... -
Salty Tales Of Connecticut River Ships At Essex Museum
The Hartford CourantWooden sailing ships lived remarkable lives, and the strange tale of the Niantic, built in Middletown, is part of a new exhibit at the Connecticut River Museum. "I just love the story of the Niantic," says museum Director Jerry Roberts, who has worked...Tags: Sailing, Manufacturing and Engineering, China, Thomas Jefferson, Travel
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NextGen, Fantasyland drive capital-spending increase for Disney
Spending on a pair of big-ticket projects at Walt Disney World — the "Next Generation Experience" technology initiative and the expansion of the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland section — has sent an already big theme-park construction bill even...
Tags: Theme Park Vacations, Recreational and Sporting Goods Industry, Travel, Walt Disney, Walt Disney World Resort
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EU forces mount first attack on Somali pirates' onshore bases
World NowEU naval force mounts first attack on Somali onshore pirate bases: With 300 hostages in the hands of Somali pirates, the first land attack on a Somali pirate base by the EU's anti-pirate force Tuesday was a delicate one: in all several speed boats were... -
Florida Travel Tips & Deals
Special CorrespondentCheck this list often as new tips, events and deals around Florida come in: Florida residents can make a splash -- Wet 'n Wild is offering Florida Residents free entry almost any time during the same year (through Dec. 31) with the purchase of a...Tags: Diseases and Illnesses, Fantasia (music artist), Peppermint, Costa Cruises, Alternative Energy
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Carnival Breeze completes sea trials for June debut
Carnival Cruise Lines' newest ship Carnival Breeze has completed sea trials in the Adriatic Sea ahead of its inaugural June 3 sailing from Venice, Italy.
After summer in Europe, the 3,690-guest ship will reposition to PortMiami where it’ll sail...Tags: Arts and Culture, Festive Events, Travel, Sushi and Sashimi, Italy
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Has the Kate Gosselin cruise been cancelled?
TV WatchersIt seems that Kate Gosselin's ship has sunk. A spokeswoman has confirmed that the celebrity Royal Caribbean cruise with the Berks County mother of 8 scheduled for Aug. 12-19 has been cancelled. The cruise was cancelled because it didn't sell...... -
BEST DEALS FROM LEHIGH VALLEY TRAVEL AGENTS
$299 YANKEES VS. MARINERS New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners, Aug. 3 at the new Yankee Stadium. Included: One night at the Roosevelt Hotel, with game tickets to the Aug. 3 game, seats Jim Beam Suite Sections 317, 318 or 319 with in-seat service for...Tags: Prague (Czech Republic), Yankee Stadium, Bars and Clubs, Fort Lauderdale, All Inclusive Vacations
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| Allentown Morning Call
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