Just a little homework can help you find your ideal cruise In effect, cruise providers are as varied as their customer base. No use paying for thrill rides that you don’t need, or tolerating the omnipresent buffet when what you really want is a quiet dinner in the French-themed bistro on the upper deck – even if it stretches the budget a bit. And, given the depth of choice, the trick is finding the right boat. That may take a bit of work, but it’s not because there’s a shortage of product. Perhaps the simplest tactic is to tap “what’s new in cruising” into your laptop Search option and you’ll soon be inundated with offers which “you can’t turn down.” That is, if you still use something as antiquated as a laptop. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the organization that represents more than 90 per cent of cruise providers worldwide, more than 37.7 million passengers (spread out over 310 ships) will have taken a cruise in 2025 – the most ever. And the “global order book” for the international cruise business within the next few years includes 73 new or revamped ships of varying sizes valued at US$63 billion. That includes everything from the mega boats with more than 6,000 customer slots to fill, to smaller vessels of no more than 100 or 200 patrons, some probing the ice fields of Antarctica, searching out the Northern Lights or engaging the rugged coastlines of the Adriatic; or, “if you insist” on just floating in the Caribbean somewhere, anywhere between Cozumel in the West and Barbados in the East. CLIA notes that North America is by far the leading source market, growing by 13 per cent in 2024 over the previous year, and the Caribbean** remains the most popular destination worldwide, followed by the Mediterranean and Europe. **The Bahamas, which is totally in the Atlantic is, for travel promotion services, often referred to as a “Caribbean” nation. Ditto, Turks and Caicos. CSANews | FALL 2025 | 23 Travel
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