Few stops are scheduled for much of the southern portion, but there are cruises that include Sousse, Tripoli, Alexandria and Port Said, Egypt. Ships are calling all the way from Gibraltar to the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and all along the sea's periphery. In the Mediterranean, bookings are expected to be back up to pre-1985 levels, before the hijacking of the Achille Lauro deterred thousands from cruises in the region. In addition to the growth in Eastern Europe, other destinations are preparing for banner years. Already cruise ships sail just about everywhere that is accessible, but many smaller ships are seeking out shallower ports and less crowded waters, in such places as the Arctic and the Hebrides. While shorter cruises are making the most striking gains, the entire industry is expecting 10 to 12 percent more Americans to take a cruise each year for the next five years, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.Īt the same time competition for cruise passengers is intensifying, and the beneficiary will be the cruising public, which is gaining more interesting places to visit at affordable prices. Among 11 new ships that will be available to passengers this year, two have been specifically designed for the shorter trips.
More and more people are choosing shorter cruises, with three- and four-night cruises accounting for the most rapid growth in the market. They include Memel in Lithuania, Constanta in Rumania and Batum in the Soviet Union. THE cruise industry, responding to the drastic political changes in Eastern Europe, is adding calls to rarely visited ports in Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria and the Soviet Union to its spring and summer itineraries.
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