CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., the nation’s largest cruise retail network as part of World Travel Holdings (WTH), today released the results of the companies’ joint Quarterly Trend Survey, which polled Franchise Owners and Agents on key industry issues. Indicating a promising start to the year, the survey’s results include consistent increases in booking volume and cruise prices.

Caribbean and Alaska Continue as Two Top-Selling Cruise Destinations

When asked to list their three top-selling cruise destinations in Q1 2010:

•  73.6% indicated the Caribbean as their most popular selling destination
•  Alaska ranked second at 9.4%
•  Third place was mixed between other destinations, including Mexico (8.8%), Europe (4.4%) and The Med (1.9%)

The Phones are Ringing

The survey asked agents to compare cruise bookings versus Q1 2009:

•  62.9% indicated that bookings increased slightly or significantly
•  17.6% of the agents polled indicated that bookings remained flat
•  19.5% indicated that bookings decreased slightly or significantly

When asked to compare cruise bookings versus the previous quarter, Q4 2009:

•  64.8% indicated that bookings increased slightly or significantly
•  19.5% of the agents polled indicated that bookings remained flat
•  Only 15.8% indicated that bookings decreased slightly or significantly

Cruise Prices are Climbing

Agents were asked to compare cruise prices versus Q1 2009:

•  54.1% saw a slight or significant increase in cruise prices
•  21.4% responded that cruise prices decreased slightly or significantly
•  The remaining 24.5% responded that cruise prices remained flat

Similarly, agents were polled on cruise prices versus the previous quarter, Q4 2009:

•  54.1% saw a slight or significant increase in cruise prices
•  30.2% responded that cruise prices remained flat
•  The minority of agents, 15.7%, responded that cruise prices decreased slightly or significantly

Land Evolution is Working for Company Traditionally Focused on Cruising

At the end of 2009, CruiseOne & Cruises Inc. announced a formal expansion into land including all-inclusive resorts, escorted tours and destination resorts. Agents were asked how the official formation of a Preferred Land Supplier Network has impacted their land business (bookings) versus Q4 2009:

•  While 30% of agents indicated that they have not yet participated in the new land program, 70% indicated that they have continued with positive land sales, with 33% of those noting a substantial increase in land bookings

New Ships Continue to Generate Dollars

Given the buzz that has continued around the launch of new mega-ships by leading cruise lines, agents were polled to determine if this buzz is equating to increased bookings.

When asked to compare their bookings on Carnival’s Dream, NCL’s Epic and Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas versus Q4 2009:

•  32.3% indicated a slight or significant increase in bookings on these specific ships
•  57.2% indicated that bookings remained flat
•  The remaining 10.5% indicated that bookings have decreased slightly

Has the Cruise Industry Rebounded from the Challenges of 2009?

Agents were asked for their overall opinion on the challenges of the past year and if they currently feel that the industry has bounced back:

•  While only 2.5% indicated the economy has fully recovered from 2009, the majority (64.8%) indicated that they feel the economy has somewhat bounced back
•  The remaining 23.9% indicated that in their opinion, the economy has not yet begun to recover