NEW YORK -- Widespread ship redeployments in the wake of the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks are bringing more vessels than ever to what
already is cruising's largest market -- the Caribbean.
With U.S. vacationers reluctant to travel, particularly to
international destinations, cruise suppliers are rerouting ships
previously bound for the eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and
southeast Asia.
The largest cruise lines have pulled 15,000 to 18,000 berths out
of European itineraries since the attacks, said Micky Arison,
chairman of Carnival Corp., in a speech at the Florida-Caribbean
Cruise Association's conference in Aruba last month. Most of those
vessels are winding up in the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
The redeployments will launch an armada of ships into Caribbean
waters, traditionally the chief battleground for the newest and
most feature-rich vessels. The added tonnage will bring with it an
unprecedented level of competition.
"If you line up all of the ships in the Caribbean next year
end-to-end, you could walk there from Miami," said Mark Conroy,
president of Radisson Seven Seas Cruises.
The Caribbean, including the Bahamas, already is the top
destination for cruise capacity placement, according to statistics
from the Cruise Lines International Association.
Caribbean destinations command a 44.5% share of the cruise
market, with major cruise suppliers scheduled to spend more than 26
million passenger bed-days in the region -- nearly three times the
total of Europe, the next-largest area of deployment.
Because the Caribbean totals are based on deployment schedules
published at the beginning of the year, the numbers are certain to
climb due to the redeployments, which will affect schedules through
2002.
The Caribbean emerged as the chief alternative to other
international cruise destinations for many of the same reasons the
region already is popular with North American cruisers -- reliably
warm weather, beautiful beaches and a close proximity to the
U.S.
While U.S. vacationers are gradually returning to the skies, the
airlines are far from full and many people remain reluctant to fly.
Several Caribbean itineraries are available from drive-in ports,
and others require relatively short flights from Eastern gateways
to Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Orlando, Fla.
Yet, while the Caribbean is the biggest beneficiary of the
redeployments, Arison said, some islands will reap more rewards
than others. "All of the Caribbean will benefit, but those
destinations that are closest to the North American marketplace,
the drive-in markets, will benefit the most," said Arison.
The Bahamas and Mexico, he said, are two Caribbean countries
that will see heavier cruise traffic. Southern Caribbean islands
might not share in the traffic surge, he added. No one knows when
that will happen, however. For now, operators are crafting a
plethora of new Caribbean routes.
On Oct. 13, Princess Cruises' newest vessel, the 2,600-passenger
Golden Princess, inaugurated eastern Caribbean cruises from Fort
Lauderdale calling at St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Princess Cays,
the line's private island.
Holland America Line's 1,440-passenger Zaandam will offer 10
alternating 10-day southern Caribbean cruises departing roundtrip
from Fort Lauderdale from Jan. 3 to April 3.