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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Public tour French Navy schooners docked in Annapolis
They departed the northwest coast of France two months ago — 26 crew members each aboard two historic French Navy schooners headed to North America.
With relatively calm seas, a chef well-versed in French cuisine and plenty of technological updates...Tags: Interior Policy, Annapolis, Kandahar Massacre (2012), United States Naval Academy, Sailing
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Maryland-built riverboat is bound for the Mississippi
Gleaming white with twin black smokestacks and a 23-ton red paddle wheel at its stern, the Queen of the Mississippi is an apparition rising more than five stories above the Wicomico River.
Before the month is out, the lines holding it dockside at...Tags: Shipbuilding, American Cruise Lines , Companies and Corporations, Europe, Tour Operations Industry
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100 years after the Titanic disaster
A century ago this April 15, Baltimoreans, like the rest of the world, awakened to the news that the great White Star Liner RMS Titanic, on its maiden voyage to New York, had been in a collision late the night before, hitting an iceberg about 400 miles...Tags: Sinking of the Titanic (1912), World War I (1914-1918), Newspapers, Newspaper and Magazine, Frederick (Frederick, Maryland)
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Cruising the Mediterranean with Ravens' Chris Carr
Ravens cornerback Chris Carr is everywhere, all at once.
He had played in 97 straight games before being injured in this year's season opener, where he was part of a defense that forced a franchise-record seven turnovers in a 35-7 victory over the...Tags: Rome (Italy), Turkey, Dining and Drinking, Monaco, France
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No more Costa Concordias
As the 100th anniversary the RMS Titanic disaster approaches, the Costa Concordia grounding is a stark reminder that going to sea remains dangerous. A modern cruise ship sailing a routine route capsized in a matter of minutes in beautiful weather, leaving...Tags: International Relations, Costa Concordia Shipwreck, U.S. Coast Guard, Cruise Line Ports, Tourism and Leisure
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Royal Caribbean employee charged with sexually abusing teenage girl aboard cruise
A 25-year-old Royal Caribbean employee has been indicted on charges of sex abuse of a minor after authorities say he had sex with a teenage girl aboard a cruise ship out of Baltimore, records show. According to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court,...Tags: Royal Caribbean International, Trials, Trials, Punishment, Punishment
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Ravens fan cruise set for July
The Baltimore SunThe Ravens may not have cruised to the Super Bowl but the Baltimore team spirit is still afloat. Fans can keep the "purple passion" alive right through the summer with the third annual AAA Ultimate Ravens Fan Cruise set for July. The seven-day sailing ...Tags: Royal Caribbean International, Paul Kruger, Port Canaveral, Super Bowl, Jonathan Ogden
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If you go: Cruising to Bermuda
Baltimore SunBermuda is in the Atlantic Ocean, about 650 miles east of North Carolina. Although the island is only 21 square miles, it has nine parishes and about 75 miles of coastline. Getting there From Baltimore, travelers can visit Bermuda by plane or cruise...Tags: International Travel, Carnival Cruise Lines, AirTran, Tour Operations Industry, Royal Caribbean International
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Bermuda by boat: an itinerary for 48 hours in port
It's an island that measures only 21 square miles, about the size of Manhattan.
But instead of skyscrapers packed in like sardines, imagine miles and miles of sparkling cerulean water and pink-glittered sand.
Replace the honking yellow cabs with...Tags: International Travel, Dining and Drinking, Carnival Cruise Lines, England, UNESCO
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Baltimore vs. Norfolk: A tale of two ports
It was just one headline among many of its kind in The Baltimore Sun during the 1980s and 1990s: "Baltimore loses round to Va."
The 1995 article noted that the shipping giant Maersk Lines was ending its service between South America and the port of...Tags: Transportation, Hampton Roads, Railway Transportation, Jacksonville (Duval, Florida), Regional Authority
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Biggest threat from Emily may be heavy rain
Maryland WeatherTropical Storm Emily was looking a bit disheveled this morning, with no increase in strength and increasing signs of disorganization as the storm approached Hispaniola. Top sustained winds remained at 50 mph.The storm's primary threat to the island's...Tags: Hurricanes, Natural Disasters, Tropical Weather, Hispaniola, Disasters
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Carnival to continue cruising from Baltimore into 2013
The Baltimore SunCarnival Cruise Lines will continue to offer year-round cruises from the Port of Baltimore through August 2013. The Miami-based cruise line is signing onto an extension of its contract, guaranteeing at least two more years and adding three one-year...Tags: Carnival Cruise Lines, Cruise Line Ports, Sailing, Tour Operations Industry, Martin O'Malley
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