Cruise lines re-routing ships to US.

For many Cruise Line companies there has been significant recovery over the past year and growth in their appraisals. Customers have been slowly moving back to spending money on vacations, and the seemingly recession proof honeymoons, continued to help fuel the market.

While the last 52 weeks have seen some positive gains, the current outlook for some companies in this sector, such as Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. may concern some investors. With political problems and some violence in many popular vacation destinations in North Africa and the Middle-East, cruise lines may have experienced difficulties filling their ships for vacations to these areas, and in some cases have been re-routing the cruises altogether. The Cruise Line industry is still feeling the effects of the natural disasters in Japan, as some travelers could still be wary about the safety of the environment following the nuclear meltdowns.

Two other major areas of concern for this industry are fuel prices and the economic problems in Europe. Any rise in fuel prices could affect the industry negatively, and a sluggish economy in Europe could prevent European travelers from taking cruises this summer.

What does this all mean to cruise vacationers who expect to go on vacation this winter? Well if you weren’t planning to go to North Africa, Japan or the Middle-East…it probably means a better value to you. If you planned to sail out of the West coast to the Mexican Rivera you should be aware that some Cruise Lines will continue to steer clear of troubled ports of Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. Some of the Cruise lines have replaced these ports with extra stops in Cabo San Lucas, Manzanillo, Ensenada, La Paz or have been added a sea day. These cruise lines are looking out for your safety and want you to have a great vacation.

Many cruise lines have pulled ships back to the US markets which results in more options for you and more competition for them.  Both of these results in better prices and a better selection for you to chose from.

When thinking of going on a cruise, most people think of the Caribbean and leaving out of Miami, FL. The cruise companies now have ships sailing from all around the US, including ports in Baltimore, New York City, Cape Liberty –Bayonne NJ , Charleston, Boston, Norfolk, Ft. Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Jacksonville, Tampa, Miami, San Juan, New Orleans, Charlotte Amalie, Galveston, Los Angeles, Long Beach,  Norfolk, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.

With all of the ports and ships available, now is a great time to book your winter vacation.