|
There are so many great
things you can say about cruising.
-
It's
the best vacation value.
- It's the "hot"
vacation - appealing to a wide range of tastes,
lifestyles, pocketbooks and interests.
- It's one of the
fastest-growing segments of the travel industry.
- Nine out of 10 people
who cruise say they'll cruise again.
- By sailing the seven
seas, cruise ships visit - literally - all corners of
the earth, calling at more than 1,800 ports worldwide.
- More than 60 million
people have enjoyed the safety, comfort and excitement
of traveling on cruise ships over the past two decades.
- According to the U.S.
Coast Guard, cruise ships continue to be one of the
safest forms of transportation.
- Cruise lines are
committed to protecting the ocean environment.
- Cruise lines are
investing substantial amounts of money and exercising
worldwide leadership in developing state of the art
waste treatment equipment and procedures, as well as
educating passengers and crew in environmentally
friendly practices.
- Cruise companies
contributed more than $15.5 billion to the U.S. economy
in 1999.
- Travel agents and the
cruise industry have forged a strong partnership over
the years, with nearly 95 percent of cruises sold
through travel agents.


A recent study sponsored
by Cruise Lines International Association found that more
than 68 million Americans would like to take a cruise. Why
do so many people find cruising so appealing?
- A cruise offers all
the things most people want in a vacation - romance,
excitement, relaxation, adventure, escape, discovery,
luxury; value and more - without the hassles nobody
wants. It's no surprise, then, that most people who have
taken a cruise rate cruising above any other vacation
choice.
- In a recent survey,
well over 80 percent of cruisers said they were
"extremely satisfied" or "very satisfied" with their
cruise vacations. More than seven out of 10 first-time
cruisers said the experience even exceeded their high
expectations.
- With nearly all the
components (accommodations, fabulous meals,
entertainment, first-rate facilities and services and
more) included in the cost of a vacation at sea,
cruising ranks extremely high in affordability and
value.
- Each year, roughly 40
percent of cruise vacationers are first-timers.
- The average cruiser is
married; 50 years old and has a household income of
$79,000. Surprisingly, though, almost one-fourth of
cruisers are singles; 30 percent are age 39 or younger
(not counting an estimated half-million children who
cruise each year); and almost half earn less than
$60,000 annually.
- The overwhelming
majority of people who cruise, whether first-timers or
regulars, cite the freedom to do as much or as little as
they want, the fun and the value as the best qualities
of a cruise vacation.
- Many ships today offer
vacationers luxurious, full-service spas and health club
facilities; specialty restaurants and dining options to
satisfy any taste; professionally staffed children's
facilities; sports activities from golf to rock
climbing; Internet centers; and a host of other features
designed to cater to vacationers of all ages.
- Today's cruise ships
utilize technological innovations in power and
propulsion systems, waste treatment and communications
that make them more efficient, more environmentally
friendly and safer than ever.
- Cruises allow
travelers to sample sun-drenched islands, historic
cities, remote wild places in every part of the world -
safely, securely and comfortably.
- The cruise industry's
investment in educating and supporting travel agents
provides quality professional support to help consumers
select and buy cruises that fit their individual
lifestyles, tastes and budgets.
- To meet the expected
consumer demand, cruise lines will add more than 50 new
ships to their fleets during the first half of this
decade. These new vessels promise to offer all the
things that have made cruising the world's
fastest-growing dream vacation.
More
than two decades of spectacular growth - averaging 8.4%
per year - have made the cruise industry the brightest
star on the vacation travel stage, not to mention one of
the great success stories of any business. Nearly 7.5
million North Americans will vacation on cruise ships in
2001, yet cruising has barely tapped its potential.
- Almost 69 million
Americans would like to take a cruise in the next five
years, and more than 43 million say they definitely or
probably will cruise in that period, according to CLIA
market research. Those prospects represent a potential
cruise vacation market of at least $57 billion and as
much as $85 billion.
- Approximately 95% of
cruise vacations are booked through travel agents. Last
year, cruise lines paid over $1 billion in commissions
to travel agencies in North America.
- Just 12.3% of the U.S.
population have taken a cruise. Each year millions of
first-timers discover cruising.
- Cruise vacations boast
the highest satisfaction ratings among all types of
vacation travel. Once people try cruising, they come
back again and again.
- Cruise lines are
investing over $15 billion to build at least 50 ships in
the first half of this decade. Today's cruise industry
comprises everything from adventure cruisers designed to
explore the world's most remote areas to floating
resorts that rival Las Vegas or the Riviera.
- Cruising appeals
particularly to the Baby Boom generation, with shipboard
facilities designed to satisfy their intellectual
curiosity with college-level classes and computer
centers, their health consciousness with top-notch spa,
fitness and sports facilities, and their independence
with a dazzling array of choices for everything from
accommodations to dining and entertainment.
- With more ships,
cruise lines are introducing new itineraries and
expanding the choices of destinations, departures and
cruise lengths available to people considering a cruise.
Now vacation travelers can choose from cruises as short
as two nights or as long as three months. Cruises depart
from some of the most beautiful cities in the world; and
these days, more and more depart from ports located
within driving distance or a short flight away from
nearly everyone in America.
Although
cruise ships sail throughout the world, cruising as a
business substantially benefits North America, and cruise
lines make up a vital piece of the American economic
picture. According to a study conducted by Business
Research and Economic Advisors and WEFA, Inc. (formerly
Wharton Economic Forecasting Associates), the cruise
industry contributed some $15.5 billion to the U.S.
economy in 1999, and it is projected to have an $18.8
billion positive impact on America's economic health in
2002.
- Cruise lines directly
employ some 24,000 Americans in their U.S. headquarters
offices, in field sales positions, in support and
administrative positions worldwide and onboard their
ships. During 1999, the cruise industry paid $678
million in wages, salaries, benefits and wage taxes.
- Most cruise industry
purchases - from food and beverages served on the ships
to crew uniforms - are made in the U.S. The combined
direct spending of cruise lines and their passengers on
American goods and services in 1999 totaled $8.1 billion
- Direct purchases by
cruise lines benefited businesses representing virtually
every segment of the U.S. economy, including airlines,
travel agencies, ground transportation companies,
business services, energy, finance, food and beverage
and ship repair and maintenance.
- Those purchases
supported an estimated 214,900 American jobs, putting
the total wages generated by the cruise industry in the
U.S. at $7 billion.
- The North American
cruise industry invested another $627 million on
domestic capital expenditures in 1999, including $498
million to U.S. shipyards for vessel maintenance and
repairs.
- Three states -
Florida, California and Alaska -- topped the list of
economic beneficiaries from cruise lines purchasing and
employment in 1999, but the industry's impact reached
far beyond the seashore. In fact, all 50 states benefit
from the positive economic contributions of the cruise
industry.
- The growing popularity
of cruising throughout the world has also provided a
bonus for U.S. tourism. The number of tourists from
other countries who travel to North America for a cruise
vacation - and frequently an extended pre- or
post-cruise visit -increased by some 50 percent in the
last half of the past decade.
Beautiful, clear waters
and crystal clear skies are as much a part of the magic of
cruising as the ships themselves. Cruise lines are
committed to preserving and protecting the environment
that is, after all, essential to their success and even
survival. U.S. and international regulations and the
industry's own voluntary standards place cruise ships at
the forefront of environmental protection efforts in the
travel and maritime industries.
- All cruise ships that
operate in American waters must comply with U.S.
environmental laws, including the Clean Water Act, the
Clean Air Act and the Oil Pollution Act.
- Cruise lines must also
meet international regulations that protect the
environment, including SOLAS (the International
Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea) and MARPOL
(the International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships) that were established by the
International Maritime Organization.
- Most cruise lines have
adopted aggressive programs of waste minimization, waste
reuse and recycling, waste stream management and
shoreside waste disposal. Numerous cruise lines and
shipbuilders are working to identify and implement new
technologies in order to continuously improve the
environmental performance of cruise ships.
- The cruise industry is
on the leading edge in the development of environmental
technology and in establishing ground-breaking
environmental policies.
- Currently, the
majority of cruise lines have policies in place that
meet or exceed the stringent standards set forth in
international treaties and applicable U.S. laws.
- Strict environmental
guidelines have been in place in the cruise industry for
the past several years. In November 2000, the 16 members
of the International Council of Cruise Lines voted to
make environmental guidelines part of the mandatory
standards for member lines' vessels.
- Individual ships have
committed themselves to protecting the environment by
instituting crew training programs and passenger
information procedures. In addition, ships have
implemented recycling programs, and have invested in
extensive onboard systems, such as wastewater treatment
facilities, state of the art grinding and incineration
equipment, clean-air diesel and gas turbine engines and
similar "green" environmental practices.
- Some cruise lines are
joining forces with colleges, universities and
institutes to fund and inaugurate ocean study programs.
Many also participate in grassroots initiatives, such as
beach cleanups in Florida and the Caribbean.

Cruise lines are committed to preserving and protecting
our waters - it is essential to our success and
survival.
| By its nature,
cruising is an enterprise that links the world.
Cruise ships call at ports on every continent;
their passengers and crews comprise people from
every part of the world; and the industry benefits
hundreds of countries and their citizens.
One of the
traditional appeals of a cruise is the opportunity
it provides to visit several destinations in one
excellent vacation experience. Frequent cruisers
especially applaud cruises as a way to try out a
vacation area to which they might want to return.
|

A typical cruise ship of 2000 passengers
generates
over $250,000 in purchases during port call
visits.
|
- In addition to
local port user fees and head taxes and surcharges,
cruise ships purchase supplies and services such as
pilots, tugboats, waste disposal services and fuel
and fresh water at ports of call worldwide.
- Visits by cruise
ships generate hundreds of millions of dollars worth
of business to attractions, restaurants, retail
shops, shore tour operators and other businesses at
ports of call. A recent Business Research and
Economic Forecasting study conducted for the
Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association found that the
typical cruise passenger spends almost $90 at each
port visited.
- Cruise lines
employ more than 100,000 shipboard crew, and these
individuals also contribute to the economies of the
ports they visit.
- Florida-Caribbean
Cruise Association's survey showed that almost 80
percent of crew reported going ashore during a
typical port-of-call visit. Crew expenditures during
these calls averaged $72 per visit.
- Crew expenditures
while visiting a home port averaged almost $112.
- The typical cruise
ship carrying 2,000 passengers and 900 crew members
generates $260,000 in passenger and crew
expenditures during a port of call visit.
- Many passengers
express an interest in returning as air arrivals
and/or resort guests to the ports of call they first
visit by ship. In the Florida-Caribbean Cruise
Association study, 51 percent of passengers said
they were "very likely" or "likely" to re-visit a
cruise port.
|
During the past two
decades, North American cruise lines have compiled the
best safety record in the travel industry while
transporting, entertaining and pampering more than 60
million people throughout the world. To preserve that
exemplary performance, the cruise industry has established
its own standards that go beyond the stringent
international and U.S. laws and regulations that apply to
cruise ships.
- All cruise ships must
meet standards set by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO) and the International Convention for
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Ships operating from U.S.
ports also are subject to U.S. federal and state
regulations as well as quarterly safety inspections by
the U.S. Coast Guard and periodic health inspections
conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
- The U.S. Coast Guard
has declared cruise ships to be one of the safest forms
of transportation, noting that there have been no
passenger deaths on ICCL member line vessels relating to
a maritime accident in over 20 years.
- The average cruise
ship has more than 4,000 smoke alarms. The average
response time in an emergency is a matter of minutes, as
trained fire teams and emergency crews are stationed
onboard only a few hundred feet away from any possible
incident scene.
- A cruise ship is
comparable to a secure building with a 24-hour security
guard.
- A cruise ship is a
controlled environment with limited access. All crew
members and guests appear on an official manifest.
- Passengers and crew
may embark and disembark only after passing through
security. Once a ship is underway, only documented
employees and fare-paying passengers are onboard.
- Cruise lines conduct
background checks on prospective employees. In addition,
U.S. embassy personnel conduct background checks before
issuing work visas to non-U.S. citizens.
- Highly trained
security personnel are employed onboard every vessel. At
U.S. cruise terminals, port security includes passenger
screening procedures similar to those found at airports,
including inspection of all carry-on baggage and the use
of metal detectors for embarking passengers.
- The majority of all
cruise lines adhere to a unified industry standard -
zero tolerance - for crime onboard cruise ships. These
lines operate within a very strict legal framework that
gives both federal and state authorities the right to
investigate crimes aboard cruise ships.
- According to FBI
statistics, being on a cruise ship is safer than being
virtually anywhere in the U.S. in terms of crimes of any
type.

Some cruise lines establish links to shoreside
medical facilities via Internet or satellite based
communication.
|
Most people take a
cruise in order to rejuvenate body, mind and spirit,
and the need for health services never comes up. While
cruise ships are not comprehensive medical facilities,
the cruise lines understand that some people may have
health needs during a cruise. Thus, they are committed
to providing excellent first response and emergency
care to passengers until they can be transferred to a
shoreside medical facility.
|
- Most of the cruise
lines operating in the North American market have
voluntarily worked to create standards for medical
facilities onboard their vessels, even though neither
international law nor U.S. law requires them to do so.
- The medical standards
were put in place to provide (1) reasonable emergency
medical care for passengers and crew; (2) the capability
to stabilize patients and/or initiate reasonable
diagnostic and therapeutic intervention; and (3)
evacuate seriously ill or injured patients when deemed
necessary by a shipboard physician.
- The medical facilities
standards were developed in conjunction with American
College of Emergency Physicians (AECP) requirements.
- Included in the
policies and procedures are 24-hour medical services and
staff. Personnel are board certified or hold equivalent
international certification or have general practice and
emergency or critical care experience.
- Personnel must also be
conversant in English, must possess a current valid
medical license, and must have three years of clinical
experience, including minor surgical skills.
- The cruise industry
medical standards specify the type and quantity of
equipment that must be available onboard, such as x-ray,
defibrillators, EKG, wheelchairs, portable oxygen, to
name a few, as well as medicines that must be maintained
onboard.
- A number of cruise
lines have established links with shoreside medical
institutions, which provide professional medical
consultation, including in some cases, Internet or
satellite based communication.
- Cruise lines and
travel agents encourage cruise vacationers to obtain
travel medical insurance, to travel with extra supplies
of prescription medications and devices and to fully
disclose pre-existing medical conditions before sailing.
They point out that many regular health insurance plans
do not provide coverage when travelers are outside the
United States.

|