Most cruise ships sail the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. Others operate elsewhere in places like Alaska, the South Pacific, the Baltic Sea and New England. A cruise ship that is moving from one of these regions to another will commonly operate a repositioning cruise while doing so. Expedition cruise lines, which usually operate small ships, visit certain more specialized destinations such as the Arctic and Antarctica, or the Galápagos Islands.
The number of cruise tourists worldwide in 2005 was estimated at some 14 million. The main region for cruising was North America (70% of cruises), where the Caribbean islands were the most popular destinations.
The second most popular region was continental Europe (13%), where the fastest growing segment is cruises in the Baltic Sea. [34] The most visited Baltic ports are Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Stockholm and Helsinki. [35] The seaport of St. Petersburg, the main Baltic port of call, received 426,500 passengers during the 2009 cruise season. [36]
According to 2010 CEMAR [37] statistics the Mediterranean cruise market is going through a fast and fundamental change; Italy has won prime position as a destination for European cruises, and destination for the whole of the Mediterranean basin. The most visited ports in Mediterranean Sea are Barcelona (Spain), Civitavecchia (Italy), Palma (Spain) and Venice (Italy).
2013 saw the entrance of the first Chinese company into the cruise market. China's first luxury cruise ship, Henna, made her maiden voyage from Sanya Phoenix Island International Port in late January. [38]
Caribbean cruising industry
The Caribbean cruising industry is one of the largest in the world, responsible for over $2 billion in direct revenue to the Caribbean islands in 2012. [39] Over 45,000 people from the Caribbean are directly employed in the cruise industry. [39] An estimated 17,457,600 cruise passengers visited the islands in the 2011-2012 cruise year (May 2011 to April 2012. [39] ) Cruise lines operating in the Caribbean include Royal Caribbean International. Princess Cruises. Carnival Cruise Line. Celebrity Cruises. Disney Cruise Line. Holland America. P&O, Cunard. Crystal Cruises. Pullmantur Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line. There are also smaller cruise lines that cater to a more intimate feeling among their guests. The three largest cruise operators are Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean International, and Star Cruises/Norwegian Cruise Lines.
Some of the American cruise lines in the Caribbean depart from ports in the United States, "nearly one-third of the cruises sailed out of Miami ". [40] Other cruise ships depart from Port Everglades (in Fort Lauderdale ), Port Canaveral (approximately 45miles east of Orlando ), New York. Tampa. Galveston. New Orleans. Cape Liberty. Baltimore. Jacksonville, Charleston. Norfolk. Mobile. and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Some UK cruise lines base their ships out of Barbados for the Caribbean season, operating direct charter flights out of the UK and avoiding the sometimes lengthy delays at US immigration.
The busiest ports of call in the Caribbean for cruising in the 2013 year are listed below [41]