Cruise Lines Expecting Record-Breaking 2008

The first 4 months of the new year are traditionally the busiest of the year for travel agents. We call it WAVE season because of all the cruises we sell.

BOOK EARLY OR BEWARE
The travel industry trend toward making cruise reservations far in advance is predicted to accelerate even further in 2008, with consumers heeding CLIA's message that early bookers are ensured the best savings and their optimum choices in ships, staterooms and sailings. Some travel agents have reported that travelers booked 2009 cruises nearly two years in advance. Others have said that their 2008 booking levels are already exceeding those of 2007.

As the cruise industry matures, so too do baby boomers. They are a formidable swath of the population that grew up on rock 'n roll, who, although aging chronologically, remain forever "young at heart." In travel terms, baby boomers seek vacations that incorporate active and adventurous elements but are unwilling to sacrifice creature comforts.

The "Old World," which has benefited from sold-out summer seasons in 2006 and 2007, is on track to record another banner year. CLIA-member cruise lines will be adding new ports along Croatia's Dalmatian Coast, as well as in southern Italy, Turkey, Greece and Spain.

IT'S A FAMILY AFFAIR
Cruises provide the ideal vacation venue to maintain close ties, and larger numbers of family groups are bringing several generations together. For maturing boomers, family is a priority, as is finding meaningful ways to bond with children and grandchildren who may live far away. Today's cruise ships are uniquely able to satisfy the ever-changing dynamics of modern American families, which might also include step-parents and children, plus cousins, aunts and uncles and family friends.

LUXURY CRUISING TAKES OFF
In 2007, the majority of luxury ships sailed full - thanks in part to increased affluence and younger, first-time cruisers who have discovered luxury cruising's huge appeal. Business is so buoyant, in fact, that for the first time in many years orders are being placed for new ships catering to this segment of the cruise industry.

ROMANCE AT SEA
An ocean voyage has been the quintessential romantic vacation for generations, from Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember" to Leonardo di Caprio and Kate Winslet's epic "Titanic" love affair. Star-crossed cruisers can dine al fresco on their stateroom verandah, enjoy high-energy floorshows, flirt with Lady Luck, dance cheek-to-cheek, or savor the sea air on a moonlit stroll on deck.

Not surprisingly, cruises are ideal for honeymooners - a fact that has led to a burgeoning of this market segment - whether 20-something couples or newlyweds in their 40s and 50s celebrating a first or subsequent marriage. Depending on the cruise line, ships' captains can perform a legally binding wedding at sea or ceremonies can be held on board by a local officiant while in port on embarkation day, allowing family and friends to join in the festivities. In growing popularity, wedding guests are invited to sail with the couple