US. Cruise travel from US ports was up +11% in the first quarter of 2003 compared to last year.
The numbers, released yesterday, are part of a new statistical analysis by the US Maritime Administration covering ten major lines with ships that hold at least 750 passengers. With very few exceptions (such as transatlantic positioning cruises), all North American cruises with a US. port of call are included in the data, which is available as a quarterly report.
Carnival Cruise Lines carried 32.7% and Royal Caribbean International 26.4% of the 2 million passengers who travelled on a total of 934 cruises. Cruises in the 6 to 8 day category had the largest share of both cruises and passengers, accounting for 64% of the total passenger-days during the first quarter 2003.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale were the departure ports for 49.2% of the total traffic, while the Western Caribbean was the most visited destination, accounting for 43% of passengers.
