Cruise Holidays. The oldest and largest cruise specialty retailer in North America released more findings from its authoritative 2007 Cruise Holidays Travel Trends Survey. The Mediterranean is magical, especially on 12-day cruises which are most favored for longer cruises, while 7-day Alaskan cruises and 5-day Western Caribbean cruises are the top itineraries for mid- and shorter-length cruises. This information comes from precise booking data based on actual bookings of the Cruise Holidays network from January 1 through March 31, 2007.
Today, Cruise Holidays , The oldest and largest cruise specialty retailer in North America released more findings from its authoritative The Mediterranean is magical, especially on 12-day cruises which are most favored for longer cruises, while 7-day Alaskan cruises and 5-day Western Caribbean cruises are the top itineraries for mid and shorter length cruises. This information comes from precise booking data based on bookings of the Cruise Holidays network from January 1 through March 31, 2007.
“Our research shows that nearly 82% of all cruises booked so far this year are six days or longer,” said Peter D. Thomson, vice president and COO of Cruise Holidays. “The Mediterranean is becoming ‘must-see’ territory for repeat and first-time cruisers alike. Closer to home, we are seeing continued interest among our customers in spending a significant amount of time exploring the Alaskan wilderness. In addition to 7-day Alaskan cruises being our top mid-length cruise booked, four of the top ten long itineraries were also Alaskan cruises.”
The following information is based on actual bookings made between January 1 and March 31, 2007, by Cruise Holidays stores in the U.S. and Canada:
Average Length of Cruise
Length of Cruise Percentage 2006
1. 6-7 days 51.2% 1
2. 4-5 days 13.7% 4
3. 8-10 days 13.6% 2
4. 11-14 days 13.4% 3
5. Less than 4 days 4.4% 5
6. Longer than 14 days 3.7% 4
Top “Long” Itinerary – 9 days or more
Destinations Percentage
1. 12-day Mediterranean 9.35%
2. 9-day Eastern Caribbean 5.58%
3. 12-day Alaska 5.05%
4. 10-day Southern Caribbean 4.78%
5. 11-day Alaska 4.48%
6. 10-day Alaska 4.27%
7. 14-day Mediterranean 3.94%
8. 13-day Alaska 3.40%
9. 10-day Panama Canal 3.19%
10. 10-day Mediterranean 2.69%
Top “Mid-Length” Itinerary – 6-8 day
Destinations Percentage
1. 7-day Alaska 25.98%
2. 7-day Western Caribbean 22.86%
3. 7-day Eastern Caribbean 14.68%
4. 7-day Southern Caribbean 7.07%
5. 7-day Hawaii 5.80%
6. 7-day Mexican Riviera 4.69%
7. 7-day Bermuda 3.45%
8. 8-day Eastern Caribbean 2.95%
9. 7-day Mediterranean 2.12%
10. 6-day Western Caribbean 1.82%
Top “Short” Itinerary – 1-5 days
Destinations Percentage
1. 5-day Western Caribbean 26.43%
2. 4-day Bahamas 14.45%
3. 3-day Bahamas 12.79%
4. 4-day Western Caribbean 11.99%
5. 3-day Mexican Riviera 6.17%
5. 5-day Bermuda 6.17%
7. 4-day Mexican Riviera 6.13%
8. 5-day Bahamas 2.06%
9. 5-day Mexican Riviera 2.01%
10. 5-day N. England/Maritime Canada 1.88%
The following data is based on a supplemental part of the 2007 Cruise Holidays Travel Trends Survey where questions were directly asked of all Cruise Holidays franchise owners. This information represents 70% of the Cruise Holidays network.
Most Popular Caribbean Island/Port of Call
Caribbean Port Percentage 2006
1. St. Thomas 48.6% 1
2. Grand Cayman 15.3% 2
3. Cozumel 9.7% 3
4. (tie) Aruba 5.6% 4
4. (tie) St. Maarten/St. Martin 5.6% New
Most Popular European Port of Call
European Port Percentage 2006
1. Rome 45.3% 1
2. Venice 36.0% 2
3. Barcelona 8.0% 4
4. St. Petersburg 4.0% 5
5. (tie) Dover 1.3%
5. (tie) Greek Isles 1.3% 3
5. (tie) Kusidasi/Ephesus 1.3%
“Let’s face it, time is a precious commodity and when people are ready to use their well deserved vacation time, they want to make sure their trip is the vacation of their dreams,” continue Thomson. “Our Cruise Holidays experts have cruised all over the world. Their first-hand knowledge, and the feedback of their customers, is invaluable when figuring out what length of cruise or ports of call may best fit each individual whether it’s their first time or fifteenth. Their expertise plays a major role in creating personally tailored cruise vacations for each particular customer.”
